Chrysti the Wordsmith > Radio Scripts

The ancients regarded Zeus as the mightiest god in the Greek pantheon. Dispenser of justice and guardian of order, Zeus had no peer on Mount Olympus.

He also controlled the elements. When he rattled his shield, the heavens darkened and thunder pealed from cloud to cloud. Below, mortals trembled with dread.

Zeus' shield, with the power to stir meteorological havoc, was also his refuge. Called the aegis, this shield was constructed of goatskin (aegis is derived from aix, the Greek word for goat) and imbued with protective powers. When the king of the gods battled the terrifying race of giants called the Titans, the aegis protected him. Zeus loaned the shield to his daughter Athena, who often carried it with her into battle.

The glory of the Olympian immortals is now a bit tattered, but the term aegis lives on in our vocabulary. No longer referring to Zeus' goatskin shield, the word is now used to figuratively describe a protective influence or authoritative license.

The late word lover and poet John Ciardi said, "Under the aegis of the Medici, Galleleo developed the telescope safe from papal interference." Here, the Medici represents an agency of authority and protection -- a metaphorical reflection of the aegis of Zeus.

Radio Script > Aegis