aegis

摘自Webster's Word HistoriesSupeSite/X-Space官方站.y z-W+Z@z;@
   Merriam-Webster Inc., PublishersSupeSite/X-Space官方站XQ4t!h2F3l*I
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aegis  Today when we speak of something as being "under the aegis of ...." (as the word aegis is almost invariably used nowadays), we generally mean that it is under the authority, sponsorship, or control of another. In a way, then, the thing that is in the subordinate position is being "protected" by the other; hence, an aegis is something that protects or shields. In ancient Greece the word aigis was used literally of something that offered physical protection. In Greek mythology the aegis in one sense was a thundercloud, housing the thunderbolts that Zeus wielded as his signature weapon. In another sense (probably the original) it was a cloak or mantle made of goatskin taken from the she-goat who had suckled Zeus as a babe(in Geek, aigis literally means 'goatskin'). In this incarnation it was part of Zeus's protective armor in his war against the Titans. In another tradition the aegis became an impregnable, shield-like weapon that was fashioned by the metalworking god Hephaestus to resemble a thundercloud and finged with tassels suggestive of thunderbolts. SupeSite/X-Space官方站|9QD~%{C m
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      Zeus occasionally entrusted he aegis to other gods and especially to Athena, of whom the aegis later became an attribute. In the myths centering on Athena, the aegis became a goatskin mantle bearing the likeness of the Gorgon Medusa and fringed with serpents, actual or illustrated. In artistic representations Athena is shown wearing the aegis as a sort of protective buffcoat over her chest, or she is shown draping the leather cloak over her arm and using it as a conventional shield to ward off blows. the aegis became an attribute of the goddess's divine protection and power.