In Greek mythology, Perseus confronted the Graeae to learn where the Gorgons lived.
The Graeae were three sisters named Deino, Enyo, and Pemphredo. They were daughters of the sea deities Phorcys and Ceto, who were also the parents of the Gorgons. The sisters shared one eye and one tooth between them.
In later versions of the Perseus story, the hero seized their shared eye or tooth and forced them to reveal the Gorgons’ location. This episode is often confused with the Graeae themselves being Gorgons, but they were a separate group of related female monsters.
The Graeae belong to the wider family of ancient Greek beings associated with the dangerous sea and the edges of the known world. Their shared eye and tooth make them one of mythology’s most distinctive groups.