For other uses, see Achilles (disambiguation).

In Greek mythology, Ἀχιλλεύς, transliterated to Akhilleus or Achilleus in Roman letters, Latinized from this ancient Greek to Achilles, appearing in Etruscan as Achle, was a hero (ancient Greek heros, "defender") of the Trojan War, the greatest and the most central character of Homer's Iliad. Greek mythology comprises the collected narratives of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ... The ancient Greeks proposed many different ideas about the primordial gods in their mythology. ... In Greek mythology, the Titans (Greek Τιταν, plural Τιτανες) are among a series of gods, some of whom opposed Zeus and the Olympian gods in their ascent to power. ... Statue of Zeus Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th-century engraving. ... The twelve gods of Olympus. ... Marble sculpture of Pan copulating with a goat, recovered from Herculaneum Pan (Greek Παν, genitive Πανος) is the Greek god who watches over shepherds and their flocks. ... Hylas and the Nymphs by John William Waterhouse In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature spirits, sometimes bound to a particular location or landform. ... Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn; Απελλων) is a god in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Artemis (goddess of the hunt), one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian divinities. ... Bacchus by Caravaggio Dionysus or Dionysos (Ancient Greek: Διώνυσος or Διόνυσος; also known as Bacchus in both Greek and Roman mythology and associated with the Italic Liber), the Thracian god of wine, represents not only the intoxicating power of wine, but also its social and beneficent influences. ... The ancient Greeks had a large number of sea gods. ... In mythology chthonic (from Greek χθονιος-pertaining to the earth; earthy) designates, or pertains to, gods or spirits of the underworld, especially in Greek mythology. ... Statue of Heracles In Greek mythology, Heracles, or Heraklês (glory of Hera, Ηρακλης) was a divine hero, the demigod son of Zeus and Alcmene, and stepson of Alcmenes rightful husband and grandson of Perseus. ... The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the armies of the Achaeans, following the kidnapping (or elopement) of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy. ... Odysseus and the Sirens. ... Odysseus and Nausicaä - by Charles Gleyre The Odyssey (Greek Ὀδυσσεία) is the second of the two great Greek epic poems ascribed to Homer, the first of which is the Iliad. ... Jason (Greek: Ίασων, Etruscan: Easun) is a hero of Greek mythology. ... In Greek mythology, the ram with the Golden Fleece (Okros Satsmisi in Georgian) was given to Nephele of Thessaly by Hermes for her to transport her children, Helle and Phrixus, away from Ino. ... Perseus with the Head of Medusa Perseus, Greek Περσεύς, was the son of Danae, and the only grandchild of Acrisius king of Argos. ... In Greek mythology, the Gorgons (terrible or, according to some, loud-roaring) were vicious female monsters with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. ... Oedipus and the Sphinx, from an 1879 illustration from Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Alfred Church Oedipus (Greek , Oidipous, swollen-foot; rarely ; Latin Oedipus) or Å’dipus was the mythical king of Thebes, son of Laius and Jocasta, who, unknowingly, killed his father and married his mother. ... The Oath of the Seven Chiefs, an 1897 illustration from Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Alfred Church Seven Against Thebes is a play by Aeschylus concerning the battle between Eteocles and the army of Thebes and Polynices and his supporters, traditional Theban enemies. ... Theseus (Greek Θησευς) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aegeus (or of Poseidon) and of Aethra. ... For the American satellite launcher, see Minotaur (rocket). ... Triptolemus (also Buzyges), in Greek mythology, was the son of King Celeus of Eleusis in Attica. ... The Eleusinian Mysteries were annual initiation ceremonies for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. ... A mystery religion is any religion with an arcanum, or body of secret wisdom. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Guido Reni, Abduction of Deianira, 1620-21 In Greek mythology, the centaurs (Greek: Κένταυροι) are a race part human and part horse, with a horses body and a human head and torso. ... Greek religion is the polytheistic religion practiced in ancient Greece in form of cult practices, thus the practical counterpart of Greek mythology. ... Look up Achilles in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Achilles is the name of the Greek mythological hero of the Trojan War. ... Greek mythology comprises the collected narratives of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ... Sir Galahad, a hero of Arthurian legend In mythology and folklore, a hero (male) or heroine (female) is an eminent character who quintessentially embodies key traits valued by its originating culture. ... The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the armies of the Achaeans, following the kidnapping (or elopement) of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... Bust of Homer in the British Museum For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... The Iliad (Greek Ιλιάς, Ilias) tells part of the story of the siege of the city of Ilium, i. ...

