As ravening fire rips through big stands of timber high on a mountain ridge and the blaze flares miles away, so from the marching troops the blaze of bronze armor, splendid and superhuman, flared across the earth, flashing into the air to hit the skies.

As ravening fire rips through big stands of timber
high on a mountain ridge and the blaze flares miles away,
so from the marching troops the blaze of bronze armor,
splendid and superhuman, flared across the earth,
flashing into the air to hit the skies.

– Homer

The Iliad, Book 2, lines 539-543. The Achaean troops marching out for war present a very formidable sight, as described in this epic simile. They are compared to a devouring fire ripping through timber on a mountain that can be seen miles away.

Homer Quotes