prodigium

prōdigium, iī, n.: a prognostic, sign, prodigy, wonder, portent, 3.366; monster, 8.295.

prōdĭgĭum, ii (gen. plur. prodigiūm, Pac. ap. Cic. Or. 46, 155), n. [for prodicium, from prodico].

• I Lit., a prophetic sign, token, omen, portent, prodigy, in a good and (more freq.) in a bad sense (syn.: portentum, ostentum, monstrum): mittere, Att. ap. Cic. N. D. 3, 26, 68: multa prodigia vim ejus numenque declarant, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 49, § 107: (lunam deficientem) nullum esse prodigium, id. Rep. 1, 15; Verg. A. 5, 639: laetum, Plin. 11, 37, 77, § 197: P. Clodius fatale portentum prodigiumque rei publicae, Cic. Pis. 4, 9: (Catilina) monstrum atque prodigium, id. Cat. 2, 1, 1: non mihi jam furtum, sed monstrum ac prodigium videbatur, i. e. a monstrous and unnatural crime, id. Verr. 2, 3, 73, § 171; cf. Juv. 6, 84: piare prodigia, Tac. H. 5, 13: accipere aliquid in prodigium, id. A. 12, 43: prodigii loco habere, id. ib. 13, 58: Harpyia Prodigium canit, Verg. A. 3, 366: nuntiare, Sall. C. 30, 2: divinitus factum, Quint. 1, 10, 47: prodigiorum perita, Liv. 1, 34: prodigio par est cum nobilitate senectus, Juv. 4, 97: propter multa prodigia libros Sibyllinos adiisse, Macr. S. 1, 6, 13.—Of miracles: signa et prodigia, Vulg. Psa. 134, 9 et saep. —
• II Transf., a monster, prodigy: non ego sum prodigium, Ov. M. 13, 917: prodigium triplex, id. H. 9, 91: heu prodigia ventris! Plin. 19, 4, 19, § 55.

prōd-igium, iī, n. (eig. prōd-agium, das Vorhersagen, zu aio aus *agjo), eine hervorgetretene, meist Unglück bedeutende Erscheinung, das Wunderzeichen, I) eig.: ex quo illa ostenta, monstra, portenta, prodigia dicuntur, Cic.: prod. laetum, Plin.: prodigiorum interpres, Val. Max.: multa eo anno prodigia evenere, Tac.: prodigia procurare, Liv.: prodigia suscipere curareque, Liv.: multa prodigia eius vim declarant, Cic.: orta ex ea (egestate) fames in prodigium accipiebatur, Tac. – II) übtr., a) jede widernatürliche, gegen das Gefühl gehende Handlung, die Ungeheuerlichkeit, non mihi iam furtum, sed monstrum ac prodigium videbatur civitatum frumentum improbare, suum probare, eine Unnatürlichkeit und Ungeheuerlichkeit (eine unnatürliche u. ungeheuerliche, unheilvolle Tat), Cic. Verr. 3, 171. – b) das Ungeheuer, pr. triplex, v. Zerberus, Ov.: illud palaestricum prodigium, Claud. or. fr.: dah. fatale portentum prodigiumque rei publicae, v. Klodius, Cic.: monstrum atque prodigium, Cic. – ➳ Im Vulgärlat. masc., hunc prodigium, Fortunat. art. rhet. 3, 4. p. 123, 10 H.

prodigium [CL] 1 unnatural event or manifestation portending a momentous occurrence; b (spec. as calamitous). c (in phr. signa et ~ia, cf. Joh. iv 48). cum priorem carnificem tanta ~ia videntem in agnum ex lupo mutaret Gildas EB 11; haec tanta ~ia [gl.: s. quod porro dicant i. futura predicant] cernens Claudius tribunus obstipuit et ‥ credidit Dei Filium salvantem saecula Christum Aldh. VirgP 35; portentum, vel ~ium, vel ostentum, fortacen Ælf. Gl. 108; territus ille tanto ~io nichil referre ausus est nec potuit W. Malm. GR II 205; orientalium regionum ~ia ‥ in publice notitie lucem dudum prodiere Gir. TH II pref. p. 74; fecit multa mirabilia et ~ia [ME: meistries] in conspectu ejus AncrR 153.  b dicunt bestias esse nocturnas, et non tam bestias quam dira ~ia Lib. Monstr. II 20; 745‥ ut hereticorum fabulas, et vana ~ia, et signa precursoris antikristi non sectantur Bonif. Ep. 59 p. 110; ~ium, monstrum GlC P 753; s793 hic ostensa sunt seva ~ia in Norðhumbra, que populum miserabiliter terruerunt, nam ignei dracones visi sunt in aere et statim secuta est magna fames AS Chr.; rogo te, domina sanctorum omnium, / que nunquam despicis preces humilium, / procul a finibus nostris hoc noxium / potenti dextera pelle prodigium Walt. Wimb. Palpo 145.  c ni cuncta signorum et ~iorum [gl. novorum signorum] gesta, quae litterarum apicibus inserta leguntur, diligenter didicerit Aldh. VirgP 43; dignitatem gradus et auctoritatem Dominus per eum in signis et ~iis perfecte pleneque augebat V. Cuthb. IV 2; gentem vestram de illa servitute tot signis et ~iis liberabat Eccl. & Synag. 58; s1296 signa et ~ia verisimilia Plusc. VIII 21. 2 a wonder, a marvel. hiis rationibus confutatum Eadmundus socium docuit qui super librorum distractionibus largitatem ipsius tanquam ~ium increparat V. Edm. Rich C 601. 3 proof. signorum ‥ ut dicit philosophus ii Priorum penult’ quoddam est Icos, et quoddam ~ium: ~ium autem, ut dicit, est signum demonstrativum et necessarium, quod ideo scire facit; dicitur enim ~ium quasi pro digito habitum Bradw. CD 566B.

