Achilles

ach EEL lees

Αχιλλης

The Greatest Warrior of All Time

The Son of Peleus and Thetis

Achilles was the son of King Peleus and the Nereid, Thetis. His birth was the result of the union between a mortal (Peleus) and an Immortal (Thetis), which made Achilles semi-divine.

King Peleus ruled the Myrmidons and was one of the sons of Aiakos (Aeacus) and Endies. A generation before the Trajan War, Peleus accompanied Jason on the Quest for the Golden Fleece as one of the Argonauts. Achilles was only an infant when Peleus sailed with the Argonauts.

Thetis was a Nereid, i.e. one of the Daughters of Nereus and Doris. Thetis had a very complicated relationship with Zeus and his sister/wife Hera. When Thetis was very young, she came to the notice of Zeus and he made no secret of his desire for her, but she would not submit to his amorous advances. Thetis avoided Zeus for two reasons: 1) because of her respect for Hera and 2) because of her fear of Hera. Hera showed her gratitude by rearing Thetis. Zeus finally became disinterested in Thetis when he was advised that one of his immortal sons would dethrone him. He then arranged for Thetis to marry a mortal.

Thetis was given to Peleus (a mortal) because of his undying devotion to the gods on Mount Olympos (Olympus). The wedding of Thetis and Peleus was the setting for a defining event which set the stage for the Trojan War. This event has come to be known as The Judgment of Paris although at that time, it was just another demonstration of the rivalry between the Immortals.

King Peleus subdues Thetis.

In order to honor Thetis, Hera invited all the Immortals to the wedding. The goddess Eris (Discord) was in attendance but she did not come to celebrate ... she came to do what she does best ... cause trouble. Eris cast down a golden apple with the inscription, ‘for the most beautiful one.’ Hera, Athene (Athena) and Aphrodite all assumed that the prize was for them and when the intended conflict arose, the Trojan prince Paris (Alexandros) was asked to make the final decision as to which goddess deserved the golden apple. Aphrodite promised Paris the hand of the most desirable mortal woman in Greece, Helen. Paris could not refuse such a prize ... he chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess ... Hera and Athene never forgave the insult. The walls of Troy toppled and all of Paris’ family paid with their lives for his greed and desire.

Thetis and Peleus had a magnificent son which they named Achilles. Peleus tried to be a good husband and father but he was ignorant of the ways of the Immortals. When Peleus caught Thetis placing the infant Achilles in the fireplace he became enraged and ordered Thetis from his house ... Thetis did as Peleus commanded ... she threw Achilles to the floor and returned to her home in the sea without telling Peleus that the baptism of fire would have made Achilles an Immortal.

The fate of Achilles was only partially known to Thetis in that she knew that Achilles’ life would take one of two courses: 1) he could refuse to go to Troy, inherit his father’s kingdom and be forgotten or 2) he could die at Troy and be remembered forever as a hero. He chose to go to Troy and die with such glory that his name would be remembered longer than many of the gods and goddesses.

After Thetis deserted Peleus and Achilles, the young boy was given over to the centaur Cheiron (Cheron) for an education. Cheiron was a renowned teacher of young boys with successful students like Herakles (Heracles) and Jason to his credit. As a young man, Achilles returned to the home of his father and was placed under the supervision of a patient and clearheaded man named Phoinix (Phoenix). At that time, Achilles befriended Patroklos (Patroclus) and they became lifelong companions. Before leaving for Troy, King Peleus made Patroklos swear that he would always give good advice to Achilles and even though Achilles was of higher birth, Patroklos was older than Achilles and capable of reasoning with the predictably over-proud Achilles. The death of Patroklos would later play a defining role in the outcome of the Trojan War.

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Achilles at Troy

The Trojan War occurred circa 1250 BCE and was one of the final conflicts inflicted on the human race by the Immortals. The Immortals orchestrated the war and determined its outcome with years of subtle manipulation and direct interference. The spark which ignited the ten bloody years of warfare was when Prince Alexandros (Paris) and Helen fled Sparta and sailed to Troy. The reason so many princes and kings of Greece were willing to go to Troy and fight for Helen was because of a pact they had made when Helen married King Menelaos (Menelaus) of Sparta. When Helen had reached a marriageable age, her father was besieged with suitors. Before he chose a husband for Helen, he wisely made every suitor swear that if Helen was ever taken from her rightful husband, all the others would come to her aid. Achilles had not been a suitor of Helen ... he went to Troy to fight and win glory.

King Agamemnon of Mycenae led the expedition against Troy. He was acting on behalf of his brother Menelaos, who was Helen’s lawful husband. Kings, warriors and adventurers joined Agamemnon and Menelaos with hopes of winning the glory and riches that the conquest of Troy promised to yield. The greatest warrior in Agamemnon’s army was Achilles. He joined Agamemnon with fifty ships and 2,500 Myrmidon soldiers.

When the Greeks, commonly known as the Achaeans (Achaians), were massing at the city of Aulis, contrary winds prevented them from leaving the harbor and proceeding to Troy. A seer named Kalchas (Calchas) observed a blood-red snake eating eight baby sparrows and the mother. He reasoned that the nine birds symbolized a weakening of the Trojans and that the tenth year would bring victory for the Achaeans. He also predicted that the fleet could not leave Aulis until Agamemnon appeased Artemis (goddess of the Hunt) with the blood sacrifice of his daughter Iphigenia. Agamemnon cared more for the riches of Troy than he did for the life of his daughter ... he sent for Iphigenia on the pretext that she was to be married to Achilles. Achilles was used as the bait because he was hansom, wealthy and renown for his virility. Artemis did not permit the completion of the sacrifice ... she substituted a stag for Iphigenia and transported her to Tauris where she was made immortal.

There seemed to be a problem for the Achaeans in that they did not know the exact location of Troy ... they needed a guide. The help they needed came to them in a round-about way. After the fleet left Aulis, they put in at Teuthrania to sack the city. A man named Telephus (Telephos) went out to defend the city and was wounded by Achilles. Telephus was given an oracle that he should go to Achilles to be healed of his wounds. Included with the other teachings Achilles received from the centaur Cheiron (Chiron), was the art of healing. Achilles healed Telephus and, in accordance with the oracle he had been given, Telephus led the Achaeans to Troy.

When the Achaean fleet was scattered by storms, Achilles landed on the island of Skyros (Scyros) and married Deidamia (Diedameia). Their son Neoptolemus (Neoptolemos) would eventually inherit Achilles’ armor and participate in the final battle for Troy.

Achilles was the fastest, bravest, largest and most blood thirsty warrior at Troy. No man alive could match his fighting skills or his utter contempt for death. It is no exaggeration to say that Achilles killed hundreds, if not thousands, of Trojans and Trojan allies. The Trojan War made Achilles an immortal hero and his bloody reputation will never be equaled.

The Argument with Agamemnon

The Iliad opens with the argument between Agamemnon and Achilles. Agamemnon was the supreme commander of the Achaean army at the siege of Troy and Achilles was the finest warrior in Agamemnon’s army. Both men were proud and obstinate but the blame for their dispute clearly fell on Agamemnon.

As the tenth year of the war began, the Achaeans came under attack from the god Apollon. Apollon stood offshore and unleashed arrow after arrow into the Achaean encampment. After nine days of constant bombardment, Achilles called an assembly of the Achaeans and demanded to know why Apollon was angry with them. The seer Kalchas (Calchas) said that he knew why the god was angry but he was reluctant to speak out for fear of being punished by Agamemnon. Achilles quickly assured Kalchas that no one would harm him if he spoke the truth. Achilles glared at Agamemnon to emphasize his promise to Kalchas.

Kalchas told the assembled Achaeans that Agamemnon’s treatment of Apollon’s priest Chryses was the cause of Apollon’s wrath and that the punishment would only end when Agamemnon returned Chryses’ daughter Chryseis and made appropriate sacrifices to Apollon. Chryseis had been taken captive on one of the numerous raids the Achaeans made to replenish their supplies of food and slaves. Chryses had come to Agamemnon as a supplicant and begged for the return of his daughter. Agamemnon not only refused to give Chryses his daughter but insulted the poor man and threatened to kill him if he did not leave the Achaean encampment.

