Abstract

This article attempts to explain the structure of the eponymous ecphrasis in the Pseudo-Hesiodic “Shield of Heracles” as a programme outlining an evolution from violent chaos to peaceful order which corresponds to the function initially ascribed to Heracles as ‘protector against ruin for gods and men’ (Sc. 28-9). It will be argued that the seemingly disproportionate ecphrasis is a conscious reworking of the Homeric shield of Achilles employed as a literary device to give a cosmic dimension to the battle between Heracles and Cycnus and establish Heracles as the unambiguously glorious (super)hero of the epyllion. This interpretation of the Pseudo-Hesiodic Heracles is consistent with Richard Martin’s notion of a ‘trash aesthetic’ determining the composition and presentation of the poem.