AEGIS (Goat Skin) In Greek mythology, the shield of ZEUS made by the smith-god HEPHAESTUS and covered with the skin of the goat-nymph AMALTHEA. The shield had the power to terrify and disperse the enemy. When Zeus shook it, the shield produced tremendous thunder and lightning storms. It also had the power to protect friends. The aegis was also worn by ATHENE, when it bore the head of the GORGON, MEDUSA, in its center. The aegis is a symbol of divine protection.

Taken from : Greek and Roman Mythology A to Z, Revised Edition – Written by Kathleen N. Daly and Revised by Marian Rengel – Copyright © 2004, 1992 by Kathleen N. Daly

Aegis (goatskin) In Greek mythology, the shield forged by Hephaestus that had on it the Gorgon Medusa’s head. When Zeus shook the aegis, thunder ripped through the heavens. It was used not only by Zeus but also by Athena and Apollo. Since the word means goatskin, the aegis was said in later myth to be the skin of the goat that had suckled Zeus in his infancy. When the aegis became part of the iconography of Athena, it was portrayed as a shaggy or scaly skin with a fringe of snakes and the Gorgon’s head in the middle. Vergil’s Aeneid
(book 8), Ovid’s Fasti (book 3), and Milton’s Comus (447) are among the literary works that refer to the shield.

SOURCE:

Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante