Oncius Explained

In Greek mythology, Oncius (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ὄγκιος|Ónkios|case for arrowheads) or Oncus (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ὄγκος|Ónkos|point of an arrow)^[1] was a son of Apollo and a ruler over Ónkeion (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ὄγκειον), a region of Arcadia adjacent to Thelpusa,^{[2] [3]} as well as eponym of a city Oncae.^[4] He owned a herd of horses, in which Demeter tried to hide from Poseidon's advances, changing herself into a mare. Poseidon did mate with her in the shape of a stallion, which resulted in the birth of the fantastic horse Arion. Oncius kept Arion and later gave him away to Heracles as the latter was starting a military campaign against Elis.^[5]

References

• Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. . Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
• Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
• Stephanus of Byzantium, Stephani Byzantii Ethnicorum quae supersunt, edited by August Meineike (1790-1870), published 1849. A few entries from this important ancient handbook of place names have been translated by Brady Kiesling. Online version at the Topos Text Project.

Notes and References

1. [Liddell Scott|Liddell Scott s.v. ὄγκιον & ὄγκος (Α)]
2. [Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]
3. [Stephanus of Byzantium]
4. Etymologicum Magnum, 613. 43
5. [Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]