Achilles :: The Trojan War Hero

Achilles, the son of Peleus and Thetis, was the greatest of all Greek heroes who took part in the Trojan
War. Knowing that her child was destined to either die the death of a glorious warrior or live a long life
in obscurity, Thetis bathed Achilles as an infant in the waters of the River Styx, thus making him all but
immortal: only the heel by which she held him remained vulnerable. However, as prophesized, this
proved costly, because Achilles eventually died from an arrow wound in that heel. Guided by Apollo, the
fateful arrow was shot by Paris, the brother of Troy’s most celebrated hero Hector, whom Achilles had
previously killed in a face to face duel, in an attempt to avenge the death of his closest friend, Patroclus.

Achilles’ Childhood and Early Career

Achilles’ very birth is interlinked with two important prophecies: one about his mother, and another one
about him. Made all but invulnerable by his mother, Achilles would spend his childhood under the
mentorship of the Centaur Chiron.

The Prophecy About Thetis, Achilles’ Mother

Achilles was the son of Peleus, king of Thessalian Phthia, and Thetis, a sea-goddess. Even though he did
grow up to become the greatest of all Greek heroes, for all we know, he might have even supplanted
Zeus as the ruler of the entire universe if it hadn’t been for either Themis’ or Prometheus’ timely
intervention.

Namely, a year before Achilles’ birth, both Zeus and Poseidon fell in love with his eventual mother and
did their best to win her hand in marriage. And only Themis and Prometheus knew it was vital for the
Olympian order that neither of the two marries Thetis, for it had been written “that the sea-goddess
should bear a princely son, stronger than his father, who would wield another weapon in his hand more
powerful than the thunderbolt or the irresistible trident.”

The Prophecy About Achilles

Whether it was Themis or Prometheus who let the cat out of the bag we may never know, but we do
know that she or he did it just in time: Zeus was barely a few moments away from sharing a bed with
Thetis.

We also know that Achilles’ eventual father, Peleus, was chosen for a reason: he was, supposedly, the
most pious man on the planet, worthy enough of a divine wife. More importantly, he was also a mortal,
meaning he couldn’t beget an immortal son.

“Let Thetis accept a mortal’s bed,” Themis counseled the Olympians ominously, “so that she can see her
son die in battle, a son who is like Ares in the strength of his hands and like lightning in the swift prime
of his feet.”

Achilles’ Heel

Being a goddess, Thetis wasn’t all that happy to be cruelly destined to one day see her son being taken
away from her by merciless Death. So, everybody agrees that she did her best to prevent such a thing
from ever happening.

Some say that the sea-goddess tried making Achilles immortal through a lengthy purifying ritual which
consisted of anointing him with ambrosia every night and slowly burning away his immortality by the
fireside, body part by body part. However, right near the end of the ritual, Peleus caught her in the act
of putting Achilles in the fire and, understandably, was too shocked to believe any of Thetis’ excuses.
The nymph felt so dishonored that she left both her husband and her son and went back to live in the
sea with her sister Nereids.

Others, however, claim that soon after Achilles was born, Thetis went to the Underworld and dipped
him in the waters of the River Styx. Thus, she managed to make his whole body invulnerable but for the
part by which she held him: his left heel. Hence the expression “Achilles’ heel,” meaning “a seemingly
small but actually crucial weakness.”

Achilles’ Mentors

In the absence of his mother, Achilles spent most of his childhood on Mount Pelion, where he was
reared and trained by the wise Centaur Chiron in numerous disciplines, ranging from hunting to music.
Needless to add, Achilles excelled in all of them, and by the time he returned to his father’s home, it was
already evident to many that the boy was destined for greatness.

Back in Phthia, Achilles befriended Phoenix and Patroclus, two refugees Peleus had taken in during
Achilles’ absence. Both would have an enormous influence on the young Achilles, the latter one
becoming his role model and dearest friend.

The Trojan War

Achilles' anger with Agamemnon is the main theme of Homer’s “Iliad” which recounts the last year of
the Trojan War, during which Achilles first withdraws from battle and then, enraged by the death of his
beloved comrade Patroclus, brings the Greeks the body of Troy’s greatest warrior, Hector.