Name

The very first two lines of that magnificent and defining poem of ancient Greek culture (indeed, probably of the preceding Indo-European culture), read (in transliteration): Greece is often referred to as the cradle of Western civilisation and ancient Athens was considered to be its center. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies Indo-European is originally a linguistic term, referring to the Indo-European language family. ...

"Menin aeide thea, Peleiadeo Akhileos

oulomenen, he muri' Akhaiois alge' etheken,"

Sing, Muse, the wrath of Achilles the son of Peleus,

the destructive wrath, that brought a thousand griefs upon the Achaeans,"

In these lines, we see the name Akhilleus Peleides, which is a praenomen and a patronymic, the latter being formed from Peleus with the suffix -ides producing Achilles the son of Peleus. The system is similar to the names used by Scandinavians before modern times, such as Leif Erikson. The formation of the name casts no doubt of having a much older origin than either culture. In the Roman naming convention used in ancient Rome, male names typically contain three proper nouns which are classified as praenomen (or given name), nomen gentile (or Gens name) and cognomen. ... A patronymic is a personal name based on the name of ones father. ... In Greek mythology, Pēleús (Greek: Πηλεύς) was the son of Aeacus, King of Aegina. ... Scandinavia is the cultural and historic region of the Scandinavian Peninsula. ...

Similarly, Peleus' name would be Peleus Aiakides, Peleus the son of Aiakos. There is no nomen gentile, as among the Romans, indicating that clan names might not be Indo-European after all. In Greek mythology, Aeacus, or Aiakos (bewailing or earth borne) was king in the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf and was so far-famed for the righteous sense of piety and justice with which he ruled over his people that his judgment was sought all over Hellas, so... In the Roman naming convention used in ancient Rome, male names typically contain three proper nouns which are classified as praenomen (or given name), nomen gentile (or Gens name) and cognomen. ... Roman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens, but also applicable to typography, math, and several geographic locations. ... A clan is a group of people united by kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies Indo-European is originally a linguistic term, referring to the Indo-European language family. ...

There is a very strong derivation of Achilles devised by Leonard Palmer and expostulated in the first work cited below, by Gregory Nagy. The name is Indo-European: "whose laos has akhos", where laos is a corps of soldiers and akhos is grief.

As it is used in the poem, which is stuffed full of irony, there is a double entendre: when the hero is functioning rightly, his men bring grief to the enemy, but when wrongly, his men get the grief. The poem is in part about the misdirection of anger on the part of leadership.

Birth

Achilles was the son of the mortal Peleus, king of the Myrmidons in Phthia (southeast Thessaly), and the sea nymph Thetis. Zeus and Poseidon were rivals for the hand of Thetis. That is until Prometheus the fire bringer revealed that if one of these gods wed Thetis, she would bear a son greater than his father. For this reason, the two gods withdrew their pursuit. When Achilles was born, Thetis had tried to make Achilles immortal by dipping him in the river Styx, but forgot to wet the heel she held him by, leaving him vulnerable. (See Achilles' tendon.) In Greek mythology, Pēleús (Greek: Πηλεύς) was the son of Aeacus, King of Aegina. ... The Myrmidones or Myrmidons (lit. ... Phthia (Greek: Φθίη transliterations:, modern: Fthii, ancient: PhthiÄ“) is an ancient region of Greece, at the southern part of Magnesia, on the both sides of Othrys mountain. ... Thessaly (Θεσσαλια; modern Greek Thessalía; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. ... This article is about the Greek sea nymph. ... Statue of Zeus Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th-century engraving. ... Andrea Doria as Neptune by Agnolo Bronzino: a potent allegory of Genoas hegemony in the Tyrrhenian Sea. ... In Greek mythology, Prometheus, or Prometheas (Ancient Greek, Προμηθεύς, forethought) is the Titan chiefly honored for stealing fire from the gods in the stalk of a fennel plant and giving it to mortals for their use. ... For other uses, see Styx River (disambiguation) River In Greek mythology, Styx ([river of] hate) is the name of a river which formed the boundary between earth and the underworld, Hades. ... Posterior view of the foot and leg, showing the Achilles tendon (tendo calcaneus). ...

