Achilles

1. Achilles Cristina Lo Piccolo Christina Klinke

2. His life immortalized • Achilles was the son of the mortal king Peleus and the immortal sea nymph Thetis. This combination of mortal and immortal beings produced Achilles to be a demigod. • While he was still a young baby, Thetis took Achilles to the Underworld, to the River Styx and dipped all of him except for his heel inside the waters to make him invulnerable. • When he was a young boy, his father sought help to teach Achilles warrior skills, so Chiron a wise and strong centaur aided in Achilles’ teachings.

3. Chiron assisting Achilles with his warrior skills Thetis dipping Achilles into the River Styx

4. Foreseeing the future • At the age of 9, Achilles’ prophecy was told to Thetis by Calchas (a well-known prophet) and it was laid out like this- Troy would never be taken down without the aid of Achilles. • Thetis knew that if Achilles went to the War, he would surely die and yet his name would be immortalized for all of time. • Fearing for him, she took him to the island of Scyros, and disguised him as a woman so that he would not be taken away to the War.

5. Destiny Speaks • When it came time for the War against Troy, a load of men came in search of Achilles, and failed in discovering him on the island among all the women. • Only the wisest warrior, named Odysseus found a way to get Achilles, by bringing gifts to the ladies including jewels, dresses and swords. While many of the ladies resorted to looking at the jewels and dresses, only one “lady” resorted to inquiring about the swords, solving the issue that this “lady” was truly Achilles. • Achilles then consented to joining in on the war and helping to lead.

6. Taking the War to Heart • As a way of showing who was boss during the War on the Greeks’ side, Agamemnon took Achilles’ prized possession, who was Breseis a temple maiden and Achilles’ sweetheart. He was so furious at this that he refused to fight the battles. • Achilles’ friend and some say his lover as well, Patroclus did not want to sit around watching Greeks die like Achilles was doing. So Achilles consented to let Patroclus take Achilles’ famed armor and battle pretending to be Achilles. Unfortunately, Patroclus was killed by Hector, famed son of Priam and brave warrior. This angered Achilles so that he wanted revenge for his friend’s death, so he rejoined the war with vengeance in his mind set.

7. Desire for Vengeance • Once Achilles was back into the war full force, he had only one thing he most wanted-- Hector to die just as he had killed Patroclus. • Hector and Achilles battled each other and at once Achilles ended Hector’s life. Instead of abiding by Hector’s dying wish for his body to be returned back to his father, Achilles attached Hector’s body to the back of his chariot and dragged him all the way back to the Greek camp.

8. A Father’s Plea • Priam with the aid of some of the gods appeared at Achilles’ tent, and fell to his knees begging Achilles to release Hector’s body. • Achilles was so moved at the touching words Priam said about his son that he gave Hector’s body to Priam for the funeral rights.

9. A Fatal Shot • Achilles and his fellow warriors pursued the Trojans to their walls. From high up perched on the wall tower, Paris (another son of Priam who also seduced Helen and so began the War)shot an arrow towards Achilles. The god, Apollo, guided the arrow to hit the only part of Achilles that was vulnerable-- his heel. • Achilles mother, Thetis took his body and made a funeral pyre for him, where 9 muses, herself and her fellow sea nymphs attended.

10. Achilles shot by an arrow in the heel In a later Homeric novel, Achilles appears in Odysseus’ adventure home, during his quest down in the Underworld (Hades).