Pyrrha at the Court of Lycomedes

Realizing that the Trojan War was fast approaching – and fully aware that her son was still destined to
die in battle – Thetis resorted to an unusual tactic to keep Achilles safe: she disguised him as a girl and
hid him at the court of king Lycomedes in Skyros. The plan worked well for a while, but then Odysseus
learned from the prophet Calchas that the Greeks would lose the war without the help of Achilles.

So, he learned his whereabouts and tricked him into uncovering his identity by either disguising himself
as a peddler selling jewelry and women’s clothes or feigning an attack on Skyros. In the first case,
Odysseus included a spear among his goods and only one girl by the name of Pyrrha showed some
interest in it; in the latter, everyone but this Pyrrha fled the scene. Either way, it was all too obvious to
Odysseus: Pyrrha had to be none other than Achilles.

The First Nine Years: Telephus, Iphigenia, Tenes

Even though he was the only one not to have taken a vow to fight for Menelaus’ honor, once Odysseus
had discovered him, Achilles decided to join the Greek army, commanding a fleet of 50 ships, each one
carrying 50 of his men, the mighty Myrmidons.

However, soon after its departure, the Greek fleet lost its way and landed in Mysia by mistake. Mysia
was then ruled by Heracles’ son, Telephus, whose army managed to drive the Greeks away from his
country. But during the battle, Telephus was wounded by Achilles, and could not be healed in any way
whatsoever. After consulting an oracle, he was told that only he who had inflicted the wound would be
able to repair it; so, Telephus asked Achilles to heal him, and, in return, he agreed to guide the Greeks to
Troy.

Even so, the Greeks soon faced another problem. After killing a sacred deer at Aulis, Agamemnon
enraged the goddess Artemis who subsequently decided to hold back the favorable winds until she was
offered a human sacrifice in return for her loss: Agamemnon’s oldest daughter, Iphigenia. Iphigenia was
lured to Aulis on the pretext of a marriage with Achilles; after finding out that Agamemnon had used
him deliberately in such a cruel ruse, Achilles tried to save the life of the poor girl, but barely managed
to keep his head on his shoulders: everybody supported Agamemnon’s attempt to appease Artemis.
Eventually, Iphigenia agreed to be sacrificed, and the Greeks set sail once again.

Near Troy, Achilles’ fleet landed on the island of Tenedos and in the fight which ensued – contrary to his
mother’s advice – Achilles killed Tenedos’ king, Tenes. This enraged Tenes’ father who happened to be
none other than Apollo. The Olympian never forgot Achilles’ offense and, eventually, got his revenge.

The Last Year: Achilles in the “Iliad”

A conflict mirroring the one at Aulis kickstarts the tenth year of the Greek campaign against Troy.
Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaeans, is forced to give up his concubine Chryseis to appease Apollo
and put an end to a plague sent by the god among the Greeks. In return for this, Agamemnon demands
another hero’s war-prize – namely, Achilles’ concubine, Briseis. Furious to be dishonored in such a way,
Achilles withdraws from battle, even asking his mother Thetis to convince Zeus to help the Trojans, so
that Agamemnon and the Greeks recognize promptly the severity of the loss of their greatest warrior.

Zeus nods in agreement and, pretty soon, the Trojans manage to successfully drive the Greeks towards
their ships. Agamemnon realizes his mistake and sends Odysseus, Ajax, and Phoenix to Achilles’ tent
with an apology and a promise of many fine gifts. Achilles accepts neither: educated by his mother that
he is destined to either die at Troy as a glorious warrior or live a long life in obscurity at home, he
informs Agamemnon’s embassy that he has now chosen the latter.

Fearing ultimate defeat, Patroclus asks Achilles for his armor and, disguised as his treasured friend, he
leads a successful attack against the Trojans. However, taken by the moment, he goes a step too far and
is subsequently killed by the fearless Trojan prince, Hector.
Enraged by his friend’s death, Achilles rejoins the battle and, adorned with new armor made by
Hephaestus, he tracks down Hector and kills him in a face to face duel. Still burning with anger, Achilles
drags Hector’s lifeless body with his chariot for eleven days straight, until the gods intervene and help
Priam, Hector’s father, to reach Achilles’ tent and beg for the body of his son. Achilles is moved to tears
by this act and agrees to give Priam his son’s body.