Homer, however, deliberately makes no mention of this; Achilles cannot be a hero if he is not at risk. Homer, however, does mention his being wounded, although not seriously, in the Iliad. In an earlier and less popular version of the story, Thetis anointed the boy in ambrosia and put him on top of a fire to burn away the mortal parts of his body. She was interrupted by Peleus and abandoned both father and son in a rage. Peleus gave him (together with his young friend Patroclus) to Chiron the Centaur, on Mt. Pelion, to raise. In ancient mythology, Ambrosia (Greek ) is sometimes the food, sometimes the drink, of the gods. ... In Greek mythology, Chiron (hand) — sometimes spelled Cheiron or Kiron — was held as the superlative centaur over his brethren. ... Guido Reni, Abduction of Deianira, 1620-21 In Greek mythology, the centaurs (Greek: Κένταυροι) are a race part human and part horse, with a horses body and a human head and torso. ... It may have been generated by a computer or by a translator with limited proficiency in English or the original language. ...

Achilles in the Trojan War

Telephus

When the Greeks left for the Trojan War, they accidentally stopped in Mysia, ruled by King Telephus. In the battle, Achilles wounded Telephus. The wound would not heal and Telephus asked an oracle who stated that "he who is wounded shall heal". Mysia is a region in the northwest of Asia Minor. ... A Greek mythological figure, Telephus referred to two different people. ...

According to other reports about Euripides, the lost play about Telephus, went to Aulis pretending to be a beggar and asked Achilles to heal his wound. Achilles refused, claiming to have no medical knowledge. Alternatively, Telephus held Orestes for ransom, the ransom being Achilles' aid in healing the wound. Odysseus reasoned that the spear had inflicted the wound; therefore, the spear must be able to heal it. Pieces of the spear were scraped off onto the wound and Telephus was healed. This is an example of sympathetic magic. Euripides (c. ... In Greek mythology, Aulis was a daughter of King Ogyges and Thebe. ... The Remorse of Orestes by William-Adolphe Bouguereau Electra and Orestes, from an 1897 Stories from the Greek Tragedians, by Alfred Church Orestês, (Greek ) in Greek legend, was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. ... Odysseus and the Sirens. ... Magic (also called magick to distinguish it from stage magic) is a supposed way of influencing the world through supernatural, mystical, or paranormal means. ...

During the Trojan War

“The Rage of Achilles” by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Achilles is one of the only two people described as "god-like" in the Iliad. In Homer's Iliad, Achilles is the only mortal to experience rage ("menon"). He shows a complete and total devotion to the excellence of his craft and, like a god, has almost no regard for life. Not his own — clearly he does not mind a swift death, so long as it is glorious (kleos) — and not really of others. His anger is absolute. The humanization of Achilles by the events of the war is the main theme of the Iliad. Download high resolution version (814x1023, 163 KB)The Rage of Achilles by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (814x1023, 163 KB)The Rage of Achilles by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Death of Hyacinth Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (March 5, 1696 - March 27, 1770) was a Venetian painter. ... The Iliad (Greek Ιλιάς, Ilias) tells part of the story of the siege of the city of Ilium, i. ... A deity or a god, is a postulated preternatural being, usually, but not always, of significant power, worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, or respected by human beings. ... The Iliad (Greek Ιλιάς, Ilias) tells part of the story of the siege of the city of Ilium, i. ...

Achilles' charioteer's name was Automedon. For the torpedo-shaped underwater vehicle ridden by two frogmen, sometimes referred to as a chariot, see Human torpedo. ... In Greek mythology, Automedon, son of Diores, was Achilles charioteer. ...

