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 τʼ οἰωνοί τε Emp. 21.11,130.2 ; ὑπʼ οἰωνῶν ταφέντα, of corpses devoured by carrion birds, A. Th. 1025, cf. S. Ant. 29 ; as an image of swiftness, οἰωνοῖς ἅμʼ 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.) ; οὔτʼ ἀπʼ οἰωνῶν . . , οὔτʼ ἐκ θεῶν του γνωτόν Id. OT 395, cf. 398 ; οἰ. αἴσιοι X. Cyr. 3.3.22, cf. Il. 12.237, Plu. 2.282d ; of augurs, καθέζεσθαι ἐπʼ οἰωνῶν, ἐπʼ οἰωνοῖς καθῆσθαι, Id. Rom. 22, Caes. 47 ; οἱ ἐπʼ 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 ; διʼ 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.).]