Foremost Greek warrior of the Trojan War, central figure of the Iliad.
Overview
Achilles is a major hero in Greek myth and the leading warrior in the Trojan War stories. He is a mortal figure with a semi-divine origin and is known as the greatest Greek fighter of the Heroic Age. He is the main warrior in Homer’s Iliad.
In this epic he fights as the top champion of the Achaean forces at Troy. He is shown as the perfect heroic warrior, whose skill in battle has no equal. His anger, his sense of honor, and his choice to leave and later return to the fighting shape the war’s events. His story in the Iliad explores heroic glory, anger, and human mortality in Greek epic.
Family and Lineage
In Greek myth Achilles is the son of the mortal king Peleus of Phthia and the sea nymph Thetis, one of the Nereids. This makes him a semi-divine hero. Through Peleus he belongs to the House of Aeacus and counts Aeacus as an important ancestor, giving him a famous heroic family line.
Traditions name Deidameia as his consort. Neoptolemus, also called Pyrrhus, is his son by her. Neoptolemus is widely known as his child and continues the Aeacid line. However, in the Iliad Achilles is not shown as a settled, domestic figure. There he appears almost entirely as a warrior and leader in battle.
Myths and Deeds
In myth Achilles grows up in Phthia and quickly becomes famous as the strongest warrior of his time. A prophecy says that Troy cannot be taken without him, which leads to his joining the Achaean expedition. At Troy he commands the Myrmidons and wins many victories.
During the Trojan War he leaves the fighting after a fierce quarrel with Agamemnon over the captive Briseis. This decision causes heavy losses for the Greeks. His closest companion, Patroclus, later goes into battle wearing Achilles’ armor and is killed by Hector, the main Trojan champion. This death drives Achilles back into the war in a furious campaign. He kills Hector and drags Hector’s body behind his chariot around the walls of Troy.
The Iliad ends Achilles’ story with the scene where Priam, king of Troy, comes to him to beg for Hector’s body. Achilles is persuaded to return the corpse for burial. In this moment his heroic rage is balanced by human pity, even though his own foretold death is still to come.
Famous episodes linked to Achilles include his wrath and later reconciliation in the Iliad, his quarrel with Agamemnon over Briseis, the embassy that tries to bring him back to battle, the death of Patroclus, and the killing of Hector. His special armor and the making of the Shield of Achilles by Hephaestus are key elements. Later stories add his time hiding in women’s clothing on the island of Scyros, the conception of Neoptolemus there, and different accounts of his death at Troy.
His feats show him as the top Achaean warrior, unmatched in speed and fighting skill. He leads the Myrmidons in many successful attacks and defeats Hector in single combat. He also receives a new set of divine armor from Hephaestus at Thetis’ request, including the famous shield decorated with detailed images of the world and human life.
Achilles’ story also includes serious offenses. His refusal to fight after the quarrel with Agamemnon directly leads to many Greek deaths. His harsh treatment of Hector’s body is shown as an extreme form of anger. He resists the pleas of the Greek leaders until he is finally moved by Priam’s visit.
In turn, Achilles suffers greatly. He mourns Patroclus, whose death he sees as the result of his own earlier choices. He lives under prophecies that force him to choose between a long, quiet life and a short life ending in death at Troy but crowned with undying fame. He accepts an early death in exchange for lasting glory (kleos), which defines his heroic identity.
Later stories add more details, including Thetis’ attempts to make him immortal by dipping him in water or anointing him with ambrosia and placing him in fire. The specific idea of a vulnerable “Achilles’ heel” does not appear in early Greek epic. Other post-Homeric sources add side episodes from the Trojan cycle that involve Achilles, extending his story beyond the Iliad.
Role in Tradition
In Greek tradition Achilles is the leading hero of the Trojan War and a prime example of heroic excellence (aretē) and fighting skill. His story in the Iliad shows him as a tragic figure whose honor, anger, and meeting with death shape the poem and its picture of the heroic code.
He is closely linked with heroic warfare and single combat, the search for martial honor and glory (kleos), and the tension between personal status and the needs of the army as a whole. His fate and choices make him an important figure for thinking about destiny and early death.
In family terms Achilles is seen as the ancestor of Neoptolemus, who continues the Aeacid line and plays a major part in the final capture of Troy. Through this Aeacid link, Achilles is tied to later myths and cult traditions in Aegina and Epirus, where his family line becomes a source of local pride.
Culturally, he is the main figure through whom the Greek heroic code is shown and questioned in Homeric epic. He represents both the highest form of heroic glory and the personal and communal costs that come with it. Later Greek thought uses him as a key example for ideas about anger, friendship, pity, and the limits of human greatness.
