Κήρ
ker-2
the goddess of death
Appears 3 times across Homer's epics.
Frequency by work
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Dictionary (LSJ)
Κήρ, ἡ, Aeol. Κᾶρ (v. infr.), gen. Κηρός, acc. Κῆρα; Dor.pl. Κᾶρες ap. 4.34.8 (v.l. Κῆρες), but sg. κήρ Trag. in lyr. (v. infr.):—A. the goddess of death or doom, Κὴρ . . Θανάτοιο Od. 11.171, etc.; Κῆρες . . Θανάτοιο Il. 2.834, etc.; ἐν δʼ Ἔρις ἐν δὲ Κυδοιμὸς ὁμίλεον ἐν δʼ ὀλοὴ K.Il. 18.535; ἐμὲ μὲν K.ἀμφέχανε στυγερή, ἥ περ λάχε γιγνόμενόν περ 23.79; διχθάδιαι Κῆρες, of Achilles, 9.411; Κῆρες μυρίαι 12.326; Κῆρες Ἀχαιῶν, Τρώων, 8.73, 74; K. νηλεόποινοι Th. 217; K. Ἐρινύες Th. 1060 (anap.); K. ἀναπλάκητοι OT 472 (lyr.), cf.Tr. 133 (lyr.), Fr. 277, El. 1252, HF 870 (troch.); ἁρπαξάνδρα K., of the Sphinx, Th. 777 (lyr.): prov., θύραζε Κῆρες (v.l. Κᾶρες) , οὐκ ἔνι (v.l. ἔτʼ) Ἀνθεστήρια, of those who want the same always, 4.33, s.v. θύραζε. II. as Appellat., doom, death, esp. when violent, rarely without personal sense in , τὸ δέ τοι κὴρ εἴδεται εἶναι that seems to thee to be death, Il. 1.228; κῆρʼ ἀλεείνων 3.32, al.; φόνον καὶ κ. φέροντες 2.352, al.: freq. later, ὐπὰ κᾶρι . . διννάεντʼ Ἀχέροντʼ ἐπέραισε Supp. 7.7; μέλαιναν κῆρʼ ἐπʼ ὄμμασιν βαλών Ph. 950. 2. νοσῶν παλαιᾷ κηρί plague, disease, Ph. 42, cf. 1166 (lyr.): in a general sense, βαρεῖα μὲν κ. τὸ μὴ πιθέσθαι grievous ruin it were not to obey, Ag. 206 (lyr.); ἐλευθέρῳ ψευδεῖ καλεῖσθαι κ. πρόσεστιν οὐ καλή an unseemly disgrace, Tr. 454. 3. pl.sts. in Prose, blemishes, defects, [τοῖς καλοῖς] κ. ἐπιπεφύκασιν Lg. 937d; [τόποι] ἰδίας ἔχουσι κῆρας CP 5.10.4; κ. σύμφυτοι 2.3, cf. 8.61; ἁμαρτίαι καὶ κ. Cim. 2; σῶμα ἀκήρατον τῶν ἐκτὸς κ. 95b, cf. 1.368, al.: rarely sg., συνήθειαν ὥσπερ τινὰ κ. Ant. 2, cf. 1.440. (Perh. cogn. with κεραΐζω.)
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