οἰωνός

οἰωνός, ὁ,

A a large bird, bird of prey,

οἰωνοί, φῆναι ἢ αἰγυπιοὶ γαμψώνυχες Od.16.216

; of the eagle,

Κρονίωνι . . φίλτατος οἰωνῶν Il.24.293

; called οἰωνῶν βασιλεύς by A.Ag.114 (lyr.), Pi.O.13.21, cf. Ar. Av.515 ;

ἀρχὸς οἰ. Pi.P.1.14

; mentioned as devouring carcasses, Il.1.5,22.335, cf. S.Ant.205,698, Aj.830 ;

οἰωνοὶ ὠμησταί Il.11.453

;

θῆρές τ' οἰωνοί τε Emp.21.11

,130.2 ; ὑπ' οἰωνῶν ταφέντα, of corpses devoured by carrion birds, A.Th.1025, cf. S.Ant.29 ; as an image of swiftness,

οἰωνοῖς ἅμ' ἕπονται Hes.Th.268

.

2 generally, birds, opp. beasts, S.Fr.941.11 ; so in οἰωνοκτόνος.

II a bird of omen or augury, Il.12.237, Od.15.532, Hes.Op.801 ;

τοὺς ἄνωθεν φρονιμωτάτους οἰωνούς S.El.1059

(lyr.) ;

οὔτ' ἀπ' οἰωνῶν . . , οὔτ' ἐκ θεῶν του γνωτόν Id.OT395

, cf. 398 ;

οἰ. αἴσιοι X.Cyr.3.3.22

, cf. Il. 12.237, Plu.2.282d ; of augurs, καθέζεσθαι ἐπ' οἰωνῶν, ἐπ' οἰωνοῖς καθῆσθαι, Id.Rom.22, Caes.47 ; οἱ ἐπ' οἰωνοῖς ἱερεῖς the augurs, Id.Ant. 5.

III omen, token, presage, drawn from these birds, Il.2.859, al., cf. E.Hipp.873 ; εἷς οἰ. ἄριστος ἀμύνεσθαι περὶ πάτρης the one best omen is to fight for fatherland, Il.12.243 ; οἰ. ἀγαθοί good omens, Hes. Fr.134.11 ; δέκομαι τὸν οἰ. I accept the omen, hail it as auspicious, Hdt.9.91 ;

οὗτος οἰ. μέγας E.Or.788

;

δέδοικα . . τὸν οἰ. Ar.Eq.28

;

τοῦ ἔκπλου οἰ. ἐδόκει εἶναι Th.6.27

; οἰωνὸν θέσθαι or τίθεσθαι take as an omen, E.Ph.858, Pl.Alc.2.151b ;

εἰς οἰ. τίθεσθαι χρηστόν Plu.Luc.36

;

πρὸς οἰωνοῦ τ. Ath.1.13e

;

οἰωνόν τινα ποιεῖσθαι Pl.Lg.702c

; δι' οἰωνοῦ λαμβάνειν, πρὸς οἰωνοῦ λαβεῖν, D.H.2.67,3.13 ;

οἰωνοῦ χάριν Pl.Mx. 249b

.

IV as Adj., or in apposition, οἰωνὸς θεά the bird goddess, Lyc.721. [First syll. short in S.El.1059 (lyr.).]