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Kore
Kore3
First appearance S3E01: Enemies of Rome
Last appearance S3E10: Victory
Profession Body Slave
Escaped Slave
Rebels
Race Gaul
Relationships Marcus Licinius Crassus (Dominus/Lover)
Tiberius (Dominus/Former Friend/Enemy/Rapist; deceased)
Tertulla (Domina)
Julius Caesar (Ally)
Laeta (Friend)
Sibyl (Friend)
Rebel Mother (Friend)
Spartacus (Leader, deceased)
Status Deceased (Crucified by Roman Soldiers, on Crassus' orders)
Actor/Actress Jenna Lind

Kore is a slave in The House of Crassus. She has been serving Crassus since Tiberius's birth and in many ways is seen as a mother figure.

Appearance[]

Kore is a slender and beautiful young woman with long, dark brown hair and brown eyes. She has a warm, motherly aura around her Though she is still treated and dressed as a slave, she shares mutual loyalty and affection with her masters. She wears a dark yellow outfit, open down the middle of her chest. Her slave mark is a tattoo bearing the full name of her master, unlike the brands given Spartacus and his men.

Personality[]

Kore is a kind and noble woman. She cares for her masters - Tiberius, whom she raised and Crassus, whom she loves - and they return her affection. Despite being a slave she speaks on an equal level with Tiberius and, on occasion, Crassus. She is extremely loyal, holding Crassus in high regard and he in return shows her the same to which the two have formed a loving, intimate relationship that eventually becomes sexual.

War of the Damned[]

Kore is introduced in the first episode of season three. She quietly stands watching as Crassus and Hilarus spar with each other in the villa. The battle is much to the chagrin of his son, Tiberius, who feels himself and his family to be of higher standing of such common slaves. Although Kore is treated well by both men - Crassus and Tiberius - trust and confide in her, she is still a slave and it does not stop either men from remarking on that fact. When Tiberius is injured by Hilarus while sparring, Kore tends to his wound, telling him that in order to gai

Kore

Kore tends to Tiberius.

n Crassus' favor, he should think as he would.

As plans fall into place and Crassus finalizes plans to confront Spartacus and his band on the battlefield, he enlists the help of Julius Caesar. Crassus promises Caesar promotions and coin to repay the enormous debt he has gained from expensive battles abroad.

While Caesar bathes, Kore enters to refill his wine cup - and unfortunately he believes her to be a gift for his own pleasure. As he undresses her, Crassus enters and tells her to leave. Kore runs through the house in tears, receiving a sharp warning from Crassus' wife Tertulla and genuine concern from Tiberius.

Kore & Crassus

Kore and Crassus.

Later that night, Crassus asks Kore to come with him (an offer which he denied his wife, who was intent on joining him), not as her master but as a man. She accepts, and it is implied the two made love. Although Kore can not reside with him in the legion's camp, she is well taken care living in the outskirts of the follower's camp. The two make passionate love frequently, something afforded to both with Crassus' wife not around.

KOREAB

Kore in the follower's camp.

Kore often tries to mend the rift between Crassus and Tiberius, especially after Tiberius is forced to murder his friend Sabinus as per the legion's punishment of Decimation after the other soldiers fled when ordered not to (unfortunately for Sabinus, he was killed despite being the only one to remain). Kore watches in anguish as Tiberius is engulfed in a deep depression, a dark hatred festering inside. Crassus tells her that he must find his own way or be forever lost.

KOREAC

Kore staring out over the seas.

Kore later invites Tiberius into her tent in an attempt to comfort him. When he arrives, she seemingly gets through to him over the loss of Sabinus as he breaks down in her arms. Unfortunately, Tiberius sees this as an opportunity to take revenge on his father and violently rapes Kore; despite her protests, Tiberius coldly reminds her that she is still a slave, and she must do whatever he wants.

Kore.

Kore leaving Melia Ridge.

