[German version]

Female personification of 'opportunity' or the 'favourable moment'. O. is the Roman equivalent of Greek Kairos, although there is far less literary evidence for it. O. is represented with winged shoes and a small wheel, as symbols of its unstable and fleeting nature, whereas its face is hidden by a forelock and the back of the head is bold, a symbol of the difficulty of recognizing and grasping the right moment (Dicta Catonis, Disticha 2,26; Auson. epigrammata 33 Prete).

Michel, Raphael (Basle)