Memnon, ŏnis, m., = Μεμνων,
I son of Tithonus and Aurora, and king of the Ethiopians; he went to the aid of the Trojans, and was slain by Achilles : nigri Memnonis arma, Verg. A. 1, 489.— When burned on the funeral pile he is said to have been changed by Aurora into a bird, while from his ashes many other birds flew up, called Memnoniae or Memnonides, who every year flew from Ethiopia to Troy and fought over Memnon's tomb , Ov. M. 13, 600 sq.; id. ib. 13, 617; Plin. 10, 26, 37, § 74. The black marble statue of Memnon, near Thebes, when struck by the first beams of the sun, gave forth a sound like that of a lute-string, which was regarded as Memnon's greeting to his mother : dimidio magicae resonant ubi Memnone chordae, Juv. 15, 5; cf.: mater lutea Memnonis, i. e. Aurora, Ov. F. 4, 714: Memnonis saxea effigies, Tac. A. 2, 61.—The fate of Memnon was the subject of a poem by Alpinus, Hor. S. 10, 36. —Hence,
A Memnŏnĭus , a, um, adj., of or belonging to Memnon, Memnonian .
1 Lit.: Memnoniae aves, Sol. 40.—
2 Transf., Oriental, Moorish, black (poet.): color, Ov. P. 3, 3, 96: regna, Luc. 3, 284.— Esp., as subst.: Memnŏnĭa ( Menn- ), ae, f., a precious stone, of a black color , Plin. 37, 10, 63, § 173.—
B Memnŏnĭ-des , um, f. plur., the birds of Memnon; v. supra.