Πλειάδες
Πλειάδες, the Pleiads
Πλειάδες, Ep. and Ion. Πληϊάδες (Aeol. Πληΐαδες Sapph. 52), αἱ,
- Pleiads, Il. 18.486, Od. 5.272, Hes. Op. 383, 572.
- II later in sg., of the whole constellation, esp. in notes of time, ὑπὸ Πληϊάδα at the setting of the P., Hp. Epid. 1.1; πρὸ Πλειάδος ἐπιτολῆς Arist. HA 553b31; ἀπὸ Πλειάδος ἀνατολῆς ib. 599b10; μετὰ Πλειάδα ib. 598b7; ἀπὸ Πλειάδος δύσεως ib. 599a28; περὶ Πλειάδος δύσιν ib. 542b22; πρὸς δύσιν Πλειάδος χειμερινήν ib. 566a21; Σείριος ἐγγὺς τῆς ἑπταπόρου Π. ᾄσσων E. IA 8 (anap.), cf. Ion 1152: in sg., also a name given to the seven best Alexandrian tragic poets, Heph. 9.4, Choerob. in Heph. p.236 C., Suid. s.v. Ἀλέξανδρος Αἰτωλός, al. (Πλειάδες is perh. derived from πλέω, sail, because they rose at the beginning of the sailing-season (if so Πληϊάδες is metri gr. for Πλε(ϝ)ϊάδες).—Poets (Hes. Frr. 177, 178, 179, Pi. N. 2.11, A. Fr. 312), using the lengthened form Πελειάδες (Alcm. 23.60, gen. sg. Πελειάδος E. Or. 1005 (lyr.)), represented them as doves flying before the hunter Orion.)
Πλειάδες, Ionic Πληιάδες, αἱ,
- the Pleiads, seven daughters of Atlas, placed by Zeus among the stars, Hom., Hes.; only six are distinctly visible, whence the myth of the "lost Pleiad, " Ovid. Prob. from πλέω, to sail, because they rose at the beginning of the sailingseason, as Ὑάδες from ὕω, with reference to the rainy season. Poets, adopting the form Πελειάδες, represented them as doves, and the ὑάδες as swine.