Achilles' Shield

As long as there is thought there will always be debate as to the relevance and applications of any figure that has potential symbolism deeper than its appearance. We see it with the Bible, with its accompanying fundamentalism, literalism, interpretationalism, and its downright detractors. Attention given to an object for such a prolonged time is bound to foster battleground for linguists, philosophers, and literary scholars. Additionally, we see it with the Shield of Achilles in Homer's The Iliad. The Shield is a literary figure of beauty which the world has enjoyed, despised, and revered for several millennia. Its lengthy and detailed description forces any reader to, if not look past it for higher meaning, at least imagine and stare at it for a significant amount of time.

There are conflicting explanations as to the importance of the passages describing the images on the Shield. They range from it being an afterthought by the Poet to the revelation of God as interpreted by Homer. There are many differing ideas as to the significance and the use of the figure by Homer, but the beauty of his work is that it doesn't really answer itself. Homer doesn't give the key to his secret closet in his work; he leaves it to the interpretation of others.

That is the beauty of literature, there is no right or wrong answer. What the creator meant it to be is only a shadow of what it is, as a branch of a tree can become a home to chittering fowl. And so it is with the Shield of Achilles.

One of the more interesting, in my opinion, of the ideas, concerning the Shield, is the interpretation of Hugh Nibley in his book Abraham in Egypt. He discusses at length, in the volume, the manner in which God reveals His knowledge and speci...

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...e contrast of the extremes, we see both sides, and by that we can see the middle, and by such a few short lines, we can see all that there is.

The beauty of literature is that there is no answer. It can be debated, and debated endlessly. Even if Homer was alive right now lecturing at BYU, I'm not totally convinced he could tell us precisely what he meant by the image of women laughing while watching the parade from their doorways. He may have meant it literally. He may have been speaking somewhat auto-biographically describing the pastime of a well renowned author; enjoying the scholarly hullabaloo made of his brain child. One thing is for certain, however; the images he depicted in his work will be remembered always, maybe not so much because of the ability with which they were made, but because of the possibilities it impregnates in the minds of others.