Keres

(kē′ rēz)

Also: Ker or Cer [singular], Letum [Roman]

From Greek mythology, the Keres are the personifying spirits of violent or cruel death, including those caused by epidemic diseases. They are dark, hateful, and frightening beings that tear souls away from the bodies of the dying, which are then sent to the entrance of the underworld (Hades). They crave blood, feasting upon the bodies once they have removed the souls. They are depicted as black-winged women, with fangs and talons, wearing bloody garments. They are also bestial in nature, inclined to fight among themselves over their prey.

According to Hesiod, the Keres are the daughters of Nyx, the Greek personification of Night, which would make them sisters to the Moirae (the three Fates). As such, the Keres serve the Moirae by delivering punishment to those who have committed crimes. Some sources say they, themselves, are the souls of the dead.

The Keres hover over battlefields by the thousands -- accompanied by Eris, goddess of discord, and Cydoimos, the personification of battle confusion. They accost the wounded and dead, and they drag the dead away by their feet.

...and Ker the destructive; she was holding a live man with a new wound, and another one unhurt, and dragged a dead man by the feet through the carnage. The clothing upon her shoulders showed strong red with the men's blood as she glared horribly and gnashed her teeth till they echoed. All [the Keres] closed together like living men and fought with each other and dragged away from each other the corpses of those who had fallen

~ Iliad, 18. 535

Though they are formidable, their power does have limitations. Unlike the Moirae, they do not have absolute power over life and death. And they are subject to the Olympian gods, who can deter the Keres should they choose to. There is also a ritual, performed at the close of the Athenian festival of the Anthesteria, that drives the Keres out of homes and cities. There is a Greek proverb originating from this: Out of doors, Keres! It is no longer Anthesteria.

In some Classical literature, the Keres are linked with the Erinys (Furies), the three avenging spirits. There may also be a connection between Keres and Valkyries, war spirits from Norse mythology.


The Keres are mentioned by Hesiod and Homer. Homer mentions them several times in the Iliad and the Odyssey, but with little detail. Hesiod creates a more distinct image than Homer, particularly in his Theogony. In his Works and Days, Hesiod suggests that the Keres may have been the evil spirits release from Pandora's box (or jar).

Keres play a prominent role in Anna Windsor's Bound by Light, from her Dark Crescent Sisterhood series. 

See Also: Eris, Nyx, Valkyrie

Sources & More Info:
Dictionary of Classical Mythology. J.E. Zimmerman
The Dictionary of Mythology: An A-Z of Themes, Legends and Heroes. J.A. Coleman
Encylopedia Mythica
Myth Index

The Theoi Project

Related Books:
Bound by Light (Dark Crescent Sisterhood) by Anna Windsor

Ghul

Also: ghoul, ghoula [feminine], ghulah [feminine], ghol [Persian]

A powerful djinni (jinee, genie) made of fire from Arabic folklore. Ghuls are the offspring of Iblis, the Arabic version of the devil.

Ghuls are basically humanoid in appearance. They come in various sizes and can change their shapes, typically into different animal forms. Sometimes they are said to have hooves, and Saharan ghuls might have ostrich legs and one eye. They ride on the backs of hares or ostriches.

Ghuls are said to eat human flesh, both of the dead and the living. They inhabit desolate places like deserts and graveyards. They lure their victims away and eat them, particularly travelers in the desert. Some female ghulahs play flutes to enchant men to their deaths. There are also forest-dwelling ghuls, which abduct men and women and seduce them. In this manner, Ghuls can procreate. The offspring of these unions are savage creatures.

Male ghuls are associated with the qutrub, another type of demon. Ghuls are also related to the udar, another desert spirit. They are also identified with the Vetala, a similar creature from Indian folklore.


Ghuls are said to rob graves and eat the bodies of the dead. Western culture is more familiar with this characteristic of the creature, adapting the ghoul into a vampire-like monster that eats human flesh. In this vein, ghouls become a more indistinct sort of monster, with various traits and appearances depending on who is telling the tale. In many instances, ghouls are more akin to zombies than vampires, in that they are mindless beasts. More recent treatments, however, have ghouls functioning like half-vampires, subservient to vampires but retaining human reason.

Ghuls are found in the Arabian Nights, and it was through the translation of these stories that ghuls, or ghouls, became known to Western culture. Arguably the most famous rendition of the ghoul in Western culture is Dracula's Renfield, the servant who eats insects and craves flesh.

The Westernized version of ghouls feature in Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series. In these books, ghouls are a type of undead, formerly human but transformed after death. To create a ghoul, a dying human is given vampire blood. Once the human dies, his heart is replaced with a ghoul's heart and vampire blood is used to reanimate it. Frost's version of ghouls are rational beings with their human personalities more or less intact,  very similar socially to vampires. Like vampires, ghouls are immortal and can only be killed by decapitation.Unlike vampires, though, they feed on raw meat rather than blood. 

Fans of Batman and DC Comics will recognize the name Ra's al-Ghul, a centuries-old villain who extends his life through his Lazarus Pit. While Ra's is not a ghul as described above, the name al-Ghul reportedly mean's "Demon's Head". 

See Also: djinn

Sources and More Information: , Answers.com, Comic Vine, DearDeath.com, The Dictionary of Mythology, Encylopedia Mythica, Jeaniene Frost's website,


Related Books:
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Kitty Goes to War (Kitty Norville series) by Carrie Vaughn
Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost