Enchanted Objects

Sickle of Adamante

Owners: Gaea, Cronus, Zeus, Hermes, Perseus

Gaea gave the sickle to her son, the Titan Cronus, so that he could sever the genitals of his father Uranus. Zeus would later use the sickle to fight the monster Typhon. Hermes used the sickle against Argus Panoptes. The last known use of the sickle was when Perseus borrowed it from Hermes, to sever the Gorgon Medusa’s head.

Thunderbolt

Owner: Zeus

The thunderbolt was the weapon that a Cyclops made for Zeus, in the war against the Titans.

Trident

Owner: Poseidon

Poseidon was the only person known to wield the trident, which was made by a Cyclops, in the war against the Titans.

Helm of Darkness

Owners: Hades, Perseus

The “Helm of Darkness” or “Cap of Darkness” belonged to Hades, the god of the Underworld. It was made by the Cyclops during the war against the Titans. Perseus borrowed the Helm during his quest against the Gorgon Medusa.

Aegis

Owners: Zeus, Athena

The aegis was sometimes seen as as shield belonging to Zeus, and most of the time, it was seen as a tasseled breastplate worn by Athena. Athena made the aegis from the hide of the giant Pallas, whom she killed in the war against the Giants. In the Iliad, one time Apollo borrowed and used the aegis to rout the Greek army.

Silver Bow

Owners: Apollo and Artemis

There are two silver bows, one belonging to Apollo and the other to his twin sister, Artemis.

Caduceus

Owners: Apollo, Hermes

A shepherd staff that first belonged to Apollo, but the god of light gave the Caduceus to Hermes in exchange for the lyre. Two snakes entwined around the staff. The Caduceus also became the herald’s staff and the staff that guided shades to the Underworld.

Petasus

Owner: Hermes

Winged cap of Hermes.

Talaria

Owners: Hermes, Perseus

Winged sandals of Hermes. Perseus also borrowed a pair of sandals from some nymphs.

Head of Medusa

Owners: Perseus, Athena

The hero Perseus severed the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Perseus used the head to turn various enemies into stone, including the wicked king of Seriphus, Polydectes. Perseus gave the head to the goddess Athena at the end of his quest. Athena inserted the head in her aegis.

Lock of Medusa

Owners: Perseus, Heracles, Sterope

The hair or lock of the Gorgon Medusa was probably kept by Perseus. Heracles would later inherit the lock of hair, and he would later give this to Sterope, the daughter of King Cepheus of Tegea. The hair would rout any enemy army from the city of Tegea, during the absence of Cepheus.

Ancile

Owner: Mars

The shield of Mars.

Thyrus

Owner: Dionysus

Club or staff used by Dionysus and his followers. Dionysus managed to kill Eurytus with the thyrus, during the war against the Giants.

Cloak of Heracles

Owner: Heracles

Heracles killed the Nemean Lion in his first labour. The lion hide was invulnerable to weapons made of metal, wood or stone.

Bow of Heracles

Owners: Heracles, Philoctetes

Heracles used this famous bow throughout his life. His arrows were smeared with the deadly venom of the monster Hydra. At his death, the bow was given to Philoctetes. It was discovered that Troy could not fall unless the bow was brought to the war. Philoctetes used the bow to slay Paris, the son of King Priam.

Bow of Eurytus

Owners: Eurytus, Iphitus, Odysseus

The bow had originally belonged to Eurytus, who was the Archer-King who had taught Heracles how to use the bow. Iphitus, Eurytus’s son, would later pass the bow to the hero Odysseus, who would later use this bow to kill Penelope’s suitors.

Sword of Peleus

Owners: Peleus, Achilles?

The magic sword that belonged to Peleus. I am uncertain who gave this sword to Peleus, but he had the sword when he visited Acastus in Iolcus and when he met the Centaur Cheiron. This event was set before his marriage to the Neried Thetis, but after the Quest of the Golden Fleece.

Armour of Peleus

Owners: Peleus, Achilles, Patroclus, Hector

Armour, helm and shield that Peleus received as a wedding gift in his marriage to the Nereid Thetis. This armour was made by the god Hephaestus. Peleus gave this to his son, Achilles, when the young hero fought in the Trojan War. Patroclus borrowed the armour from Achilles, but he was killed by Hector. Hector wore this armour until Achilles killed him in single combat.

Armour of Achilles

Owners: Achilles, Odysseus, Neoptolemus

Hephaestus fashioned a new set of armour for Achilles. A long description of the shield device can be found in Book 18 of the Iliad. After Achilles’ death, Ajax committed suicide after losing the armour to Odysseus in the funeral games. However, Odysseus gave the armour to Neoptolemus, Achilles’ son.

Spear of Achilles

Owner: Achilles

The spear of Achilles made from the ash tree at Mount Pelion. The spear was given to Achilles, either by his father, Peleus, or by his tutor, the Centaur Cheiron. Achilles killed Hector with this spear.

Sword of Hector

Owners: Hector, Ajax

The sword belonging to Hector, but he gave it to Telamonian Ajax, when they fought to a draw in a single combat. Ajax would later use this sword to commit suicide.

Cornucopia

Owners: Zeus, Achelous, Heracles

Sometimes known as the “Horn of Plenty”. The cornucopia contained an endless amount of food, such as fruit and nuts.

Kibisis

Owner: Perseus

Magic bag or wallet that Perseus borrowed from the nymphs, during his quest to kill the Gorgon Medusa.

Cestus

Owner: Aphrodite

The magic girdle of Aphrodite that had the power of love inspiration.

Necklace of Harmonia

Owners: Harmonia, Polyneices, Eriphyle

The necklace was made by Hephaestus as a wedding gift to Harmonia, the wife of Cadmus. Harmonia was the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. It was passed down several generations in the House of Thebes. Polyneices, the exiled prince of Thebes, used the necklace to bribe Eriphyle, the sister of King Adrastus of Argos, so that her husband Amphiarus, the Argive seer, had to take part in the war known as the Seven Against Thebes.

Girdle of Hippolyta

Owners: Hippolyte, Admeta.

The belt of the Amazon queen, Hippolyte. It was also known as the belt of Ares, zoster, and it was probably more of a heavy warrior’s belt than a girdle. The belt symbolised her power as leader of the Amazon tribes. Admeta, daughter of Eurystheus, wanted this belt, so the Mycenaean king sent Heracles to fetch the belt for his daughter (9th labour). In most versions, Heracles killed the queen and took the belt from her. But in one version, Heracles captured Melanippe, and ransomed the Amazon commander for the belt.

Palladium

Owners: Athena, Electra, Ilus, Priam, Aeneas

Wooden statue of Athena or her childhood companion Pallas. Electra, the daughter of Atlas, clung to the statue in the hope that it would prevent Zeus from raping her. Zeus threw the Palladium out of Olympus. The statue was found in the tent of Ilus, the founder of the city of Ilium or Troy. The Palladium was said to protect Troy from invaders. However, Heracles and Telamon captured the city in Lacemedon’s reign.

It protected Troy during the great Trojan War, until the final stage of the war, Odysseus and Diomedes stole the Palladium from the temple of Athena, at the advice of the captured Trojan seer, Helenus, the son of Priam and Hecuba. However, according to Vergil, the Palladium that the Greeks had stolen was a fake. Aeneas, who was the only surviving leader of the war, took the Palladium with him when he settled in Italy. The Palladium was said to have been in the temple of Vesta in Rome.