Troilus

According to Dares Phrygius' Account of the Destruction of Troy [1], while this youngest son of Priam and Hecuba (some say that it was Apollo who fathered Troilus on Hecuba) was watering his horses at the Lion Fountain outside the walls of Troy, Achilles saw him and fell in love with his beauty (whose "loveliness of form" was described by Ibycus as being like "gold thrice refined"). The youth rejected his advances and took refuge inside the temple of Apollo. Achilles pursued him into the sanctuary and decapitated him on the god's own altar. (Tzetzes, scholiast on Lycophron). At the time Troilus was said to be a year short of his twentieth birthday, and the legend goes that if Troilus had reached his twentieth year, Troy would have been invincible. (First Vatican Mythographer) Dares Phrygius, according to Homer (Iliad, v. ... In Greek mythology, Priam (Greek Πρίαμος) was the king of Troy during the Trojan War, and son of Laomedon. ... Hecuba (also Hekuba or Hekabe) was a Trojan queen in Greek mythology, daughter of Dymas. ... Troilus is a character in medieval and Renaissance versions of the legend of the Trojan War. ... Ibycus, of Rhegium in Italy, Greek lyric poet, contemporary of Anacreon, flourished in the 6th century BC. He was included in the canonical list of nine lyric poets by the scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria. ... Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn; Απελλων) is a god in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Artemis (goddess of the hunt), one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian divinities. ... John Tzetzes, was a Byzantine poet and grammarian, known to have lived at Constantinople during the 12th century. ... Scholium (plural scholia) is the name given to grammatical, critical and explanatory notes or brief commentary whether original or extracted from existing commentaries, which are inserted on the margin of the manuscript of an ancient author as a succinct gloss. ... Lycophron was a Greek poet and grammarian. ...

Agamemnon and the death of Patroclus

The vast majority of ancient Greek artifacts suggest that Achilles and Patroclus were regarded as homosexual lovers, usually in the context of the religious institution of homosexuality as seen in other mythological tales. See discussion at Homosexuality in the Iliad

Achilles took twenty-three towns outside Troy, including Lyrnessos, where he captured Briseis to keep as a concubine. Meanwhile, Agamemnon took a woman named Chryseis and taunted her father, Chryses, a priest of Apollo, when he attempted to buy her back. Apollo sent a plague through the Greek armies and Agamemnon was forced to give Chryseis back to her father; however he took Briseis away from Achilles as compensation for his loss. This action sparked the central plot of the Iliad: Achilles becomes enraged and refuses to fight for the Greeks any further. The war goes badly, through the influence of Zeus, and the Greeks offer handsome reparations to their greatest warrior. Achilles is visited by Odysseus, Ajax, and Phoenix who attempt to persuade him to return to battle, but Achilles still refuses to fight. Once the Greeks are pushed back to the ships, which are just starting to be set on fire by Hector, he agrees to allow Patroclus to fight in his place, wearing his armor. The next day Patroclus is killed and stripped of the armor by the Trojan hero Hector, who mistakes him for Achilles. Achilles is overwhelmed with grief for his lover, and the rage he once harbored toward Agamemnon begins shifting to Hector. Thetis, his mother, rises from the sea floor and berates him for excessive grief, reminding him it is a fine thing to sleep with women too. She obtains magnificent new armor for him from Hephaestus, and he returns to the fighting, killing Hector. He desecrates the body, dragging it behind his chariot before the walls of Troy three times, and refuses to allow it to receive funeral rites. When Priam, the king of Troy and Hector's father, comes secretly into the Greek camp to plead for the body, Achilles finally relents; in one of the most moving scenes of the Iliad, he receives Priam graciously and allows him to take the body away. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Since its inception, the term homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... The Iliad (Greek Ιλιάς, Ilias) tells part of the story of the siege of the city of Ilium, i. ... Walls of the excavated city of Troy (Turkey) Troy (Greek Troia (or CMC ) also   Ílion; Latin: Troia, Ilium) is a legendary city, scene of the Trojan War, part of which is described in Homers Iliad, an epic poem in Ancient Greek, composed in the 9th or 8th century BC... In Greek mythology, BrisÄ“is (Greek Βρισηίς) was a Trojan widow (from Lyrnessos) who was abducted during the Trojan War by Achilles upon the death of her three brothers and husband, King Mynes of Lyrnessos, in the fight. ... Concubinage is either the state of a couple living together as lovers with no obligation created by vows, legal marriage, or religious ceremony, or the state of a woman supported by a male lover who is married to, and usually living with, someone else. ... The so-called Mask of Agamemnon. Discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876 at Mycenae. ... In Greek mythology, Chryseis (Greek: Χρύσηίς, Khrysēís) was a Trojan woman, the daughter of Chryses. ... In Greek mythology, Chryses (Greek: Χρύσης, KhrýsÄ“s) was a priest of Apollo at Chryse, near the city of Troy. ... For other uses, see Apollo (disambiguation). ... The Iliad (Greek Ιλιάς, Ilias) tells part of the story of the siege of the city of Ilium, i. ... Statue of Zeus Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th-century engraving. ... Odysseus and the Sirens. ... Aias (Greek: ), or Ajax, king of Salamis, a legendary hero of ancient Greece. ... In the Greek epic Iliad, Phoenix is one of Achilles men, who along with Odysseus and Ajax the Great urges Achilles to re-enter battle, giving the most passionate speech of the three. ... Hector brought back to Troy. ... A cup depicting Achilles bandaging Patroklos arm, by Sosias. ... A cup depicting Achilles bandaging Patroklos arm, by Sosias. ... Hephaestus, Greek god of forging, riding an ass; Greek drinking cup (skyphos) made in the 5th century B.C. Hephaestus (Greek: Ἡφαιστος Hêphaistos) is the Greek god whose approximate Roman equivalent is Vulcan; he is the god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals and metallurgy, and fire. ... In Greek mythology, Priam (Greek Πρίαμος) was the king of Troy during the Trojan War, and son of Laomedon. ...