Discussions about Achilles often focus on whether he changes morally in the Iliad, especially in his move from destructive wrath to compassion for Priam, and on whether his choice of a short, glorious life is a simple praise of heroic values or a more critical look at the worth of kleos. People also study how the Homeric picture of Achilles relates to possible earlier or non-Homeric traditions about the Aeacids.
Birth and Early Life
Achilles is said to be born in Phthia in Thessaly, the homeland he later leaves for Troy. His birth comes from the union of Peleus, the mortal king of Phthia, and the Nereid Thetis, in a marriage arranged by the gods. His semi-divine parents mark him from the start as destined for great strength and a life shaped by heroic fate.
From his earliest years, prophecies surround him. One set of predictions says he must choose between a long, quiet life at home and a short life that ends in death at Troy but brings undying glory. Another oracle says that Troy cannot be taken without him, making him essential to the Achaean expedition.
Achilles grows up in Phthia under his father’s care. Tradition links his training to the wise centaur Chiron. Under Chiron he learns warfare and, in some accounts, healing skills as well, combining fighting ability with practical knowledge typical of heroic upbringing. From youth he is known for his great speed and strength, early signs of the power that will later make him the greatest warrior at Troy. No other foster parents or guardians are strongly linked to his childhood in the surviving stories.
Quests and Labors
Achilles’ main undertaking is his role in the war against Troy, the key event of the Trojan War. During this long siege he is the top warrior of the Achaean forces and the leader of the Myrmidons.
His reasons for fighting include his duty as a leading Greek hero and ally of the Achaean kings, and his conscious search for immortal glory (kleos) in line with the prophecies about his fate. In name he serves under Agamemnon’s overall command, but his actions are also shaped by the gods. Thetis and Athena support him, while Apollo opposes him.
His main obstacles are the Trojan army and its allies, especially Hector and other champions, and his own inner conflict over honor and spoils, which leads to his withdrawal from battle. Divine opposition, especially from Apollo, makes his task harder and helps bring about his death.
The outcome of this quest is crucial. Achilles’ withdrawal and later return to the fighting strongly affect the course of the war and the final fall of Troy. He gains the undying fame he seeks, but at the cost of his life.
His story also includes the voyage from Phthia to Troy, where he sails with the Myrmidons to join the Achaean coalition. This journey marks his move from the relative obscurity of his homeland to the main stage of heroic action at Troy.
Allies and Adversaries
In his career Achilles is surrounded by allies and companions. The most important is Patroclus, his beloved comrade, whose death becomes the turning point of Achilles’ story. He also commands the Myrmidons, his loyal warriors from Phthia.
Other important allies include Odysseus, Ajax the Greater, and Phoenix. In the Iliad they appear as envoys and fellow leaders among the Achaeans. As a youth and young warrior he is guided by mentors such as the centaur Chiron and his father Peleus, who help shape his skills and sense of heroic behavior.
Achilles’ ties with other Greek leaders are not always peaceful. He clashes with Agamemnon, whose seizure of Briseis causes Achilles to leave the fighting. In some stories he is also linked to Ajax the Greater as a rival, especially in the later contest for Achilles’ armor after his death.
His enemies include Hector and the Trojans in general, along with their allies. Among the gods he has patrons such as Thetis, Athena, and Hera, and opponents such as Apollo and, at certain times, Zeus, when Zeus holds him back or redirects his actions. Other gods who favor Troy also stand against him.
Chiron appears both as a mentor and as a notable creature in his story, since he is a centaur. Achilles’ most famous conflicts are the quarrel with Agamemnon over Briseis and questions of honor, his single combat with Hector that ends in Hector’s death, and his ongoing struggle against the Trojans and their divine protectors, especially Apollo.
Death and Afterlife
Achilles is destined to die in battle during the Trojan War. Later stories regularly describe his death as caused by an arrow shot by Paris (Alexandros) and guided or helped by Apollo. This fatal shot strikes him near or before the walls of Troy and fulfills the prophecies that had long predicted his early death.
After he falls, the Achaeans honor him with a great funeral that includes elaborate games in his memory. Some accounts say that his ashes are mixed with those of Patroclus and placed with them in a shared tomb or burial mound, showing the lasting bond between the two companions.
In the afterlife Achilles’ situation differs from source to source. Some traditions place him in the Isles of the Blessed or on the White Island (Leuke) in the Black Sea region, giving him a special heroic existence beyond normal mortal fate. Other accounts simply see him as a heroic dead figure honored at his tomb.
After his death he receives many honors, including funeral games, memorials, and hero cult in several Greek places, especially at sites linked to his burial and to the Aeacid line. The basic pattern of his death by an arrow from Paris with Apollo’s help stays the same in most sources, though later retellings change details about the exact wound and the circumstances of the attack.
