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

Transmigration

Transmigration, in it's strange sense, refers to the soul. Merriam-Webster defines transmigration of the soul as the "pass[ing] at death from one being or body to another." In some spiritual beliefs, the new vessel is not necessarily a human body but could also be an animal, plant, or other living creature. Also referred to as reincarnation, metempsychosis, or palingenesis. In some situations, this may also be considered a form of possession.

Transmigration, or reincarnation, is a major element of several religions and belief systems: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Druidism, and early Norse beliefs. The most famous set of transmigratory beliefs, perhaps, comes out of ancient Egypt -- renowned for myths and ideas of reincarnation

The concept of transmigration is an old one, dating as far back as the Iron Age. Transmigratory ideas existed among early Greeks and Celtic druids. Later, in the 6th century BCE, transmigration occurs in Indian beliefs.

The many versions of transmigration -- reincarnation and such -- should not be considered synonymous with one another. Different belief systems treat the broad concept of transmigration in several different ways. Much of past and present transmigratory beliefs focus on the reincarnation aspect, being reborn into a another body or life after one's death. There is an abundance of myths, stories, and novels featuring this aspect.

Some novels, the 1970's science fiction novel Transmigration by J.T. MacIntosh, focus on the more possession-like aspect of transmigration.  This book features a character with the involuntary ability of transmigration at the time of his own death -- as he dies, his soul passes into the nearest person and takes over their body.

In the Cassandra Palmer series, by Karen Chance, the main protagonist, Cassie, has the ability to see ghosts and is often accompanied by a ghost "familiar" that can enter her body and take control. By accident, Cassie discovers she, too, can transmigrate to other people. In the fourth book, Curse the Dawn, Cassie accidentally trades bodies with her partner, John Pritkin.

In P.C. Cast's series, Goddess Summoning, characters switch bodies with deities from Greek mythology. For instance, in Goddes of Spring, a modern-day woman exchanges bodies with the Greek goddess Persephone, reinventing the classic myth of how Persephone becomes wife of Hades and Queen of the Underworld.

Anna Windsor's Captive Spirit and Captive Soul, from her Dark Crescent Sisterhood series, features the character John Cole, who, at the time of his death, passes his soul into the mind and body of his best friend through means of a magical object. John does not take over the body entirely, rather exists as a secondary consciousness.

See Also: ghost, soul

Sources and More Information: Merriam-Webster Dictionary, New Advent, The Pagan's Path, Wikipedia

Related Books:
Captive Spirit by Anna Windsor
Captive Soul by Anna Windsor
Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance
Goddess Summoning series by P.C. Cast

Transmigration by J.T. MacIntosh

Rakshasa

A Rakshasa is an evil spirit from primarily Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Also: Rakshasi [female rakshasa], Rakshas, the Raksha People, Raksasa [Malaysia], reksoso [Java], Rakhas [Bengal], Ratsetusen [Japan].

They are semi-divine with magical powers and shapeshifting abilities. In Hindu mythology, they are among the most troublesome and malicious beings; however, they are sometimes identified with the less-reviled yakshas -- forest or mountain demons with shapechanging powers. In Buddhist tradition, Rakshasa represent sins in humanity, particularly greed, lust, deceit, and violence.

According to mythology, they can take on any form, though there are variations of this trait in the many books, movies, shows, and games that feature Rakshasa. Traditionally, when they are not using their shapeshifting abilities, Rakshasa have (female) humanoid forms with vertical slits for eyes, matted hair, large bellies, backwards-pointing fingers, poisonous fingernails, and five feet.

"Some of them disgusted the eye, while some were beautiful to look upon. Some had long arms and frightful shapes; some were very fat and some were very lean; some were mere dwarfs and some were prodigiously tall. Some had only one eye and others only one ear. Some had monstrous bellies, hanging breasts, long projecting teeth, and crooked thighs; whilst others were exceedingly beautiful to behold and clothed in great splendour. Some had two legs, some three legs, and some four legs. Some had the heads of serpents, some the heads of donkeys, some the heads of horses, and some the heads of elephants."
~ Ramayana

 The are subjects to Ravana, the demon king. Their home is in Sri Lanka, in a dwelling built by the divine architect, Visvakarma. Some stories have them living in trees or forests. There are differing ideas about their origin. Some accounts say they are the children of the Vedic goddess of death, Nirriti. In other accounts, they sprang from the foot of Brahma, or are descended from the sage Pulashya. In the Ramayana, Brahma created them to guard the waters. It is also believed that exceptionally cruel humans may be punished after death by being turned into a Rakshasa.


They eat human flesh, even rotted or dead flesh. They haunt cemeteries and graveyards. They can possess humans through food, causing illness, insanity, or death. One can ward off a Rakshasa by calling it "uncle".

