Achilles, considered the greatest warrior of Greek mythology, is one of the main characters in Homer's epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. It is believed that the Iliad, written by Homer, dates back to the 7th or 8th century BC. Homer's Iliad recounts the stories between the hero Achilles, the Trojans, and the ambitious Achaean king Agamemnon during the Trojan War.
The legend of Achilles begins before his birth. Achilles' mother is the sea goddess Thetis, and his father is the mortal Peleus. Thetis is a beautiful goddess with the ability to see the future. Zeus initially wants to marry Thetis, but upon learning a prophecy that states a child born to her and a mortal would be extremely powerful, the gods arrange her marriage to Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons. From this union, Achilles, also known as Akhilleus, is born. Achilles is a demi-god, being one-quarter divine. Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons, becomes Achilles' father and later, Achilles himself becomes the commander of the Myrmidons.
The Myrmidons, under Achilles' command, also participate in the Trojan War. They are a loyal people, warriors who obey their leader without question. Even today, the term 'Myrmidon' is used to refer to loyal soldiers who follow orders unconditionally. The formation of the Myrmidons has two different mythological accounts. According to one, Zeus disguises himself as an ant and mates with the daughter of the Myrmidon king, Eurymedusa, resulting in the first Myrmidon. Another mythological account states that King Aiakos of the island of Aegina pleads with Zeus to transform the ants on the island into humans due to a plague that wiped out his people. 'Myrmex' means ant in Greek.
The Achilles Legend Begins
Immediately after his birth, Achilles is bathed by his mother, the sea goddess Thetis, in the river Styx, which flows in the underworld, the realm of the dead. Thetis is instructed not to let her hand touch the water of the river (she is warned not to dip her hand into this magical water). Holding the baby Achilles by his left heel, she immerses him in the river. The water of this river grants Achilles the power to be invulnerable in battles. Because Achilles' heel did not touch the water, it remains the only vulnerable and mortal part of him.
Another ability of Thetis is her power to see the future. Thetis foresees that her son Achilles will die in a great war that is yet to come (the Trojan, or as it is also known, the Troyan War). In an attempt to prevent this, she disguises Achilles as a girl and sends him to the court of King Lycomedes of Skyros, where he is hidden. Achilles falls in love with the king's daughter Deidameia and has a son with her, named Neoptolemus.
The Trojan War
Priam, the king of Troy, has fifty children, and according to legend, Paris, one of them, is the most handsome mortal man. Paris attends a banquet hosted by Menelaus, the king of Sparta, where he sees the incredibly beautiful Helen and falls in love with her. Helen is not indifferent to Paris either, but she is the wife of Menelaus. These two lovers escape to Troy. Menelaus, who has been disgraced, seeks help from his ambitious and powerful brother, King Agamemnon of Mycenae, to seek revenge and restore his honor. Agamemnon is eager to conquer new territories and is a warrior at heart. He readily accepts the proposal, uniting the forces of the Greek city-states on the Akha (Aka) peninsula, and embarks on a great expedition to what is now known as the Dardanelles, or Troy. However, the prophet Calchas of the Achaeans declares that without Achilles' participation in the Trojan War, Agamemnon will not be able to win and Troy will not fall. Upon hearing this, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, reveals Achilles' true identity, and Achilles is sent to the Trojan War.
There are various versions of how Odysseus identifies Achilles and convinces him to join the Trojan War, as well as Achilles' youth and entry into the war. According to one account, Achilles desires for his name to be immortal. He wishes for his name to be remembered as a great warrior throughout the ages. Knowing this, his mother Thetis tells him that if he goes to the Trojan War, he will die, but his name will never be forgotten. Accepting this, Achilles participates in the Trojan War.
The Trojan War Begins
King Agamemnon of Mycenae prepares his army on the coast of Greece, but the wind needed to set sail does not come. Agamemnon believes that sacrificing his daughter Iphigenia to the goddess Artemis, where virgin blood is spilled, will bring the wind. Just as he is about to sacrifice his daughter, Artemis sends a female deer in her place, and Agamemnon sacrifices the deer instead of his daughter. Iphigenia becomes a priestess at the temple of Artemis. The wind picks up, and the ships set sail.
The Achaean fleet first lands in the Mysia region, mistaking it for Troy, and pillages the area. Once they realize their mistake, they lay siege to the real Troy and demand that King Priam surrender Helen and pay reparations. When King Priam refuses the offer, the great Trojan War begins.
As the war continues with major battles, a dispute arises between Achilles and Agamemnon over the spoils of war. Agamemnon takes a virgin girl named Briseis, who was taken as war booty by Achilles. In front of everyone, a heated argument ensues between Achilles and Agamemnon, and Achilles, feeling that his rights have been violated, declares that he will not speak to anyone except his closest friend Patroclus and retreats to his tent.
After Achilles withdraws from the war, the Achaeans suffer three major defeats and are forced to retreat. In response, Agamemnon and Odysseus send Patroclus to persuade Achilles to rejoin the battle. However, Achilles remains unmoved and even states that he will return to Greece. Patroclus then asks for permission, saying, "Let me wear your armor and lead the soldiers into battle. They will be inspired, thinking I am you." Achilles agrees. (There are alternative accounts suggesting that Achilles only learned about Patroclus' attack on Troy after the fact, and in some versions, it is portrayed this way, as in the movie 'Troy'.)
