Achilles was born of a sea nymph named Thetis, who "attempted to make Achilles immortal by bathing him in the River Styx, but the heel by which she held him remained vulnerable" [1]. Thetis knew that the ultimate war between Troy and Greece could not be won without the aid of her son, so she disguised her young child as a girl, and sent him to live in Skyros. When the time came, Achilles was called to war by the great king of the Greeks, Odysseus. 
Achilles was the leader of the Myrmidons, a troop of fierce warriors. They went to battle on the side of Greece against the Trojans, in what would ultimately be a ten year war. Upon the near end of the ongoing war Patroklos, a close friend and comrade of Achilles, dies at the hand of Trojan prince Hector. This causes anger of Achilles to unleash in an ultimate battle between Hector and Achilles, in which Hector is brutally killed. Prior to Hector's death, Achilles dragged his corpse around the walls of Troy. This act became the beginning of the end of the war. Achilles official death is said to have been by Trojan prince Paris. Apollo is rumored to have guided Paris' fatal arrow through Achilles' only weak spot, his heel. The Greek and Trojan war is most notably dictated in the epic novels The Odyssey and The Illiad. Although, the story has been told and retold over the years, and details have been added, changed, and removed. However, it must not be overlooked that the story of Achilles specifically, embodies the ultimate war hero. His strength, cunningness, and seemingly impenetrable fighting technique has left a permanent impression on modern day warriors. The story also reminds us that we are human, that everyone is vulnerable, no matter how strong we present ourselves.
"Achilles." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 17 Apr. 2013.
LaRocque, Paula. "Words From The Gods Can Enrich Communication." Quill 93.7 (2005): 34. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2013.
Neat. This post really makes you go for the "heels", oh hehehehe(terrible pun laughter). I wonder if the Greek's realize that the heel is a really non-vital area and with even some basic medical help he could have been saved. With even their invincible soldier falling to martyrdom for Greece, that must have been some motivation for the regular soldiers to step up to the sword and spear of armed service. What do you think about the Greek ideal of heroism, the idea that heroism is acting in spite of fear, playing into a man who had almost nothing to fear ie, were his actions really heroic if he thought he couldn't be hurt?
ReplyDeleteYou did a beautiful job on your page and I really enjoyed reading about Achilles! I really liked your closing sentence, "The story also reminds us that we are human, that everyone is vulnerable, no matter how strong we present ourselves." That is wonderfully stated. I think that a lot of people forget this and assume that the person in front of them aren't an unmovable force, regardless of how strong they appear. Sometimes to strongest looking person can be hiding a mass of vulnerability that they have shielded for too long with their facade!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you in regards to the Trojan War. Achilles killed it and made sure the Trojans knew he was there to conquer. I’m sure the movie doesn’t do much justice to the actual tale, but I know for a fact that if it weren’t for Achilles things would have turned out much different no matter which resource you use. We all know what an Achilles’ heel means, but the story of why it’s called that is one of my favorite in all of Greek mythology. To be shot by an arrow and fatally wounded is amazing. After all that Achilles had done, his name is more tied to a weakness, rather than a hero.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you think of Brad Pitt and his portrayal? I think it was the end of his illustrious career.
He defenatly had the proper "anatomy"
DeleteOh my goodness!!! I didn't know that Achilles was bathed in a river by his ankel, in an efforts to make him immortal, how cool is that, but you know that every God or Goddess has a weakness of some sort from some over looked mistake in their creation, Even the Gods cannot be invincable, just as the human would be easily defeated, a God will also be the same, however finding the only way or place to defeat them is the tricky part. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThis is great! I love Greek mythology, it's my favorite topic to learn about. Although I was familiar with this story, I love reading it in different voices, because everyone puts a different spin on myths. This is also the first time the moral was written out, which was awesome to read because I never really thought of this story as something that had a moral. Also, your pictures are awesome! I love the layout of this blog. Do you think all myths have an underlying moral like this one, or just some?
ReplyDeleteIt is very easy to get mythologies confused in this day and age because of the sheer amount of stories that are told about them. It seems almost every author takes his or her own liberties with molding the original myth to better fit their stories, or just changing the myth completely.
ReplyDeleteHaving read many stories regarding Achilles, I had yet to really know what the true mythology actually pertains... that is, until I read your blog! I am happy to finally know the true origins of Achilles, and it will forever echo in my mind every time I use the phrase "Achille's heel". All thanks to your blog!
Your color scheme, pictures, and research work well together on this blog. It's very attractive and user-friendly! Your discussion goes into depth about Achilles and adds a little moral message that I'm not is not accidental to the myth: we've all got a weakness, and if we're not careful, it can bring us down. The Greeks also referred to this as a "tragic flaw." It's interesting because Thetis' tragic flaw/achilles heel (the hubris required to think one could make someone else immortal) creates Achilles' flaw. Nice blog!
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