A well-known Rakshasa in mythology is Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana and an unusually kind and beautiful Rakshasa. Another is Nairitya.

In Anna Windsor's Captive Spirit, the Rakshasa are depicted as hierarchical, mercenary cat beasts. Also called the Unrighteous. They take on limited forms: only human forms, cat-like forms, and intangible energy streams. In cat form, they resemble seven-foot biped tigers with incredible strength. They emit a strong odor of ammonia, regenerate wounds quickly, and like to eat human flesh. They are very vicious and violent creatures, even amongst themselves, that kill their victims by tearing the bodies apart with their claws. They are not shown using weapons. For all their ferocity, however, they are intelligent and organized. There are two types of Rakshasa in this book, those that were born true Rakshasa and those that were Created by existing Rakshasa. The Created are inferior in size, strength, and intelligence to true Rakshasa.


In Magic Strikes, the third book in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, the Rakshasa are also mercenary-esque fighters, though they have a wider variety of animal forms and magical abilities. These also eat human flesh and delight hurting their victims. They are not as disciplined or organized here as they are in Captive Spirit, though they do work effectively together in fighting groups.

A more sophisticated version is found in Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light. In this novel, they are called rakashas instead of rakshasa. They are depicted as immortal, extraterrestrial beings of energy that can take different forms. These rakashas were once human before discovering how to transcend humanity and gain immortality, but they continue to crave human form. They are not as evil as mythology or other novels present them to be, though they are antagonistic and amoral, with a love of gambling.

See Also:

Sources and More Information: Dictionary of Ancient Deities, The Dictionary of Mythology, Encyclopedia for Epics of Ancient India, I-See-Them

Related Books:
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Captive Spirit (Dark Crescent Sisterhood) by Anna Windsor
The GameWorld Trilogy by Samit Basu
The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels) by Ilona Andrews
Rakshasa by Max Overton
Resurrecting Ravana (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) by Ray Garton

Theriomorph

In it's original sense, the term "theriomorphic" referred to beings, especially deities, possessing of or depicting animal forms. Derived from the Greek therion or "wild beast" and morphous "having the shape, form, or structure". The term later became applied to any being that shapeshifts from human to animal form. The most commonly known type of theriomorph is the werewolf. Popular usage of the term is found in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series.

See Also: loup-garou, lycanthrope, werewolf

Sources and More Information: Breakfast with Pandora, The Demoniacal, Dictionary.com

Related Books:
Fool Moon (Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher

Raziel

An archangel according to the teachings of the Kabbalah (Judaism). In the earliest reference, the Slavonic Book of Enoch, he is called Raguel or Rasuel. The name "Raziel" means "secret of God." Also known as the "Keeper of Secrets", "The Angel of the Secret Regions", and the "Angel of Mysteries". Under another name, Galizur or "Revealer of the Rock, he is known as the "ruling prince of the second heaven."He is ascribed to several different roles in the Judaic hierarchy of angels, commonly as a cherub, an Ophan (the Ophanim are the four carriers of the throne of God), or one of the Erelim.

Raziel is most-known for the Sefer Raziel HaMalach (Book of Raziel the Angel), which contained all earthly and celestial knowledge. As one of the Ophanim, he stands close to the throne of God and hears all, which he writes in his book. According to the Book of Raziel, he is the angel of magic and taught astrology and divination to mankind.

"Each day the angel Raziel makes proclamation on Mount Horeb, from heaven, of the secrets of men to all that dwell upon the earth, and his voice resounds throughout the world."

~ Targum Ecclesiastes. 10,20

He is said to have given the Book of Raziel to Adam and Eve after they were banished from the Garden of Eden. This upset the other angels, who took the book from Adam and threw it into the ocean, but God retrieved the book and gave it back to Adam. The book later came to Enoch, Noah -- who used the knowledge in the book to build his ark -- and eventually Solomon.

There are different interpretations of Raziel's appearance. In Jewish tradition, he has blue wings and wears a gray robe. In Faith Hunter's Rogue Mage series, "his feathers are pure scarlet, a darker shade than a cardinal, his nervure, the veins visible through the soft down of the underarm, are a bright teal except when he is fighting or excited—then they turn a brighter red. His eyes are more beautiful than the finest ruby, with red irises in a tawny-skinned face, jaw of carved marble. Smells like honey and chocolate."

Raziel is a chief figure in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series. In these books, Raziel created the race of Nephilim, human-angel hybrids, to fight the presence of demons on earth.

See Also: angel, archangel, cherub, Kabbalah, Judaism

Sources and More Information: Angelic Artistry, Crystalinks, Faith Hunter's Website, JewishEncyclopedia.com

Related Books:
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Bloodring by Faith Hunter
Host by Faith Hunter
Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Seraphs by Faith Hunter
The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
To Reign in Hell by Steven Brust