Erik XIV's Suit of Armour

King Erik XIV rode into Stockholm in 1564 after a successful war against Denmark. The triumphal procession of soldiers, spoils of war and prisoners of war was lined with woven wallpaper, fireworks and crowds of people. And there was much else besides, both shooting and other things, which do not have to be repeated and described here now, as the historian Erik Johansson Tegel would write later. In the triumphal procession, the king rode an armoured horse, clad in a richly ornate armour. The armour was not intended primarily for combat, but was made to impress. Several craftsmen had worked together to manufacture the armour. A cuirass maker in Arboga forged it, the decorations were produced in Antwerp, an artist drew the pattern and the goldsmith Elysius Lieberts carved the reliefs, created patterns and inlaid gold ornaments. On the right-hand side of the visor, we see the hero Hercules, depicted with his club and lion-skin cloak, you know. The visor, of course, is the lower part of the helmet that protects the jaw. Now, there are different interpretations of what's depicted on the left-hand side. One theory suggests that what we see here is the goddess Juno breastfeeding Hercules. In Roman mythology, Jupiter had Hercules breastfeed from a sleeping Juno. When she woke and pushed Hercules away, the milky way was formed by the milk that was spilled. The adult male could be the adult Hercules, drinking from a drinking horn. However, that idea is contradicted by the fact that one does not drink from the narrow end of a drinking horn. Furthermore, the shape is, well, quite unusual, and resembles a shell rather than a horn.