{"id":3923312,"date":"2025-12-25T20:08:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T01:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/achilles-the-real-story-of-the-legendary-warrior\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T20:08:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T01:08:35","slug":"achilles-the-real-story-of-the-legendary-warrior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/achilles-the-real-story-of-the-legendary-warrior\/","title":{"rendered":"Achilles: The Real Story Of The Legendary Warrior"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Greek and Roman mythology and culture have long been at the forefront of pop culture and study in western society. There\u2019s just something so intriguing about it all\u2014the gods, the legends, the art.<\/p>\n

Not only are there many myths and stories, there are many\u00a0versions<\/em>\u00a0of these stories. With such a wealth of material, it\u2019s no wonder that the myths of Ancient Greece are a common source of adaptation for theater, literature, and film.<\/p>\n

One of the most iconic figures in all of Greek mythology is, of course, Achilles\u2014they fierce warrior whose body was completely invulnerable except for his heel. While the full story of Achilles is quite complex and entertaining, however, his representation in Hollywood has unfortunately been oversimplified and watered down.<\/p>\n

Below, we\u2019ll get into just how Hollywood got it wrong and take a closer look at the real story behind the legendary warrior.<\/p>\n

How Hollywood Watered Down The Story Of Achilles<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"statue<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Image by:<\/em>\u00a0pixabay<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Perhaps the most iconic portrayal of Achilles by Hollywood to date is the move Troy<\/em>, which tries to take a historical approach to the events of the Trojan War by removing all the gods, nymphs, and magic.<\/p>\n

Considering Achilles is well-known as a demigod and his tale is rife with godly interference, this is already an interesting choice.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s give that a pass for a moment and determine if the film accomplished what it set out to do: portray an accurate historical account.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it falls short there as well.<\/p>\n

For starters, after she has run off with Paris,\u00a0Troy\u2019s\u00a0<\/em>version of Helen claims that she never wanted to move to Sparta in the first place and that she was forced to marry Menelaus. That\u2019s interesting, considering Helen is actually\u00a0from<\/em>\u00a0Sparta and the daughter of the preceding king and queen.<\/p>\n

The movie also kills off key players such as Agamemnon and Ajax before the war\u2019s end, while there is actual historical evidence that suggests the two made it out of the war alive, at least for a time. These are just a few of the historical inaccuracies that plague the film. For a more detailed discussion of historical inaccuracies in the film, check out this review posted on The Guardian<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In terms of the portrayal of Achilles himself, there\u2019s a lot to be desired. Sure, no one can complain about too much Brad Pitt, but the way his character is written is just poor. Pitt\u2019s Achilles is constantly reluctant to take action and constantly in bed with women\u2014which may not be entirely inaccurate, but the Achilles of legend was at least more proactive and complex.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find out in our recounting of the story of Achilles below why there\u2019s a particular problem with the portrayal of Achilles\u2019 sexuality.<\/p>\n

The True Story Of Achilles<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"statue<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

image via: flick\u200b<\/span>\u200b<\/span>r.com<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Birth And Early Childhood<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Achilles was the son of Peleus, the king of Phthia, and Thetis, a minor sea goddess.<\/p>\n

Interestingly enough, Achilles could have been the son of either Zeus or Poseidon, both of whom were pursuing Thetis. However, it had been prophesized that Thetis would bare a son who would surpass his father\u2014and so both these gods quickly changed their minds about that. It was decided that Thetis should marry a mortal man to therefore limit her son\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

It was also prophesized that Achilles would die in battle. Thetis, being an immortal herself, was already distraught at the thought that her son would eventually die in the first place, and so she took measures to ensure that his death would be as delayed as possible.<\/p>\n

This is the part of the myth that most people are most familiar with: Thetis, dipping all but the heel of her son\u2019s body into the River Styx in order to make him nearly invincible. Because the heel was not dipped, however, he was left with one vulnerable spot on his body\u2014thus giving arise to the term \u201cAchilles\u2019 heel.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is another version of how Achilles invulnerability came about, however. In this version, Thetis would nightly anoint him with Ambrosia and place him in the fire as part of a purifying ritual. When Peleus discovered this, he didn\u2019t understand and refused to listen to Thetis, and so she returned to the sea.<\/p>\n

Getting Pulled Into The War<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"achilles<\/span><\/p>\n

As a child and young man, Achilles spent much of his time under the tutelage of the centaur Chiron, the famous trainer of heroes. It was under his instruction that Achilles became the legendary fighter he was known as. In his youth Achilles also became friends with Peleus and, more importantly, Patroclus.<\/p>\n

