They are sometimes referred to as the Manes of the dead.
Lenæ′us. One of the names of Bacchus.
Ler′na. The lake near Argos where Hercules conquered the Hydra.
Le′the. One of the rivers of the infernal regions, of which the souls of the departed are obliged to drink to produce oblivion or forgetfulness of everything they did or knew while alive on the earth.
“A slow and silent stream,
Lethe, the river of oblivion, rolls
Her watery labyrinth, whereof who drinks
Forthwith his former state and being forgets,
Forgets both joy and grief, pleasure and pain.”
Milton.