As a priest of Apollon, Chryses used his influence to inflame the god against the Achaeans. Apollon was clearly on the side of the Trojans and needed very little encouragement to vent his wrath on the Achaeans. Agamemnon was not pleased with Kalchas’ pronouncement but quickly thought of a way to appease Apollon and still have a new captive girl for his entourage. Agamemnon announced that Chryseis would be returned to her father and that he would take Achilles’ girl Briseis as compensation for his loss.

Achilles was furious. He rose to his feet and called Agamemnon a coward and a pitiful excuse for a king. As Achilles continued to rant against Agamemnon, the goddess Athene stood invisibly beside him and tried to sooth his anger. Achilles could sense Athene’s presence but no one else at the assembly could see her. She said that it was the will of Hera and herself that Achilles contain his anger. Achilles was so inflamed that he could barely comply with Athene’s wishes. He told Agamemnon that he would no longer fight the Trojans unless they threatened to burn his ships ... the Achaeans would have to fight without him and his Myrmidon soldiers. Finally, Achilles regained his self-control and sat down.

Achilles surrendered Briseis to Agamemnon’s heralds without a confrontation but his anger was simmering. He went to the seashore and called to his mother, Thetis. She emerged from the sea and listened sympathetically to her son’s problems. She promised that she would go to Zeus and ask that Achilles be compensated for his humiliation. Thetis went to Zeus on Mount Olympos and he agreed to help her ... Zeus liked Thetis and at the risk of upsetting his sister/wife Hera, promised that Achilles would have glory and honor before he died in the Trojan War.

The captive girl Briseis.

With Achilles out of the fighting, the tides of war turned against the Achaeans. The Trojans pushed the Achaeans back to the defensive ditch they had dug and were attempting to set fire to the Achaean ships. Many of the best Achaean warriors were wounded including Menelaos and Odysseus. Agamemnon was getting desperate. He sent Odysseus, Telamonian Aias, Phoinix (Phoenix) and Nestor to Achilles’ elaborate shelter and offered many gifts including land, gold and a wife if he would only return to the fighting. Achilles refused and said that he would not fight against the Trojans ... Agamemnon’s troubles did not concern Achilles and he cared not for the dieing or wounded Achaeans.

All that would change when Patroklos was killed wearing Achilles armor. After that, the argument with Agamemnon would be of no concern to Achilles but Agamemnon still felt compelled to give gold and horses to Achilles, not to appease Achilles but to ease his own conscience because he had treated Achilles so shamefully.

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The Death of Patroklos

Achilles lifelong companion Patroklos went to Achilles and begged him to fight the Trojans. Patroklos told Achilles of the continuous defeats the Achaeans were suffering and the growing list of wounded soldiers. Achilles was moved by his companion’s impassioned pleas and finally agreed to let Patroklos don his (Achilles’) armor, mount his chariot and ride into the Trojan battle-lines. The strategy behind this was to make the Trojans think that Achilles was back in the fighting and retreat. Also, the Achaeans would assume that Achilles was back in the fighting and regain their courage. The plan worked. The Trojans pulled back and the Achaeans made advances.

As Patroklos advanced through the Trojan ranks, it became obvious to the Trojans and the Achaeans that it was actually Patroklos in Achilles’ armor. As he moved closer to the walls of Troy, Patroklos confronted one of Zeus’ sons Sarpedon, and killed him. Zeus permitted Sarpedon’s death but then led Patroklos on a deadly path straight to Hector. Apollon slammed Patroklos in the back and loosened his armor. Hector stepped forward and delivered the death blow. Hector stripped Achilles’ armor from Patroklos and Zeus fitted it to its new owner’s body. The Trojans and the Achaeans began to fight for possession of Patroklos body.

At this point, Achilles was oblivious to Patroklos’ death. Finally, a messenger came from the fighting and gave Achilles the bad news. Without armor, Achilles could not charge out to rescue Patroklos’ corpse and without his help the Trojans would surely win the fight. The goddess Iris told Achilles to make his presence known by going to the battlements and screaming his outrage. After the third terrifying scream, the Trojans retreated in fear and the Achaeans were able to drag Patroklos’ body from the battlefield.

The fight for Patroklos’ body.

The ghost of Patroklos came to Achilles and asked his dear friend for several favors. Patroklos asked that his body be burned without delay so that he could go to the House of Hades and have peace. He also told Achilles that his death was going to come very soon and he wanted their bones buried together. Achilles promised Patroklos that he would comply with his wishes. Before the ghost departed, Achilles tried to embrace his lost friend one last time but he grasped only vapor.

Achilles had a massive funeral pyre built for Patroklos and made elaborate sacrifices to his dead companion. Achilles killed sheep, oxen, nine of Patroklos’ dogs and twelve young Trojan men to be placed on the pyre with Patroklos’ body. To ease the grief of the Achaeans, Achilles conducted a series of athletic games where the Achaeans could compete for prizes. Achilles was generous with the prizes he offered and the competition was keen. After the games were finished, Achilles lapsed back into inconsolable grief and unstoppable hatred.

To Achilles, the solution to all his problems was simple: Hector killed Patroklos ... Hector must die.

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The Shield of Achilles

Achilles’ armor was now in the possession of Hector. Patroklos had been wearing Achilles armor when he was killed by Hector and Achilles could not enter the fighting without armor. When Achilles told his mother Thetis about Patroklos’ death and the sad fate of his armor, she told him that she would go to the artificer of the Immortals, Hephaistos (Hephaestus), and have new armor made. Thetis had cared for Hephaistos when he had been thrown from Mount Olympos and as repayment for that debt, she knew that he would help her in any way he could.

Thetis went to Hephaistos’ workshop where he made intricate devices and designed the magnificent structures for the Immortals. Thetis told Hephaistos of Achilles’ plight and the god readily agreed to make new armor for her son. Hephaistos was clearly on the side of the Achaeans in the Trojan War and openly fought on the battlefield against the Trojans. New armor for Achilles was just another way to bring death and destruction to the Trojans.

Setting to work with his robot assistants, Hephaistos began to make truly divine body armor and a shield for Achilles. The shield he made for Achilles was similar to the one he had previously made for Herakles (Heracles) and differed only slightly in its complexity. Achilles’ shield was massive and made of bronze and tin, with three folds on the rim and five in the center ... the strap was made of silver. Hephaistos inscribed the earth, the sea, the sun, the moon and the stars on the face of the shield. Two cities were also visible on the face of the shield. In one city, the animated population was depicted in various forms of public activities ... a wedding ceremony with dancers and singers ... apart from the wedding, two men were arguing in the marketplace before an assembly of elders. The other city was being besieged by two armies ... Athene and Ares (god of War) were on the battlefield ... Eris (goddess of Discord) stalked through the warfare dragging three men ... one was wounded, one was unhurt and the other was dead ... her clothing was stained with blood.

The shield of Achilles also had majestic scenes with noblemen, farmers, and children. The figures were made of gold and animated to reflect the work of men and kings in everyday life. There were scenes where lions were eating the torn flesh of oxen while the herdsmen’s dogs bayed ineffectually at the savage beasts. There was a dancing floor with young men in tunics and women dressed in long, light robes. The dancers ran or formed rows which crisscrossed one another. Two acrobats led the spectators in song.

Finally, Hephaistos rimmed the shield with Okeanos (Ocean) for strength. He then turned his craft to the armor which would protect Achilles’ body. He made a bright corselet, an intricate helmet with a gold top-ridge and grieves of pliable tin to protect Achilles’ legs. With the work complete, Hephaistos laid the armor and shield before Thetis.

When Thetis went to Achilles with the new armor and shield, she unceremoniously dropped them at his feet. She knew well that her son would soon die in that glorious armor. The armor was so bright that Achilles’ henchmen, the Myrmidons, could not look directly at it. Achilles was now ready to mete out death to countless Trojans and, finally, Hector.