The Death of Achilles

Although predicted by Hector with his dying breath, the death of Achilles is not narrated in the “Iliad.”
However, as predicted, it does occur relatively soon after Hector’s death: Paris, Hector’s cowardly
brother, manages to kill the greatest of the great heroes with an arrow hitting Achilles’ heel, the only
vulnerable part of his body. Poisoned or not, the arrow was most certainly guided by the god Apollo,
since Paris was no archer of renown. Thus, Achilles paid dearly for disobeying his mother’s wishes and
killing Tenes.

The Ghost of Achilles

One of the shades that Odysseus encounters after descending in the Underworld in Homer’s “Odyssey”
is the one of Achilles, apparently some kind of a minor ruler of the dead souls in its region. Upon
realizing this, Odysseus admires Achilles for being blessed in death as much as he had been in life. “If I
could choose,” replies Achilles memorably to this, “I would rather be a paid servant in a poor man's
house and be above ground than king of kings among the dead.”

⚡ Zeus :: Greek God of the Sky and Thunder, King of the Gods
Zeus is the Olympian god of the sky and the thunder, the king of all other gods and men, and,
consequently, the chief figure in Greek mythology. The son of Cronus and Rhea, he is probably most
famous for his infidelity to his sister and wife, Hera. Athena, Apollo and Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus,
Heracles, Helen of Troy, and the Muses are all children of his numerous erotic affairs. Hephaestus, Hebe,
and Ares are his legitimate children.

Zeus’ Role

Name

Zeus’ name is thought to have originated from the Ancient Greek word for “bright.” The word has a
close connection with dies, which is the Latin word for “day” and has a very ancient history. Therefore,
many mythologists believe that Zeus is one of the oldest Greek gods.

Portrayal and Symbolism

Usually, Zeus is portrayed with a scepter in one hand and a thunderbolt in the other – both symbols of
his authority. Sometimes he wears a crown of oak leaves – the oak was deemed to be his sacred tree.
Homer repeatedly describes him as “aegis-bearing”: the Aegis was an enormous shield which Zeus
frequently carried with him, lending it to his daughter Athena from time to time. In addition, he owns a
pet: a giant golden eagle called Aetos Dios.

Other Roles and Epithets

Considered the ruler of heavens and the governor of weather, Zeus was also associated with wisdom
and awareness, with authority and destiny, with battles and power. In fact, Homer says that before the
fight between Achilles and Hector, Zeus weighed their lots and blessed the outcome. Further down, the
poet even claims that Zeus owns two urns filled with ills and blessings – the gifts which he gives to every
mortal in the amount he decides.

In relation to the many other roles Zeus had, he acquired many different epithets. Some of them are:
“warlike,” “oath-keeper,” “guest-patron,” “All-Greek,” and “Savior.”
Zeus’ Biography

Family

Paradoxically, Zeus is both the youngest and the oldest son of Cronus and Rhea. Namely, soon after the
Creation of the world, the then-ruler of the Gods Cronus – who had learned that one of his children
would overthrow him – swallowed Zeus’ three sisters and two brothers at birth: Demeter, Hera, Hestia,
Hades, and Poseidon. Zeus would have been eaten himself if Rhea hadn’t slipped Cronus a stone
wrapped in swaddling clothes in his place, hiding her youngest child in a cave on the Cretan Mount Ida.

Infancy

There, Zeus was raised by nymphs and met his first wife, Metis – or Wisdom. On her advice, he masked
himself as an Olympian cupbearer and tricked his father into drinking poisoned wine. The wine made
Cronus vomit so much that he ultimately disgorged Zeus’ siblings – intact and ready for revenge. This,
their second birth, made the youngest among them – Zeus – actually their oldest brother.

Titanomachy: War for Supremacy

Thus, they had no problem in acknowledging his authority. Led by him – and helped by the one-eyed
Cyclopes and the hundred-handed Hecatoncheires (Zeus freed all of them from Cronus’ imprisonment) –
the siblings overthrew Cronus and the Titans during a decade-long war called the Titanomachy.

Zeus, the Ruler of the Gods

Zeus and his brothers drew lots to share the world between them. Poseidon got the sea, Hades the
underworld, and Zeus the sky. Finally, Zeus was crowned to be the Ruler of all Gods and Men, referred
to universally as Father.

