Question: Who Was the Son of Achilles?
The question was asked whether or not Achilles had any children. After all, he is not portrayed as married, and his love of Patroclus has led to speculation that Achilles was gay, although his outrage over the taking of his war prize, Briseis, by Agamemnon shows that Achilles certainly had an interest in women regardless of what his relationship was with Patroclus.
Answer: When Achilles was sent by his mother Thetis to live as a transvestite, among the women at the court of King Lycomedes of Skyros, the king's daughter Deidamia discovered Achilles' true gender and became impregnated by him. The child of Deidamia and Achilles was Neoptolemus who fought at Troy after his father, Achilles, was killed. So, Neoptolemus is the name of Achilles' son.
Odysseus, after his own mad draft-dodging escapade, uncovered the transvestite Achilles by means of a ruse. He brought trinkets to the court of King Lycomedes and all the young women took appropriate baubles, but Achilles was drawn to the one masculine item, a sword.
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?
