So while the Furies might incur fear, disgust, hatred, and more – from gods and mortals alike – it is too easy to dismiss them as a negative force, even if Apollo or Orestes might feel that way about them. They serve a crucial role in society before the creation of formalized legal proceedings for ensuring that people maintained a civilized moral code. Sometimes that was as basic as not committing murder, but it was also a way of protecting oaths and promises in a time before mass literacy.
