(Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten). Ruler of the Spirit World and father of the Empress. He does not appear in the opera, but it is Keikobad's edict which sets in motion the whole sequence of events. He is represented by his Spirit Messenger (der Geisterbote), who delivers, via the Empress's Nurse, a message from her father: if the Empress does not cast a shadow (i.e. become pregnant) in three days, her husband will be turned to stone.