The Spear and the Shield of Achilles. What Are Weapons For in Archaic Greek Epic

Abstract

In archaic Greek epic poetry, weapons are the heroes’ instruments of offense and defense. They are bronze weapons, used to kill, but above all, they are a sign of prestige and glory. The traditional formulas and epithets of epic poetry reveal a system of meanings. The most important sign is the splendor of bronze, the spectacle of weapons on the battlefield. The typical scene of donning armor marks the first moment of a hero’s action and valor. Weapons define the identity and strength of the heroes. Achilles' weapons are at the center of the narrative as a symbol. The enemies’ weapons are the trophy of victory. But sometimes weapons can become something else, the sign of an encounter that transcends the violence of war, as in the duel between Glaucus and Diomedes. A thousand years after Homer, in Quintus Smyrnaeus’s Posthomerica, Penthesilea’s weapons are the sign of the Amazons’ otherness, the paradigm of the enemy. But it is precisely through the honor of arms that Achilles recognizes Penthesilea’s value and can go beyond the logic of war.