Thread by @of_mythology

THE STORY OF ACHILLES HEEL; GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Special Request by @luwaladun

Achilles was demigod and his parents were the mortal Peleus, the king of the Myrimidons, and the sea nymph Thetis who both Posiedon and Zeus wanted as a wife.
Achilles helped the Agamemnon army in their war against the Trojans and he was the bravest and most handsome warrior

Achilles was said to be have been raised by his mother at Phthia, alongside his cousin and inseparable companion Patrochus.
When Achilles was born, the Fates revealed/prophesied that he would die at a young age and on a battlefield.

Due to this prophecy, his mother Thetis was extremely protective of him. She sought ways to avoid this prophecy and came up with one. She decided to dip the body of Achilles into the River Styx so he would become invulnerable. This worked but the heel which his mother held him by

became his weak spot as that was the only part of his body not dipped in the river.
Achilles grew up to become strong and invulnerable. He made sure to hide his weak spot, his Achilles heel from all enemies. When the Trojan war began, the king of Agamemnon sent Odysseus to find

Achilles and convince to fight in the war with them. Thetis became afraid for her son and proceeded to send him to King Lycomed disguised as a woman. Achilles hid amongst the king's daughters for nine years and during that time, one of the daughters named Deidamia bore him a son

who was named Neoptolemus. The clever Odysseus(second image) finally found Achilles and convinced him to fight alongside the Greeks in the Trojan war. Achilles agreed and within a short time, he had struck fear into the hearts of the Trojans and their armies.

Achilles also had a terrible temper and this showed a lot during the last years of the war. Achilles constantly fought with Agamemnon over possession of Briseis, a young woman Achilles had won as a prize of war. Agamemnon claimed Briseis as his and this angered Achilles who

almost killed Agamemnon if not for the intervention of Athena.
Achilles withdrew from the war and stayed on his own in his tent. Thetris complained to Zeus who promised to turn the Trojan war against the Greeks so they would realize how much they need Achilles on their side

The greeks, after seeing the outcome of losing Achilles, sent an embassy to Achilles to persuade him to return to their army and help in their fight. They offered him Briseis and other magnificent gifts if he were to come back to their army, but Achilles refused.

Patrochus instead went into battle with the armour of Achilles to fight in his place. Unfortunately, he was killed by Hector the prince of Troy and their greatest warrior. This enraged Achilles who returned to the battlefield and once again filled the hearts of the Trojans with

fear. With the help of Athena, Achilles met Hector and killed him in a one on one battle. Achilles refused to return the body of Hector and instead abused it by dragging it around the roads of Troy behind his chariot. Achilles finally gave the body to Priam, a man who was guided

by Apollo to the tent of Achilles. It was said that Achilles insulted and disrespected Apollo and this enraged the god. Apollo focused his anger on Achilles and appeared to Paris, Hector's younger brother, telling him that he would guide him on his revenge against Achilles for

killing his brother and abusing his corpse.
On a certain day during battle and guided by Apollo, Paris shot a poisoned arrow into Achilles heel, his only weak spot. The poison was fast acting and within seconds, Achilles succumbed to the cold hands of death.

This was great news for the people of Troy as the mighty Achilles was now dead and no longer a threat to them.

End of thread
We hope @luwaladun and everyone else reading this enjoyed the story❤