Aegis of Jupiter- Roman ArtifactArtifact · Weapon"The Shield of the King of Gods"
Also known as: Aegis and Aegis Iovis
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Description
Fashioned from the hide of the goat Amalthea who nursed the infant Jupiter, the Aegis bears the petrifying head of Medusa at its center and serpents writhing along its edge. When Jupiter shook it, thunder split the heavens and his enemies froze in supernatural dread.
Mythology & Lore
The Goatskin of Amalthea
The aegis was fashioned from the hide of Amalthea, the goat who nursed the infant Jupiter when he was hidden from Saturn on Crete. After Jupiter overthrew the Titans, he preserved the hide as an indestructible shield. When he shook it, thunder rolled and lightning split the sky.
Perseus later slew Medusa with Minerva's aid, and the Gorgon's severed head was mounted at the aegis's center. Serpents writhed along its edge. Any enemy who looked upon it froze where they stood.
Minerva's Aegis
Jupiter lent the aegis to his daughter Minerva, who wore it as a breastplate with Medusa's head at its center. Virgil describes Vulcan forging the aegis in his smithy, working the golden serpent-scales and the Gorgoneion into the metal. Of all the gods, only Minerva shared this weapon with her father.
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