Achilles, the greatest and fastest hero on the Greek side during the Trojan War, is the subject of Homer's great epic poem, the Iliad. Achilles dies before the enemy's city of Troy is taken, but not before defeating the greatest hero of the Trojans.
Achilles' Family:
Achilles was the son of Thetis, a nymph, who had attracted the attention of Zeus and Poseidon. When Prometheus revealed a prophecy that Thetis' son would be greater than his father, the gods lost interest. Thetis married the mortal Peleus, instead. The centaur Chiron raised Achilles.
Achilles' Heel:
In an effort to make her son immortal, as told by Statius, Achilles' mother, Thetis, held her son by the ankle while dipping him into the River Styx. This made Achilles invulnerable except where her fingers gripped him. Since his vulnerable spot was his heel, the term Achilles' heel is used for someone's weak spot.
Achilles was injured, so his invulnerability wasn't total, but then, the immortal goddess Aphrodite was injured, too.
Achilles the Transvestite:
Achilles was obliged to join the Achaean forces when Agamemnon summoned them to fight for Helen at Troy. To keep him from the fighting, Thetis sent him to Lycomedes' court dressed in women's garments. There he lived among young women, most of whom remained in ignorance about his gender. Odysseus knew how to trick him out of hiding, though. He brought trinkets to sell the young women, and among them was a sword. When Achilles saw the sword it was all over.
Achilles led his men, known as the Myrmidons, to Troy.
Achilles and Briseis:
Briseis was a war prize Achilles won when the Greeks defeated King Mynes of Lyrnessus, an ally of Troy. She was the king's daughter.
Achilles and his captive seem to have fallen in love, so that when Agamemnon demanded that Achilles give him Briseis, Achilles was furious and refused to fight.
Achilles and Patroclus:
Patroclus, whose name is sometimes written Patrocles, was a close friend, and possible lover of Achilles. He accompanied Achilles to Troy. When Patroclus was killed by the Trojan prince Hector, Achilles was enraged and resumed fighting for the Greeks in order to get his revenge. There would be funeral games for Patroclus, but only after Achilles had killed Hector.
Achilles and Hector:
Achilles wanted revenge for the death of his friend Patroclus. Hector was the best of the Trojan fighters but not quite a match for Achilles. After Achilles killed Hector, he tried to disfigure him by dragging his corpse through the sand. King Priam begged for his son's body for proper burial, and Achilles gave in with a little push from his dead friend whose funeral games had not yet been held.
Death of Achilles:
Achilles was killed by Paris, possibly by a divinely-guided arrow, and possibly in his heel.
Achilles Genealogy
Family tree of Achilles showing his relatives through to Chaos on both Achilles' mother Thetis and father Peleus' sides.
