Pankrác

This name derives from the Ancient Greek “Pankrátios (Παγκράτιος),” composed of two elements: “pân (πᾶν)” (always, all, every, each, whole) plus “krátos ‎(κρᾰ́τος)” (might, strength, dominion, power). In turn, the name means “all power, very powerful, omnipotent.” It was originally an epithet of Zeus. Saint Pancras or Pancratius (289–304) was a young Christian who was martyred at the age of fourteen in Rome during Diocletian's reign and is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Saint Pancras is one of the so-called saints of ice, with St. Servatius, San Mamerto, and St. Boniface of Tarsus. Pankration was a martial art introduced into the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC and founded as a blend of boxing and wrestling but with almost no rules save disallowing biting and gouging of the opponent’s eyes.