Thetis carries Achilles’ new aromr.

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The Bloody Path to Hector

Achilles was inconsolable in his grief for Patroklos and when he received his new armor, wanted to charge straight into the Trojan defenses and kill every Trojan he encountered. Odysseus was a man with considerable negotiating skills. He explained to Achilles that the army was weary and hungry and that they needed to rest before the next assault could begin. Achilles respected Odysseus and contained his impulses. As Achilles waited, the goddess Athene came invisibly to him and placed ambrosia and nectar in his breast so that he would be able to fight when the time came.

When the Achaeans were ready to fight, Achilles took the forefront of the battle formation. His new armor flashed like a bright star as he moved into the ranks of the Trojans. When Apollon saw Achilles, he went to Aineias (Aeneas) in the guise of King Priam’s son Lykaon (Lycaon) and encouraged him to fight Achilles. At first, Aineias was hesitant to face Achilles because Achilles had once chased him from Mount Ida, but Apollon goaded Aineias forward. When the two demigods came face to face, Aineias boasted that he was the son of Aphrodite (goddess of Love) and therefore of higher birth than Achilles ... Achilles was unimpressed. Achilles respected Aineias’ fighting abilities but he did not fear him. As a precaution, Achilles held his shield further out in front of his body in case Aineias’ spear passed through it, but he did not retreat.

Hera, Athene and Poseidon (lord of the Sea) watched the impending fight with great concern. They knew that Achilles would kill Aineias and that Zeus had decreed that Aineias was destined to survive the Trojan War and continue the bloodline of Dardanos (Dardanus). Aineias had to be saved but Hera and Athene had sworn never to help a Trojan ... the task fell to Poseidon.

Poseidon arrived invisibly beside the two men just after Achilles had lodged his spear in Aineias’ shield and was drawing his sword to kill Aineias. Poseidon wrapped Achilles in a mist and hurled Aineias to a safe distance ... he then pulled the spear from Aineias’ shield and laid it a Achilles feet. Achilles was furious ... his rage was at its peak.

The Trojans fled in panic but, in the confusion of the battle, not all of them could avoid him. Achilles was fast, he was the fastest runner in either army ... many Trojans simply had no choice but to fight or be stabbed in the back with Achilles’ massive spear.

Hector had been watching Achilles and decided that, since a confrontation was inevitable, he would fight Achilles before he advanced any closer to the city walls. When Apollon encouraged Aineias to fight Achilles, he was disregarding the will of Zeus but now that Hector and Achilles were approaching each another, he knew that Zeus would not approve of Hector’s death before its appointed time. Apollon went to Hector and warned him not to fight with Achilles but Hector was determined to proceed. Hector threw his spear at Achilles but Athene turned it aside with her breath. Achilles furiously charged at Hector but before he could land a blow, Apollon wrapped Hector in a cloud ... Achilles lunged into the vapor three times but struck nothing. Finally, Achilles charged into the cloud but found no sign of Hector.

With the frustration of Aineias and Hector escaping his spear, Achilles let his rage guide him onto the heart of the fighting ... the slaughter of the Trojans had just begun. Men of semi-divine birth were killed, sons of King Priam were killed ... any man who came within stabbing distance fell to Achilles’ spear. When Achilles reached the banks of the river Xanthos (Xanthus), the slaughter became unimaginable. Xanthos chose the Trojan ally Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) to stop Achilles. The river placed valor in Asteropaios’ breast and persuaded him to stand against Achilles. When Asteropaios was killed instantly ... his men turned and ran. Achilles chased them down and killed them without hesitation. Achilles continued to throw dead bodies into the river until Xanthos rose from his banks and commanded Achilles to stop clogging his waters with dead Trojans. Achilles said that he would stop throwing bodies in the water but he would not stop killing Trojans until Hector was dead.

Xanthos rose up and sloshed the dead bodies from his waters. He then hurled a giant wave against Achilles and washed him into a whirlpool. Achilles leapt from the waters of Xanthos and ran the distance of a spear-cast, but Xanthos still pummeled Achilles with violent waves. Zeus was watching Achilles’ ordeal and decided that in order for Achilles to survive the onslaught of Xanthos, the Immortals had to become directly involved. He sent Athene and Poseidon to Achilles’ side. Poseidon assured Achilles that he was not going die by the devices of Xanthos and that he was destined to kill Hector. The goddess Hera sent her son Hephaistos to save Achilles by using fire against Xanthos. Hephaistos burned the corpses which Achilles had left on the dry ground and then turned his fire on Xanthos. The river begged Hephaistos to stop the fires and said that he would no longer fight with Achilles.

Achilles charged back into the Trojan lines and started killing men and chariot horses without discrimination. As Achilles approached the walls of Troy, Apollon devised a way to temporally stop him ... Apollon drove courage into the heart of a man named Agenor. He stood his ground as Achilles approached but after a vain spear-cast, Apollon knew that Agenor was doomed to die if he fought Achilles. Apollon shrouded Agenor in mist and hid him from Achilles. Apollon then assumed the guise of Agenor and began to run. Achilles gave chase until he finally realized that he had been tricked and purposefully led away from the fighting.

Achilles saw the object of his intense hatred standing at the Skaian (Scaean) Gates. Hector stood resolute as the other Trojan soldiers ran to safety inside the city.

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The Death of Hector

When Hector killed Patroklos and took Achilles’ armor from his corpse, Achilles swore vengeance. As Achilles slaughtered his way towards the gates of Troy, he killed almost every Trojan he encountered. Poulydamas (Polydamas) advised Hector to withdraw the army inside the city walls. Hector agreed with Poulydamas and ordered the army to withdraw but he remained outside the gates because he knew that the widows and orphans inside the city would fault him for the deaths of so many Trojans at the hands of Achilles. Hector even considered laying aside his weapons and offering to return Helen to the Achaeans but he knew in his heart that he and Achilles would have to fight to the death.

With the onslaught of Achilles in his unstoppable anger, Hector lost his nerve and began to run. Every time Hector tried to reach the safety of the city walls, Achilles would cut him off and force him back to open ground. King Priam watched the spectacle from the walls but was powerless to help his doomed son. Achilles chased Hector four times around the city until finally he stopped and faced Achilles, ready to fight.

As Achilles drew close, the goddess Athene disguised herself as Deiphobos and appeared beside Hector. She told Hector that the two of them could fight and defeat Achilles. Hector stood his ground until Achilles was close enough the hear him. He asked Achilles if they could agree that the victor would not strip the loser of his armor and that the body of the loser would be returned to those who could give it a proper burial. Achilles refused any conditions and swore to Hector that his body would be the sport of the Achaean dogs.

Hector made a valiant spear-cast but Achilles’ god-made armor reflected the blow. Achilles hurled his spear at Hector but missed. The goddess Athene placed the spear back in Achilles’ hands. Hector turned to Deiphobos for support but when he saw that his brother was not there, realized that Athene had tricked him and that he was now going to die.

Achilles lunged at Hector and wounded him severely in the throat. Hector fell to the ground and before he died, again asked Achilles that his body be given to his parents for a suitable burial. Achilles was in no mood for mercy. He vaulted over Hector’s corpse and said that, instead of a heroes’ burial, his body should butchered and eaten.

When the other Achaeans arrived on the scene, they despoiled the corpse of Hector in full view of the Trojans who were watching from the walls. Achilles then pierced Hector’s ankles and using a leather strap, tied the body to his chariot and raced around the city to further humiliate and inflame the Trojans.

Hector at the feet of Achilles.

Achilles was determined to disgrace the body of Hector in every way he could imagine. His primary form of degradation was to tie Hector’s body to the back of his chariot and drag it through the Achaean camp. Appalled at the spectacle, various Immortals came secretly to Hector’s body and covered it with ambrosia and oils so that the rough treatment inflicted by Achilles would not tear or mutilate the dead flesh.

