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84-651: Achilleis is a title used to refer to several literary works concerning Achilles : The Achilleis , the modern designation for a trilogy of lost plays by Aeschylus The Achilleid , an unfinished epic by Statius, Achilleis being the Latin nominative of the title The Achilleis byzantina , or "byzantine Achilleid ", a 13th or 14th century Greek romance; see Byzantine literature The Achilleis , an unfinished German poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Topics referred to by

168-430: A "horse fighter" or "chariot fighter" according to Homer. Prophecies linked Troilus' fate to that of Troy and so he was ambushed in an attempt to capture him. Yet Achilles, struck by the beauty of both Troilus and his sister Polyxena , and overcome with lust, directed his sexual attentions on the youth—who, refusing to yield, instead found himself decapitated upon an altar-omphalos of Apollo Thymbraios . Later versions of

252-651: A Pre-Greek origin of the name, based among other things on the coexistence of -λλ- and -λ- in epic language, which may account for a palatalized phoneme /l / in the original language. Among the appellations under which Achilles is generally known are the following: Achilles was the son of Thetis —a Nereid and daughter of the Old Man of the Sea —and Peleus , the king of the Myrmidons . Zeus and Poseidon had been rivals for Thetis's hand in marriage until Prometheus ,

336-530: A divine arrow, killing him. According to some accounts, he had married Medea in life, so that after both their deaths they were united in the Elysian Fields of Hades —as Hera promised Thetis in Apollonius ' Argonautica (3rd century BC). Achilles' armour was the object of a feud between Odysseus and Telamonian Ajax (Ajax the greater). They competed for it by giving speeches on why they were

420-405: A dream where Patroclus begs Achilles to hold his funeral, Achilles hosts a series of funeral games in honour of his companion. At the onset of his duel with Hector, Achilles is referred to as the brightest star in the sky, which comes on in the autumn, Orion's dog ( Sirius ); a sign of evil. During the cremation of Patroclus, he is compared to Hesperus , the evening/western star ( Venus ), while

504-513: A female gladiator fighting an "Amazon". Achilles' name can be analyzed as a combination of ἄχος ( áchos ), 'distress, pain, sorrow, grief' and λαός ( laós ), 'people, soldiers, nation', resulting in a proto-form *Akhí-lāu̯os , 'he who has the people distressed' or 'he whose people have distress'. The grief or distress of the people is a theme raised numerous times in the Iliad (and frequently by Achilles himself). Achilles' role as

588-555: A few weeks of the decade-long war, and does not narrate Achilles' death. It begins with Achilles' withdrawal from battle after being dishonoured by Agamemnon , the commander of the Achaean forces. Agamemnon has taken a woman named Chryseis as his slave. Her father Chryses , a priest of Apollo , begs Agamemnon to return her to him. Agamemnon refuses, and Apollo sends a plague amongst the Greeks. The prophet Calchas correctly determines

672-646: A lifestyle that includes little exercise, high-heel shoes , rheumatoid arthritis , and medications of the fluoroquinolone or steroid class. Diagnosis is generally based on symptoms and examination . While stretching and exercises to strengthen the back are often recommended for prevention, evidence to support these measures is poor. Treatment typically involves rest, ice, non-steroidal antiinflammatory agents (NSAIDs), and physical therapy . A heel lift or orthotics may also be helpful. In those in whose symptoms last more than six months despite other treatments, surgery may be considered. Achilles tendinitis

756-432: A mane ( χαίτη ). Along with other characters, his hair is described with the word xanthḗ ( ξανθή ), which meant ' yellow ', or at times shades thereof, such as brown or auburn , and was used mostly for fair hair. A later Latin account, probably from the 5th century AD, falsely attributed to Dares Phrygius described Achilles as having "... a large chest, a fine mouth, and powerfully formed arms and legs. His head

840-583: A mortal could craft. Thetis had the gear made for Achilles because his first set was worn by Patroclus when he went to battle and taken by Hector when he killed Patroclus. The Shield of Achilles was also made by the fire god. His legendary spear was given to him by his mentor Chiron before he participated in the Trojan War . It was called the Pelian Spear, which allegedly no other man could wield. A relic claimed to be Achilles' bronze-headed spear

924-708: A reason that he ravaged their country. The spread and intensity of the hero's veneration among the Greeks that had settled on the northern coast of the Pontus Euxinus , today's Black Sea , appears to have been remarkable. An archaic cult is attested for the Milesian colony of Olbia as well as for an island in the middle of the Black Sea, today identified with Snake Island ( Ukrainian Зміїний, Zmiinyi , near Kiliia , Ukraine). Early dedicatory inscriptions from

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1008-458: A slave to the worst of masters than be king of all the dead. But Achilles then asks Odysseus of his son's exploits in the Trojan war, and Odysseus tells him of Neoptolemus' actions. Book 24 of Odyssey gives dead King Agamemnon's ghostly account of Achilles' death: the bleached bones from Achilles' funeral pyre had been mixed with those of Patroclus and put into his mother's golden vase. Also,

1092-656: A spear from each hand; one grazed Achilles' elbow, "drawing a spurt of blood". In the few fragmentary poems of the Epic Cycle which describe the hero's death (i.e. the Cypria , the Little Iliad by Lesches of Pyrrha , the Aethiopis and Iliupersis by Arctinus of Miletus ), there is no trace of any reference to his general invulnerability or his famous weakness at the heel. In the later vase paintings presenting

1176-524: A tale not mentioned in the literary traditions. At some point in the war, Achilles and Ajax were playing a board game ( petteia ). They were absorbed in the game and oblivious to the surrounding battle. The Trojans attacked and reached the heroes, who were saved only by an intervention of Athena. The tomb of Achilles, extant throughout antiquity in Troad , was venerated by Thessalians , but also by Persian expeditionary forces, as well as by Alexander

1260-562: A wound that would not heal; Telephus consulted an oracle, who stated that "he that wounded shall heal". Guided by the oracle, he arrived at Argos , where Achilles healed him in order that he might become their guide for the voyage to Troy. According to other reports in Euripides ' lost play about Telephus, he 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,

1344-476: A younger one, usually a teenager. In Patroclus and Achilles' case, Achilles would have been the younger as Patroclus is usually seen as his elder. In Plato's Symposium , the participants in a dialogue about love assume that Achilles and Patroclus were a couple; Phaedrus argues that Achilles was the younger and more beautiful one so he was the beloved and Patroclus was the lover. However, ancient Greek had no words to distinguish heterosexual and homosexual , and it

1428-486: Is a medieval invention. In Dares Phrygius ' Account of the Destruction of Troy , the Latin summary through which the story of Achilles was transmitted to medieval Europe, as well as in older accounts, Troilus was a young Trojan prince, the youngest of King Priam 's and Hecuba 's five legitimate sons (or according other sources, another son of Apollo). Despite his youth, he was one of the main Trojan war leaders,

1512-456: Is about 25% with casting. If appropriate treatment does not occur within 4 weeks of the injury outcomes suffer. Tendon xanthomas are cholesterol deposits that commonly develop in the Achilles tendon of people with lipid metabolism disorders such as familial hypercholesterolemia . The Achilles tendon is often tested as part of a neurological examination . In this examination, the tendon

1596-534: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Achilles In Greek mythology , Achilles ( / ə ˈ k ɪ l iː z / ə- KIL -eez ) or Achilleus ( Ancient Greek : Ἀχιλλεύς , romanized :  Achilleús ) was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer 's Iliad , he

1680-588: Is hit with a tendon hammer . This tests the S1 and S2 spinal nerves : a normal response is plantar flexion (downward movement) of the foot. Level or portion of tendon affected: The Achilles tendon is short or absent in great apes , but long in arboreal gibbons and humans. It provides elastic energy storage in hopping, walking, and running. Computer models suggest this energy storage Achilles tendon increases top running speed by >80% and reduces running costs by more than three-quarters. It has been suggested that

1764-404: Is located at the back of the lower leg. The Achilles tendon connects the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneal tuberosity on the calcaneus (heel bone). The tendon begins near the middle of the calf, and receives muscle fibers on its inner surface, particularly from the soleus muscle, almost to its lower end. Gradually thinning below, it inserts into the middle part of the back of

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1848-486: Is no direct evidence in the text of the Iliad that Achilles and Patroclus were lovers, this theory was expressed by some later authors. Commentators from classical antiquity to the present have often interpreted the relationship through the lens of their own cultures. In 5th-century BC Athens, the intense bond was often viewed in light of the Greek custom of paiderasteia , which is the relationship between an older male and

1932-590: Is older and found already in Plautus ' Bacchides . Homer's Iliad is the most famous narrative of Achilles' deeds in the Trojan War. Achilles' wrath (μῆνις Ἀχιλλέως, mênis Achilléōs ) is the central theme of the poem. The first two lines of the Iliad read: οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί' Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε' ἔθηκε, [...] the accursed rage that brought great suffering to the Achaeans, [...] The Homeric epic only covers

2016-457: Is relatively common. Achilles tendon degeneration (tendinosis) is typically investigated with either MRI or ultrasound . In both cases, the tendon is thickened, may demonstrate surrounding inflammation by virtue of the presence of paratenonitis, retrocalcaneal or retro-achilles bursitis . Within the tendon, increased blood flow, tendon fibril disorganisation, and partial thickness tears may be identified. Achilles tendinosis frequently involves

2100-432: Is that he fell deeply in love with one of the Trojan princesses, Polyxena . Achilles asks Priam for Polyxena's hand in marriage. Priam is willing because it would mean the end of the war and an alliance with the world's greatest warrior. But while Priam is overseeing the private marriage of Polyxena and Achilles, Paris, who would have to give up Helen if Achilles married his sister, hides in the bushes and shoots Achilles with

2184-500: Is typically based on symptoms and examination and supported by medical imaging . Achilles tendon rupture occurs in about 1 per 10,000 people per year. Males are more commonly affected than females. People in their 30s to 50s are most commonly affected. Prevention may include stretching before activity. Treatment may be by surgery or casting with the toes somewhat pointed down . Relatively rapid return to weight bearing (within 4 weeks) appears acceptable. The risk of re-rupture

2268-529: The Dnieper-Bug Estuary ; furthermore, at 125  Roman miles from this island, he places a peninsula "which stretches forth in the shape of a sword" obliquely, called Dromos Achilleos (Ἀχιλλέως δρόμος, Achilléōs drómos , ' the Race-course of Achilles ') and considered the place of the hero's exercise or of games instituted by him. This last feature of Pliny's account is considered to be

2352-494: The Greek colonies on the Black Sea ( graffiti and inscribed clay disks, these possibly being votive offerings , from Olbia, the area of Berezan Island and the Tauric Chersonese ) attest the existence of a heroic cult of Achilles from the sixth century BC onwards. The cult was still thriving in the third century CE, when dedicatory stelae from Olbia refer to an Achilles Pontárchēs (Ποντάρχης, roughly 'lord of

2436-657: The 10th (in the tradition of Niobe 's offspring). The poem ends with a description of Hector's funeral, with the doom of Troy and Achilles himself still to come. Later works, including the Aethiopis (7th century BC) and a work named Posthomerica , composed by Quintus of Smyrna in the fourth century CE, relate further events from the Trojan War . When Penthesilea , queen of the Amazons and daughter of Ares , arrives in Troy, Priam hopes that she will defeat Achilles. After his temporary truce with Priam, Achilles fights and kills

2520-542: The 500 BC Polyxena sarcophagus , which depicts the sacrifice of Polyxena near the tumulus of Achilles. Strabo (13.1.32) also suggested that such a cult of Achilles existed in Troad: Near the Sigeium is a temple and monument of Achilles, and monuments also of Patroclus and Anthlochus . The Ilienses perform sacred ceremonies in honour of them all, and even of Ajax . But they do not worship Hercules , alleging as

2604-495: The Achilles tendon include inflammation ( Achilles tendinitis ), degeneration, rupture , and becoming embedded with cholesterol deposits ( xanthomas ). The Achilles tendon was named in 1693 after the Greek hero Achilles . The oldest-known written record of the tendon being named after Achilles is in 1693 by the Flemish/Dutch anatomist Philip Verheyen . In his widely used text Corporis Humani Anatomia he described

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2688-406: The Achilles tendon is poor, and mostly via a recurrent branch of the posterior tibial artery , and some through arterial branches passing through surrounding muscles. Acting via the Achilles tendon, the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles cause plantar flexion of the foot at the ankle . This action brings the sole of the foot closer to the back of the leg. The gastrocnemius also flexes the leg at

2772-737: The Great and the Roman emperor Caracalla . Achilles' cult was also to be found at other places, e. g. on the island of Astypalaea in the Sporades , in Sparta which had a sanctuary, in Elis and in Achilles' homeland Thessaly , as well as in the Magna Graecia cities of Tarentum , Locri and Croton , accounting for an almost Panhellenic cult to the hero. The cult of Achilles is illustrated in

2856-607: The Scaean Gates leading to Troy (with an arrow to the heel according to Statius). In book 23, the sad spirit of dead Patroclus visits Achilles just as he drifts off into slumber, requesting that his bones be placed with those of Achilles in his golden vase, a gift of his mother. In book 11 of the Odyssey , Odysseus sails to the underworld and converses with the shades. One of these is Achilles, who when greeted as "blessed in life, blessed in death", responds that he would rather be

2940-527: The advances of Zeus, pointing out that Thetis was so loyal to Hera's marriage bond that she coolly rejected the father of gods. Thetis, although a daughter of the sea-god Nereus , was also brought up by Hera, further explaining her resistance to the advances of Zeus. Zeus was furious and decreed that she would never marry an immortal. According to the Achilleid , written by Statius in the 1st century AD, and to non-surviving previous sources , when Achilles

3024-519: The basis of the cyclic epic Aethiopis , which was composed after the Iliad , possibly in the 7th century BC. The Aethiopis is now lost, except for scattered fragments quoted by later authors. The exact nature of Achilles' relationship with Patroclus has been a subject of dispute in both the classical period and modern times. In the Iliad , it appears to be the model of a deep and loyal friendship. Homer does not suggest that Achilles and his close friend Patroclus had sexual relations. Although there

3108-524: The battle is inevitable. Wanting to go down fighting, he charges at Achilles with his only weapon, his sword, but misses. Accepting his fate, Hector begs Achilles not to spare his life, but to treat his body with respect after killing him. Achilles tells Hector it is hopeless to expect that of him, declaring that, "my rage, my fury would drive me now to hack your flesh away and eat you raw – such agonies you have caused me." Achilles then kills Hector and drags his corpse by its heels behind his chariot. After having

3192-454: The battlefield, killing Memnon. Consequently, Eos will not let the sun rise until Zeus persuades her. The fight between Achilles and Memnon over Antilochus echoes that of Achilles and Hector over Patroclus, except that Memnon (unlike Hector) was also the son of a goddess. Many Homeric scholars argued that episode inspired many details in the Iliad ' s description of the death of Patroclus and Achilles' reaction to it. The episode then formed

3276-485: The beaches and assault the Greek ships. With the Greek forces on the verge of absolute destruction, Patroclus leads the Myrmidons into battle, wearing Achilles' armour, although Achilles remains at his camp. Patroclus succeeds in pushing the Trojans back from the beaches, but is killed by Hector before he can lead a proper assault on the city of Troy. After receiving the news of the death of Patroclus from Antilochus ,

3360-565: The bones of Antilochus , who had become closer to Achilles than any other following Patroclus' death, were separately enclosed. The customary funeral games of a hero were performed, and a massive tomb or mound was built on the Hellespont for approaching seagoers to celebrate. Achilles was represented in the Aethiopis as living after his death in the island of Leuke at the mouth of the river Danube . Another version of Achilles' death

3444-441: The bravest after Achilles to their Trojan prisoners, who, after considering both men's presentations, decided Odysseus was more deserving of the armour. Furious, Ajax cursed Odysseus, which earned him the ire of Athena, who temporarily made Ajax so mad with grief and anguish that he began killing sheep, thinking them his comrades. After a while, when Athena lifted his madness and Ajax realized that he had actually been killing sheep, he

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3528-405: The burning of the funeral pyre lasts until Phosphorus , the morning/eastern star (also Venus) has set (descended). With the assistance of the god Hermes (Argeiphontes), Hector's father Priam goes to Achilles' tent to plead with Achilles for the return of Hector's body so that he can be buried. Achilles relents and promises a truce for the duration of the funeral, lasting 9 days with a burial on

3612-426: The calcaneus bone. The tendon spreads out somewhat at its lower end so that its narrowest part is about 4 cm (1.6 in) above its insertion. The tendon is covered by the fascia and skin, and stands out prominently behind the bone; the gap is filled up with areolar and adipose tissue . A bursa lies between the tendon and the upper part of the calcaneus. It is about 15 centimetres (6 in) long. Along

3696-548: The cattle of Aeneas , sacked neighbouring cities (such as Pedasus and Lyrnessus , where the Greeks capture the queen Briseis ) and killed Tenes , a son of Apollo , as well as Priam's son Troilus in the sanctuary of Apollo Thymbraios ; however, the romance between Troilus and Chryseis described in Geoffrey Chaucer 's Troilus and Criseyde and in William Shakespeare 's Troilus and Cressida

3780-471: The court, thus giving his identity away. According to the Iliad , Achilles arrived at Troy with 50 ships, each carrying 50 Myrmidons . He appointed five leaders (each leader commanding 500 Myrmidons): Menesthius, Eudorus , Peisander, Phoenix and Alcimedon. When the Greeks left for the Trojan War, they accidentally stopped in Mysia , ruled by King Telephus . In the resulting battle, Achilles gave Telephus

3864-629: The death of Achilles, the arrow (or in many cases, arrows) hit his torso. Peleus entrusted Achilles to Chiron , who lived on Mount Pelion and was known as the most righteous of the Centaurs , to be reared. In some accounts, Achilles' original name was "Ligyron" and he was later named Achilles by his tutor Chiron. According to Homer, Achilles grew up in Phthia with his childhood companion Patroclus . Homer further writes that Achilles taught Patroclus what he himself had been taught by Chiron, including

3948-577: The enemy, but when wrongly, his men get the grief of war. The poem is in part about the misdirection of anger on the part of leadership. Some researchers deem the name a loan word , possibly from a Pre-Greek language. Achilles' descent from the Nereid Thetis and a similarity of his name with those of river deities such as Acheron and Achelous have led to speculations about his being an old water divinity ( see § Worship and heroic cult , below ). Robert S. P. Beekes has suggested

4032-426: The field, killing many men in his rage but always seeking out Hector. Achilles even engages in battle with the river god Scamander , who has become angry that Achilles is choking his waters with all the men he has killed. The god tries to drown Achilles but is stopped by Hera and Hephaestus. Zeus himself takes note of Achilles' rage and sends the gods to restrain him so that he will not go on to sack Troy itself before

4116-462: The flames with only a burnt foot, and confided him to the centaur Chiron. Later Chiron exhumed the body of the Damysus , who was the fastest of all the giants, removed the ankle, and incorporated it into Achilles' burnt foot. In Homer's Iliad , Achilles is portrayed as tall and striking, with strength and looks that were unmatched among the Greek warriors. Homer describes him as having long hair or

4200-461: The fore-thinker, warned Zeus of a prophecy (originally uttered by Themis , goddess of divine law) that Thetis would bear a son greater than his father. For this reason, the two gods withdrew their pursuit, and had her wed Peleus. There is a tale which offers an alternative version of these events: In the Argonautica (4.760) Zeus' sister and wife Hera alludes to Thetis' chaste resistance to

4284-436: The gates of Troy . Although the death of Achilles is not presented in the Iliad , other sources concur that he was killed near the end of the Trojan War by Paris , who shot him with an arrow. Later legends (beginning with Statius ' unfinished epic Achilleid , written in the 1st century AD) state that Achilles was invulnerable in all of his body except for one heel. According to that myth, when his mother Thetis dipped him in

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4368-409: The guise of a pedlar selling women's clothes and jewellery and placed a shield and spear among his goods. When Achilles instantly took up the spear, Odysseus saw through his disguise and convinced him to join the Greek campaign. In another version of the story, Odysseus arranged for a trumpet alarm to be sounded while he was with Lycomedes' women. While the women fled in panic, Achilles prepared to defend

4452-498: The heel by his mother Thetis when she dipped him in the River Styx as a baby to render his body invulnerable. As the heel by which she held him was not touched by the water, it was his one vulnerable spot (hence the expression " Achilles' heel ") and he was eventually killed by a poison dart to the heel. The name thus also refers to the particularly disabling and painful effect of an injury to this tendon. The first closed rupture

4536-420: The hero of grief or distress forms an ironic juxtaposition with the conventional view of him as the hero of κλέος kléos ('glory', usually in war). Furthermore, laós has been construed by Gregory Nagy , following Leonard Palmer , to mean 'a corps of soldiers', a muster . With this derivation, the name obtains a double meaning in the poem: when the hero is functioning rightly, his men bring distress to

4620-575: The iconic spit , called today Tendra (or Kosa Tendra and Kosa Djarilgatch ), situated between the mouth of the Dnieper and Karkinit Bay , but which is hardly 125  Roman miles ( c.  185  km) away from the Dnieper-Bug estuary , as Pliny states (to the "Race-course" he gives a length of 80 miles, c.  120  km, whereas the spit measures c.  70  km today). Achilles tendon Abnormalities of

4704-404: The illusion of a forward body tilt in standing subjects. This is because vibrations stimulate muscle spindles in the calf muscles. The muscle spindles alert the brain that the body is moving forward, so the central nervous system compensates by moving the body backwards. Inflammation of the Achilles tendon is called Achilles tendinitis . Achilles tendinosis is the soreness or stiffness of

4788-412: The king to appease the warrior. Agamemnon agrees and sends Odysseus and two other chieftains, Ajax and Phoenix . They promise that, if Achilles returns to battle, Agamemnon will return the captive Briseis and other gifts. Achilles rejects all Agamemnon offers him and simply urges the Greeks to sail home as he is planning to do. The Trojans, led by Hector , subsequently push the Greek army back toward

4872-407: The knee. Both muscles are innervated by the tibial nerve . Because the fibres of the tendon spiral about 90 degrees, fibres from the gastrocnemius tend to attach to the outer part of the bone, whereas fibres from the soleus tend to attach closer to the midline. Vibration of the tendon without vision has a major impact on postural orientation. Vibration of the tendon causes movement backwards and

4956-496: The medical arts. Thetis foretold that her son's fate was either to gain glory and die young, or to live a long but uneventful life in obscurity. Achilles chose the former, and decided to take part in the Trojan War. According to Photius , the sixth book of the New History by Ptolemy Hephaestion reported that Thetis burned in a secret place the children she had by Peleus. When she had Achilles, Peleus noticed, tore him from

5040-412: The mid portion of the tendon but may involve the insertion, which is then known as enthesopathy. Though enthesopathy may be seen in the context of advancing age, it is also associated with arthritis such as gout and the seronegative spondyloarthritides . Achilles tendinosis is a known risk factor for calf muscle tears. Achilles tendon rupture is when the Achilles tendon breaks. Symptoms include

5124-512: The mortal parts of his body. She was interrupted by Peleus and abandoned both father and son in a rage. None of the sources before Statius make any reference to this general invulnerability. To the contrary, in the Iliad , Homer mentions Achilles being wounded: in Book 21 the Paeonian hero Asteropaios , son of Pelagon , challenged Achilles by the river Scamander . He was ambidextrous, and cast

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5208-437: The name " Pyrrha " (the red-haired girl), Cercysera or Aissa ("swift" ). With Lycomedes' daughter Deidamia , with whom he had begun a relationship, Achilles there fathered two sons, Neoptolemus (also called Pyrrhus, after his father's possible alias) and Oneiros. According to this story, Odysseus learned from the prophet Calchas that the Achaeans would be unable to capture Troy without Achilles' aid. Odysseus went to Skyros in

5292-517: The personal name Achilleus in the forms a-ki-re-u and a-ki-re-we , the latter being the dative of the former. The name grew more popular, becoming common soon after the seventh century BC and was also turned into the female form Ἀχιλλεία ( Achilleía ), attested in Attica in the fourth century BC ( IG II² 1617) and, in the form Achillia , on a stele in Halicarnassus as the name of

5376-518: 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. According to the Cypria (the part of the Epic Cycle that tells the events of the Trojan War before Achilles' wrath), when the Achaeans desired to return home, they were restrained by Achilles, who afterwards attacked

5460-434: The river Styx as an infant, she held him by one of his heels, leaving it untouched by the waters and thus his only vulnerable body part. Alluding to these legends, the term Achilles' heel has come to mean a point of weakness which can lead to downfall, especially in someone or something with an otherwise strong constitution. The Achilles tendon is named after him following the same legend. Linear B tablets attest to

5544-415: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Achilleis . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Achilleis&oldid=1034526343 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

5628-567: The sea', or 'lord of the Pontus Euxinus '), who was invoked as a protector of the city of Olbia, venerated on par with Olympian gods such as the local Apollo Prostates, Hermes Agoraeus, or Poseidon . Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) in his Natural History mentions a "port of the Achæi" and an "island of Achilles", famous for the tomb of that "man" ( portus Achaeorum, insula Achillis, tumulo eius viri clara ), situated somewhat nearby Olbia and

5712-440: The side of the muscle, and superficial to it, is the small saphenous vein . The sural nerve accompanies the small saphenous vein as it descends in the posterior leg, traveling inferolateral to it as it crosses the lateral border of the Achilles tendon. The tendon is the thickest tendon in the human body. It can receive a load stress 3.9 times body weight during walking and 7.7 times body weight when running. The blood supply to

5796-494: The son of Nestor, Achilles grieves over his beloved companion's death. His mother Thetis comes to comfort the distraught Achilles. She persuades Hephaestus to make new armour for him, in place of the armour that Patroclus had been wearing, which was taken by Hector. The new armour includes the Shield of Achilles , described in great detail in the poem. Enraged over the death of Patroclus, Achilles ends his refusal to fight and takes

5880-426: The source of the troubles but will not speak unless Achilles vows to protect him. Achilles does so, and Calchas declares that Chryseis must be returned to her father. Agamemnon consents, but then commands that Achilles' slave Briseis , the daughter of Briseus , be brought to him to replace Chryseis. Angry at the dishonour of having his plunder and glory taken away (and, as he says later, because he loves Briseis), with

5964-487: The story suggested Troilus was accidentally killed by Achilles in an over-ardent lovers' embrace. In this version of the myth, Achilles' death therefore came in retribution for this sacrilege. Ancient writers treated Troilus as the epitome of a dead child mourned by his parents. Had Troilus lived to adulthood, the First Vatican Mythographer claimed, Troy would have been invincible; however, the motif

6048-445: The sudden onset of sharp pain in the heel . A snapping sound may be heard as the tendon breaks and walking becomes difficult. Rupture typically occurs as a result of a sudden bending up of the foot when the calf muscle is engaged, direct trauma , or long-standing tendonitis. Other risk factors include the use of fluoroquinolones , a significant change in exercise, rheumatoid arthritis , gout , or corticosteroid use. Diagnosis

6132-411: The tendon's location and said that it was commonly called "the cord of Achilles." The tendon has been described as early as the time of Hippocrates , who described it as the " tendo magnus " (Latin for "great tendon") and by subsequent anatomists prior to Verheyen as " chorda Hippocratis " (Latin for "Hippocrates' string"). Verheyen referred to the mythological account of Achilles being held by

6216-421: The tendon, particularly worse when exercising, and generally due to overuse. The most common symptoms are sharp achy pain and swelling around the affected tendon. The pain is typically worse at the start of exercise and decreases thereafter. Stiffness of the ankle may also be present. Onset is generally gradual. It commonly occurs as a result of overuse such as running . Other risk factors include trauma,

6300-400: The time allotted for its destruction, seeming to show that the unhindered rage of Achilles can defy fate itself. Finally, Achilles finds his prey. Achilles chases Hector around the wall of Troy three times before Athena , in the form of Hector's favorite and dearest brother, Deiphobus , persuades Hector to stop running and fight Achilles face to face. After Hector realizes the trick, he knows

6384-465: The urging of his mother Thetis, Achilles refuses to fight or lead his troops alongside the other Greek forces. At the same time, burning with rage over Agamemnon's theft, Achilles prays to Thetis to convince Zeus to help the Trojans gain ground in the war, so that he may regain his honour. As the battle turns against the Greeks, thanks to the influence of Zeus, Nestor declares that the Trojans are winning because Agamemnon has angered Achilles, and urges

6468-503: The warrior queen, only to grieve over her death later. Initially taken aback, he did not fight as intensely as usual. Once he realized that his distraction was endangering his life, he refocused and killed her. Following the death of Patroclus, Nestor's son Antilochus becomes Achilles' closest companion. When Memnon , son of the Dawn Goddess Eos and king of Ethiopia , slays Antilochus, Achilles once more obtains revenge on

6552-489: Was assumed that a man could both desire handsome young men and have sex with women. Many pairs of men throughout history have been compared to Achilles and Patroclus to imply a homosexual relationship. The death of Achilles, even if considered solely as it occurred in the oldest sources, is a complex one, with many different versions. Starting with the oldest account, In book 22 of the Iliad , Hector predicts with his last dying breath that Paris and Apollo will slay him at

6636-406: Was born Thetis tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx ; however, he was left vulnerable at the part of the body by which she held him: his left heel (see Achilles' heel , Achilles tendon ) . It is not clear if this version of events was known earlier. In another version of this story, Thetis anointed the boy in ambrosia and put him on top of a fire in order to burn away

6720-469: Was covered with long wavy chestnut-colored hair. Though mild in manner, he was very fierce in battle. His face showed the joy of a man richly endowed." Some post-Homeric sources claim that in order to keep Achilles safe from the war, Thetis (or, in some versions, Peleus) hid the young man dressed as a princess or at least a girl at the court of Lycomedes , king of Skyros . There, Achilles, properly disguised, lived among Lycomedes' daughters, perhaps under

6804-458: Was described by Ambroise Pare in the sixteenth century. The Achilles tendon is also known as the " tendo calcaneus " (Latin for "calcaneal tendon"). Because eponyms (names relating to people) have no relationship to the subject matter, most anatomical eponyms also have scientifically descriptive terms. The term calcaneal comes from the Latin calcaneum , meaning heel. The Achilles tendon connects muscle to bone, like other tendons , and

6888-493: Was preserved for centuries in the temple of Athena on the acropolis of Phaselis , Lycia, a port on the Pamphylian Gulf. The city was visited in 333 BC by Alexander the Great , who envisioned himself as the new Achilles and carried the Iliad with him, but his court biographers do not mention the spear; however, it was shown in the time of Pausanias in the 2nd century CE. Numerous paintings on pottery have suggested

6972-478: Was so ashamed that he committed suicide. Odysseus eventually gave the armour to Neoptolemus , the son of Achilles. When Odysseus encounters the shade of Ajax much later in the House of Hades ( Odyssey 11.543–566), Ajax is still so angry about the outcome of the competition that he refuses to speak to Odysseus. The armour they fought for was made by Hephaestus and thus much stronger and more beautiful than any armour

7056-471: Was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus , king of Phthia and famous Argonaut . Achilles was raised in Phthia along with his childhood companion Patroclus and received his education by the centaur Chiron . In the Iliad , he is presented as the commander of the mythical tribe of the Myrmidons . Achilles' most notable feat during the Trojan War was the slaying of the Trojan prince Hector outside

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