Shield of Achilles

What it is

The Shield of Achilles is a famous mythical object from ancient Greek literature. It appears in Book 18 of Homer's Iliad. The hero Achilles uses it during his fight with Hector. His mother, the nymph Thetis, asks the god Hephaestus to forge new armor after Hector kills Patroclus. Hephaestus creates a shield with spectacular decorative imagery. This description is known as ekphrasis. It is a rhetorical device that describes a visual work of art in detail. The text allows readers to imagine an artwork they cannot see.

Where it comes from

The shield originates in the epic poem Iliad by Homer. It is the first example of ekphrasis in ancient Greek poetry. The passage influenced later works like the Shield of Heracles. Virgil modeled the shield of Aeneas in the Aeneid on this description. Scholars recognize the passage as the first cosmological mapping in Greek history. After the classical period, artists painted scenes like Thetis receiving the weapons. Since the eighteenth century, artisans have tried to recreate the shield in gold or bronze.

Tools and materials

Homer describes the imagery in concentric circles. The center shows the Earth, sky, sea, sun, moon, and constellations. Outer rings depict two cities. One city has a wedding and a law case. The other faces siege and battle. Other scenes include plowing fields, harvesting grain, and picking grapes. A herd of cattle fights lions. There is also a sheep farm and a dancing floor. The outermost ring is the great stream of Ocean.

What it is for

The shield provides protection for Achilles in battle. It endows him with special power for his second attempt at war. Some scholars read it as a microcosm of civilization. It shows all aspects of life, including social order and conflict. The simultaneous sun and moon suggest an understanding of the universe. The images act as cryptic parables. They link symbolism to predictions about future events. This gives Achilles an indication of his destiny.

Peoples and places

The subject belongs to Greek mythology. It is central to the story of Achilles in the Iliad. The imagery reflects Greek perceptions of the world. It contrasts war and peace, work and festival. German writer Wolfgang Schadewaldt argued these antitheses show civilized life. The shield is compared to Agamemnon's simpler shield with a Gorgon head. Achilles' shield reveals balanced and mature imagery rather than brute force.

What people believe

Fate in Greek mythology is unchangeable even by the gods. The Moirai spin human destiny like threads. The shield allegorizes this role of fate. Its construction serves as foreshadowing. The narrative technique underlines inevitable future events. The images raise anticipation in the audience. They conceal the hero's destiny on the very shield he carries. This connects creation, origins, and eternity to specific predictions.

How scholars and sceptics see it

Scholars interpret the shield in various ways. It represents a summation of human knowledge in the Homeric era. The depiction of law suggests social order. Feuding armies depict the darker side of humanity. The imagery reinforces beliefs about the cosmic order. Poetic descriptions allow audiences to envision unseen art. The shield's layers show intersecting antitheses. These contrast war with peace and work with festival. Scholars view this as making war visible in relation to peace.

Compare and confuse

The shield is often compared to other mythic arms. Agamemnon carried a shield with a bloody Gorgon head. That image projected common intimidating brute force. Achilles' shield offers diverse and balanced imagery. Virgil's shield of Aeneas in the Aeneid is clearly modeled on Homer. W. H. Auden wrote a poem reimagining the description in twentieth-century terms.

Questions people ask about Shield of Achilles

Good reading and sources

• Shield of Achilles on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data