prōdĭgĭum, (10) ĭī, n. , prodige, événement prodigieux, chose merveilleuse, miracle : Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 107 ; prodigia suscipere atque curare Liv. 1, 20, 7, recueillir les prodiges et les conjurer, v. procurare || [fig.] fléau, monstre [en parl. de Catilina] : Cic. Cat. 2, 1 || monstre, être monstrueux : Ov. M. 13, 917 ; H. 9, 91.

prodigium , ii. n.
奇異。先兆。— reipublicae Clodius 國家之怪物卽各羅地約也。

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prōdigium ī, n

• prod-+3 AG-, a prophetic sign, token, omen, portent, prodigy: multa prodigia eius numen declarant: (lunam deficientem) nullum esse prodigium: non mihi iam furtum, sed monstrum ac prodigium videbatur, i. e. a monstrous and unnatural crime: Harpyia Prodigium canit, V.: nuntiare, S.: in prodigium accipi, Ta.: prodigiorum perita, L.: Prodigio par est cum nobilitate senectus, Iu.—A monster, prodigy: Non ego prodigium sum, O.: triplex, i. e. Cerberus, O.

PRODIGIUM

PRODI´GIUMin its original meaning differs little from ostentum, monstrum, portentum. Quia enim ostendunt, portendunt, monstrant, praedicunt, ostenta, portenta, monstra, prodigia dicuntur (Cic. de Div. 1.4. 2, 93). [It should be observed, however, that prodigium cannot be derived from praedico. ] In its widest acceptation the word denotes any sign by which the gods indicated to men a future event, whether good or evil, and thus includes omens and auguries of every description (Verg. A. 5.638; Servius ad loc.; Cic. in Verr. 4.4. 9, 107). It is, however, generally employed in a more restricted sense to signify some strange incident which was supposed to herald the approach of misfortune, under such circumstances as to announce calamities impending over the nation rather than over private persons.

Hence the distinction of prodigium quod in privato loco, or quod in peregrino factum est (Liv. 43.13): the rites and offerings which would in his judgment afford a procuratio privati portenti depended upon the owner of the house where it occurred (Liv. 5.15); so, too, as regards the Roman senate a prodigy in a colonia would be looked upon as in peregrino loco, and left to the magistrates of the town where it occurred. A common instance of private procuration was when anything in private property was struck by lightning [see BIDENTAL].

Such prodigies were viewed as manifestations of the wrath of heaven and warnings of coming vengeance; it was believed that the wrath might be appeased and the vengeance averted by the proper rites and sacrifices. Although it was impossible to provide for every contingency, rules for expiation applicable to most cases were laid down in the sacred books of the Etruscans (Cic. de Div. 1.3. 3, 72); and when the prodigy was of an unprecedented: character, recourse might be had not only to the haruspices, but to the Sibylline books or even the Delphic oracle [HARUSPICES; SIBYLLINI LIBRI ]. When the senate received information of a prodigy happening in publico loco, the first process was either themselves to examine witnesses (Liv. 22.1), or to commit the examination and decision to the pontifices (Liv. 1.20). If the fact was proved, and also judged important to the state, then they were said suscipere procurationem: when the wrath of heaven was clearly connected with some known crime, the first necessity was atonement by punishing the criminal (cf. Liv. 2.42; Dionys. 9.40): the next point was to settle what deities were pointed out by the prodigy as needing appeasement: e. g. when the spears of Mars are shaken in the sacrarium regiae, then sacrifices of hostiae majores to Jupiter and Mars are indicated (Gell. 4.6)--where no god was specially pointed to, there was a sacrifice in general terms, deo aut deae (Gell. 2.28): finally, when the offended deity was, if possible, ascertained, it remained to determine what claim (postilio) for atonement he made. (See Cic. de Harusp. Resp. 10, 20; 14, 31; Varro, L. L. 5.148; Arnob. 4.31, who instances postiliones for neglect, perhaps accidental, of duties and ceremonies.) An edict then declared how the expiation should be made, by hostiae majores or novendiale sacrum or obsecratio; and the matter was entrusted to the consuls. Marquardt gives abundant instances of these cases (Staatsverw. 3. p. 260), but he gathers from Philarg. ad Verg. G. 2.162, that the carrying out of the atonement was sometimes committed to the Pontifices instead of the consuls. When in doubtful and difficult cases, as mentioned above, the haruspices or the Sibylline books were consulted, it usually followed that a greater solemnity, a SUPPLICATIOor a jejunium, was ordered (Liv. 36.37). (Müller, Die Etrusker, 2.191; Hartung, Die Religion der Romer, 1.96; Bouché--Leclercq, Hist. de la Divination, p. 181; Marquardt, Staatsverw. iii.2 pp. 259-264.)

[W.R] [G.E.M]

Prodigium

The Latin term for an unnatural or, at any rate, unusual and inexplicable phenomenon, which was always treated as requiring expiation (procuratio). This was only done on behalf of the State, if the phenomenon had been observed on ground belonging to the State. The Senate, acting on the advice of the pontiffs, ordained either particular sacrifices, to specified deities, or a nine days' sacrifice, or a public intercession, and left the execution of the ordinance to the consuls (Livy, i. 20). If a prodigium caused so much alarm that the usual means of expiation seemed insufficient, the Senate had recourse to the Sibylline Books, or the Etruscan haruspices. (See haruspex; Sibylla.) For the prodigium of a thunderbolt, see puteal; and in general see Müller, Die Etrusker, ii. 191; Hartung, Die Religion der Römer, i. 96; Bouché-Leclercq, Hist. de la Divination, p. 181; and Mommsen, Staatsverwaltung, 2d ed. iii. pp. 259-264.