A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

EUMENIDES. EUMENIDES. 91
hut he had the good-fortune or dexterity to avoid which they punish are disobedience towards pacoming to an open rupture either with Rome or rentp, violation of the respect due to old age, perhis brother Attalus. (Polyb. xxxi. 9, xxxii. 5; jury, murder, violation of the law of hospitality,
Diod. xxxi. Exc. Vales. p. 582.) His death, which and improper conduct towards suppliants. (Hom.
is not mentioned by any ancient writer, must have II. ix. 454, xv. 204, xix. 259, Od. ii. 136, xvii.
taken place in B. c. 159, after a reign of 39 years. 475.) The notion which is the foundation of the
(Strab. xiii. p. 624; Clinton, F. H. iii. pp. 403, belief in the Eumenides seems to be, that a parent's
406.) curse takes from him upon whom it is pronounced
According to Polybius (xxxii. 23), Eumenes all peace of mind, destroys the happiness of his
was a man of a feeble bodily constitution, but of family, and prevents his being blessed with chilgreat vigour and power of mind, which is indeed dren. (Herod. iv. 149; Aeschyl. Elnm. 835.) As
sufficiently evinced by the history of his reign: the Eumenides not only punished crimes after
his policy was indeed crafty and temporizing, but death, but during life on earth, they were conceived
indicative of much sagacity; and he raised his also as goddesses of fate, who, together with Zeus
kingdom from a petty state to one of the highest and the Moerae or Parcae, led such men as were
consideration. All the arts of peace were assidu- doomed to suffer into misery and misfortunes.
ously protected by him: Pergamus itself became (Hom. 1I. xix. 87, Od. xv. 234.) In the same
under his rule a great and flourishing city, which capacity they also prevented man from obtaining
he adorned with splendid buildings, and in which too much knowledge of the future. (II. xix. 418.)
he founded that celebrated library which rose to be Homer does not mention any particular names of
a rival even to that of Alexandria. (Strab. xiii. p. the Erinnyes, nor does he seem to know of any
624.) It would be unjust to Eumenes not to add definite number. Hesiod, who is likewise silent
the circumstance mentioned by Polybius in his upon these points, calls the Erinnyes the daughters
praise, that he continued throughout. his life on the of Ge, who conceived them in the drops of blood
best terms with all his three brothers, who cheer- that fell upon her from the body of Uranus.
fully lent their services to support him in his (Theog. 185; comp. Apollod. i. 1. ~ 4.) Epimenides
power. One of these, Attalus, was his immediate called them the daughters of Cronos and Euonyme,
successor, his son Attalus being yet an infant, and sisters of the Moerae (Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 406;
(Polyb. xxxii. 23; Strab. xiii. p. 624.) A de- Schol. ad Sopos. Oed. Col. 42); Aeschylus (Eum.
tailed account of the reign of Eumenes will be 321) calls them the daughters of Night; and
found in Van Cappelle, Commentatio de Regibus et Sophocles (Oed. Col. 40, 106) of Scotos (Darkness)
Antiquitatibus Pergamenis, Amstel.1842. [E. H. B.] and Ge. (Comp. some other genealogies in Hygin.
EUME'NIDES (E1Eevs'i'es), also called ERIN- Fab. p. 1; Serv. ad Aen. vii. 327; Orph. Hymn.
NYvES, and by the Romans FURIAE or DIRAE, were 69. 2.) The Greek tragedians, with whom, as in
originally nothing but a personification of curses the Eumenides of Aeschylus, the number of these
pronounced upon a guilty criminal. The name goddesses is not limited to a few (Dyer, in the
Erinnys, which is the more ancient one, was de- Class. Museum, vol. i. pp. 281-298; comp. Eurip.:ived by the Greeks from the verb?piywo or Ipig. Taur. 970; Virg. Aen. iv. 469), no particular
Epevvawo, I hunt up or persecute, or from the Arca- name of any one Erinnys is yet mentioned, but
dian word.pLzvw, I am angry; so that the Erinnyes they appear in the same capacity, and as the
were either the angry goddesses, or the goddesses avengers of the same crimes, as before. They are
who hunt up or search after the criminal. (Aes- sometimes identified with the Poenae, though their
chyl. Eum. 499; Pind. 01. ii. 45; Cic. de Nat. sphere of action is wider than that of the Poenae.
Deor. iii. 18.) The name Eumenides, which sig- From their hunting up and persecuting the cursed
nifies "the well-meaning," or "soothed goddesses," criminal, Aeschylus (Eum. 231, Choeph. 1055)
is a mere euphemism, because people dreaded to calls them Kvves or Kvy7eT'rLes. No prayer, no
call these fearful goddesses by their real name, and sacrifice, and no tears can move them, or protect
it was said to have been first given them afterthe the object of their persecution (Aesch. Ayam. 69,
acquittal of Orestes by the court of the Areiopagus, Eum. 384); and when they fear lest the criminal
when the anger of the Erinnyes had become sooth- should escape them, they call in the assistance of
ed. (Soph. Oed. Col. 128; Schol. ad Oed. Col. 42; Dice, with whom they are closely connected, the
Suid. s. v. EJuevltes.) It was by a similar euphe- maintenance of strict justice being their only obmism that at Athens the Erinnyes were called ject. (Aesch. Eum. 511, 786; Orph. Argon. 350;
aewvad a&eal, or the venerable goddesses. (Paus. i. Plut. de Exil. 11.) The Erinnyes were more an28. ~ 6.) Servius (ad Aen. iv. 609) makes a dis- cient divinities than the Olympian gods, and were
tinction, according to which they bore the name therefore not under the rule of Zeus, though they
Dirae, when they were conceived as being in hea- honoured and esteemed him (Eum. 918, 1002);
ven by the throne of Zeus, Furiae, when conceived and they dwelt in the deep darkness of Tartarus,
as-bemg on earth, and Eumenides, as beings of the dreaded by gods and men. Their appearance is
lower world;. but this seems to be a purely arbi- described by Aeschylus as Gorgo-like, their bodies
trary distinction. covered with black, serpents twined in their hair,
In the sense of curse or curses, the word Erinnys and blood dripping from their eyes; Euripides and
or Erinnyes is often used in the Homeric poems other later poets describe them as winged beings.
(I1. ix. 454, xxi. 412, Od. xi. 280), and Aeschylus (Orest. 317, Iphig. Taur. 290; Virg. Aen. xii. 848;
(Ckzoeph. 406) calls the Eumenides'Apac, that is, Orph. Hynzn. 68. 5.) The appearance they -have
curses. According to the Homeric notion, the in Aeschylus was more or less retained by the
Erinnyes, whom the poet conceives as distinct poets of later times; but they gradually assumed
beings, are reckoned among those who inhabit the character of goddesses who punished crimes
Erebos, where they rest until some curse pro- after death, and seldom appeared on earth. On
nounced upon a criminal calls them to life and ac- the stage, however, and in works of art, their feartivity. (II. ix. 571, Od. xv. 234.) The crimes ful appearance was greatly softened down, for they