Achilles' heel

Sham Misri

What was wrong with Achilles' heel?

Achilles was a mythical hero of ancient Greece, the perfect of youthful strength beauty and courage. He was the son of Peleus, a mortal, and Thetis, one of the lesser goddesses. Achilles was King of the Myrmidons and a powerful warrior.

According to the legend, while Achilles was still a babe his mother dipped him in the River Styx, which protected his body forever against any weapon-with one important exception. The river water did not touch the heel by which his mother held him.  That was his weak spot; and he died at Troy from an arrow wound in that heel. Nowadays, if we know that an otherwise strong person has a weakness, we call it his Achilles' heel.