The Shield of Achilles

The Shield of Achilles. #history
They say the gods forged it... but a mortal held it.
This was the Shield of Achilles.
Not just armor... no. It held the universe.
When Hector took the life of Patroclus and stole Achilles’ old armor, the sea-nymph Thetis wept. She begged Hephaestus—the god of fire and forge—to craft a new shield for her son.
And oh, what a shield he made…
It gleamed with gold, silver, copper, and tin. Five mighty layers, a triple rim, and a silver strap. But what made it holy... was not its strength, but its story.
On that round shield was everything the earth, sky, sea, sun and moon. Constellations danced across its face. Two cities lived upon it. One at peace, with weddings and justice… the other at war, blood and fury under siege.
It showed harvests, grape-picking, lions tearing cattle… life, love, and loss. The shield was the world, captured in bronze and fire.
They say it was the first of its kind. Ekphrasis, when art is told through words.
And in those words, Homer gave us more than a weapon.
He gave us a mirror to the ancient soul… and maybe, just maybe, to our own.

https://www.youtube.com/@UCS6qaq8I8Jn3LTpFfnD5nyA
https://www.facebook.com/edimethesecond