The Shield of Heracles
Also known as: Shield of Herakles, Aspis, Hesiodic Shield of Heracles
An archaic Greek hexameter poem describing Heracles’ clash with Cycnus, son of Ares, framed by an elaborate ekphrasis of the hero’s shield. Often transmitted with the Hesiodic corpus, it imitates and answers Homer’s ‘Shield of Achilles.’
Description
The poem narrates Heracles’ approach to battle with Cycnus near the sanctuary at Pagasae, accompanied by his charioteer Iolaus. Before the combat, the poet dwells on a vivid, expansive description of Heracles’ shield—its terrifying personifications, divine scenes, and emblematic figures—clearly modeled on the Iliad’s shield ekphrasis. Athena aids Heracles; Cycnus falls; and Ares himself is checked and wounded, underscoring mortal–divine confrontation and divine arbitration in warfare. The work opened with lines adapted from the Hesiodic ‘Catalogue of Women’ on Alcmene and Amphitryon, linking Heracles’ birth and lineage to the action. Its style and themes blend Hesiodic genealogy with Homeric martial spectacle, preserving an archaic view of heroic violence, divine intervention, and the symbolic power of arms.
Historiography
Survives within the medieval Hesiodic manuscript tradition, often bound with Hesiod’s works though widely considered non-Hesiodic. Ancient scholia note stylistic debts to Homer, especially Iliad 18. Modern editors debate date and unity; many accept a later archaic or early classical redaction by a poet in the Hesiodic orbit. The opening reprises material akin to the ‘Catalogue of Women,’ suggesting compositional stitching or borrowing.
Date Notes
Traditionally ascribed to Hesiod; most scholars view it as later and ‘Hesiodic’ in style, influenced by Homeric ecphrasis.
Major Characters
- Heracles
- Cycnus
- Ares
- Athena
- Iolaus
Myths
- Heracles and Iolaus Confront Cycnus
- The Ekphrasis of the Shield
Facts
- Hexameter poem transmitted with Hesiod but likely by a later archaic poet.
- Centers on an extended shield description modeled on Iliad 18.
- Narrative climax is Heracles killing Cycnus near Pagasae.
- Athena aids Heracles; Ares is wounded and retreats.
- Opening draws on ‘Catalogue of Women’ material about Alcmene and Amphitryon.
- Exhibits personifications on the shield: Strife, Fear, Terror.
- Uses heroic warfare to stage divine–mortal conflict and judgment.
- Important witness for archaic Greek ekphrasis beyond Homer.