Finally, Zeus had seen enough depravity and ordered Thetis to go to her son to say that it was the will of Zeus that Hector’s body be returned to his family. Zeus then sent the messenger-goddess Iris to King Priam to tell him to prepare a ransom to take to Achilles in exchange for Hector’s corpse. Priam had specific instructions not to go alone but to take an elder man with him. Priam loaded a wagon with suitable gifts for Achilles and began the dangerous trek towards the Achaean encampment.

Fearing for the life of King Priam, Zeus commanded his son Hermes to meet Priam on the plain and escort him to Achilles. Hermes assumed the guise of a mortal man and told Priam that he was a henchman of Achilles and that he had been sent to escort the king and the ransom to Achilles’ shelter. Priam more or less guessed that the young man who was guiding him was no mere mortal but he kept his suspicions to himself. Hermes took Priam through the Achaean defenses without incident and left him inside the fence which surrounded Achilles’ elaborate shelter. Hermes then revealed his true identity and assured Priam that Achilles would not harm him.

King Priam entered Achilles’ shelter and fell to his knees. He embraced Achilles as a supplicant and kissed the same hands which had killed his son. Achilles was truly amazed at the king’s bravery and marveled at his godly appearance. Achilles was fully aware that he could kill Priam with his bare hands but he was fearful of Zeus’ commandment and remained civil. Both men wept ... Priam for his son and Achilles for his companion. Achilles ordered his serving-women to wash Hector’s body so that the king would not see the filth caused by the constant abuse. With little or no ceremony, the ransom was offloaded from the wagon and King Priam returned safely to Troy with Achilles’ promise of an eleven day truce so that Hector could be given a funeral befitting a hero.

King Priam bargains with Achilles for the return of the dead body of Hector.

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The Death Toll of Achilles

This list of the men, and the one woman, who were killed by Achilles is in an attempted-chronological order but there is no way to be precisely sure when some of the deaths occurred.

Achilles carrying the body of Penthesilea.

Memnon with Achilles’ spear plunged in his stomach.

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The Death of Achilles

The Iliad ends with the return of Hector’s body to his parents. We don’t find out until The Odyssey that the Achaeans won the war by using the Trojan Horse to gain entrance to the city. The fragmented remains of The Returns and The Epic Cycle give us some insight as to the aftermath of the war but the exact circumstances of Achilles’ death are still a mystery.

There are two versions of Achilles’ death: 1) the fragmented ancient Greek version and 2) the romanticized Roman version.

The ancient Greek version says simply that Apollon and Paris (Alexandros) killed Achilles. No details are given but later authors, who did not believe in the actual existence of Apollon, insisted that Paris killed Achilles in the temple of Apollon. This belief suggests that Apollon had no hand in the death of Achilles.

As time passed, the Romans began to re-record the events of the Trojan War. We cannot be sure whether the Romans were using documents which are no longer available to us or whether they were embellishing stories which they found to be incomplete. Regardless, the Roman versions of Achilles death are considered to be what actually happened.

It seems to be common knowledge that Achilles was shot in the heel with an arrow by Paris. Achilles’ heel was the only vulnerable part of Achilles’ body and the wound inflicted by the arrow caused Achilles to bleed to death. Achilles heel was vulnerable for one of two reasons: 1) his divine armor left his heel exposed or 2) when his mother Thetis dipped the infant Achilles in the river Styx to immortalize him, she held him by the ankle of one foot and the river’s water did not touch his heel, which left it vulnerable.

In his narrative poem Metamorphoses the Roman poet Ovid, (circa 1 CE), suggested that Achilles had a vulnerable part on his body but he was not specific as to what that vulnerability might have been. The Roman poet Statius, (circa 45-96 CE), was the first to imply that Achilles’ vulnerability was his heel. We must keep in mind that the Trojan War occurred circa 1250 BCE and The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer are assumed to be as old as 750 BCE. That means that Ovid and Statius wrote 750/800 years after Homer.

After Achilles’ was mortally wounded and died, a terrible fight arose for possession of Achilles’ corpse. The Achaeans wanted Achilles’ body to pay tribute to their greatest warrior but the Trojans wanted his body to disgrace it in retribution for Hector and the countless other Trojans killed by Achilles.

Telamonian Aias and Odysseus were at the forefront of the fighting. When the Achaeans finally gained the advantage, Aias lifted Achilles’ body and carried it to safety while Odysseus kept the Trojans at bay.

As befitting the death of a hero, Achilles’ body was placed on a pyre and burned. The solemn occasion was attended by Achilles’ mother Thetis, her sister Nereids and the Muses. Achilles bones were placed in the same urn which held the bones of Patroklos. A tomb was built but its size and location are unknown. After Troy was leveled, King Priam's daughter Polyxena was taken to Achilles’ tomb and ceremonially sacrificed.

The armor which Hephaistos made for Achilles became the focus of one of the sadder aspects of Achilles’ death. Telamonian Aias and Odysseus both believed that they deserved Achilles’ armor ... both men had risked their lives to save Achilles’ body from the Trojans and both men felt like they deserved to own Achilles’ armor. When Nestor heard the men arguing, he suggested that they send a spy to the walls of Troy to eavesdrop on the Trojans and find out who they thought was most deserving of Achilles’ armor. A spy was sent and when a woman praised Aias for carrying Achilles’ body out of the fray, another woman, at the contrivance of Athene, said that anyone, even a woman, could carry a body but only a real warrior like Odysseus could fight off the attackers. Whether or not that was the deciding factor is not clear but Odysseus was finally awarded Achilles’ armor. Odysseus did not keep Achilles’ armor. He gave it to Achilles’ only son Neoptolemus (Neoptolemos). The fate of Aias is somewhat disputed after this episode but it is generally believed that he took his own life in a fit of depression.

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Achilles After Death

After the Trojan War, the Achaean soldiers began to return to their homes. Many of them arrived without incident, some were killed on their way home but Odysseus was destined to endure ten years of hardship before he could embrace his wife and son again. The story of Odysseus is told in The Odyssey and one of his adventures led him to the “shade” of Achilles at the entrance to the Underworld.

Odysseus went to the entrance to the Underworld to consult the dead Theban seer Teiresias, but he encountered numerous Underworld inhabitants. Odysseus was heartened to see that Achilles had been reunited with his companion Patroklos, but he was distressed to see that Telamonian Aias had not forgiven Odysseus for the dispute over Achilles’ armor.

After Achilles was killed by Apollon and Alexandros (Paris), Odysseus and Aias quarreled over Achilles’ armor. Odysseus finally took possession of the armor and Aias was so distraught, he killed himself. Even after his death, Aias would not forgive Odysseus.

Odysseus had been a true friend of Achilles and was one of very few men Achilles respected. Odysseus told the “shade” of Achilles that he had been one of the greatest of the Achaeans at Troy and that he was honored even after his death. Odysseus told the “shade” of Achilles about the bitter dispute he and Aias had over the armor but he consoled Achilles by saying that all aspects of the Trojan War and its aftermath had been the work of Zeus.

Odysseus then told the “shade” of Achilles that they had fought fiercely to have his body returned to the Achaeans and that they treated it with reverence and after being burned on the pyre, his bones were placed in a jar with the bones of Patroklos.

After his death, Achilles returned to Troy in the form of a ghost to warn Agamemnon that his wife Klytemnestra (Clytemnestra) was plotting to murder him when he returned to Mycenae. Agamemnon and Achilles had a rocky relationship but in the end, Achilles gave Agamemnon the respect he deserved as a king and leader of men. When the “shade” of Agamemnon encountered the “shade” of Achilles in the Underworld, Agamemnon told Achilles that although he was dead, the name of Achilles would always be honored by mankind.

Since it is generally believed that Achilles was shot in the heel with an arrow, the tendon of the heel has become known as Achilles Tendon and the term Achilles’ Heel has become a metaphor for vulnerability of any sort. Achilles Heel entered the English lexicon in 1810 CE as a reference by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in an essay in the weekly paper The Friend.