The greatness of Achilles lies in not just being the greatest Greek fighter ever, but in knowing the choice provided to him by Destiny. His mother Thetis had prophesied to him that if he pulled out of the Trojan War, he would enjoy a long and a happy life. If Achilles fought, however, he would die before the walls of Troy but assure an everlasting glory, surpassing that of all other heroes. He had made the choice, and coming face to face with it showed his greatness. Destiny or Fate concerns the fixed natural order of the universe. ... The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the armies of the Achaeans, following the kidnapping (or elopement) of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy. ... Walls of the excavated city of Troy (Turkey) Troy (Greek Troia (or CMC ) also   Ílion; Latin: Troia, Ilium) is a legendary city, scene of the Trojan War, part of which is described in Homers Iliad, an epic poem in Ancient Greek, composed in the 9th or 8th century BC...

Zanthus

During the Trojan War, Xanthos, one of Achilles' horses, was rebuked by Achilles for allowing Patroclus to be killed. Xanthus responded by saying (Hera temporarily gave him voice to do so) that a god and a mortal had killed Patroclus and a god and a mortal would soon kill Achilles too. The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the armies of the Achaeans, following the kidnapping (or elopement) of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy. ... General Description Xanthos and Balius were the horses of Achilles in the Trojan War. ... A cup depicting Achilles bandaging Patroklos arm, by Sosias. ...

Memnon, Cycnus, Penthesilea, and the death of Achilles

Thetis rising from the sea to comfort Achilles (Book 18), by Thomas Banks, English, 1778 Victoria and Albert Museum

