Achilles where is he from

I have loved the ancient Greek myths since I was a child, and studied Latin and Greek throughout high school, college, and graduate school. My professors gave me an incredible and electrifying education in ancient history and literature, and all of it helped provide the foundation for the book—though at the time, of course, I had no idea that I would one day use it for fiction.

Once I started writing the novel, I inevitably discovered that I needed to know more: What exactly did ancient ship sails look like? What kind of flora and fauna does Homer mention? My background in Classics helped there too; I had a lot of the answers already on my bookshelf, or I knew where to go to find the information I needed.

It was also extremely helpful that I had spent time in parts of Greece and Turkey. His reaction is shocking in its intensity. The great half-god warrior—who carelessly defies rules, and condemns a whole army to death—comes completely unglued, desperate with grief and rage.

I wanted to understand what it was about Patroclus and their relationship that could create that kind of crisis. Who was Achilles? And why did he love Patroclus so much? Writing the novel was my way of answering that question.

How did you come up with your theory that their friendship grew into love? The idea that Patroclus and Achilles were lovers is quite old. Many Greco-Roman authors read their relationship as a romantic one—it was a common and accepted interpretation in the ancient world. There is a lot of support for their relationship in the text of the Iliad itself, though Homer never makes it explicit. That sense of physical devastation spoke deeply to me of a true and total intimacy between the two men.

Where does it come from, and after all of your research, do you believe it? Our earliest account of it is by a Roman author, almost a millennium after the Iliad and the Odyssey were first composed. Since the Iliad and Odyssey were my primary inspiration, and since their interpretation seemed more realistic, this was the version I chose to follow. There are a number of fun myths about the heel, once that story became popular. Homer Greek epic poet. See all related overviews in Oxford Reference ».

The size of his kingdom, and of his contingent in the Trojan expedition 50 ships , is not outstanding. We are reminded of his absolute supremacy throughout the poem, even during those long stretches for which he is absent from the battlefield.

His character is complex. In many ways he carries the savage ethical code of the Homeric hero to its ultimate and terrifying conclusion. When Agamemnon steals his concubine Briseis, his anger at the insult to his personal honour is natural and approved by gods and men; but he carries this anger beyond any normal limit when he refuses an offer of immense compensation.

Unlike Hector, Achilles knows well that he is soon to die. In his speech at Iliad 9. In his encounter with Lycaon, his sense of common mortality the fact that Patroclus has died and Achilles himself will die is a reason, not for sparing his suppliant, but for killing him in cold blood. Finally at Iliad 24, when Priam begs him to release Hector's body, it is human feeling, as well as the gods' command, that makes him yield; but even then he accepts a ransom, and his anger still threatens to break out afresh.

But they did provide many further details of Achilles' career, often derived from cyclic epics see epic cycle such as the Cypria and Aethiopis. As a boy he was brought up by the wise Centaur Chiron on Mt.

Later his mother Thetis, knowing that he would be killed if he joined the expedition to Troy, hid him at the court of King Lycomedes on Scyros, disguised as a girl. Odysseus discovered his identity by trickery, and he joined the Greek army at Aulis, where he was involved in the story of Iphigenia.

How will it end? Who was the first man? Where do souls go after death? Herodotus was a Greek writer and geographer credited with being the first historian. Sometime around the year B. The so-called golden age of Athenian culture flourished under the leadership of Pericles B. Pericles transformed his The Greek philosopher Aristotle B. Though overshadowed in classical times by the work of his teacher Plato, from late antiquity Viewed by many as the founding figure of Western philosophy, Socrates B.

The Athenian philosopher Plato c. In his written dialogues he conveyed and expanded on the ideas and techniques of his teacher Socrates.

The Academy he In around B. Most of all, Pericles paid artisans to build temples Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Achilles: Early Life Like most mythological heroes, Achilles had a complicated family tree.

Recommended for you. Julius Caesar. Mummy Mania. Trojan War. Peloponnesian War. Hercules Hercules known in Greek as Heracles or Herakles is one of the best-known heroes in Greek and Roman mythology.