ACHILLES, son of Peleus (q.v.) and Thetis; bravest, hand somest and swiftest of the army of Agamemnon. According to Homer, he was brought up by his mother at Phthia with his cousin and his intimate friend Patroclus; his teachers were Phoenix and Cheiron. The non-Homeric tales of his childhood contain obvious folk-tale themes. Thetis had seven children, all of whom she put into the fire or a cauldron (see DEMETER; HERCULES), to make them immortal. All died save Achilles; because Peleus in terfered at this point, Thetis left him. (Fairy Bride theme.) Or, Thetis dipped the child in the waters of the river Styx, by which (like Sigurd Fafnirs-bane) he became invulnerable, except that part of his heel by which she held him ; whence the proverbial "heel of Achilles." During the first nine years of the war as described in the Iliad, Achilles ravaged the country round Troy, and took 12 cities. In the tenth year occurred the quarrel with Agamemnon. In order to appease the wrath of Apollo, who had visited the camp with a pestilence, Agamemnon had restored Chryseis, his prize of war, to her father, a priest of the god, but as a compensation deprived Achilles, who had openly demanded this restoration, of his favour ite slave Briseis.
Achilles refused further service, and rejected offers of compen sation for the insult. During his absence the Greeks were hard pressed, and at last he allowed Patroclus to personate him, lending him his chariot and armour. When Hector slew Patroclus Achilles was reconciled to Agamemnon, got new armour from Hephaestus, slew Hector, and, after dragging his body around the walls of Troy, restored it to Priam at his earnest entreaty.
The Iliad concludes with the funeral rites of Hector. It makes no mention of the death of Achilles, but hints at its taking place "before the Scaean gates." The Odyssey mentions his funeral. The Aethiopsis took up the story of the Iliad. It told how Achil les, having slain the Amazon Penthesileia and Memnon (q.v.), was himself slain by Paris, whose arrow was guided by Apollo to his vulnerable heel. He was worshipped in many places : at Leuke, where he was honoured with offerings and games; in Sparta, Elis, and especially Sigeum on the Hellespont, where his famous tumulus was erected.
Behind these legends there probably lies a real man, certainly not a sun-, river- or other god. No certain statue of him, but numerous other representations in art, survive (see GREEK ART) .