In Greek mythology, Achilles was the son of the mortal phthian King, Peleus, in Thessaly,
and the immortal sea nymph, Thetis, daughter of Neseus. Achilles is often described in
all of Hellenic mythology, as the greatest warrior of the
Trojan War. When Achilles was born, the fates revealed
a prophecy that he would die an early death in battle. Thetis was worried
about her newborn son and his defenselessness, due to his half-mortal
parentage, so she thought of a way to make him indestructible, and came up with one idea.
She took the newborn Achilles to the River Styx, and dipped the baby into the
water, which had the power to make him invincible. But unknown to Thetis, the
heel by which she was holding the baby was not touched by the magical water. In a slightly
different version, a large leaf stuck to his heels and kept the water
from touching them. As a result, Achilles’s heel
remained vulnerable. Still wanting to ensure her son's invincibility,
Thetis rubbed the baby, Achilles each day with godly ambrosia, and each night laid him
on the hearth fire.
One day, His father, Peleus, came upon Thetis holding their baby in the flames and cried
out in alarm. He told Thetis to abandon that routine,
Thetis was offended and returned to the sea, leaving Achilles to his mortal world.
When the Trojan War began, Mycenaean King, Agamemnon, commander of
the Greek forces, sent Odysseus and a group of
soldiers to recruit Achilles. Thetis was afraid for her son and sent him, disguised as a woman,
to King Lycomedes on the island of Skyros to
live among the king’s daughters. There, Achilles spent nine years, during which
time, he begets a son, Neoptolemus, with one of the king's daughters.
When the clever Odysseus arrived at Skyros, he saw
through the disguise, tricked Achilles into revealing his identity, and convinced him
to join the army of the Greeks in the war against
the Trojans.
Achilles proved to be a formidable warrior, who within a short while, caused fear in the
hearts of the Trojans. Achilles also display one notable flaw, he had a terrible temper.
During the last year of the Trojan War, Achilles quarreled with Agamemnon over
possession of Briseis, a young woman Achilles had captured as a prize of war. When
Agamemnon claimed her, Achilles took it as a
deadly insult, he fought, and would have killed the commander if not for Athena's intervention.
There after, he swore an oath that he would withdraw from the fighting and that the Greeks
would appeal to him in vain in their hour of need.
True to his word, Achilles withdrew from the army and stayed in his tent.
His mother, Thetis, in the meanwhile, complained to Zeus, who in
turn, assured her that he would turn the tide of battle against
the Greeks precisely to make them understand how much they need Achilles and how much
his loss means to them.
And it came to happen. The Greek forces began to lose the battle, because Achilles was not
with them. The Greeks sent an embassy to Achilles to persuade him to return to battle, offering
to return Briseis to him and to give him other magnificent gifts in addition, yet he
still refused.
Unfortunately, Achilles’s best friend, Patrocles, borrowed his
armor to go into battle and was killed by Hector, prince of Troy, the greatest Trojan
warrior.
Deeply Enraged, Achilles returned to the battle-field. He filled the Trojans with terror, choked
the rivers with blood, and even battled a river
god. At last, with the help of Athena, he met Hector face to face
and defeated him in one-to-one combat. At
that point, the extremity of Achilles’ temper once again manifested itself. He refused to
return Prince Hector’s body, and instead abused
it, dragging it around the walls of Troy behind his chariot.
It was only when Apollo guided a man named, Priam, to his tent, under the cover of darkness,
that Achilles agreed to return the body.
It was said that Achilles insulted and disrespected Apollo, and so the good turned his anger towards
the Greek, towards Achilles in particular.
Apollo appeared to Hector's brother, Paris, and promised to guide him in his revenge against
Achilles, for the death of his brother and and the abuse of his corpse.
On a fateful day, on the battle-field, Guided by Appollo, Paris, shot a poisoned arrow
into Achilles’s one mortal spot, his heel. The powerful poison went into his body and
did it's work.
Within seconds, Achilles succumbed to death. Oh, how wonderful a news it was, to the Trojans.
The mighty Achilles had fallen.
To this very day, the phrase “Achilles’ heel”
refers to a vulnerable spot.