And the famous crippled Smith forged a meadow
deep in a shaded glen for shimmering flocks to graze,
with shepherds’ steadings, well-roofed huts and sheepfolds.
– Homer
The Iliad, Book 18, lines 686-688. Hephaestus also forges on Achilles’s shield a meadow in a shaded glen for flocks to graze, complete with shepherds’ huts and sheepfolds. This image is a metaphorical recreation of an idyllic rural scene.