Manes

(ma'neez.) (Rom. Myth.) A general name for the infernal deities. The ancients comprehended under the term manes not only Pluto, Proser pine, and Minos, but the souls of the deceased also.It was usual to erect altars and offer libations to the manes of deceased friends and relations; for the superstitious notion that spirits of the departed had an important influence on the good or bad fortune of the living made people very cautious of offending them. When it was not known whether a corpse had been buried or not, a cenotaph was erected, and the M. were solemnly invited to rest there, from fear that otherwise they would wander about the world, terrifying the living and seeking the body which they had once inhabited. [s. 574]