In Greek mythology, the Graeae were three daughters of Phorcys and Ceto: Deino, Pephredo, and Enyo; their names meaning respectively 'alarm', 'dread', and 'horror'. They were sisters and at the same time guardians of the Gorgons, they were conceived as misshapen hideous creatures, hoary and withered from their birth, with only one eye and one tooth for the common use of the three, and were supposed to inhabit a dark cavern near the entrance to Tartarus. The belief in their existence seems to have been originally suggested by the grey fog or mist which lies upon the sea and is a frequent source of danger to the mariner. It is said that Perseus obtained from them the necessary information as to the dwelling of the Gorgons by seizing; their solitary eye and tooth, and refusing to return them until they showed him the way. Research Graeae
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Abbreviations
Research Enyo