Hero Cult and Worship
Achilles is honored in an active hero cult in the Greek world. A burial mound near Troy was traditionally seen as his tomb and became a main place for heroic honors. He is also linked to a sanctuary on the island of Leuke (the White Island) in the Black Sea region, where people worshipped his presence after death. Other cult links connect him to Aeacid-related sites such as Aegina and parts of Epirus, where his family line supported local hero worship.
Worship of Achilles is reported in several places, especially in the Troad near Troy, on Leuke, and in regions like Aegina and Epirus tied to the Aeacid family. Rituals included heroic honors and offerings at his supposed tomb, with libations and, in some accounts, games held in his name. People made sacrifices and libations at his mound or shrine as to a powerful hero, and they could organize contests in his honor.
Evidence for his cult runs from the Archaic through the Hellenistic periods, with mentions continuing into later antiquity.
Character and Themes
Achilles is marked by extreme bravery and great skill in battle, along with a strong and intense concern for his honor. He becomes angry quickly and forgives slowly when he feels insulted. At the same time he can show deep affection and loyalty, especially toward Patroclus.
His meeting with Priam in the Iliad shows his capacity for strong pity and empathy. His character includes both ferocity and compassion. This mix makes him a morally complex figure: he is a heroic champion whose greatness stands beside moments of destructive anger and cruelty. His actions move between a noble defense of honor and an almost inhuman rage.
Key themes linked to Achilles include the cost and meaning of heroic glory (kleos) compared to a long, uneventful life, and the destructive, often self-destructive nature of anger (mēnis). His story shows the inevitability of fate and early death for the greatest heroes. It also explores how friendship, grief, and shared suffering can humanize even the most fearsome warrior.
His tale highlights the tension between individual honor and the needs of the community, since his withdrawal from battle puts the whole Greek cause in danger. In an archetypal sense he appears as a tragic warrior-hero, showing both the heights of heroic excellence and its dangers, and as a wrathful champion who must learn pity.
Symbolically he is linked with speed and fighting power—he is often called swift-footed—as well as with the heroic choice between life and fame and the fragile line between human and divine worlds. Among his well-known epithets in Greek epic are “swift-footed” (podas ōkus), “godlike” (theoeidēs), and “son of Peleus.”
Interpretations and Reception
In ancient readings of his story, Achilles is seen as the top example of the heroic code. His life shows both the strengths and the dangers of heroic honor. His anger, withdrawal, and later meeting with Priam provide a way to explore ideas of justice, loyalty, and the proper limits of anger.
Philosophers and moral writers, including Plato and later authors, discuss Achilles as a model for thinking about how heroes are formed and educated, and sometimes criticize parts of his behavior. Allegorical readings treat his passions and choices as symbols of the soul’s struggles with desire, honor, and reason.
In religious and political settings, Achilles’ family line is used by cities and ruling families who claim descent from the Aeacids to increase their prestige and authority. His hero cult and genealogical ties appear in local identities and political propaganda, especially in areas linked to the Aeacid line.
In later literature, classical and Hellenistic poets, tragedians, and Roman authors such as Virgil and Ovid reshape his character and episodes from his life. In Roman works he appears both as a model of martial excellence and as a troubling figure whose extreme anger raises moral questions.
Achilles’ impact on literature is very large. He is the central figure of Homer’s Iliad, one of the key works of Greek and Western literature, and his story influences many later epics, tragedies, and poems about heroic anger, friendship, and fate. In visual art he often appears in vase painting, sculpture, and reliefs. Common scenes include the killing of Hector, the embassy to Achilles, and the mourning for Patroclus, which become standard images in classical culture.
Modern study continues to discuss how much psychological development he shows in the Iliad, especially the move from his first wrath to his later compassion, and to look at the links between the Homeric Achilles and possible earlier or local Aeacid traditions. Contemporary literary criticism often uses him as a key figure for themes of mortality, identity, and the ethics of violence in epic poetry.
Genealogical Legacy
Achilles holds a central place in the Aeacid line, which later becomes an important source of royal and heroic claims in regions such as Aegina and Epirus. He gives his name and fame to the Aeacid heroic tradition, and later people and places use his reputation as a sign of high ancestry.
His most notable descendant is Neoptolemus (Pyrrhus), who plays a key role in the final sack of Troy and appears in later myths tied to Epirus. Later rulers and family lines in Epirus and other regions trace their ancestry to Neoptolemus and so to Achilles, using this link to support their authority.
Dynastic claims built around Achilles stress his semi-divine ancestry as a way to connect mortal rulers with both heroic and divine prestige. The Aeacid name itself becomes a strong sign of noble descent, and genealogical stories highlight the ongoing martial excellence and heroic status passed down from him.
Sources for this genealogical legacy include the Homeric epics and later epic traditions of the Trojan cycle, as well as genealogical accounts and local traditions from the classical and Hellenistic periods.