ὅρκος

ὅρκος, ὁ,

A the object by which one swears, as the Styx among the gods,

Στυγὸς ὕδωρ, ὅς τε μέγιστος ὅ. δεινότατός τε πέλει μακάρεσσι θεοῖσι Il. 15.38

, cf. 2.755, Hes.Th.400,784,805, h.Cer.259, Arist.Metaph.983b31 ; or as Zeus among mortals, Pi.P.4.167 ; so of things,

ὅρκον δ' ἐνοσφίσθης μέγαν, ἅλας τε καὶ τράπεζαν Archil.96

;

οἷς ἦν μέγιστος ὅ . .. κύων, ἔπειτα χήν Cratin.231

, cf. Placit.1.3.8 : hence,

2 oath, mostly with epith. μέγας, καρτερός, Hom. (v. infr.), etc. ; θεῶν ὅ. an oath by the gods, Od.2.377;

μακάρων ὅ. 10.299

, cf. S.OT647, E.Hipp. 657 ;

ὅ. ἐκ θεῶν μέγας A.Ag.1284

;

ὅ. κατὰ τῶν . . ὀφθαλμῶν Aeschin.2.153

; ὅ. πλατύς a firm-based oath, Emp.30.3 ; ὅρκον ὀμόσαι swear an oath,

ὄμοσέν τε τελεύτησέν τε τὸν ὅ. Od.2.378

, etc. ; ὅ. ἀπώμνυ ib.377, cf. 10.381 ;

ἐπὶ δ' ὅρκον ὀμεῖται Hes.Op.194

;

κατομόσαι E.IT790

; ὅ. ἐπιορκῆσαι take a false oath, Aeschin.1.115, etc. ; ὅρκου προστεθέντος when an oath is added, S.Fr.472, cf. El.47 ; δαίμονι τῷ Πλεισθενιδῶν ὅρκους θεμένη having made a sworn compact with . . , A.Ag.1570 (anap.) ;

ὅ. ἀλλήλοις ποιοῦνται οἱ μὲν ἔφοροι ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως, βασιλεὺς δ' ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ X.Lac.15.7

;

ὅρκους συνῆψαν E.Ph.1241

, etc. ; of the person demanding the oath, ὅ. ἑλέσθαι τινός or τινί take it of him, i.e. make him swear, Od.4.746, Il.22.119 ; ὅρκους ἐπελάσαι and προσάγειν τινί lay oath upon a man, put him on his oath, Hdt.1.146, 6.62,74 ; τὸν ὅ . . . ἐπάγειν . . Ὀποντίοις readminister the oath, IG9(1).334.12 ([dialect] Locr., v B. C.) ; ὅρκους δοὺς καὶ δεξάμενος after tendering his oath to them and accepting theirs, Hdt.6.23, cf. IG12.52.18, A.Eu. 429, Ar.Ra.589, D.39.3 and 4 ; so

ὅρκον διδόναι καὶ λαμβάνειν Arist. Rh.1377a7

, 8 ; ἀποδοῦναι take it oneself, D.19.318, Aeschin.3.74 ; ἀπολαμβάνειν administer or tender it, D.5.9, 18.25 ; ὅρκους καὶ πίστιν ἀλλήλοις δότε swear to one another, Ar.Lys.1185, cf. And.1.107 ; ὅρκοις καταλαβὼν τὰ τέλη having bound the authorities by oaths, Th. 4.86 ;

ὅρκοις κατειλημμένους Id.1.9

; ὅρκῳ ἐμμένειν abide by it, E. Med.754 ;

ὅ. τηρεῖν Democr.239

;

παραβαίνειν E.Fr.286.7

, Ar.Av. 332, D.19.318 ;

ἐκβάντι τῶν ὅ. Pl.Smp.183b

;

ἐκλιπεῖν E.Supp.1194

;

συγχέαι Id.Hipp.1063

;

ἐμπεδοῦν X.An.3.2.10

: after ὅρκος [tense] aor., [tense] pres., or [tense] fut. inf. may refer to [tense] fut. time,

ὤμοσα καρτερὸν ὅ., μὴ . . ἀναφῆναι Od.4.253

; ἐμεῦ δ' ἕλετο μέγαν ὅ., μὴ πρὶν σοὶ ἐρέειν ib.746 ;

ὅρκους ἔδοσαν καὶ ἔλαβον, ἀποδοῦναι . . , Ἀθηναίους δὲ μὴ πολεμεῖν . . X.HG1.3.9

: with Preps.,

οὐκ αὔτως . . , ἀλλὰ σὺν ὅρκῳ Od.14.151

;

σὺν θεῶν ὅρκῳ X.Cyr.2.3.12

; εἶπαι ἐπ' ὅρκου say on oath, Hdt.9.11;

κατὰ τοὺς ὅ. X.HG5.4.54

; opp.

παρ' ὅρκον Pi.O.13.83

;

παρὰ τοὺς ὅ. X.An.2.5.41

: prov.,

ὅρκους ἐγὼ γυναικὸς εἰς ὕδωρ γράφω S.Fr.811

; parodied by Philonid. 7 ὅρκους δὲ μοιχῶν εἰς τέφραν . . γράφω, cf. Xenarch.6, Men. Mon.25.

II Ὅρκος, personified, son of Eris, Hes.Op.804; a divinity who punishes the false and perjured, ib.219, Th.231, Orac. ap.Hdt.6.86.γ; Διὸς Ὅ., as servant of Zeus, S.OC1767 (anap.). (Cogn. with ἕρκος.)