The Story of Achilles
Achilles was the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidons in Phthia, and the sea nymph Thetis. Zeus had learned that any son of Thetis would be greater than his father, so he made sure she married a mortal. In a later and very famous story, Thetis dipped her baby in the river Styx to make him immortal, but the heel she held him by stayed dry and became his only weak spot.
Achilles was raised by the wise centaur Chiron on Mount Pelion, who taught him to hunt, to fight, to heal and to play the lyre. His closest companion was Patroclus, who had come to live at the court of Peleus. Achilles was offered a choice of fates: a long and quiet life, or a short life with glory that would never die.
Thetis knew her son would die if he went to Troy, so she hid him on the island of Skyros, dressed as a girl among the daughters of King Lycomedes. There he fathered a son, Neoptolemus, with the princess Deidamia. Odysseus found him by laying out gifts that included weapons, and when a war trumpet sounded, Achilles seized a spear and gave himself away.
At Troy, Achilles was the greatest warrior of the Greek army and sacked many cities around the region. When Agamemnon took his prize, the captive woman Briseis, Achilles was so insulted that he withdrew from the fighting. He asked Thetis to persuade Zeus to let the Trojans win until the Greeks realized how much they needed him.
With the Greeks being driven back to their ships, Patroclus went into battle wearing Achilles' armor and was killed by Hector. Achilles was overwhelmed with grief and rage. Wearing new armor made for him by Hephaestus, he returned to the war, cut down Trojan after Trojan, killed Hector and dragged his body behind his chariot.
The story of his anger ends with a moment of mercy. King Priam crossed the Greek camp at night, guided by Hermes, knelt before Achilles and kissed the hands that had killed his son. Achilles wept as he remembered his own father, and he gave Hector's body back for burial.
Achilles did not live to see Troy fall. Paris shot him with an arrow guided by Apollo, and in the famous later version it struck his heel. The Greeks buried his ashes together with those of Patroclus, he was worshipped as a hero in places such as the White Island in the Black Sea, and the phrase Achilles heel still names a single fatal weakness.
Famous Myths About Achilles
Dipped in the Styx
His mother, the sea nymph Thetis, tried to make baby Achilles immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. She held him by the heel, so that one spot stayed untouched by the water and remained his only weakness.
Hidden Among Girls
Knowing her son would die if he went to Troy, Thetis disguised Achilles as a girl at the court of King Lycomedes on Skyros. Odysseus uncovered him by laying out gifts that included weapons, and when Achilles eagerly grabbed a spear, his secret was out.
The Wrath of Achilles
When Agamemnon took away his prize, the captive woman Briseis, Achilles withdrew from the fighting in fury. Without him the Greeks suffered terrible losses, and he returned only after his friend Patroclus was killed.
The Death of Hector
Mad with grief over Patroclus, Achilles chased Hector around the walls of Troy and killed him in single combat, then dragged his body behind his chariot. He finally relented when old King Priam came to his tent at night and begged for his son's body.
The Arrow in the Heel
Achilles was eventually killed by the Trojan prince Paris, whose arrow, guided by Apollo, struck him in his one unprotected spot, the heel. His death gave us the phrase Achilles heel for a hidden weakness.
Achilles's Family Tree
Parents of Achilles
Partners of Achilles
Children of Achilles
Frequently Asked Questions About Achilles
Who was Achilles in Greek mythology?
Achilles was the greatest Greek warrior of the Trojan War and the central hero of Homer's Iliad. He led the Myrmidons of Phthia.
Who were Achilles's parents?
Achilles was the son of Peleus, the mortal king of Phthia, and the sea nymph Thetis.
Why was Achilles almost invincible?
In a later tradition, Thetis dipped the baby Achilles in the River Styx to make him immortal, but the heel she held him by stayed dry. That heel became his one weak spot.
Who was Patroclus to Achilles?
Patroclus was Achilles's closest companion. When Hector killed Patroclus, Achilles returned to battle in a rage and killed Hector in revenge.
Who killed Achilles?
Achilles was killed by the Trojan prince Paris, whose arrow was guided by the god Apollo. In the best known version, the arrow struck his heel.
What are Achilles's symbols?
Achilles is associated with his great ash spear, his divine armor and the famous Shield of Achilles made for him by Hephaestus.
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