Achilles Heel

Sham S. Misri

When Achilles mother gave birth to a child, she wanted to make him immortal. He was fed on the intestines of lions and wild boars and the marrow of bears, and named him Achilles [lipless] - because he had not applied his lips to a breast. In Greek mythology, Achilles was very handsome of the heroes who fought against Troy.

Achilles was the mightiest of the Greeks who fought in the Trojan War. When Achilles was a boy, a saint visited their house. He prophesied that the city of Troy could not be taken without his help. The mother knew that, if her son went to Troy, he would die an early death. So, she sent him outside the house to be hidden. He was disguised as a young girl. During his stay he had an affair with landlord’s daughter, and she had a son, by him. Achilles' disguise did not remain a secret for long.  He was decorated with arms and armor.  Achilles was fascinated by the swords and shields. Achilles then went willingly to Troy. He had many of his friends with him, and was also accompanied by his tutor and some close friends. At Troy, Achilles distinguished himself as an undefeatable warrior. He captured twenty-three towns in Trojan territory, including some important town. He took many women as a war-prize. Later on these women were taken away from Achilles. He became enraged and refused to fight for the Greeks any further. The war went badly, and the Greeks offered many prizes and awards to their greatest warrior; Achilles still refused to fight in person, but he agreed to allow his friend to fight in his place, wearing his armor. The next day, his friend was killed and stripped of the armor by the Trojan hero who mistook him for Achilles.

Achilles was overwhelmed with grief for his friend and was full of rage at the murderer. His mother obtained magnificent new armor for him and he returned to the fighting and killed the murderer. He desecrated the body, dragging it behind his chariot before the walls of Troy, and refused to allow it to receive funeral rites.

Achilles' days were now numbered. He continued fighting heroically, killing many of the Trojans and their allies. Finally Achilles was wounded in the heel with an arrow; Achilles died of the wound. After his death, it was decided to award Achilles' divinely-wrought armor to the bravest of the Greeks.

 During his lifetime, Achilles is also said to have had a number of romantic episodes.        

Legends state that Achilles was safe in all of his body except for his heel. As he died because of a small wound on his heel, the term Achilles' heel has come to mean a person's principal weakness. An Achilles' heel is somebody's weak spot. Achilles was a mighty warrior who was killed by arrow wound in to the foot.