Eumenides was a euphemistic name used for the Erinyes (the
Furies), whose real name was best avoided (compare Eubuleus). It apparently means 'well-minded', 'well-disposed', from eu-, 'good', 'well' and menos, 'spirit'. The name was first given to the avenging ladies by
Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and is familiar as the title of a
play by Aeschylus.
