Source-groundedThe Iliad
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Item · Individual

Achilles's sceptre

Published entity metadata

Read-only identity and editorial metadata.

Canonical name
Achilles's sceptre
Disambiguator
None
Kind
Item
Scope
Individual
Editorial note
No editorial note published.

Aliases

1

gold-bestudded sceptre

Descriptive reference · Direct

Location presence

Phase 6 currently covers 24 processed books.

0

No presence observations in the processed scope.

Claims

2
·Direct

Achilles’s sceptre is leafless and barkless, stripped by an axe from its mountain stem, borne by Achaean judges, and used for his solemn oath.

See evidence text
“by this my sceptre which shalt sprout neither leaf nor shoot, nor bud anew from the day on which it left its parent stem upon the mountains—for the axe stripped it of leaf and bark, and now the sons of the Achaeans bear it as judges and guardians of the decrees of heaven—so surely and solemnly do I swear”
·Direct

The gold-studded sceptre is dashed to the ground by Achilles.

See evidence text
“dashed his gold-bestudded sceptre on the ground”

Additional evidence

Evidence records not already represented by a claim.

1
·Direct
“this my sceptre”

Passage preview

Book 1 · Passage 22

But the son of Peleus again began railing at the son of Atreus, for he was still in a rage. ‘Wine-bibber,’ he cried, ‘with the face of a dog and the heart of a hind, you never dare to go out with the host in fight, nor yet with our chosen men in ambuscade. You shun this as you do death itself. You had rather go round and rob his prizes from any man who contradicts you. You devour your people, for you are king over a feeble folk; otherwise, son of Atreus, henceforward you would insult no man. Therefore I say, and swear it with a great oath—nay, by this my sceptre which shalt sprout neither leaf nor shoot, nor bud anew from the day on which it left its parent stem upon the mountains—for the axe stripped it of leaf and bark, and now the sons of the Achaeans bear it as judges and guardians of the decrees of heaven—so surely and solemnly do I swear that hereafter they shall look fondly for Achilles and shall not find him. In the day of your distress, when your men fall dying by the murderous hand of Hector, you shall not know how to help them, and shall rend your heart with rage for the hour when you offered insult to the bravest of the Achaeans.’