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Achilles gestures as Telamonian Aias moves a gaming piece.

Achilles in The Iliad

(listed by book and line)

The line numbers listed here correspond fairly well with the Lattimore and Murray/Wyatt translations of The Iliad. Other translations (Fitzgerald, Fagles et al) do not correspond as well but, with a small amount of effort, you should be able to find the reference you need regardless of the translation you use. Lattimore (ISBN 0226469409); A.T. Murray/William F. Wyatt Vol. I & II (ISBN 0674995791 and 0674995805); Robert Fitzgerald (ISBN 0374529051); Robert Fagles (ISBN 0140275363)

Achilles is referred to by many names in The Iliad: Achilles, Peleid Achilles, Peleoin, Peleides, the son of Peleus, Peleus’ son and Aiakides

• 01.001 - The poet asks the Muse to sing of the anger of Achilles
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• 01.007 - The will of Zeus is accomplished by the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles
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• 01.054 - On the tenth day of Apollon’s wrath, Achilles calls an assembly of the Achaean (Achaian) soldiers who have come to sack Troy
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• 01.058 - Achilles tells the assembled Achaeans (Achaians) that they should leave Troy or ask a prophet why Apollon is punishing them
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• 01.074 - The seer Kalchas (Calchas) addresses the assembly and makes Achilles promise that he will not be punished if he speaks the truth
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• 01.084 - Achilles swears to Apollon and Zeus that no man will harm Kalchas (Calchas) if he speaks the truth about Apollon’s wrath
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• 01.121 - Achilles tells Agamemnon that he must return the captive girl Chryseis to avert Apollon’s wrath
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• 01.131 - Agamemnon tells godlike Achilles that if he is forced to return the captive girl Chryseis, he will take some other man’s woman
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• 01.146 - Agamemnon says that Odysseus, Idomeneus, Aias or the son of Peleus should return the captive girl Chryseis to appease Apollon
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• 01.148 - Achilles says that he will not be deprived of his rightful rewards and that Agamemnon will get his ample rewards when Troy is taken
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• 01.188 - When Agamemnon says that he will take Achilles’ captive girl Briseis, Peleus’ son is torn between drawing his sword or containing his anger
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• 01.197 - The goddess Hera sends Athene (Athena) to stand beside Peleus’ son and calm him
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• 01.199 - Achilles turns to face Athene (Athena) but no other man at the assembly can see her; the goddess tells him that it is the wish of Hera and herself that he stay his anger
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• 01.215 - Achilles of the swift feet hears Athene’s (Athena’s) command and puts his sword back in the scabbard
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• 01.223 - Achilles derides Agamemnon for not accompanying his soldiers into battle
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• 01.240 - Achilles tells Agamemnon that someday the Achaeans (Achaians) will long for him (Achilles) in battle and that he will not come
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• 01.245 - After insulting Agamemnon, the son of Peleus dashed his staff to the ground and sat down
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• 01.277 - Nestor advises the son of Peleus not to contend with kings (meaning Agamemnon) because they get their authority from Zeus
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• 01.283 - Nestor advises Agamemnon to stay his anger towards their best fighter, Achilles
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• 01.292 - Achilles tells Agamemnon to give him no more orders; he says that Agamemnon can have the captive girl Briseis but nothing else
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• 01.306 - The son of Peleus leaves the assembly and returns to his shelter with Patroklos and the rest of the Myrmidons
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• 01.319 - Agamemnon does not give up his anger towards Achilles and intends to take the captive girl Briseis away from Achilles
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• 01.322 - Agamemnon orders his heralds Talthybios (Talthybius) and Eurybates to go to the shelter of Peleus’ son and retrieve the captive girl Briseis
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• 01.330 - Achilles is not pleased to see Agamemnon’s heralds, Talthybios (Talthybius) and Eurybates, when they arrive at his ships to take the captive girl Briseis to Agamemnon; Achilles treats them with courtesy and says that he does not blame them for what they are about to do
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• 01.348 - Achilles sadly surrenders the captive girl Briseis to Agamemnon’s heralds and vows not to fight for him; he sits by the sea and calls to his mother, Thetis
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• 01.364 - Achilles tells his mother Thetis of how he acquired the captive girls, Briseis and Chryses
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• 01.489 - Achilles, the heaven-sprung son of Peleus, sits beside his ship in rage and refuses to attend assemblies or fight the Trojans
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• 01.559 - Hera tells Zeus that she knows that he has agreed to permit Achilles to continue his rage against Agamemnon and thus allow many Achaeans (Achaians) to die
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• 02.004 - Zeus is sleepless as he ponders how he will bring honor to Achilles; he sends a Dream to Agamemnon to deceive him into thinking that victory over the Trojans is at hand
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• 02.220 - At the assembly of the Achaeans (Achaians), Thersites speaks; he is hated by Achilles and Odysseus for his disorderly speech and ugly appearance
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• 02.239 - At the assembly of the Achaeans (Achaians), Thersites scolds Agamemnon for dishonoring Achilles
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• 02.241 - Thersites tells Agamemnon that Achilles has no wrath and is complacent, otherwise he would have killed him (Agamemnon)
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• 02.377 - Agamemnon says that he and Achilles fought over a girl and admits that he became angry first
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• 02.674 - Second only to Achilles, Nireus is the most handsome of the Achaeans (Achaians)
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• 02.685 - Achilles led the Myrmidons to Troy with fifty ships
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• 02.688 - Achilles is angry at losing the captive girl Briseis and will not order the Myrmidons into combat with the Trojans
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• 02.769 - With Achilles out of the fighting, Telamonian Aias is the best warrior of the Achaeans (Achaians)
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• 02.770 - The blameless son of Peleus did not enter the fighting with his chariot team
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• 02.771 - Achilles stays away from the Achaeans (Achaians) and broods over the wrong done to him by Agamemnon
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• 02.874 - One of the sons of Nomion, was killed by the swift running Aiakides (Achilles)
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• 02.875 - Achilles striped the golden armor from the son of Nomion after he killed him
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• 04.512 - Pergamos (Pergamus) urges the Trojans to fight by reminding them that Achilles is not in the battle
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• 05.788 - Hera assumes the guise of Stentor and tells the Argives that the Trojans would never have advanced so far if Achilles was in the fighting
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• 06.099 - King Priam’s son Helenos (Helenus) tells Hector and Aineias (Aeneas) that Diomedes has become more fierce than Achilles
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• 06.414 - Andromache tells her husband Hector that it was Achilles who killed her father, Eetion
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• 06.423 - Andromache tells her husband Hector that it was Achilles who killed her seven brothers
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• 06.426 - Andromache tells her husband Hector that it was Achilles who captured her mother and then released her for ransom
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• 07.113 - Agamemnon tells his brother Menelaos (Menelaus) not to fight against Hector because even Achilles trembles at the thought of facing Hector
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• 07.228 - Telamonian Aias tells Hector that he will soon find out how brave the Danaans are in battle even though Achilles stays by the ships and refuses to fight
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• 08.225 - As the Trojans try to set fire to the Argive ships, Agamemnon shouts the alarm; he stands by Odysseus’ ships because they are in the center of the beached fleet; Achilles’ ships are at one end and Aias’ ships are at the other
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• 08.372 - Athene (Athena) tells Hera that Zeus has granted Thetis’ wish and is giving honor to Achilles
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• 08.474 - Zeus tells Hera that Hector will fight with the swift-footed son of Peleus after Patroklos has fallen in battle
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• 09.107 - Nestor tells Agamemnon that he dishonored Achilles by taking the captive girl Briseis away from him
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• 09.164 - Nestor says that no one can scorn the gifts Agamemnon offers to Achilles
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• 09.166 - Nestor suggests to Agamemnon that men be chosen to go to Achilles, the son of Peleus, to offer gifts so that he will return to the fighting
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• 09.181 - Odysseus is eager to offer Agamemnon’s gifts to Achilles so that he will return to the fighting
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• 09.184 - Nestor and Odysseus pray that Aiakides (Achilles) will accept Agamemnon’s gifts and return to the fighting
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• 09.186 - Nestor and Odysseus find Achilles playing the lyre in his shelter
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• 09.191 - Patroklos watches as Aiakides (Achilles) plays the lyre
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• 09.193 - Achilles is amazed to see Odysseus and Nestor as they enter his shelter
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• 09.196 - Achilles welcomes Odysseus and Nestor to his shelter and says that they are dear to him
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• 09.199 - Achilles offers Odysseus and Nestor seats and orders Patroklos (Patroclus) to serve them wine
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• 09.209 - Achilles carves meat to serve to Odysseus and Nestor
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• 09.217 - Achilles serves meat to his guests and sits near Odysseus
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• 09.224 - Odysseus fills a cup with the wine Achilles’ has provided for his guests
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• 09.225 - Odysseus offers a toast of wine to Achilles’ health and tells him of the victories the Trojans have recently made
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• 09.307 - Achilles tells Odysseus that he will not accept the gifts which Agamemnon offers and that he will not fight for the Achaeans (Achaians)
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• 09.434 - Phoinix (Phoenix) asks Achilles what will become of him if he (Achilles) leaves Troy and returns to his home
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• 09.485 - Phoinix (Phoenix) reminds Achilles that he helped raise him
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• 09.494 - Phoinix (Phoenix) tells Achilles that he raised him as if he was his own child
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• 09.496 - Phoinix (Phoenix) begs Achilles to put aside his anger towards Agamemnon and fight for the Achaeans (Achaians)
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• 09.513 - Phoinix (Phoenix) begs Achilles to give due honor to the daughters of Zeus because their will cannot be overpowered by a mortal men
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• 09.606 - Achilles tells Phoinix (Phoenix) that he should not give honor to Agamemnon and that he should take his (Achilles’) side in the dispute with Agamemnon
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• 09.628 - Telamonian Aias tells Odysseus that they should leave Achilles’ shelter because he (Achilles) will not listen to their pleas to forgive Agamemnon
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• 09.643 - Achilles tells Telamonian Aias that he will not forgive the dishonor Agamemnon showed him
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• 09.663 - Achilles sleeps in the corner of his shelter with a woman named Diomede
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• 09.667 - Patroklos (Patroclus) sleeps with a woman Achilles gave him named Iphis
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• 09.690 - Odysseus tells Agamemnon that Phoinix (Phoenix) has stayed at Achilles’ shelter
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• 09.698 - Diomedes tells Agamemnon that he should have not have offered gifts to the son of Peleus because they only made him more proud
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• 10.106 - Nestor tells Agamemnon that even though Hector seems to be having good fortune, he will still face hardship if Achilles enters the fighting
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• 10.392 - The Trojan spy Dolon tells Odysseus that Hector promised the horses and chariot of Achilles to him if he would spy on the Achaeans (Achaians)
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• 10.393 - The Trojan spy Dolon refers to Achilles as the son of Peleus
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• 10.402 - Odysseus tells the Trojan spy Dolon that the horses of Aiakides (Achilles) are difficult the handle
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• 10.404 - 10.404 Odysseus tells the Trojan spy Dolon that only Achilles can manage his chariot horses because he was born of an immortal mother
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• 11.008 - At the dawn of a new day, the goddess Eris stands on Odysseus’s ship and screams to awaken the Achaeans (Achaians); her screams can be heard all the was to Achilles ships which are at the far end of the beached Achaean (Achaian) fleet
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• 11.104 - Achilles caught Isos (Isus) and Antiphos (Antiphus) on Mount Ida and held them for ransom
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• 11.112 - Agamemnon recognized Isos (Isus) and Antiphos (Antiphus) because Achilles had once captured them on Mount Ida and held them for ransom
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• 11.598 - Achilles watches the fighting from the stern of his beached ship and calls to Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 11.605 - Patroklos (Patroclus) asks Achilles why he has called him
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• 11.606 - Achilles tells Patroklos (Patroclus) to go to Nestor and find out which wounded man Nestor is bringing from the battlefield
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• 11.624 - Achilles took the girl Hekamede (Hecamede) from the island of Tenedos when he stormed it; Hekamede was awarded to Nestor
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• 11.651 - Patroklos (Patroclus) tells Nestor that he must go to Achilles with news of the fighting
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• 11.655 - Nestor asks Patroklos (Patroclus) why Achilles would be concerned with the fate of the Achaeans (Achaians) since he refuses to help them fight the Trojans
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• 11.663 - Nestor tells Patroklos (Patroclus) that Achilles cares nothing for the Danaans or pities the wounded men
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• 11.761 - Nestor says that because Achilles will not fight the Trojans, he will realize too late that his people have perished
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• 11.776 - Nestor reminds Patroklos (Patroclus) that he and Odysseus were there when he (Patroklos) and Achilles were recruited to come to Troy
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• 11.782 - Nestor remembers when King Peleus told Achilles to always be best in battle
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• 11.785 - Nestor remembers when King Peleus told Patroklos (Patroclus) that Achilles was of higher of birth but Patroklos (Patroclus) was older and should give Achilles good advice
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• 11.790 - Nestor urges Patroklos (Patroclus) to try and persuade Achilles to fight against the Trojans
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• 11.804 - Patroklos (Patroclus) rushes to meet the son of Aiakos (Aeacus), i.e. Achilles
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• 11.805 - Patroklos (Patroclus) rushes to meet the son of Aiakos (Aeacus), i.e. Achilles, and stops at the ship of Odysseus
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• 11.830 - Eurypylos (Eurypylus) asks Patroklos (Patroclus) to get medicine for his wounds from Achilles because he was taught by the centaur, Cheiron (Chiron)
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• 11.838 - Patroklos (Patroclus) delays giving Nestor’s message to Achilles so he can care for the wounds of Eurypylos (Eurypylus)
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• 12.010 - The wall the Achaeans (Achaians) built to protect their ships will not last long because Hector is alive and Achilles will not fight
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• 13.113 - Poseidon (lord of the Sea) calls to Meriones and Antilochos (Antilochus) and says that even though Agamemnon dishonored the son of Peleus, they must not hold back from the fighting
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• 13.324 - Idomeneus tells Meriones that Telamonian Aias is so fierce that he would not give way to Achilles
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• 13.325 - Idomeneus tells Meriones that no one can match Achilles in running ability
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• 13.348 - Zeus is giving victory to Hector and the Trojans in order to eventually give honor to swift-footed Achilles
