Who was Achilles?

Who were Achilles’ parents?

Achilles was the son of Peleus, a Greek king, and Thetis, a sea nymph or goddess.

Zeus, the king of the gods and Poseidon, god of the sea, had both fallen in love with Thetis and were rivals for her hand in marriage. However, the gods were warned of a prophecy that Thetis would have a son who would grow up to be greater than his father. Worried by this, Zeus arranged for Thetis to marry a mortal man so that her child couldn’t challenge his power. In another version of the story, Thetis rejects Zeus’s advances and a furious Zeus decrees that she will never marry a god. Either way, Thetis ends up married to the mortal Peleus and Achilles is born.

Terracotta relief showing Peleus and Thetis, c. 490–470 BC. Thetis tries to resist marriage to Peleus by transforming her body into powerful elements such as fire and wild beasts, here a lion.

What’s the story of his ‘Achilles heel’?

Thetis gives birth to Achilles who, unlike her, is mortal. She attempts to make the baby Achilles immortal, by dipping him in the River Styx (the river that runs through the underworld), while holding him by his heel. The one part of his body left untouched by the waters becomes his only point of weakness, hence the phrase ‘Achilles heel’.

Thomas Banks RA, Thetis and Achilles, 1789. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

In the Iliad there is no mention of Achilles’ invulnerability or the weakness of his heel. In scenes representing his death in Greek art, he has been shown with an arrow in his torso, as well as his heel. This may indicate that the ‘Achilles heel’ story is a later addition to the myth.

The story reveals the sadness of a mother who knows that, being immortal, she will outlive her son.

Why was Achilles raised by a centaur?

Achilles’ mother Thetis abandons her husband and son to return to live with the sea nymphs when Achilles is still young. Needing some help raising Achilles, Peleus sends him to be educated by a centaur named Chiron.

Centaurs, who have the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse, are often represented in Greek art as violent and savage creatures, but Chiron was known for his wisdom and had educated other heroes including Heracles and Jason.

Achilles instructed by Chiron in the Management of the Javelin. Print after Giovanni Battista Cipriani, 1789.

Under the care of Chiron, Achilles is fed a diet that includes the innards of lions and wild pigs, and the marrow of she-wolves, to make him strong. Chiron teaches the young Achilles hunting as well as music and intellectual pursuits.

Eugène Delacroix, The Education of Achilles, c. 1862. Pastel on paper.
Getty Center, Los Angeles.

Did Achilles have a male lover?

As a boy, Achilles develops a close relationship with another boy named Patroclus, who joins Achilles’ household as an exile, having accidentally killed another child. They become friends and possibly lovers. In Homer’s Iliad, Achilles describes Patroclus as ‘the man I loved beyond all other comrades, loved as my own life’.

Drinking cup showing Achilles bandaging Patroclus’ wound. c. 500 BC.
©ANTIKENSAMMLUNG, STAATLICHE MUSEEN ZU BERLIN
-PREUSSISCHER KULTURBESITZ- Photo: Johannes Laurentius.

Although Homer doesn’t explicitly cast them as lovers, their intimate relationship is crucial to the plot of the Iliad, and in other works of ancient literature the relationship between the two men is more explicitly referenced as a love affair. In ancient Greece it was common for men to have sexual relationships with both men and women. There were no words in ancient Greek for ‘homosexual’ and ‘heterosexual’ and in classical Athens relationships between older, often married, men and younger men were a normal part of social life.

Why did Achilles’ parents try to stop him going to Troy?

A prophecy had foretold that Achilles would die at Troy, so when the Greek leaders gather for their campaign to return the abducted Helen, Achilles’ parents attempt to prevent him joining the expedition. He is hidden on the island of Skyros, disguised as a girl at the court of King Lycomedes among his numerous daughters.

Roman sarcophagus relief, depicting Achilles (centre) holding a helmet among the daughters of Lycomedes AD 150–200.

However, due to another prophecy, the Greeks know they can only win the war with Achilles’ help. The Greek kings Odysseus and Diomedes discover his whereabouts and trick him into revealing himself so he can join the troops on the expedition to Troy. Disguised as travelling salesmen, they visit the court with jewellery and women’s clothes. Amongst these goods they place weapons, which Achilles instinctively grabs and is found out.

Achilles wearing a dress as a disguise unsheaths a sword and is recognised. Etching after Peter Paul Rubens, 1630–1645.

What did Achilles do in the Trojan War?

Achilles arrives at Troy with 50 ships. He is the leader of the army known as the Myrmidons and is the best fighter on the side of the Greeks.

Storage jar showing Ajax (left) and Achilles (right) playing a game. 530–520 BC.

Troy is a well-defended city and nine long years of siege follow. The epic poem which covered this part of the war (the Cypria) does not survive, so its events are known in much less detail. In art, a popular scene was that of Achilles playing a board game with the hero Ajax. The image suggests that the Greek heroes spent many long hours whiling away the time during the siege of Troy. Things only really get interesting during the 10th year of the war, which is the focus for Homer’s Iliad.

What caused ‘the rage of Achilles’?

The anger or rage of Achilles is a key theme of Homer’s Iliad. In fact ‘anger’ is the first word of the whole poem.

Achilles is initially angry because the leader of the Greek forces, King Agamemnon, takes a captive woman named Briseis from him. Early Greek society was highly competitive and a man’s honour was vital to his sense of identity and position. By taking away the prize of honour that has been allocated to Achilles in recognition of his fighting prowess, Agamemnon dishonours him.

Drinking cup showing Briseis being taken from Achilles, who is depicted sulking with his cloak wrapped around him. c. 480 BC.

Achilles withdraws from battle and refuses to fight. When the Trojans make gains in the battle, Agamemnon agrees to send an embassy to Achilles to try to persuade him to re-join the fighting by offering him a wealth of gifts. Achilles remains unmoved but does allow his friend Patroclus to lead the Myrmidons into battle wearing Achilles’ armour.

Henry Fuseli (1741–1825), Achilles Lamenting for Patroclus. Drawing, 1770.

Patroclus is killed in the bloody fighting by the Trojan prince Hector, who mistakes him for Achilles, and the real Achilles is utterly distraught. His mother, Thetis, consoles him and Achilles declares his intention to kill Hector and avenge the death of Patroclus, despite his weeping mother’s revelation that, according to fate, his own death will soon follow that of Hector.

How does Achilles avenge Patroclus’ death?

Achilles is determined to avenge Patroclus’ death at any cost and announces that he is ending his anger against Agamemnon and will re-join the fighting. The two sides meet in battle and Hector waits outside the city gates, ready to fight Achilles.

Detail of a wine mixing bowl showing Achilles fighting Hector. c. 490 BC.

Achilles chases Hector around the wall of the city, then the two heroes fight, and Achilles plunges his spear into Hector’s neck. As he lies dying, Hector appeals to Achilles to return his body for cremation – a request that is heartlessly refused – and with his last breath he prophesies Achilles’ own death at the hands

Who was Achilles?