Zeus’ Rule Challenged

Gigantomachy and Typhoeus

However, Zeus didn’t get off to a great start. His grandmother Gaia was angry at him for imprisoning the
Titans, so she summoned her children, the Gigantes, to avenge her. Another war followed – the
Gigantomachy – but the Olympians prevailed once again. This enraged Gaia even more, so she gave
birth to Typhoeus, a giant fire-blowing serpentine monster, so mighty that even Zeus needed some help
(from Hermes and Pan) to defeat him after a cataclysmic battle.
Filial Revolt

As a young ruler, Zeus was apparently too prideful and petulant. So, Hera, Poseidon and Apollo – and,
maybe, everyone else but Hestia – decided to teach him a lesson. While he was sleeping, they stole his
thunderbolt and bound him with hundred-knotted cords. Zeus was powerless, but the Nereid Thetis
acted quickly and called Briareus, the Hecatoncheir, who used his hundred arms to untie him in a
second. Zeus brutally punished the three leaders of the rebellion (especially Hera), and they swore to
never challenge him again.

Prometheus

Prometheus, however, did – first by stealing the divine fire and giving it to the mortals, and then by
keeping away from Zeus the identity of a mortal woman whose future son was prophesized to become
greater than his father. Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock and tormented him for ages, but
Prometheus stubbornly refused to reveal to him the secret. In the end, for reasons we don’t know
(because a large part of the play where this story is told is lost), the Titan did tell Zeus that the woman in
question is Thetis, so the god stopped pursuing her and gave her to Peleus. The son born out of this
marriage became a celebrated Greek hero - in fact, possibly the greatest among them all: Achilles.

Zeus’s Women

Zeus’s Wives

According to Hesiod, Zeus had the very same problem with his first wife, Metis. Warned that their child
may be a threat to him, Zeus decided to swallow his pregnant wife. Nevertheless, the child, fully grown
and armored, was eventually born – but from the forehead of Zeus. It was none other than Athena, the
goddess of wisdom herself.

Afterward, Zeus married Themis, who bore him the Horae and the Fates. His third wife was Eurynome,
who brought the Charites to the world. His sister Demeter followed; she gave birth to Persephone. With
his fifth wife, Mnemosyne, Zeus begot the Muses. After becoming Zeus’ sixth wife, Leto became the
mother of Apollo and Artemis.

Zeus’ seventh and final wife was his sister, Hera. Knowing her sympathy for animals, he wooed her as a
virgin by transforming himself into a distressed little cuckoo, which Hera took in her arms to warm it. At
that moment, Zeus turned back into himself and slept with her. Ashamed, Hera agreed to marry him.
Zeus' Lovers

However, theirs would prove to be a bittersweet marriage, because Zeus, to say the least, was a
promiscuous god. Bearing the shape of many different animals, he had numerous love affairs with many
nymphs and mortals, which made Hera jealous; some say that, when she scolded him for this, disguised
as a serpent, he even slept with his mother, Rhea. Consequently, many gods and heroes are Zeus’
children. It’s impossible to list them all.

Zeus’ Equivalents

Zeus is called Jupiter in Roman mythology. Additionally, his powers, symbolism and some of the stories
woven around him, are similar to those of some other deities, such as the Norse gods Thor and Odin, the
Hinduist deity Indra, and the Slavic thunder god Perun.

🔱 Poseidon :: Greek God of the Sea

Poseidon is the violent and ill-tempered god of the sea. One of the Twelve Olympians, he was also
feared as the provoker of earthquakes and worshipped as the creator of the horse. A hot-blooded deity,
Poseidon had many disputes with both gods and men, most famously with Athena and Odysseus.

Poseidon’s Role

Name

Poseidon’s name is very old, and its meaning is lost to us. Various authors have tried to translate it as
either “husband of the earth” or “lord of the waters.” Plato says that it means “knower of many things,”
but this is much less likely.

