ἀρά
ara-2
prayer
Appears 11 times across Homer's epics.
Frequency by work
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Dictionary (LSJ)
ἀρά, Ion. ἀρή, ἡ,
‹ All lexicon entries prayer, Il. 15.378, 598, 23.199, Op. 726, I. 6(5).43; ἀρὴν ἐποιήσαντο παῖδα γενέσθαι Ἀρίστωνι offered prayers that a child should be born, 6.63.
2. vow, 83, 147H.
3. curse, imprecation, ἐξ ἀρέων μητρὸς . . ἥ ῥα θεοῖσι πόλλʼ ἀχέουσʼ ἠρᾶτο Il. 9.566; freq. in Trag., mostly in pl., Pr. 910, OT 295; ἀρὰς ἀρᾶσθαι, προστιθέναι, ἐξανιέναι, Ph. 67, OC 952, 154 (lyr.), 1375; ἐπεύχεσθαι Criti. 119e; θέσθαι ἐπί τινας Cam. 13: also in sg., πατρὸς δʼ ἀ. κρανθήσεται Pr. 910, cf. Ag. 457 (lyr.), etc.; ἡ τοῦ νόμου ἀ. Lg. 871b; ἀρᾷ . . ἔνοχος ἔστω ib. 742b, etc.: in pl., imprecations, freq. in Inscrr. on those who shall mutilate or remove them, Inscr.Magn. 105.53 (ii B. C.), IG 3.1417 sqq.
II. Ἀρά personified as the goddess of destruction and revenge, ὦ πότνιʼ Ἀρὰ σεμναί τε θεῶν παῖδες Ἐρινύες El. 111; δεινόπους Ἀρά OT 418; but in Eu. 417 the Erinyes say that Ἀραί is their own name γῆς ὑπαί; Ἀρά τʼ Ἐρινὺς πατρὸς ἡ μεγασθενής Th. 70; Ἀρᾶς ἱερόν Fr. 575. (Hence the Verb ἀράομαι.) [Ep. always ᾱρ, Att. always ᾰρ.] (From ἀρϝᾱ, cf. κάταρϝος.)