Achilles is the greatest warrior of the Trojan War in Greek mythology, famed for his invincibility, his rage, and his tragic death. He is the central figure of Homer’s Iliad, which focuses on his anger and its devastating consequences, rather than his whole life story.
Origins and Family
Achilles was the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidons in Phthia, and Thetis, a sea nymph (Nereid). Zeus and Poseidon had both courted Thetis, but a prophecy (mentioned in Aeschylus’ lost play and later sources) said her son would be greater than his father. To avoid that, the gods arranged her marriage to a mortal, Peleus. Their wedding was attended by all the gods, and it was at this feast that Eris, goddess of discord, threw the golden Apple of Discord, sparking the judgment of Paris and ultimately the Trojan War.
Thetis tried to make Achilles immortal. The most famous version, from later Roman sources (Statius’ Achilleid), says she dipped him in the river Styx, holding him by the heel, leaving that one spot vulnerable. An older, less common tradition (in the Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes) says she anointed him with ambrosia and held him over a fire to burn away his mortal parts, but Peleus interrupted her, leaving him with a burnt ankle. Both stories explain why the “Achilles heel” is his only weak point.
Childhood and Education
As a boy, Achilles was entrusted to the centaur Chiron, who trained many Greek heroes. Chiron taught him medicine, music, and the arts of war. Achilles learned to hunt and fight, and he was raised on the entrails of lions and boars to gain strength. He also received his famous armor, made by the god Hephaestus, though the first set was given to Peleus and later passed to Achilles.
When the Trojan War was being assembled, Thetis, knowing Achilles would die at Troy, hid him on the island of Scyros, disguised as a girl among the daughters of King Lycomedes. The cunning Odysseus discovered him by placing weapons among the gifts for the princesses; Achilles revealed himself when he grabbed a spear and shield. He then married Deidamia, a daughter of Lycomedes, and they had a son, Neoptolemus (also called Pyrrhus).
Achilles in the Iliad
The Iliad begins with Achilles already at Troy, nine years into the war. He has captured a woman named Briseis as a war prize. Agamemnon, the Greek commander, is forced to return his own prize, Chryseis, to her father (a priest of Apollo) to end a plague. In anger, Agamemnon takes Briseis from Achilles. This public humiliation triggers Achilles’ wrath (menis), which is the poem’s central theme.
Achilles withdraws from battle and asks his mother Thetis to persuade Zeus to let the Trojans win, so the Greeks will realize how much they need him. Zeus agrees, and the Trojans, led by Hector, push the Greeks back to their ships. The Greeks send an embassy—Odysseus, Ajax, and Phoenix—to offer Achilles gifts and Briseis’ return if he will fight, but he refuses. Only when his closest friend Patroclus begs to lead the Myrmidons in Achilles’ armor does Achilles relent, allowing Patroclus to go in his place.
Patroclus’ Death and Achilles’ Rampage
Patroclus fights brilliantly but is killed by Hector, who mistakes him for Achilles. Achilles’ grief is overwhelming. He learns that Patroclus was killed and that Hector stripped his armor (the first set) from his body. Thetis brings Achilles a new set of armor forged by Hephaestus, described in detail in Book 18 of the Iliad. Achilles then returns to battle, and his rage is now directed at the Trojans, especially Hector.
He kills many Trojans, including the young prince Lycaon, and fights the river god Scamander, who is angered by the corpses choking his waters. Finally, Achilles meets Hector outside the walls of Troy. He chases him around the city three times, then kills him. He ties Hector’s body to his chariot and drags it around the walls of Troy, desecrating the corpse. This act of cruelty is a central point of the Iliad—Achilles’ rage dehumanizes him. Only when Priam, Hector’s aged father, comes secretly to Achilles’ tent, kisses his hands, and begs for his son’s body does Achilles relent. He returns the body and agrees to a truce for Hector’s funeral, which ends the poem.
Death and Afterlife
The Iliad does not narrate Achilles’ death. Other sources, including the Aethiopis (a lost epic of the Trojan cycle) and later summaries, tell that after Hector’s funeral, Achilles continued to fight. He killed the Amazon queen Penthesilea and the Ethiopian prince Memnon, both allies of Troy. Then, during an attack on the city, he was shot in the heel by an arrow—usually said to be guided by Apollo—from Paris. Some versions say the arrow was poisoned.
His death left his armor disputed; it was awarded to Odysseus, which drove Ajax to madness and suicide. Achilles’ ashes were mixed with those of Patroclus, and his bones were placed in a golden urn made by Hephaestus. His tomb was on the Hellespont, near Troy. In the Odyssey, Odysseus meets Achilles’ shade in the Underworld, where Achilles says he would rather be a living serf than king of the dead—a poignant line that underscores the Greek view of death as a shadowy existence.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
Achilles became the archetype of the Greek hero: brilliant, short-lived, and doomed by his own nature. His story was retold throughout antiquity—in Sophocles’ lost plays, in Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis (where he appears as a young man), and in Roman literature. The phrase “Achilles heel” has entered modern language to mean a single fatal weakness. His rage and grief have been explored in countless works, from Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida to the 2004 film Troy (which alters many details).
In art, Achilles is depicted in vase paintings, mosaics, and sculpture, often in scenes of his duel with Hector or his dragging of Hector’s body. His relationship with Patroclus has been interpreted variously—as deep friendship, as a mentor-student bond, or as a romantic relationship; ancient sources are ambiguous, and modern interpretations vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Achilles really invincible?
In the most popular version, yes—except for his heel, where his mother held him when she dipped him in the Styx. But this detail is not in Homer. The Iliad never says Achilles is invulnerable; he is simply the greatest fighter. The Styx story appears in later Roman sources, so it was not part of the earliest Greek tradition.
Why was Achilles’ heel his only weak spot?
Because Thetis held him by the heel when she immersed him in the river Styx to make him immortal. The water didn’t touch that spot, so it remained mortal. This is from Statius’ Achilleid (1st century AD), not from Homer.
Did Achilles really drag Hector’s body around Troy?
Yes, in the Iliad (Book 22), Achilles ties Hector’s body to his chariot and drags it around the walls of Troy. He does this for several days, but the gods protect the body from decay and mutilation. Eventually, Priam ransoms it back.
Was Achilles gay?
Ancient sources do not explicitly say so. His relationship with Patroclus is intense and loving, but Homer never describes it as sexual. Later Greek writers, like Aeschylus, presented them as lovers, while others (like Plato) debated the nature of their bond. It’s an open question in classical scholarship.
How did Achilles die?
He was shot in the heel by an arrow, usually said to be fired by Paris, with Apollo guiding it. The arrow struck his only vulnerable point, and he died from the wound. This is not in the Iliad but in later epics like the Aethiopis.
What is the moral of Achilles’ story?
There is no single moral. The Iliad explores the destructive power of rage, the cost of pride, and the humanity that even the greatest warrior must recognize. Achilles’ story warns against letting anger consume you, but it also celebrates heroic excellence and the bonds of friendship.
Related
- Sphinx in Mythology: Origins, Riddles & Meaning
- Pegasus in Mythology: Origins, Roles, and Symbolism
- Qilin in Mythology: Meaning & Origins
How pages are sourced and corrected: Sources and editorial policy.