by John Greece

Created on: March 24, 2008   Last Updated: September 30, 2008

Achilles (king of Myrmidon) was the greatest and the most central hero of the Trojan war in the epic poem "Iliad" of Homer, a real legend for the Greek army.

ORIGIN

The name Achilles is a Greek complex name that consists of the words anxiety and touring and means the man who globe-trotting with sadness.

BIOS

Achilles was the son of Peleus, King of Myrmidons in Thessaly, and the sea nymph Thetis. Zeus and Poseidon competed for Thetis hand when a shrine revealed that Thetis will give birth to a son older than his father. Thus, both Gods decide wisely to give her to someone else.

MYTHS & STORIES

According to a myth, Thetis (mother of Achilles) who was immortal wanted Achilles immortal too. So one day took her son and plunge him at the waters of Stygas but keeping from his heel made him vulnerable at this point. Achilles grew up on the mountain of Pelion and educated by the centaur Chiron.

According to another myth, Thetis took Achilles and hid in the garden of Likomides in Skyros after firstly turn him into a girl. Thetis knew that Achilles would die if travel to Troy. But Achilles discovered by Ajax and Phoenix that arrived in Skyros disguised to vendors of jewelery and weapons. Achilles was discovered from the fact that he was looking at the wrong items.

Another version says that Achilles was discovered by the sound of a fallopian tube and instead of being coward pulled out a spear to attack the invaders.

Shortly before the start of the Trojan War, the Greek fleet stopped in Mysia, where ruler was Tilefos. In the battle that followed Achilles wounded Tilefo, the wound could not closed and Tilefos has consulted an oracle who told him that the man who injured will heal.

So Tilefos appearance as a beggar to Aylida to find Achilles. Achilles refused to heal arguing that he wasn't had medical abilities. Then, intelligent Odysseus concluded that the spear wounded the spear will heal. Very small pieces of spear slotted in the wound and Tilefos treated.

The best friend of Achilles was Patroclus who killed by Hector. Then Achilles took a revenge for the death of his best friend and killed Hector. Then Achilles killed by Paris with the help of the god Apollo who revealed the secret of immortality of Achilles, the heel. Moments later Paris killed by Philoctetes.

THE MONUMENT

On the island of Corfu in Ionian sea (Greece) located the Achilles Palace which was built in 1890 by the Italian architect Raffaele Caritto initially for queen Elizabeth. She dedicated it to Achilles and filled it with sculptures. One of them represents the death of Achilles.

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