AchillesAchilles is the undoubted hero of Homer's Illiad. He fought in the Trojan war and was the most powerful warrior on the battlefield. Achilles was the son of the mortal Peleus and the sea-goddess Thetis There are two versions of how Achilles became immortal everywhere except his heel. The most popular is that Thetis dipped her newborn son Achilles in the river Styx, which separates the land of the living from the land of the dead, to make him invincible in battle and immortal everywhere except the right heel, by which she held him. The other is that, when Achilles was an infant, Thetis rubbed him each day with godly ambrosia and each night she laid him upon the hearth fire. Achilles' father was unaware that this procedure would make Achilles immortal. So when he unexpectedly came home one night to find his wife holding their baby in the flames, he was very shocked and horrifies. Thetis was offended and went home to her father, the Old Man of the Sea, leaving Achilles to his mortal fate.
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Achilles was partly brought up by his father Peleus and the wise Centaur Cheiron but When Achilles was nine years old Thetis recieved an oracle that stated her son would die fighting at Troy. Wanting to prolong her sons life she sent him to the island of Scyros, in the Agean Sea. He was disguised as a girl and brought up partly among the daughters of Lycomedes, king of the country. The Greeks Heard from the soothsayer Calchas that Troy could not be taken without Achilles so they searched for and found Achilles and so started Achilles campaign at the Battle of Troy.
Achilles was part of the Achaean (Greek) force in the Trojan War. Achilles was the commander of the Myrmidons and is said to have lead many of their battles to victory, in fact they were undefeated in war. Although Achilles withdraws from was after he is dishonoured by Agamemnon over the matter of concubines. After losing their best soldier the Trojans had an advantage against the Greeks and pushed them back towards the beaches. Eventually, Achilles’ best friend, the soldier Patroclus, was able to compromise with Achilles. Achilles would not fight, but he would let Patroclus use his powerful armour as a disguise. That way, the Trojans would think that Achilles had returned to battle and would retreat in fear. Patroclus succeeded in pushing the Trojans back but was killed by Hector, the Trojan prince. Achilles was so angry about this he took to the battlefield and looked out for Hector to get his revenge. Achilles chased Hector around Troy and when they got to the city walls, Hector tried to reason with Achilles but Achilles was in a rage. He stabbed Hector in the throat, which killed him. Hector had begged for an honourable burial in Troy but Achilles did not listen to his wises and dragged Hector’s corpse behind his chariot all the way back to the Achaean camp. Achilles himself was killed by Paris, the brother of Hector, with a poison arrow guided by the God Apollo to his heel, he's weak spot.