The Myth of Achilles and Trojan War
Hasn’t everyone heard of greek mythology; including the Odyssey, or the Iliad. Well if one has not that's okay; because the topic of this paper is about a specific figure in greek mythology. This paper is on Achilles which is an almost indestructible warrior in the Trojan War. Achilles was the son of Thetis and Peleus ;who was almost invincible in battle, but his only weakness would lead to his downfall.
How Achilles acquired his almost invincibility is what one might ask. Well his mother Thetis did not want to accept that her son would have to die, so she tried to make him invincible by many different ways (Cartwright). Some of the ways that she tried include: dipping Achilles in the Styx river which is located in Hades, holding him over a divine fire, and many other ways just to keep the imminent fate of her son from happening. Does not one think that all of that might prevent his death ;well it did not prevent anything because Achilles still dies after all of that.
What was Achilles only weakness, one may ask. Well all the times Achilles mom tried to make him invincible by dipping him in the river of Styx, or holding him over a fire, the only thing that she could hold was his Achilles tendon, which is in your heel if it was not obvious (Day). So, when she would hold him over a fire, or dip him in the river of Styx the only thing that she could hold was his heel. That means his only weakness was his heel, because the rest of his body was touched by the river of Styx, or the Divine fire.
How did Achilles die one may ask. It was after the Trojan war had started, and the slaying of Hector. If one doesn’t know how the Trojan war started it was when Zeus decided there was population control needed, so he meddled with the Greeks and Trojans political/emotional affairs (Achilles). Somehow is the midst of all of that the Menelaus’s wife Helen was stolen by the prince of the Trojans Paris, which eventually led to the start of the Trojan war. After Achilles' friend Patroclus was killed he vowed to avenge his death, and killed Hector. 'According to later legends (and bits and pieces of Homer's own Odyssey) the warrior returned to Troy after Hector's to exact further revenge for Patroclus' death.' While Achilles was returning back to Troy; Apollo told Paris Hector's brother that Achilles was returning. So later on when ever Achilles was entering Troy Paris ambushed him, and shot an arrow (Achilles), 'which Apollo guided to the only place he knew that Achilles was vulnerable: his heel where his mother's hand had kept the water of the Styx from touching his skin.'
The myth of Achilles is very interesting because of all of the things that happened to him, and what he did. One part of the myth is that he dragged Hector's dead body around for twelve days by his chariot. Another interesting thing about the Myth of Achilles is that he has been recognized since the fifth century. One more interesting fact is that Achilles mother tried so many different ways to prevent something that was imminent, his fate. In conclusion to this Achilles was the son of Thetis and Peleus ;who was almost invincible in battle, but his only weakness would lead to his downfall.
