Anatomy of A Hero: Achilles

Article by Flora

“Sing, O goddess, of the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus; he brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.”

Homer, Iliad, Book 1

Achilles is known as the greatest hero of the Trojan War. Yet, he owes his greatness to a trick that did not fully work as intended until the end.

Achilles is the son of the Nereid Thetis and a mortal man, King Peleus, also known as the Old Man of the Sea. Nereids are daughters of Poseidon; they are of divine descent and immortal beings. The Nereids are akin to the Gods; they can visit Olympus and stay very close to the gods. Yet, Peleus, Achilles’ father, was no god; he was a mortal man, so his son was mortal as well. Mortality of her son, Achilles, vexed Thetis greatly. Her immortal soul would dwell forever in agony upon parting with her son when he dies and goes to the Underworld. Those in the Underworld cannot have contact with the living. Thetis also learned that Achilles would be slain in battle, making her fears grow even further. So she took the baby Achilles with her and visited the River Styx, which ran through the Underworld. We are told that she bathed her baby in the deep, dark waters of the Styx to deliver the child invulnerable to harm by any weapons. Yet, she did overlook something:

Thetis Immerses Son Achilles in Water of River Styx by Antoine Borel

As you can see in Borel’s painting, the baby Achilles’ ankle is not in contact with the water. Thetis is holding the baby by his ankle, thus her hand is blocking the water from reaching the skin in this area.

The Achilles tendon is also called the calcaneus. Below is a detailed illustration of the Achilles tendon.

Furthermore, let us have a look at how this muscle was painted in the famous La Primavera of Botticelli:

Sandro Botticelli – Three Graces in La Primavera

Yet bathing Achilles into the waters of the Styx was not the only caution Thetis took to avoid parting with her son. Carrying a worrisome mother’s heart, Thetis hid her son among the women on an island away from society. The young Achilles wore ladies’ clothes, his identity as a man and the son of King Peleus remaining hidden from any threat possible.

Yet this plan of Thetis did not work for long either. The ever-cunning Odysseus found Achilles and brought him back to civilization.

Ulysses finding Achilles at the Court of King Lycomedes by Artemisia Gentileschi 1641

At the beginning of the Iliad, Achilles is determined not to join the Trojan War for specific reasons (he is angry, as always). Yet, one day, his lover Patroclus wears Achilles’ armor and ventures into the battlefield. Patroclus gets mistaken for Achilles, gets attacked and meets his death. Achilles feels so much pain and agony upon the loss of his beloved Patroclus that he decides to join the battle at last.

Achilles’ decision to join the Trojan War causes his mother, Thetis, so much fear that she now seeks another way to protect her son. Thetis asks Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths, to forge the strongest armor and a mighty shield. Hephaestus, having so much love and compassion for Thetis, does not reject her request and lights up his divine forge. The forging of Achilles’ armor and shield is one of the most impressive chapters in the Iliad.

Antonio Balestra (1666-1740) – Vulcan Giving Thetis Armour for Achilles

Yet, as we are always told in classical myths and stories, fate cannot be overcome, and even the gods cannot defeat death. When the time came, Achilles was shot by a poisoned arrow from the only spot on his body that remained vulnerable: the Achilles tendon.

Death of Achilles – Peter Paul Rubens

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