Greek Pantheonarmor
Shield of Achilles
- Divine Protection
- Cosmic Reflection
- Indestructibility
The magnificent shield forged by Hephaestus for the greatest Greek warrior. Its surface depicts the entire cosmos - earth, sea, sky, cities at war and peace, and all aspects of mortal life.
About Shield of Achilles
Hephaestus's world on bronze
Iliad 18 is the long making: Thetis goes to Hephaestus after Hector strips the armor from Patroclus. The new shield shows earth, sky, sea, two cities (one at wedding and lawsuit, one at war), ploughing, a vineyard, cattle, a dance — the mortal world the war is burning. It is verse about craft, not a bronze that survived. Later poets vary the pictures. Homer does not make the shield confer invulnerability; Achilles remains killable. The ekphrasis is the point: a cosmos hammered while the camp waits.
Origin
Forged by Hephaestus at the request of Thetis after Achilles's original armor was lost when Hector killed Patroclus.
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Homer, Iliad 18 (shield of Achilles)
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
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