Onegesius

Onegesius (Priscus: Όνηγήσιος, "Onegesios") was a powerful Hunnic logades (minister) who held power second only to Attila. He is identified with Hunigasius, Attila's interpreter and spokesman in the Vita s. Lupi. According to Priscus he "seated on a chair to the right of the king" i.e. Attila.

Priscus, who was on a mission to Attila in 448 or 449 AD, says that Onegesius lived in the same very populous village Attila resided. He recounts:

"After the king's compound, Onegesios's was magnificent and also itself had an enclosing log wall. His was not equipped with towers like Attila's; rather there was a bath, not far from the enclosing wall, which Onegesios, as the preeminent man among the Scythians [Huns] after Attila, built large by conveying stones from Paionia ... the bath's architect, brought in from Sirmium as a prisoner of war ... Onegesios made him the bath attendant to serve him and his comrades while they were bathing".

According to Onegesius's order Priscus and Maximinus were greeted by his wife at his compound. That the honour and respect of his supporters were important to Attila is shown from Priscus testimony:

"Attila approached Onegesios's compound, Onegesios's wife came out with multitude of servants, some of whome were carrying food others wine. This is a very great honor among Scythian women. She greeted him and begged him to partake of what she was kind-heartedly offering him. Showing favor to the wife of his adviser, he ate sitting on his horse as the barbarians accompanying him raised the platter up to him".

Priscus recounts a rare story of a Greek he encountered in the village, and who managed to get freedom from the Huns, but decided to live among them:

"He was a Greek-speaking Roman merchant from Viminacium, a city on the river Danube... When the city was captured by the barbarians [Huns, 441], he was deprived of his prosperity and because of his accrued wealth assigned to Onegesius, for Attila the leading man ... chose their captives from the wealthy captives. Having proven his valour in later battles against the Romans and the Akatziri and having, according to [Hunnic] law, given his booty to his master, he had won his freedom. He had married a barbarian wife and had children, and, as a sharer of the table of Onegesius, he now enjoyed a better life than he had before".

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