When Tiberius threatens her in secret, Kore tearfully questions him if the years she has tended to him mean nothing. These words cause him to hesitate at first but he shrugs it off and tells her to keep their encounters to herself. Eventually she grows unable to bear Tiberius' repeated threats. She meets in secrecy with Caesar in hopes of neutralizing Tiberius. She refuses to tell Caesar about the rape and instead asks him to bring her to the mountain camp. After Crassus informs her that she is to stay within Sinuessa with Tiberius the two make love one last time. At night, Kore awakes while Crassus sleeps and kills a guard and joins the rebellion by secretly joining them in escaping Melia Ridge.

Kore

Kore fearful from aggressive questioning from Spartacus.

Kore keeps a low profile in the camp, but assists in delivering a baby alongside Laeta. Agron and Spartacus arrive and praise her skilled hands, which she mentions were acquired during her time with her dominus. Laeta inquires as to who her dominus was, thinking she may have heard of him. Kore lies, saying it was Pompo, but Spartacus catches a glimpse of the mark of Marcus Licinius Crassus II on her arm, catching her in the lie. Spartacus over-reacts, thinking Kore was a spy.  After Kore reveals her reason for leaving Marcus, Laeta sympathizes and reminds Spartacus that they should help any slave, regardless of who their Dominus/Domina was. Calming down, Spartacus places responsibility of her life to Laeta.

One night, Kore is approached by a recovering Naevia who inquires her former connections to Crassus. When Kore confirms it as well as how close they were before her escape, Naevia presses to know why Kore did not take advantage and kill Crassus before her departure to their side so Crixus would not have died in his siege upon Rome. Kore, deeply moved by the issue, denies blame for the outcome with Naevia reminding that anyone can be held accountable for their actions, their choices, and the ones which could have made the most difference had they be acted upon. Kore remarks that the past cannot be changed or truly relived, and while Naevia agrees she also reasons that they can push themselves towards the now unpredictable future before them and "balance scale" against those who have wronged them so personally when the time is right. This exchange leaves an impression on Kore who contemplates Naevia's words the rest of the evening.

Later, Spartacus and a few other rebels manage to capture Tiberius and a group of Roman soldiers. Although he expected to find Crassus instead, Spartacus decides to lighten the mood and offers up his own gladiatorial games using the captured Romans. Kore visits a beaten Tiberius and his men, she mocks them by saying their suffering resembles the one he had placed onto her with his actions. Desperate, Tiberius fills her head with thoughts of

Kore & Tiberius

Kore talking to Tiberius.

Crassus, hoping she will help him escape. He tells Kore that his father still loves and yearns for her. Moved, but seeing through his plots, she tells Tiberius that she will return later at the executions to watch him die, a thing she longs to see above all else. As the sun fades, a bloody fight ensues as Spartacus' games begin and end with each Roman captive meeting the same fate - death. As Naevia begins her fight with Tiberius, Spartacus is drawn away with news that Caesar has come offering a trade; Crassus will release 500 captured Rebels for the return of Tiberius. Spartacus halts Naevia and gives her the choice to either let him live or die. Naevia relents, and Tiberius hobbles slowly towards Caesar, Kore (moved by Naevia's talk with her) rushes past the other rebels and stabs Tiberius in the stomach. As Tiberius dies, he watches Kore smirk at him as he realizes the deed, and then lies dead as Caesar scolds her for her actions. Kore recites what she has learned, yet reassures him the

Kore!

Kore about to kill Tiberius.

deal will still be made, using herself as part of the trade instead.

Later, Crassus mourns the loss of his son while scolding Caesar for releasing the captive slaves anyway. Caesar leaves, revealing that Kore has come back, spinning a tale that it was an unknown "man long in years" among Spartacus' army who killed Tiberius. Crassus moves to embrace her, but coldly informs Kore that she is no longer permitted to refer to him as "Marcus" and instead he must be addressed as dominus. Crassus presses Kore to tell him who killed his son, and she lies, telling him it was the man who Caesar had invented.