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• 13.350 - Zeus does not want the Achaeans (Achaians) destroyed because he wants to give glory to Thetis’ strong-spirited son
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• 14.050 - Agamemnon tells Nestor that the Achaeans (Achaians) are as angry as Achilles and will not fight for him
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• 14.139 - Diomedes tells Agamemnon that Achilles must be pleased that the Achaeans (Achaians) are in difficulty
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• 14.366 - Poseidon (lord of the Sea) goes among the Achaeans (Achaians) and tells them that Hector wants to set fire to the ships because Achilles is still angry at Agamemnon and will not fight
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• 15.064 - Zeus tells Hera that he will let the Trojans drive the Achaeans (Achaians) back to the ships of Achilles, Peleus’ son, and rouse Patroklos (Patroclus) so that Hector can kill him
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• 15.068 - Zeus tells Hera that Achilles will kill Hector because of the death of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 15.074 - Zeus tells Hera that none of the Immortals will fight at Troy until the son of Peleus kills Hector
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• 15.077 - Zeus tells Hera that he promised Thetis that her son Achilles will be honored
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• 15.402 - Patroklos (Patroclus) tells Eurypylos (Eurypylus) that he (Patroklos) must go to Achilles and try to persuade him to enter the fighting
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• 15.614 - Zeus is giving glory to Hector because Pallas Athene (Athena) will soon give strength to Achilles and he will kill Hector
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• 16.002 - Patroklos (Patroclus) stands before Achilles and is weeping for the defeats the Achaeans (Achaians) are suffering
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• 16.005 - Achilles chides Patroklos (Patroclus) for crying like a girl and asks what news he brings
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• 16.021 - Patroklos (Patroclus) tells Achilles that Diomedes, Odysseus, Agamemnon and Eurypylos (Eurypylus) are all wounded
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• 16.029 - Patroklos (Patroclus) complains that Achilles cherishes his anger against Agamemnon
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• 16.048 - Achilles tells Patroklos (Patroclus) that he was dishonored by Agamemnon and will not forgive him
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• 16.124 - As the Trojans get closer to Achilles’ ships, he musters the Myrmidons and tells Patroklos (Patroclus) to put on his (Achilles’) armor
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• 16.134 - Patroklos (Patroclus) puts on the corselet of Aiakides (Achilles); across his shoulders he places Achilles sword and shield
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• 16.140 - Patroklos (Patroclus) does not take the spear of Aiakides (Achilles) because only Achilles can wield it
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• 16.140 - Of all the Achaeans (Achaians), only Achilles can wield his massive spear which was a gift to Peleus from the centaur, Cheiron (Chiron)
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• 16.146 - Patroklos (Patroclus) orders Achilles’ honored chariot driver Automedon to harness the horses
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• 16.153 - Achilles won his mortal chariot horse Pedasos (Pedasus) when he stormed Thebes
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• 16.155 - Achilles goes among the Myrmidons and arrays them for battle
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• 16.165 - The Myrmidons swarm around Aiakides (Achilles)
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• 16.166 - Achilles stands in the midst of the Myrmidons and urges them to fight
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• 16.168 - Achilles brought fifty ships to Troy with fifty men in each ship
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• 16.195 - The Myrmidon captain Peisandros (Peisander) was second only to Achilles in spear-fighting
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• 16.198 - After the Myrmidons are arrayed for battle, Achilles reminds them not to forget their hatred of the Trojans
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• 16.203 - Achilles says that he knows the Myrmidons blame the hard son of Peleus for not letting them fight before now
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• 16.220 - As Patroklos (Patroclus) and Automedon lead the Myrmidons forward, Achilles goes into his shelter
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• 16.226 - Achilles takes out a goblet so he can pour a libation to Zeus
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• 16.253 - Achilles returns the goblet to its chest and stands in front of his shelter to watch the fighting
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• 16.269 - Patroklos (Patroclus) calls out words of encouragement to the Myrmidons by calling them companions of Peleus’ son, Achilles
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• 16.271 - Patroklos (Patroclus) tells the Myrmidons that they must bring honor to Peleus’ son
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• 16.281 - When the Trojans see Patroklos (Patroclus) in Achilles armor they think Achilles has put aside his anger and joined the fighting
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• 16.575 - Epeigeus, a henchman of Achilles, is killed by Hector
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• 16.653 - Zeus decides to allow Patroklos (Patroclus), a henchman of Achilles, the son of Peleus, to live a little while longer so that Hector can kill him
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• 16.686 - Patroklos (Patroclus) disregards Achilles’ orders and charges after the retreating Lykians (Lycians)
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• 16.709 - Apollon tells Patroklos (Patroclus) that he must give way because Troy is not destined to falls at his hands or those of Achilles
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• 16.799 - Apollon shrouds himself in mist and strikes Patroklos (Patroclus) in the back, knocking Achilles’ helmet from Patroklos’ head
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• 16.837 - Hector stands over Patroklos (Patroclus) and says that not even Achilles can save him now
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• 16.854 - As he is dying, Patroklos (Patroclus) tells Hector that he will soon die at the hands of Achilles
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• 16.860 - Hector disregards the warning of Patroklos (Patroclus) and says that Achilles, the son of Thetis, might die by his spear
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• 16.865 - Hector aims his spear at Automedon, the charioteer of Achilles, but he escapes injury
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• 17.075 - Mentes tells Hector that he will never capture the chariot horses of Aiakides (Achilles)
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• 17.078 - Mentes tells Hector that the chariot horses of Achilles can only be managed by Achilles
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• 17.105 - Menelaos (Menelaus) says to himself that he needs the assistance of Telamonian Aias to retrieve Patroklos’ (Patroclus’) body for Achilles
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• 17.121 - Menelaos (Menelaus) finds Telamonian Aias in the crowd and tells him that they must try to carry Patroklos’ (Patroclus’) body back to Achilles
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• 17.187 - Hector tells the Trojans to continue the fight for the body of Patroklos (Patroclus) while he retreats to put on Achilles’ armor
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• 17.191 - Hector carries the armor of Peleus’ son towards Troy
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• 17.195 - Hector puts on Achilles’ armor
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• 17.199 - As Zeus sees Hector putting on Achilles’ armor, he knows that Hector’s death will be very soon
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• 17.208 - Zeus grants Hector temporary glory because he knows that Hector will not live to give the armor of Achilles to his wife Andromache
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• 17.214 - Zeus fits the armor of Achilles to Hector’s body and Ares (god of War) enters his body as he marches back into the ranks of the Trojans
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• 17.271 - Zeus does not want to see the body of Patroklos (Patroclus), Achilles’ companion, become a trophy for the Trojans so he puts strength in the bodies of the Achaeans (Achaians)
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• 17.280 - Telamonian Aias was second only to the son of Peleus for his beauty and the work of his hands
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• 17.388 - The fighting goes on and on as the Trojans try to capture the body of Aiakides’ (Achilles’) henchman, Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 17.402 - Achilles does not yet know that Patroklos (Patroclus) is dead
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• 17.404 - Since the fighting is far away from Achilles’ ships, he thinks that Patroklos (Patroclus) is still alive
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• 17.410 - Achilles’ mother, Thetis, often told him the will of Zeus but she did not tell him that Patroklos (Patroclus) was dead
