Why do the Furies become the Eumenides at the end of the Oresteia?

In the Oresteia by Aeschylus, the Furies (also known as the Erinyes) are initially depicted as vengeful spirits pursuing Orestes for the matricide of his mother, Clytemnestra.12

Following Orestes' acquittal in a trial organized by the goddess Athena in Athens, the Furies are initially enraged and threaten the city with their resentment. To resolve this conflict, Athena persuades them to abandon their cycle of retributive bloodshed. She offers them a permanent home and a cult in Athens, where they are honored as the Eumenides, or "Kind Goddesses".123

This transformation signifies the end of the cycle of blood vengeance and the establishment of the rule of law and state-sanctioned justice. The name "Eumenides" serves as a euphemism, reflecting the Greek practice of using respectful titles to appease deities they feared.124