Prior to the final battle, Crassus and Spartacus meet in parley where the latter reveals unfortunately accidentally that it was a "woman, moved by Vengeance" who killed Tiberius. Crassus is incensed, and upon returning to his camp, attempts to force the truth out of Caesar, who adamantly sticks to his tale despite being manhandled by Crassus. Kore relents and admits to the deed. Crassus, shocked and visibly upset, grabs his knife and presses it to her throat. Caesar explains that Tiberius forced himself upon Kore; she tells Crassus that it was the only way his son knew how to take revenge on for lost friend during Decimation. Crassus is deeply distraught and ashamed, pleading for Kore's forgiveness for being oblivious to her suffering at his now hated son's hands, and promises that her ordeal will end when Spartacus ends. They lovingly embrace.

Kore crucified

Kore's last moments.

Following the conclusion of Crassus' victory over Spartacus, Crassus has kept his promise to Kore that her ordeal will "end", in the sense that she is crucified along the Appian Way with the other defeated slaves. A heartbroken Crassus declares to Caesar that it had to be done because she was "known to be of the rebellion", although it's clear that he did it with great reluctance, still loving her and having forgiven her for what she did.

Relationships[]

Romance[]

Marcus Licinius Crassus[]


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Friends and Allies[]

Julius Caesar[]


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Laeta[]


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Sibyl[]


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Spartacus[]


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Enemies[]

Tiberius Licinius Crassus[]


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Trivia[]

  • Though a Gaul, Kore is a Greek name. Kore's name is either due to the popularity of Greek names among the Roman upper-class, or she may hail from the same region where the city of Massalia (modern French city of Marseille), the largest Greek colony in Gaul, is situated. A third possibility is that Kore may actually be a Galatian, which were Celts settled in the Balkans and Asia Minor since the early Third Century BC and were Hellenized to a degree.
  • The name Kore is Greek, meaning "maiden". Kore was also one of the names attributed to the goddess Persephone, the queen of Hades and daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter. Hades' Roman form was Pluto, known to the Romans as a god of wealth. Like Persephone, Kore was the consort of a figure of great wealth.
  • As a personal body slave of Marcus Crassus, Kore would have been referred to as an Amanuensis, meaning "within hand's reach".
  • A literal rendering of a female body slave in Latin is Serva Corporis.
  • In the episode Mors Indecepta, Kore was to be made Tiberius' Vilica at his residence in Sinuessa. A Vilicus (male form of Vilica) was a steward or superintending slave who was entrusted with the daily running of a Villa Rustica (rural residence), or some other out of town private residence for members of the Roman nobility. This would be quite a promotion.
  • She was the twenty-second main character to be killed.
    • Like Gannicus, her death is not shown but it is certain as she is last seen crucificied
  • Kore has killed two people on the show; Tiberius and a soldier stationed outside of Crassus' tent, whom she killed when she escaped and joined Spartacus and the rebels on the ridge.
  • Kore parallels Antoninus in the 1960s Spartacus movie; both being body slaves of Crassus who joined the rebellion, as well as being executed on Crassus orders (with Antoninus being killed by Spartacus in a forced Gladiator fight, in order to save him from being crucified, and Kore being crucified in the final episode).
  • Similar to Naevia and Diona, she starts as a loyal slave to the house that she served but she started developing a violent side once a member of that house begins sexually abusing her.
    • All three women met a sad end as the result of rebelling or trying to escape the torment they suffer under the Romans.
  • She is the only slave in the series to become a lover to her Dominus.

Quotes[]

  • "A heavy thing, is it not? To be so condemned to the whims of a master?"

-to Tiberius and his fellow captive Romans.

  • "Know that I shall return at nightfall when it is your time to die, a thing I long to lay eyes upon."

-to Tiberius[1]

  • "I have balanced fucking scale!"

-after killing Tiberius.

References[]

<references>

  1. Spartacus: War of the Damned Season 3; Episode 9
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