Question: Was Achilles in the Trojan Horse?
Answer: In the Warner Bros. movie "Troy," Achilles emerges from the body of the giant wooden horse the Trojans believe was left behind by the Greeks returning home. This giant wooden horse, conceived of by Odysseus, is known as the Trojan Horse. As in the movie, the Greeks emerged from it after the Trojans were asleep, and then killed, burned, and pillaged Troy. But in the legends about Troy, the sequence of events was different.
After Achilles kills Hector, drags his body around strapped to his chariot by Ajax' belt, and after King Priam of Troy prevails upon Achilles to allow him to give proper burial honors to his son Hector, Achilles himself faces death. He is killed by an arrow through his heel that was shot by Paris of Troy. Thus, by the time the Trojan Horse is built and wheeled into the city of Troy, Achilles is dead. So, no, Achilles was not in the Trojan Horse.
After Achilles kills Hector, drags his body around strapped to his chariot by Ajax' belt, and after King Priam of Troy prevails upon Achilles to allow him to give proper burial honors to his son Hector, Achilles himself faces death. He is killed by an arrow through his heel that was shot by Paris of Troy. Thus, by the time the Trojan Horse is built and wheeled into the city of Troy, Achilles is dead. So, no, Achilles was not in the Trojan Horse.
Trojan War FAQ Index
- Who created the Trojan Horse?
- Where in Homer is the Trojan Horse?
- Was Achilles in the Trojan Horse?
- Who was king of Athens during the Trojan War?
- Where does the expression "the face that launched 1000 ships" come from?
- Where does the expression "beware of Greeks bearing gifts" come from?
- Who is the son of Achilles?
- Did Hector kill Menelaus (king of Sparta)? | Did Hector kill Ajax?
- How did Agamemnon die?
- Who was Briseis?