Patroclus leads the soldiers into battle and kills many Trojan warriors until he encounters Hector. Hector, considered the greatest warrior of Asia, kills Patroclus. When Achilles receives news of his dearest friend Patroclus' death, he lets out a scream that reaches the ears of his mother, who resides in the seas. The sea goddess Thetis hurries to her son. Achilles, consumed by rage, is now determined to reengage in the battle for vengeance. He will cleanse his friend's blood by killing Hector. However, Achilles, who has not fought for a long time and has been living in his tent, lacks his armor. Achilles asks his mother for a set of armor. That night, Thetis orders the god of blacksmiths, Hephaestus, to forge armor and a shield for Achilles.
Achilles and Hector
Achilles, like a monstrous beast, assaults Troy. The rivers flow red with blood. Achilles arrives at the walls of Troy and challenges Hector to a one-on-one duel. The Trojan War reaches an epic climax as Hector, considered the mightiest warrior of Asia, confronts Achilles. Hector, with a single blow, kills Patroclus. Enraged, Achilles now intends to avenge his friend's death by killing Hector. Achilles kills Hector in front of the Trojan people, and afterwards, he ties Hector's body to his chariot, dragging it in circles around the walls of Troy, just out of reach. He refuses to give the body back to the Trojans.
According to Homer's Iliad, it is stated that Athena, the goddess of wisdom, aided Achilles in killing Hector. In the Trojan legend, it is seen that Achilles received significant help from the gods to kill Hector. After Hector's death, Penthesileia, the Amazon queen and Hector's aunt, is devastated by her nephew's loss. She joins the battle alongside her fellow Amazon warriors in support of the Trojans. Penthesileia is ultimately killed by Achilles in battle. (It is also rumored that Penthesileia was killed by Achilles after being violated, but this account varies in different versions of the story.)
How Did Achilles Die and Who Killed Achilles
During the Trojan War, as Achilles is about to enter the city to launch his final assault, he is struck by an arrow shot by Paris, Priam's son and the most handsome mortal man, known as the most beautiful of mortal men. In the Iliad, it is described that the arrow hits Achilles in his vulnerable heel. The most powerful tendon that connects the heel, known as the Achilles tendon, became the only mortal part of Achilles. Hence, the term "Achilles' heel" is derived from this event.
As the most powerful warrior of Asia, Hector, has been killed, Achilles, the greatest warrior among the Greeks, is also dead. According to a historical account, it was not Paris but the Sun god Apollo who killed Achilles. In this version, Achilles enters Apollo's temple during the war and causes damage. Knowing Achilles' weak point, Apollo takes on the guise of Paris and shoots Achilles with a poisoned arrow in his vulnerable heel, resulting in his death.
How Did the Trojan War End
Even after the deaths of Achilles and Hector, the war between the Greeks (Achaeans) and the Trojans continues. Ten years have passed, and despite the back and forth between the two sides, a conclusive outcome remains elusive. It is believed that if Achilles' son Neoptolemus joins the battle, the war will finally end. Neoptolemus is convinced to participate, yet the war still does not conclude. Following this, Odysseus devises the famous Trojan Horse plan to secure victory for the Achaeans. The Greeks, pretending to withdraw from the war, leave a massive wooden horse outside the walls of Troy. Inside the horse, Greek soldiers are hidden. The commander of the soldiers inside the horse, known as Epeios, is Neoptolemus. Believing the horse to be a gift from the gods, the Trojans celebrate and bring the horse into the city. When night falls and everyone is in a state of revelry, the soldiers inside the horse emerge and open the gates of Troy, allowing the hidden Greek troops, who have been lying in wait, to enter the city. The Greeks, led by Odysseus, set fire to Troy, killing all the men and taking the women as captives. King Priam and all his sons are killed. Paris, in an attempt to protect and save Helen, is killed by Neoptolemus. King Menelaus of Sparta, after the war, takes Helen back and returns to Sparta. Finally, after all the suffering, Menelaus achieves his goal. This marks the end of the city of Troy.
The Trojan Horse
According to historical belief, the ancient city of Troy was located in what is now present-day Çanakkale within the borders of our country, Turkey. In fact, according to legend, a small number of Trojans who managed to escape the city's fall sought refuge on Mount Ida in Çanakkale and later crossed to the region that is now Italy by ship, where they eventually founded Rome. The Iliad epic and the Trojan War were traditionally considered to be myths and stories, and their historical reality was not seriously entertained. The Trojan War symbolizes the first struggle for power between Europe and Asia, representing the first war.
Is the Trojan War and Achilles Real?
It is not known whether Achilles was real. He may have been a powerful commander in the great Trojan War of that era, and although he sustained many wounds during the war, he may not have died. Or perhaps, when he did die, only the arrow in his heel was witnessed, leading Homer to immortalize him in his epic.
For centuries, it was assumed that the Trojan War was a legend and never actually happened. However, inspired by these legends and firmly believing in the existence of Troy, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, often referred to as a dreamer, never wavered in his conviction that he would find Troy. In 1870, with special permission from Sultan Abdulhamid II, he conducted excavations in Çanakkale, secretly smuggling the treasures of Troy to Germany. Through further research extending south of the Dardanelles strait, a city that had been destroyed and rebuilt nine times was discovered. It was determined that the ancient city's sixth layer was the Troy described in Homer's Iliad.
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