Shortly after the death of Hector, Achilles defeated Memnon of Ethiopia, Cycnus of Colonae and the Amazonian warrior Penthesilia (with whom Achilles also had an affair in some versions). As predicted by Hector with his dying breath, Achilles was thereafter killed by Paris — either by an arrow to the heel (which may have subsequently become fatally infected), or in an older version by a knife to the back while visiting Polyxena, a princess of Troy. Both versions conspicuously deny the killer any sort of valor, and Achilles remains undefeated on the battlefield. His bones are mingled with those of Patroclus, and funeral games are held. Like Ajax, he is represented (although not by Homer) as living after his death in the island of Leuke at the mouth of the Danube. Download high resolution version (1063x800, 114 KB)Thomas Banks (1735 - 1805), Thetis Rising from the Sea, marble bas-relief, 1778 Victoria and Albert Museum, London This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (1063x800, 114 KB)Thomas Banks (1735 - 1805), Thetis Rising from the Sea, marble bas-relief, 1778 Victoria and Albert Museum, London This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Thetis rising from the sea, 1778, from the Victoria and Albert Museum Thomas Banks (December 29, 1735 — February 2, 1805), English sculptor, son of a surveyor who was land steward to the Duke of Beaufort, was born in London. ... 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Cromwell Road entrance to the Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum viewed from Thurloe Square The main interior courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2004. ... Hector brought back to Troy. ... In Greek mythology, Memnon was an Ethiopian king and son of Tithonus and Eos. ... In Greek mythology, four people were known as Cycnus or Cygnus. ... In Greek mythology, the Amazons were either an ancient legendary nation of female warriors or a contemporary land of women at the outer edges of the world. ... In Greek mythology, Penthesilea (also spelled Penthesilia) was an Amazonian queen, daughter of Ares and Otrera, sister of Hippolyte. ... Hector brought back to Troy. ... Paris (Greek: Πάρις; also known as Alexander or Alexandros, c. ... Polyxena dies by the hand of Neoptolemus on the tomb of Achilles. ... A cup depicting Achilles bandaging Patroklos arm, by Sosias. ... Bust of Homer in the British Museum For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... Map of the Snake Island Snake Island (Romanian: Insula şerpilor, Ukrainian: ostriv Zmiyinyy) is an isle in the Black Sea, currently claimed by Romania, but administered by Ukraine and included in its Kiliya raion of Odeska oblast. Geography The island is a limestone formation located 44 km from the... The Danube (Donau in German; Dunaj in Slovak; Duna in Hungarian; Dunav in Croatian and Serbian; Дунав in Bulgarian; Dunăre in Romanian; Дунай (Dunay) in Ukrainian; Danuvius in Latin) is Europes second-longest river (after the Volga). ...

The Fate of Achilles' armor

Achilles' armor was the object of a feud between Odysseus and Ajax the Greater (Achilles' older cousin). They competed for it and Odysseus won. Ajax went mad with grief and vowed to kill his comrades; he started killing cattle (thinking they were Greek soldiers), and then himself. Odysseus and the Sirens. ... Aias (Greek: ), or Ajax, king of Salamis, a legendary hero of ancient Greece. ...

Other Stories About Achilles

After the Trojan War, Achilles sold Lycaon, son of Priam and Laothoe. Lycaon was later killed trying to escape. The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the armies of the Achaeans, following the kidnapping (or elopement) of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy. ... Lycaon, in Greek mythology, was a son of Priam and Laothoe. ... In Greek mythology, Priam (Greek Πρίαμος) was the king of Troy during the Trojan War, and son of Laomedon. ... In Greek mythology, Laothoe was a wife of Priam and mother of Lycaon. ...

In the Odyssey, also by Homer, there is a passage where Odysseus sails to the underworld and converses with the shades. One of these is Achilles, who greeted as "blessed in life, blessed in death", responds that he would rather be a slave than be dead. This has been interpreted as a rejection of his warrior life, but also as indignity to his martyrdom being slighted. Odysseus and Nausicaä - by Charles Gleyre The Odyssey (Greek Ὀδυσσεία) is the second of the two great Greek epic poems ascribed to Homer, the first of which is the Iliad. ... Bust of Homer in the British Museum For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ...

The kings of Epirus claimed to be descended from Achilles through his son. Alexander the Great, son of the Epiran princess Olympias, could therefore also claim this descent, and in many ways strove to be like his great ancestor; he is said to have visited his tomb while passing Troy. Achilles was worshipped as a sea-god in many of the Greek colonies on the Black Sea. Epirus (Greek Ήπειρος, Ípeiros; see also List of traditional Greek place names), is a province or periphery in northwestern Greece, bounded by West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, by the province of Sterea Ellada (Central Greece) to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and... Alexander the Great fighting the Persian king Darius (Pompeii mosaic, from a 3rd century BC original Greek painting, now lost). ... Olympias (Greek: Ολυμπιάς) (c. ... Colonies in antiquity were city-states founded from a mother-city, not from a territory-at-large. ... Map of the Black Sea. ...

Achilles fought and killed the Amazon Helene. In Greek mythology, the Amazons were either an ancient legendary nation of female warriors or a contemporary land of women at the outer edges of the world. ... In Greek mythology, Helene (different from Helen of Troy as well as Hellen) referred to two different people: A friend of Aphrodites, Helene helped her seduce Adonis. ...

