From Greek Φιλομηλα (Philomela) which meant "friend of song" from φιλος (philos) "friend" and μελος (melos) "song". In Greek myth this was the name of the sister-in-law of Tereus, who raped her and cut out her tongue. Prokne avenged her sister by killing her son by Tereus, and then Tereus tried to kill Philomela, but she was transformed by the gods into a nightingale.