Ker
/kɜːr/noun
In Greek mythology, a Ker is a spirit or goddess associated with violent death and doom.
Did you know?The Keres were imagined as bloodthirsty spirits that hovered over battlefields, competing to claim the doomed dead.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“To cut or strike; a reconstructed root associated with severing and division.”
Mycenaean Greek
Greek
ke-re-si-ja
“A form often connected with the later Keres, though its precise interpretation remains debated.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κήρ (kḗr)
“Fate, doom, or violent death; also a death-spirit or destructive destiny.”
Classical Greek
Greek
Κῆρες (Kêres)
“Plural death-spirits imagined as female beings who preyed upon warriors in battle.”
19th Century
English
ker
“A scholarly English borrowing referring to a Greek spirit or goddess of violent death.”
Modern English
English
Ker
“An obscure mythological term for a spirit or goddess of violent death and doom.”