Some also said he married Medea. Medea by Evelyn De Morgan In Greek mythology Medea was the daughter of King Aeetes (Georgian Ayeti) of Colchis (Georgian Kolkheti, now a territory of modern Georgia) and niece of Circe, and later wife to Jason. ...

The Lost Play of Aeschylus

In the early 1990s a lost play by Aeschylus was discovered in the wrappings of a mummy in Egypt. The play, Achilles, was part of a trilogy about the Trojan War. It was known to exist due to mentions in ancient sources, but had been lost for over 2,000 years. For the Temptations album, see 1990 (Temptations album) MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... Aeschylus (525 BC—456 BC; Greek: Αισχυλος) was a playwright of ancient Greece. ... A mummy is a corpse whose skin and flesh have been preserved by deliberate or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold or dryness, or airlessness. ... Achilles is a trilogy of plays written by the Greek tragedian Aeschylus. ... A trilogy is a set of three works of art, usually literature or film, that develop a single theme over three works. ... The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the armies of the Achaeans, following the kidnapping (or elopement) of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy. ...

There is another lost play with Achilles as the main character, The Lovers of Achilles, by Sophocles. A Roman bust of Sophocles. ...

Spoken-word myths (audio)

Bust of Homer in the British Museum For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... Centuries: 9th century BC - 8th century BC - 7th century BC Decades: 750s BC 740s BC 730s BC 720s BC 710s BC - 700s BC - 690s BC 680s BC 670s BC 660s BC 650s BC Events and Trends 708 BC - Spartan immigrants found Taras (Tarentum, the modern Taranto) colony in southern Italy. ... Pindar (or Pindarus) (522 BC – 443 BC), objectively the greatest lyric poet of ancient Greece, was born at Cynoscephalae, a village in Thebes. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 5th century BC - 6th century BC Decades: 520s BC 510s BC 500s BC 490s BC 480s BC - 470s BC - 460s BC 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC Years: 481 BC 480 BC 479 BC 478 BC 477 BC _ 476 BC _ 475 BC... Aeschylus (525 BC—456 BC; Greek: Αισχυλος) was a playwright of ancient Greece. ... Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 540s BC 530s BC 520s BC 510s BC 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC 470s BC 460s BC 450s BC 440s BC Years: 499 BC 498 BC 497 BC 496 BC - 495 BC - 494 BC 493 BC 492 BC... Euripides (c. ... Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC - 400s BC - 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC Years: 410 BC 409 BC 408 BC 407 BC 406 BC - 405 BC - 404 BC 403 BC... Plato Plato (Greek: Πλάτων Plátōn) (ca. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC 390s BC - 380s BC - 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC 393 BC 392 BC 391 BC 390 BC 389 BC 388 BC 387 BC 386 BC 385... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 410s BC 400s BC 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC - 360s BC - 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 372 BC 371 BC 370 BC 369 BC 368 BC - 367 BC - 366 BC 365 BC 364... Publius Papinius Statius, (c. ... For other uses, see number 96. ...

Achilles in Music

"Achilles, Agony & Ecstasy In Eight Parts", by Manowar; from the album The Triumph of Steel, 1992, Atlantic Records. "Achilles Last Stand", by Led Zeppelin; from the album Presence, 1976, Atlantic Records; "Achilles' Revenge", by Warlord. See Man of war, a type of warship Portuguese Man O War, a jellyfish like creature. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is a record label founded in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson, principally as a R&B label. ... A Song Infobox has been requested for this article. ... Led Zeppelin was a British rock band. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

• Achilles' Heel is an album by the indie rock band Pedro the Lion
• Achilles and his heel are referenced in the song "Special K" by the rock band Placebo

David Bazan, T.W. Walsh. ...