Portrayal and Symbolism

Poseidon is nowadays known exclusively as a sea god, but in ancient times, he may have been the god of
the earth and fertility or even the supreme god of the sky. In fact, in portrayals, he looks very much like
Zeus, a distinguished, bearded man with a dense curly hair and piercing eyes. Homer says that his shriek
was as loud as one of ten thousand men combined.
Oftentimes, he is depicted riding a four-horse chariot and wielding a trident over the waves. The trident
is his most recognizable emblem, though his son, Triton, carries one as well. It is said that Poseidon
struck a rock with his trident to create the very first horse, Skyphios. During the Gigantomachy, the god
used the trident to break off a piece of the island Kos, under which he subsequently entombed the Giant
Polybotes. This piece became today’s island Nisyros.

Epithets

Since Poseidon had multiple powers, the Ancient Greeks invented various epithets to describe his
manifestations and pray to him. To some, he was the “Savior of Sailors,” to others the “Averter of
Earthquakes.” Yet a third group venerated him as “The Creator and Tamer of Horses” and to a fourth
one he was “The Leader of Nymphs.”

Family

Poseidon was the second son of Cronus and Rhea (after Hades) and their penultimate child (before
Zeus). Hestia, Demeter, and Hera were his sisters.

Like all of his siblings aside from Zeus, Poseidon was swallowed by Cronus at birth and, thanks to Zeus,
afterward disgorged unharmed.

However, some say that Rhea managed to hide Poseidon from his father’s rage as well – either in a flock
of lambs in Arcadia or in Rhodes to be raised by Oceanus’ daughter Capheira and the Telchines.

Disputes with Other Gods and Men

Poseidon Challenges Zeus

Poseidon had a very violent character, Impulsive and hot-blooded, he couldn’t put up with Zeus’
arrogant behavior as a ruler. So, he teamed up with Hera and Athena to teach him a lesson. However,
with the help of Thetis and Briareus, Zeus overpowered his challengers.

Poseidon, Laomedon, and the Trojans

As punishment, he sent Poseidon and Apollo to serve the Trojan king Laomedon, for whom they built
the vast, beautiful walls surrounding Troy. However, when the time came, Laomedon refused to pay
them. As a result, Poseidon – even against the advice of Zeus – fought on the Greek side during the
Trojan war, sending a sea monster named Cetus to torment the Trojans.

Poseidon, the Greeks, and Odysseus

Even so, the narcissist that he was, Poseidon destroyed the fortifications built by the Greeks, firmly
believing that his walls are the only buildings of the type worthy to remain. And, mad at him for blinding
his son Polyphemus, he had a decade-long feud with one of the greatest Greek heroes, Odysseus.

Poseidon and Athena

The god of the sea was also greedy – especially when it came to earthly kingdoms. Once, he even
wanted to obtain Athens from Athena, claiming that the city would have much more benefit from him
than her. To prove this, he struck his trident into a rock, creating a seawater stream which welled up in
the Temple of Erechtheion on the north side of the Acropolis. Athena, in turn, planted an olive tree.
Cecrops, the first king of Athens, decided that Athena’s gift was more useful since it gave fruit, wood,
and oil. Athena kept Athens, and ever since then, the olive branch is a universal symbol of peace.

Poseidon’s Women and Children

Just like Zeus, Poseidon had a weak spot for women. And, much like him, he was not exactly loved back
by them. However, what he couldn’t acquire with romance and gentleness, he did with violence and
craftiness.

Caeneus and Medusa

For example, he took by force both Caeneus and Medusa, who was afterward transformed into a beast
by Athena as a punishment for allowing this. After Perseus beheaded the pregnant monster, Medusa
gave birth to Poseidon’s children, Chrysaor and Pegasus.

Demeter, Amymone, and Aethra

To trick Demeter who turned into a mare to reject his advances, the god transformed himself into a
stallion. Afterward, Demeter gave birth to the nymph Despoena and the talking horse Arion. With
Amymone, Poseidon fathered Nauplius; with Aethra – the divine hero Theseus. The list goes on and
includes hundreds of consorts and at least as many children.

Poseidon and Amphitrite

Amphitrite, a Nereid, was Poseidon’s faithful wife throughout. She didn’t want it at the beginning,
though. In fact, she fled to the Atlas Mountains to escape the god of the sea. However, Poseidon sent
Delphinus to win her. Honey-tongued Delphinus did the job in flying colors. As a favor, Poseidon set his
image among the star: the constellation Dolphin.

Amphitrite bore Poseidon three children: Triton, Rhode, and Benthesikyme.

