Keres

In Greek mythology, the Keres (/ˈkɪriːz/; Ancient Greek: Κῆρες) were malevolent spirits who brought pestilence and ruin. They feasted on dead and dying warriors. The Keres were daughters of Nyx, and as such the sisters of beings such as Moirai, who controlled the fate of souls, and Thanatos, the god of death. Some later authorities, such as Cicero, called them by a Latin name, Tenebrae 'the Darknesses', and named them daughters of Erebus and Nyx. The singular form of the name is Ker (/ˈkɜr/; Κήρ), which, according to Hesiod, refers to an entity distinct from the Keres. Ancient sources seldom distinguish or enumerate the Keres, describing them instead as a vast and host. In the Iliad, they are portrayed as "thousands" (myriai) in number. Mimnermus, however, speaks of only two: "one bringing old age, the other death". Quintus Smyrnaeus similarly mentions "twin Keres, one dark, one bright".