Achilles in film

The role of Achilles has been played by:

• Stanley Baker in Helen of Troy (1956)
• Arturo Dominici in La Guerra di Troia (1962)
• Derek Jacobi [voice] in Achilles (Channel Four Television) (1995)
• Steve Davislim in La Belle Hélène (TV, 1996)
• Joe Montana in Helen of Troy (TV, 2003)
• Brad Pitt in Troy (2004)

Sir Stanley Baker (February 8, 1927 - June 28, 1976) was a Welsh actor. ... Helen of Troy depicts the battles fought to win the love of the worlds most beautiful woman. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sir Derek George Jacobi Kt, (born October 22, 1938), is a British actor, knighted in 1994 for his services to the theatre. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brad Pitt at the Incirlik hospital, Incirlik Air Base, December 7, 2001 Brad Pitt (born William Bradley Pitt on December 18, 1963), is an American film actor, and one of the most widely recognized people in the world. ... Troy is a movie released on May 14, 2004 about the Trojan War, which is described in Homers Iliad and other Greek myths as having taken place in Anatolia (modern Turkey) around the 13th or 12th century BC. It stars, among others: Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

Homer, Iliad; Homer, Odyssey XI, 467-540; Apollodorus, Bibliotheca III, xiii, 5-8; Apollodorus, Epitome III, 14-V, 7; Ovid, Metamorphoses XI, 217-265; XII, 580-XIII, 398; Ovid, Heroides III; Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica IV, 783-879; Dante, The Divine Comedy, Inferno, V. Bust of Homer in the British Museum For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... The Iliad (Greek Ιλιάς, Ilias) tells part of the story of the siege of the city of Ilium, i. ... Bust of Homer in the British Museum For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... Odysseus and Nausicaä - by Charles Gleyre The Odyssey (Greek Ὀδυσσεία) is the second of the two great Greek epic poems ascribed to Homer, the first of which is the Iliad. ... Apollodorus was a popular name in the ancient world. ... Apollodorus was a popular name in the ancient world. ... Engraved frontispiece of George Sandyss 1632 London edition of Publius Ovidius Naso (Sulmona, March 20, 43 BC â€“ Tomis, now Constanta AD 17) Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid, wrote on topics of love, abandoned women, and mythological transformations. ... Cover of George Sandyss 1632 edition of The Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid is a poem in 15 books that describes the creation and history of the world in terms of Greek and Roman mythology. ... Engraved frontispiece of George Sandyss 1632 London edition of Publius Ovidius Naso (Sulmona, March 20, 43 BC â€“ Tomis, now Constanta AD 17) Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid, wrote on topics of love, abandoned women, and mythological transformations. ... Heroides (The Heroines) or Epistulae Heroidum (Letters of Heroines) was a work composed by Ovid in 5 BC. It is composed of 21 letters, each fictitiously attributed to heroines of antiquity grieving over their unrequited loves. ... Apollonius of Rhodes (Apollonius Rhodius), librarian at Alexandria, was a poet, the author of Argonautica, a literary epic retelling of ancient material concerning Jason and the Argonauts quest for the Golden Fleece in the mythic land of Colchis. ... This article or section should be merged with Jason. ... Dante redirects here. ... Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, in Michelinos fresco. ...

Bibliography

• Ileana Chirassi Colombo, “Heros Achilleus— Theos Apollon.” In Il Mito Greco, éd. Bruno Gentili & Giuseppe Paione, Rome, 1977;
• Anthony Edwards:
  • “Achilles in the Underworld: Iliad, Odyssey, and Æthiopis”, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies, 26 (1985): pp. 215-227 ;
  • “Achilles in the Odyssey: Ideologies of Heroism in the Homeric Epic”, Beitrage zur klassischen Philologie, 171, Meisenheim, 1985 ;
  • “Kleos Aphthiton and Oral Theory,” Classical Quarterly, 38 (1988): pp. 25-30 ;
• Hélène Monsacré, Les larmes d'Achille. Le héros, la femme et la souffrance dans la poésie d'Homère, Paris, Albin Michel, 1984;
• Gregory Nagy:
  • The Best of The Acheans. Concepts of the Hero in Archaic Greek Poetry, Johns Hopkins University, 1999 (rev. edition);
  • The Name of Achilles: Questions of Etymology and 'Folk Etymology', Illinois Classical Studies, 19, 1994;
• Dale S. Sinos, The Entry of Achilles into Greek Epic, Ph.D. thesis, Johns Hopkins University;

Gregory Nagy (pronounced Nahjj) is a professor of Classics at Harvard, specializing in Homer and archaic Greek poetry. ...

External links

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Achilles

• The Story of Achilles and Patroclus

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