Aegis - what is it? This lexeme is often found in media reports when such expressions as “under the auspices of the UN”, “under the auspices of UNESCO” or some other structure are used. Intuitively, you can guess what is meant by protection, patronage. But few people know exactly what this “aegis” means.
Mythological Beginning
In the dictionary, as a rule, two interpretations of the studied object are given. One of the meanings of the aegis is the shield that the ancient Greek gods had, such as Zeus, Athena, Apollo.
Usage examples:
- Example 1. The supreme ancient Greek deity, Zeus, who raised terrible storms with the help of the aegis, is compared with the head of the Slavic pantheon, Perun, the god of thunder.
- Example 2. Among the attributes of Zeus were such as a shield (aegis), an eagle, a scepter, a hammer, a double-sided ax, and lightning - a type of material weapon, which was a pitchfork with two or three prongs. In baroque painting, the latter were depicted as a beam of flames, whichcould be in the claws of an eagle.
- Example 3. Zeus had a large number of epithets, for example, Booley (giving good advice, patronizing), Herkeys (guardian of the hearth), Ares (militant), Aristarchus (the best ruler), Gikesias (patron of those who ask), Milichius (merciful), Egioch (bearer of the aegis) and others.
- Example 4. The ancient Greek goddess Athena of wisdom and war (the Romans - Minerva, the Etruscans - Menfra) had such attributes as a spear, helmet, snakes, aegis.
Figuratively
The second interpretation, used figuratively, says that aegis is support, patronage from some powerful force, or action within the framework of an influential institution. The expression “under the auspices” is usually used, that is, under a shield, under protection. Quite often, lawyers call colleges "Aegis", thereby associating the activities of the organization with a shield and emphasizing the essence of their noble profession - to protect the rights of people from abuses of the authorities and lenders.
Example 1. This place has many cultural sites under the auspices of UNESCO, which can be visited completely freely.
Example 2. A message was received from the press service that the football tournament will be held under the auspices of UEFA.
Example 3: The group of negotiators felt quite confident, as they were under the auspices of powerful patrons operating at the federal level.
Example 4. It is known from the history of diplomacy that Bismarck back in the mid-50s. foresaw that we would have to fightwith Austria, as she opposes Germany being united under the auspices of Prussia.
Connection with the divine goat
The very meaning of "aegis", which in ancient Greek looks like αἰγίς, is interpreted as "goatskin". It was formed from the noun αἶξ - "goat", which in turn came from the Proto-Indo-European stem aig.
The connection between the "aegis" and the "goat" is explained by the ancient Greek myths, which tell that Zeus on the island of Crete was fed by the divine goat - Am althea. Literally translated - "gentle goddess". This happened at a time when Rhea, the Titanide, the mother of the Olympian gods, was hiding little Zeus from his father Kronos, who was devouring his children.
Skin shield
After the death of the goat, the god of blacksmithing, Hephaestus, created a shield from her very strong skin, which was indestructible and served as reliable protection for Zeus in his fight against the titans.
This shield, which terrifies others, became known as the aegis. In its center was a head attached to it, which belonged to the Gorgon Medusa. Thus, the divine goat gave Zeus reliable protection even after death.
And also with this shield the main Olympian raised formidable storms. As the myths tell, Zeus the cloud-gatherer threw his right hand with lightning, and with his left hand he shook the aegis hung with hundreds of tassels and framed by the horror of confusion.
According to another version, the shield of Zeus was made by Athena not from the skin of a goat, but from the skin of a monster, which was born by the goddess Gaia (earth). According to beliefs, Athena, the daughter of Zeus, like Apollo, wore an aegis as part of her attire, also with the head of the Gorgon Medusa attached to the shield (sometimes to the cape).
