Achilles - The Great Trojan Warrior

The History:

Achilles was a strong and powerful hero in Homers Iliad (Homer being the author and Iliad the epic literature). His father was a God and his mother mortal. Achilles was the greatest warrior on the battlefield in Troy. There are a few accounts as to how Achilles gained his status, the most popular being that as an infant, his mother dunked him in the river Styx (which is said to separate the land of the living from the land of the dead) and thus make the boy unable to be harmed in battle. His mother held him by his left heel, leaving it dry and untouched by the water. Although Achilles had great power and skill, his one vulnerability was his left heel, which in the end proved to be his downfall. In the final stages of the Trojan war, Achilles was struck in the left ankle by a poisened arrow, bringing an abrupt end to his life.

The Adventures:

He was raised by a Centuar, Chiron. His father Thetis hid him from sight as a female among the King Lycomedes’ daughters in an effort to shield him from the upcoming Trojan war. Achilles‘ was uncovered when his son was born to one of King Lycomedes’ daughters. He was sourced by Odysseus of Ithica to fight in the great battle, and true to his character went without a fight and thus his identity was revealled to all.

One of the Trojan leaders, Hector, killed Achilles’ close friend Patroclus, mistaking him for Achilles. This droove Achilles to avenge his friends death, killing Hector and dragging his lifeless body behind a chariot like a prize. Hector’s father, King Priam beseeched Achilles to allow him to take his son’s body home for a hero’s funeral, who allowed him to do so. But not before being refused Priam’s daughter’s hand in marriage.

Achilles bore another child to Amazon Penthesilia,  who he fell in love with. Soon after this, Achilles was killed with the fatal blow to his vulnerable heel.

The Appearance:

The God Hephaestus creates a magnificent shield of fine beauty and detail in which Achilles is very commonly depicted with. Being a warrior, he would have been very muscular and fit in order to be able to keep up in battle. Images of Achilles that depict the warrior, all show a strong fit man always in battle gear.

Symbols:

Arrow: His death came as a result of a poisoned arrow to the heel

Shield: Very often depicted in images with a helmet and shield as he was known as a great warrior. The shield represents “the world beyond the battlefield” and makes the implication that war is only one part of our existence. The intricate details on the shield are meant to remind us of all the other aspects of life, like work, family and children. This symbolism is indicated in Homer‘s detailed description of the shield, in order to counteract the war that dominates the majority of the Iliad

Refer to the following website for a rendition of Achilles’ shield: http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/ShieldOfAchilles01.html

Foot/heel: His ultimate weakness was his heel that was not dipped into the water of the river Styx

Fire: Homer describes Achilles as “blazing” and compares his new armour to the fire of the sun. It is a reoccuring theme

Evolution:

Achilles was undoubtedly a Hero in the ancient Greek mythology. He was meant to be immortal as his father was a God. Although the lesson that the story of Achilles’ demise teaches us that no mater how far you are a decendent of the Gods, hero’s are ultimately mortals and will be subject to death.

Achilles chose a violent death early on for the glory rather than a long life of prosparity. The stories of Iliad revolve around the theme of Anger, and Achilles was in fact a hot tempered individual, which is one of the reasons that made him so good on the battlefield.

Achilles’ fatal flaw, his heel, became the name of the vital tendon that connects the heel to the calf muscles.

Achilles has been depicted in a number of films including Helen of troy, The fury of Achilles, The Odessy and Troy. A lot of songs have also been written referencing Achilles and his anger by many rock bands. Some of these include the band Achilles, songs “Achilles: The Back Breaker” by The Showdown, Led Zeppelin’s “Achilles’ Last Stand” and referenced in Bob Dylan’s “Temporary Like Achilles” and “Third temptation Of Paris” by Alesana.

Sports:

Cycling: One of the most common injuries associated with  cycling is pain in the achilles tendon. Pain in the achilles tendon generally means there is a problem with a cyclists pedaling technique

Archery: The death of Achilles was caused by a poisoned arrow to the heel, therefore archery would be an obvious association

Fencing: As Achilles was a warrior, armed combat was his forte. This sport is a modern day battle sport that has roots dating back tot he middle ages and ancient times

Bibliography:

http://www.uh.edu/~cldue/texts/introductiontohomer.html

http://www.imdb.com/

http://www.angelfire.com/planet/mythguide/achilles.html

http://pages.cabrini.edu/jzurek/Homer/iliad18.htm

http://www.greekmedicine.net/mythology/achilles.html

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/iliad/themes.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/381199-pain-in-the-achilles-tendon-from-cycling/