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AEGIS (Gr. Aigis)

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Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 254 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

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AEGIS (Gr. Aigis)

AEGIS (Gr. Aigis) , in See also:

HOMER, WINSLOW (1836-191o)

Homer, the See also:

SHIELD (0. Eng. scild, cf. Du. and Ger. Schild, Dan. Skjold; the origin is doubtful, but may be referred to the root seen in " shell " or " scale "; another suggestion connects it with Icel. skjalla, to clash, rattle; it is not connected with the Indo-Ger
SHIELD, WILLIAM (1748—1829)

shield or buckler of See also:

ZEUS

Zeus, fashioned for him by See also:

HEPHAESTUS

Hephaestus, furnished with tassels and bearing the See also:

GORGON, GORGONS (Gr. Popyc'o, Fopyoves, the "terrible," or, according to some, the " loud-roaring ")

Gorgon's See also:

head in the centre. Originally symbolical of the See also:

storm-See also:

CLOUD (from the same root, if not the same word, as " clod," a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages for a mass or lump; it is first applied in the usual sense in the late 13th century; the Anglo-Saxon chid is only used in the sense of " a ma

cloud, it is probably derived from aivo•m, signifying rapid, violent See also:

motion. When the See also:

GOD

god shakes it, See also:

MOUNT, WILLIAM SIDNEY (1807-1868)

Mount See also:

IDA (d. 559)

Ida is wrapped in clouds, the See also:

THUNDER

thunder rolls and men are smitten with fear. He sometimes lends it to Athene and (rarely) to See also:

APOLLO (Gr. 'A2r6XXwv,'Airkkhwv)

Apollo. In the later See also:

story (See also:

Hyginus, Poet. Astronom. ii. 13) Zeus is said to have used the skin of the See also:

GOAT (a common Teut. word; O. Eng. gat, Goth. gaits, Mod. Ger. Geiss, cognate with Lat. haedus, a kid)

goat See also:

AMALTHEIA

Amaltheia (aiyis = goat-skin), which suckled him in See also:

CRETE (Gr. Kp;rrrr; Turk. Kirid, Ital. Candia)

Crete, as a buckler when he went forth to do See also:

BATTLE

battle against. the giants. Another See also:

LEGEND (through the French from the med. Lat. legenda, things to be read, from legere, to read)

legend represents the aegis as a See also:

FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire-breathing See also:

monster like the See also:

CHIMAERA

Chimaera, which was slain by Athene, who afterwards wore its skin as a See also:

CUIRASS (Fr. cuirasse, Lat. coriaceus, made of leather, from corium, the original breastplate being of leather)

cuirass (Diodorus Siculus iii. 70). It appears to have been really the goat's skin used as a See also:

belt to support the shield. When so used it would generally be fastened on the right See also:

SHOULDER (in O.E. sculder, cognate with Ger. Schulter, Dutch schouder, Swed. skuldra, &c; the root is unknown)

shoulder, and would partially envelop- the See also:

CHEST (Gr. Kiarl, Lat. cista, O. Eng. cist, test, &c.)

chest as it passed obliquely See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round in front and behind to be attached to the shield under the See also:

LEFT

left See also:

ARM (a common Teutonic word; the Indo-European root is ar, to join or fit; cf. the Lat. armus, shoulder, and the plural word arma, weapons, Gr. apphs, joint, and the reduplicated apapilKSV, to join)

Hence, by transference, it would be employed to denote at times the shield which it supported, and at other times a cuirass, the purpose of which it in See also:

PART

part served. In accordance with this See also:

double meaning the aegis appears in See also:

WORKS

works of See also:

ART

art sometimes as an See also:

animal's skin thrown over the shoulders and arms, sometimes as a cuirass, with a border of See also:

SNAKES

snakes corresponding to the tassels of Homer, usually with the Gorgon's head in the centre. It is often represented on the statues of See also:

ROMAN

Roman emperors, heroes and warriors, and on cameos and vases. See F. G. See also:

WELCKER, FRIEDRICH GOTTLIEB (1784-1868)

Welcker, Griechische Gotterlehre (1857) ; L. See also:

Preller, Griechische Mythologie, i. (1887) ; articles in Pauly-Wissowa's I- ea1-encyclopadie, See also:

ROSCHER, WILHELM GEORG FRIEDRICH (1817–1894)

Roscher's Lexikon der Mythologie, Daremberg and Saglio's Dictionnaire See also:

DES

des Antiquites, and See also:

Smith's See also:

DICTIONARY

Dictionary of See also:

Greek and Roman Antiquities (3rd ed., 189o).

End of Article: AEGIS (Gr. Aigis)

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