Perseus has σκενδύλη, which seems to be very rare, for “pincers” and λαβιδόω for “seize with pincers”. Does anyone know of examples from literature of people talking about crustacean or scorpion pincers?
In the Καταστερισμοί we have χηλαί, the claws:
Σκορπίου
Οὗτος διὰ τὸ μέγεθος εἰς δύο δωδεκατημόρια διαιρεῖται· καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐπέχουσιν αἱ χηλαί, θάτερον δὲ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸ κέντρον. τοῦτον, φασίν, ἐποίησεν Ἂρτεμις ἀναδοθῆναι <ἐκ> τῆς κολώνης τῆς Χίου νήσου, καὶ τὸν Ὠρίωνα πλῆξαι, καὶ οὕτως ἀποθανεῖν, ἐπειδὴ ἐν κυνηγεσίῳ ἀκόσμως αὐτὴν ἐβιάσατο· ὃν Ζεὺς ἐν τοῖς λαμπροῖς ἔθηκε τῶν ἄστρων, ἵν’ εἰδῶσιν οἱ ἐπιγινόμενοι ἄνθρωποι τὴν ἰσχύν τε αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν. ῎Εχει δὲ ἀστέρας ἐφ’ ἑκατέρας χηλῆς β, ὧν εἰσιν οἱ μὲν πρῶτοι μεγάλοι, οἱ δὲ δεύτεροι ἀμαυροί, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ μετώπου <λαμπροὺς γ, ὧν ὁ μέσος λαμπρότατος, ἐπὶ τῆς ῥάχεως> λαμπροὺς γ, ἐπὶ τῆς κοιλίας β, ἐπὶ τῆς κέρκου ε, ἐπὶ τοῦ κέντρου β· προηγεῖται μὲν ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντων φαιδρότερος ὢν ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς βορείας χηλῆς λαμπρὸς ἀστήρ· <τοὺς πάντας ιθ>.
Thanks! I had a feeling it would be astronomy/astrology-related. 