ACHILLES, THE GREATEST GREEK HERO - BLOGCHATTERA2Z2026

-

 
Thetis dipping the baby Achilles into the river Styx - World History Encyclopaedia

Greek mythology can never be complete without the mention of Achilles, the hero of the Trojan war, who was the son of the Nereid (sea nymph) Thetis and the mortal King Peleus, the head of the Myrmidons, which made him a demigod.

The legend goes that when Achilles was an infant, his mother, Thetis, dipped him in the river Styx to make him immortal. However, she held him by the ankle, and hence, that part remained untouched, and proved to be his vulnerable area. This is where the term ‘Achilles’ Heel’ comes from, which means a point of weakness despite overall strength, which could lead to downfall.

Thetis foretold her son’s fate which could go in two ways… he could either attain glory and die young or live a long mundane life doing nothing remarkable. Achilles chose the former.

Achilles and his friend, Patroclus, were trained in the arts of war and medicine by the centaur Chiron.

The Iliad deals with the war between the Greeks and the Trojans, where Achilles fought fiercely, and killed Prince Hector, the brave son of King Priam of Troy. One reason was that Achilles’ wrath knew no bounds when his beloved friend, Patroclus, was killed in battle. According to legend, it was the infamous prince Paris who killed Achilles to avenge the death of his brother, Hector. It is believed that Apollo, the guardian deity of Troy, helped him to direct his arrow at Achilles’ heel, his vulnerable spot.

                                                                               Achilles and Patroclus - Pinterest

Homer’s Iliad does not mention the death of Achilles. However, there is a mention of his funeral in the Odyssey.

                                                                                                 AbeBooks


Trivia:  

 Phonetic pronunciation of Achilles: əˈkɪliːz 

Apollo is the god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, poetry and more. He is one of the Olympian deities. (Wikipedia)

In the 2004 movie ‘Troy’, Brad Pitt plays Achilles and the scene in which he rides up to the cityof Troy and fights Hector ( Eric Bana) is a scene that remains a highlight of the movie.

'The Song of Achilles' by Madeline Miller retells the story of the friendship of Achilles and Patroclus set in the background of the Trojan war.


                                                                                          Goodreads

This post is a part of Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026.



Comments

  1. Tomichan Matheikal4/01/2026 01:20:00 PM

    It's always good to revisit the classics or myths and refresh our memories. Morevoer, you have a fascinating way of reteeling the stories.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Miracle of Love - Fiction - Post Number 8: #MyFriendAlexa

-
Image
Credits: Col. Gopinath Menon The waves crashed on the rocks, a sound that Sudesh loved, as he sat feeling the freshness of the spray on his face. Voices echoed around him, and he could feel the vibration as people jogged along the beach, and his sightless eyes turned towards the movement. He had been coming to this spot for many months now, ever since he had shifted to Mumbai, after his mother had passed away.  The sound of the sea evoked a vision that he could only feel, not see. He could smell the delicious puris that Ram Prasad was frying, very near to where he sat. Every day the cheerful proprietor would look for a moment when there were few customers, and hand over a plate of piping hot puris and delicious potato curry to the gentle blind man who sat there, so young and so uncomplaining!                                                 ...
Read more

THE STRANGE CASE OF THE MISSING TEETH

-
Image
                                                                            Clipart.com I cannot forget the shocked expression on the young dentist’s face. “Where are all your teeth?” “Uhh… in my mouth, where they should be?” I mumbled, perched on the leather chair as he peered into my mouth. His eyes widened with bewilderment as he leant forward, almost falling into the gaping cavern in front of him. “Three missing here… three on the other side! Two more here and a broken tooth!” I was quite shocked out of my wits. Where had all my teeth disappeared to? I did recall a few sittings earlier where some of my wisdom had been yanked out, but eight and a half teeth? I was a walking miracle! More importantly, an ‘eating’ miracle! When my better half agonised over one painful grinder that made lif...
Read more

Clouds and Waves by Rabindrananth Tagore - Poetry: The Best Words in the Best Order - #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2021

-
Image
     CLOUDS AND WAVES Rabindranath Tagore Amazon.com Serenity in the Garden Mother, the folk who live up in the clouds call out to me - "We play from the time we wake till the day ends. We play with the golden dawn, we play with the silver moon." I ask, "But how am I to get up to you?" They answer, "Come to the edge of the earth, lift up your hands to the sky, and you will be taken up into the clouds." "My mother is waiting for me at home," I say, "How can I leave her and come?" Then they smile and float away.    But I know a nicer game than that, mother. I shall be the cloud and you the moon.  I shall cover you with both my hands, and our house-top will be the blue sky.  The folk who live in the waves call out to me - "We sing from morning till night; on and on we travel and know not where we pass.            Sunaina Coelho I ask, "But how am I to join you? They tell me, "Come to the edge of the shore and stand wit...
Read more