Eumenides

In Greek myth, Eumenides, or Furies, are spirits who avenge intrafamily offenses, especially the murder of one family member by another. In Aeschylus?s play Eumenides, Orestes is pursued by these spirits after he murders his mother, Clytemnestra. He flees to Athens where he pleads his case to the goddess Athena. Aeschylus gives us what is perhaps the first courtroom drama, in which the spirits prosecute and Orestes presents his own defense. Athena breaks the tied judges' vote on Orestes's innocence or guilt.