soul bearern.
/ˈsəʊl ˌbɛːrə/, U.S. /ˈsoʊl ˌbɛrər/, West African English /ˈsol ˌbɛra/ 1. A person who or thing which carries or bears a soul; spec. a being possessing a soul.
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1838 J. Bosworth Dict. Anglo-Saxon Lang. Sawl-berend, a soul bearer, a man.
1852 G. H. Boker Podesta's Daughter 90 Bend down, ye stars..For I [sc. Earth], soul-bearer of the universe, Would teach your ignorance.
1870 Dublin Univ. Mag. Apr. 375/2 Though the soul received its due prominence..the body was not neglected as the soul-bearer by the administrators of education.
1905 R. G. Watkins Robert Browning & Eng. Pre- Raphaelites 39 Rossetti's and Burne-Jones's women are the new soul-bearers characteristic of an age tending..to enhanced soul-power.
1965 Public Admin. Rev. 25 25/2 What distinguishes man? (Soul-bearer? Upright-walker? Tool-maker? Language-user? Culture creator?)
2011 T. F. Platt Hermit Shack xiv. 171 Some believe that the Neanderthals didn't survive; kind of iffy to think God would have allowed the demise of a whole race of soul bearers.
2. Among the Akan peoples of West Africa: a person believed to share or embody the soul of a chief or other important person.
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society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > soul > [noun] > person carrying soul of another
soul bearer1951
1951 E. L. R. Meyerowitz Sacred State of Akan ii. 51 Like every king.., the queenmother has her elders, among whom are several spokeswomen, female akrafo or soul-bearers.
1967 Times 14 Nov. 17/2 (advt.) A Baga wood nimba shoulder mask,..an important large Ashanti gold soul-bearer's disc,..a large New Ireland Uli.
2000 H. B. Werness Continuum Encycl. Native Art 7/2 A special court title was that of ‘soul’ bearer, granted to particularly handsome individuals born on the king's birthday and believed to share the king's soul and vitality.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1838