When it became clear that the Trojan War would break out, Thetis acted once again to keep Achilles out of harm\u2019s way. As for her methods, well\u2026 \u201dunconventional\u201d is a good way of putting it.<\/p>\n

She sent Achilles to live in the court of King Lycomedes\u2014disguised as a girl. That\u2019s another thing the movie got wrong\u2014who here doesn\u2019t want to see Brad Pitt in a full-on dress?<\/p>\n

Of course, nothing can stand in the way of fate\u2014when yet another prophesy was delivered that the Greeks wouldn\u2019t be able to defeat the Trojans without the aid of Achilles, Odysseus, the famous trickster himself, went to find him. And, of course, Achilles joined.<\/p>\n

The First Nine Years<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The first nine years of the war were relatively successful for Achilles. Under him, his troops overtook a dozen Trojan cities and Achilles developed a fierce reputation on the battlefield.<\/p>\n

It was also during this time, however, that Achilles started the chain of events that would eventually lead to his demise.<\/p>\n

Against his mother\u2019s advice, Achilles killed Tenedos, the king of Tenes. Tenedos also happened to be the son of Apollo. Nothing ever good comes of killing a god\u2019s child.<\/p>\n

Events Of The Iliad<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It is only the final year of the Trojan War that is told in Homer\u2019s famous Iliad<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This chapter of Achilles\u2019 life begins with Achilles convincing Agamemnon to return Chryseis, whom he had recently claimed as a spoil of war, to her father, a priest of Apollo. (Background on Agamemnon: the brother of Menelaus, who was married to Helen before Paris stole her away.)<\/p>\n

Agamemnon was none to happy about this, and so he demanded Achilles\u2019 own concubine, Briseis. This naturally does not go over well, either, and Achilles refuses to further participate in the war.<\/p>\n

Despite the pleas of his friends, in the light of the prophecy of his death that his mother has now revealed to him, Achilles opts to live a quiet life in obscurity. Things divulge into a sorry state for the Greeks, leading Achilles\u2019 closest friend Patroclus to dress in Achilles\u2019 armor and impersonate him in battle. Unfortunately, Patroclus is slain by Hector, the brother of Paris\u2014and Achilles\u2019 anger is ignited.<\/p>\n

When Achilles returns, he swiftly kills Hector and the tide of the war turns in favor of the Greeks. Though with his dying breath Hector foretells of Achilles\u2019 impending death, it does not actually take place before the end of the\u00a0Iliad<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Death Of Achilles<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It is none other than Paris, the brother of Hector and lover of Helen who caused the whole war in the first place, who eventually kills Achilles.<\/p>\n

He does so by firing an arrow that finds its target in Achilles\u2019 singular vulnerable spot: his heel. Paris was known for being somewhat of a coward and certainly didn\u2019t have a reputation as an archer. It is therefore believed that Apollo, the god of archery himself, guided the arrow\u2014finally taking his revenge on Achilles.<\/p>\n

The Biggest Change To Achilles\u2019 Character In Modern Media<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s back up for a moment and re-discuss Patroclus, the friend who impersonated Achilles and died from it.<\/p>\n

It is the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus that is perhaps the most misrepresented in\u00a0Troy<\/em>\u00a0and other retellings. While many choose to read the close relationship between Achilles and Patroclus as strictly platonic, you have to ignore a great deal of language and content that suggest the more likely alternative: that the two were lovers.<\/p>\n

The movie\u00a0Troy<\/em>\u00a0annihilates this possibility altogether by stating that Patroclus is in fact Achilles\u2019 cousin. This does not do justice to the relationship between the two men. It is only after Patroclus\u2019 death that Achilles returns to battle. While it\u2019s possible that he has gone to avenge a friend, the stakes are raised in the knowledge that he has gone to avenge a lover.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not surprising that Hollywood would choose to erase this aspect of Achilles\u2019 character, especially back in 2004. It fundamentally changes the dynamic of the entire story, even though it is often overlooked.<\/p>\n

In a way,\u00a0Troy\u00a0<\/em>not only removes the gods from its telling of the story of Achilles, it also removes its humanity.<\/p>\n

With such a rich mythology and complex dynamics, we can only hope that the next crack Hollywood takes at portraying Achilles will be a better one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Go to Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n

Greek and Roman mythology and culture have long been at the forefront of pop culture and study in western society. There\u2019s just something so intriguing about it all\u2014the gods, the legends, the art.<\/p>\n

Not only are there many myths and stories, there are many versions of these stories. With such […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3923312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ancient-code","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3923312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3923312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3923312\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3923312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3923312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikedyess.info\/para\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3923312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}