Hermes :: The Messenger of the Gods

Hermes is the winged herald and messenger of the Olympian gods. In addition, he is also a divine
trickster, and the god of roads, flocks, commerce, and thieves. A precocious newborn, he invented the
lyre and stole Apollo’s cattle on the very first day of his life. Hermes was the only Olympian capable of
crossing the border between the living and the dead.

Hermes’ Role

Name

Most scholars think that Hermes’ name derives from the Greek word herma, which means “a heap of
stones” or “cairn.” Cairns were a common sight in the Ancient world, serving as trail- or boundary-
markers. Some say that the first cairn was erected by the gods, when they cast all their stones in favor of
Hermes, during his trial for slaying Argus Panoptes.

Portrayal and Symbolism

Archaic artists portrayed Hermes as a mature bearded man. However, later on, he was represented as
an athletically built nude youth, immediately recognizable by four attributes: a broad-brimmed hat
(petasos), winged sandals (talaria), a purse, and a herald’s wand (kerykeion, or caduceus in Latin).
Hermes’ wand – a short-winged staff, entangled by two identical serpents – had magical powers,
bringing sleep upon people or rousing them from it. It is very similar and frequently confused with the
Rod of Asclepius, which is why Hermes’ wand is often incorrectly used as a symbol of medicine.

Epithets

According to some myths, Hermes wasn’t only a messenger of the gods, but also the inventor of speech.
As such, he is often associated with oratory or interpretation. In Greece, an interpreter was called
hermeneus, and today the science of interpretation is known as hermeneutics.

Hermes was the only Olympian capable of crossing the boundary between the living and the dead and
carrying the souls of the dead in Hades. In time, he came to be known as “the conductor” or “the leader
of souls.” People also called him “patron of travelers and thieves,” “shepherd of men,” “trickster,” and
“Argus-slayer.”

Hermes’ Life and Deeds

A Precocious Child

Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia, the oldest of the seven Pleiades. He was born in a cave in Mount
Cyllene in Arcadia at dawn. By noon he was able to invent the lyre and play a hymn celebrating his own
birth on it. That very same evening, for reasons unknown, he stole the cattle of Apollo. Afterward, he
came back and innocently tucked himself up in his cradle.

Hermes and Apollo

To invent the lyre, Hermes killed a tortoise and scooped the flesh out of its shell. Then, honoring the
Pleiades, he stretched seven strings of sheep-gut over the empty shell. Once he found out who had
stolen his cattle, Apollo was so angry at Hermes that bad things might have happened if Hermes hadn’t
appeased Apollo with a lyre- accompanied song. In exchange for it, Apollo forgave his little brother
everything and swore to be his closest friend forevermore. Some say that as a token of this promise,
Apollo gifted Hermes with the latter one’s most emblematic object: the caduceus.

Hermes, a Darling of the Gods

By all accounts, Hermes was a darling of the gods. Artemis supposedly taught him how to hunt and Pan
how to play the pipes. He was the one who guided Persephone back to her mother, Demeter. Above all,
Hermes was very close with his father, acting in many of his affairs as Zeus’ wingman. Most famously, he
beheaded the hundred-eyed giant Argus Panoptes, previously sent by Hera to closely watch over Zeus’
love interest Io.

Hermes, the Messenger

In his role as a messenger, Hermes is present in numerous other myths. He escorts Pandora to
Epimetheus, leads Perseus to the Graeae, and guides Priam safely to Achilles’ tent. In addition, he
showed Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera the way to Mount Ida where Paris was supposed to judge which
one of them was the fairest.

Hermes’ Women and Children

Even though associated with fertility, it seems that Hermes never married, and had relatively few
famous consorts and children. Aphrodite bore him Hermaphrodites and possibly Tyche, Herse –
Cephalus, and the nymph Dryope – Pan. Later poets sometimes link Hermes with Peitho or Hecate.

Once, Hermes and Apollo fell in love simultaneously with the virgin Chione and slept with her on the
very same day. Later, Chione gave birth to twins. Philammon took after Apollo and became a famous
musician. Unsurprisingly, Hermes’ son Autolycus became a trickster and a thief. Poets say that not few
of his traits were inherited by his grandson: Odysseus.