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• 17.426 - The chariot horses of Aiakides (Achilles) weep for Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 17.473 - Alkimedon (Alcimedon) tells Automedon that he has lost his wits to remain in the front lines of the fighting while Hector is wearing Aiakides’ (Achilles’) armor
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• 17.486 - Hector tells Aineias (Aeneas ) that they should try to capture the chariot horses of swift-footed Aiakides (Achilles)
•  
• 17.505 - Automedon tells Alkimedon (Alcimedon) that Hector will either kill them for Achilles’ chariot horses or die trying
•  
• 17.558 - Athene (Athena) assumes the guise of Phoinix (Phoenix) and tells Menelaos (Menelaus) that it would be shameful to allow the Trojans to capture the body of Achilles’ companion, Patroklos (Patroclus)
•  
• 17.641 - Telamonian Aias tells Menelaos (Menelaus) that someone should tell Peleus’ son that Patroklos (Patroclus) is dead
•  
• 17.654 - Telamonian Aias tells Menelaos (Menelaus) to send Antilochos (Antilochus) to tell Achilles that Patroklos (Patroclus) is dead
•  
• 17.691 - Menelaos (Menelaus) tells Antilochos (Antilochus) to go to Achilles and tell him that Patroklos (Patroclus) is dead
•  
• 17.701 - Antilochos (Antilochus) runs, weeping, with his message for Achilles about the death of Patroklos (Patroclus)
•  
• 17.709 - Menelaos (Menelaus) tells the Aiantes that he has sent a message to Achilles about the death of Patroklos (Patroclus) but does not think that Achilles can come to their rescue without armor
•  
• 18.002 - Antilochos (Antilochus) finds Achilles sitting in front of his beached ship
•  
• 18.005 - Achilles asks Antilochos (Antilochus) why the Achaeans (Achaians) have been driven back by the Trojans
•  
• 18.017 - Antilochos (Antilochus) weeps as he approaches Achilles
•  
• 18.018 - Antilochos (Antilochus) tells the son of Peleus that Patroklos (Patroclus) has fallen in battle
•  
• 18.022 - A cloud of sorrow closes over Achilles as he hears the news that Patroklos (Patroclus) has fallen in battle; he pours handfuls of dust and ashes over his head
•  
• 18.028 - The handmaidens of Achilles and Patroklos (Patroclus) cry when they hear that Patroklos is dead
•  
• 18.030 - The handmaidens of Achilles and Patroklos (Patroclus) gather around Achilles when they hear that Patroklos is dead
•  
• 18.033 - Antilochos (Antilochus) weeps and takes Achilles’ hands
•  
• 18.034 - Antilochos (Antilochus) is afraid that Achilles will take his own life in his sorrow over the death of Patroklos (Patroclus); Achilles cries aloud for his mother
•  
• 18.069 - Thetis and her sister Nereids emerge from the sea and gather around Achilles
•  
• 18.078 - Achilles tells his mother Thetis that his dear companion Patroklos (Patroclus) is dead
•  
• 18.097 - Achilles tells his mother Thetis that he must die soon because he was not there to protect Patroklos (Patroclus)
•  
• 18.152 - The Achaeans (Achaians) are unable to retrieve the body of Patroklos (Patroclus), henchman of Achilles, because Hector is fighting furiously to snatch the body away
•  
• 18.167 - The goddess Iris comes from Mount Olympos (Olympus) with a message for Peleus’ son
•  
• 18.170 - The goddess Iris tells the son of Peleus to arm himself and defend the body of Patroklos (Patroclus)
•  
• 18.181 - Achilles asks Iris which of the Immortals has sent her to him; she says it was Hera
•  
• 18.188 - Achilles tells Iris that he has no armor and his mother, Thetis, told him to wait until she can get new armor from Hephaistos (Hephaestus)
•  
• 18.203 - At the command of Iris, Achilles goes to the battlement; Athene (Athena) places a golden cloud about his head and kindles it with a bright flame
•  
• 18.214 - Athene (Athena) places a flame around Achilles’ head that is so bright it can be seen from the neighboring islands
•  
• 18.221 - Aiakides (Achilles) screams from the battlement and terrifies the Trojans
•  
• 18.222 - When the Trojans hear the screams of Aiakides (Achilles), they turn back towards Troy in fear of the coming afflictions
•  
• 18.226 - The Trojan charioteers are dumbfounded at the flames which surround Achilles’ head
•  
• 18.228 - Achilles screams three times from the battlement and each time the Trojans are routed
•  
• 18.234 - The Achaeans (Achaians) are finally able to retrieve the body of Patroklos (Patroclus); Achilles weeps when he sees his dead companion
•  
• 18.247 - The Achaeans (Achaians) gather for assembly and are terrified at the sight of Achilles
•  
• 18.261 - Poulydamas (Polydamas) tells Hector that he dreads the swift-footed son of Peleus
•  
• 18.268 - Poulydamas (Polydamas) tells Hector that they should return to the safety of the walls of Troy because nightfall has stopped the son of Peleus from attacking them
•  
• 18.305 - Hector says that if Achilles enters the fighting, he will fight with him
•  
• 18.316 - Peleus’ son leads the chants of lamentation for Patroklos (Patroclus)
•  
• 18.343 - Achilles has the Myrmidons bring hot water so he can clean the body of Patroklos (Patroclus)
•  
• 18.354 - Achilles and the Myrmidons morn Patroklos (Patroclus) all night
•  
• 18.358 - Zeus tells Hera that he knows that she has roused the spirit of Achilles
•  
• 18.614 - Hephaistos (Hephaestus) gives the newly crafted armor he has made for Achilles to Thetis
•  
• 19.013 - Thetis lays the armor Hephaistos (Hephaestus) made for Achilles on the ground before him
•  
• 19.015 - The armor Hephaistos (Hephaestus) made for Achilles is so bright that the other Myrmidons cannot look at it
•  
• 19.040 - Achilles walks along the seashore and calls the Achaeans (Achaians) to assembly
•  
• 19.045 - All the Achaeans (Achaians) come to the assembly to see what Achilles will do
•  
• 19.055 - Achilles speaks at the assembly of the Achaeans (Achaians) and tells Agamemnon that he wishes that they had never quarreled
•  
• 19.075 - The Achaeans (Achaians) are glad that the son of Peleus has given up his anger towards Agamemnon
•  
• 19.083 - Agamemnon address Achilles in front of the assembled Achaeans (Achaians)
•  
• 19.089 - Agamemnon says that he was deluded by the Immortals when he took the captive girl Briseis away from Achilles
•  
• 19.145 - Achilles tells Agamemnon that he does not want gifts, he only wants to fight the Trojans
•  
• 19.151 - Achilles tells the Achaeans (Achaians) that they will see him at the forefront of the fighting
•  
• 19.155 - Odysseus tells Achilles that the army should rest before they fight again
•  
• 19.188 - Agamemnon tells Achilles to rest while gifts are brought for him
•  
• 19.194 - Agamemnon tells Odysseus to bring the gifts he (Agamemnon) promised to Achilles
•  
• 19.198 - Achilles tells Agamemnon that he does not want gifts but instead will urge the Achaeans (Achaians) into battle even if they are tired and unfed
•  
• 19.216 - Odysseus says that he is older and wiser than the son of Peleus and advises rest and food for the army
•  
• 19.268 - Achilles stands to address the Achaeans (Achaians) and says that he and Agamemnon quarreled because they were deluded by the Immortals
•  
• 19.279 - The Myrmidons carry the gifts of Agamemnon to Achilles’ ship
•  
• 19.280 - The Myrmidons put the horses which Agamemnon gave to Achilles in the herd with the rest of Achilles’ horses
•  
• 19.295 - The captive girl Briseis morns over the body of Patroklos (Patroclus) and remembers when he promised her she would become the wife of Achilles
•  
• 19.303 - The captains of the Achaeans (Achaians) urge Achilles to eat, but he refuses
•  
• 19.343 - Zeus watches Achilles in his sorrow and asks Athene (Athena) if she has forsaken Achilles
•  
• 19.353 - Athene (Athena) drops ambrosia and nectar inside Achilles’ breast so that he will be strong and not go hungry
•  
• 19.364 - Achilles is among the Achaeans (Achaians) as they thunderously prepare for battle with their bronze armor glittering in the sunlight
•  
• 19.379 - As Achilles dons his new armor, his shield flashes light into the sky
•  
• 19.384 - Achilles tries his new armor to make sure he can run and fight
•  
• 19.389 - Achilles hefts the spear that the centaur Cheiron (Chiron) gave to his father; only Achilles can wield the spear
•  
• 19.397 - Achilles takes a battle stance in his chariot behind Automedon
•  
• 19.408 - The goddess Hera uses the horse Xanthos (Xanthus) to speak to Achilles; the horse says that he will not be to blame when his (Achilles’) destiny brings death
•  
• 19.419 - Achilles tells his horse Xanthos (Xanthus) that he knows he will soon die
•  
• 20.002 - The son of Peleus and the Achaeans (Achaians) prepare for battle as the Trojans do the same
•  
• 20.026 - Zeus tells the other Immortals to join the fighting at Troy so that the Trojans do not have to fight Achilles alone
•  
• 20.027 - Zeus tells the other Immortals that the Trojans cannot hold Achilles back without divine help
•  
• 20.045 - The Trojans are stricken with terror when they see the son of Peleus in his new armor
•  
• 20.075 - As the Immortals fight with one another; Achilles tries to make his way through the fighting to get to Hector
•  
• 20.080 - Apollon assumes the guise of Lykaon (Lycaon) and urges Aineias (Aeneas) to fight Achilles
•  
• 20.085 - Apollon, in the guise of Lykaon (Lycaon), reminds Aineias (Aeneas) that he once boasted that he would test his strength against Achilles
•  
• 20.088 - Aineias (Aeneas) asks Lykaon (Lycaon), who is really Apollon in disguise, why he should fight against the raging Achilles
•  
• 20.090 - Aineias (Aeneas) reminds Lykaon (Lycaon), who is really Apollon in disguise, that Achilles once drove him from Mount Ida at spear-point
•  
• 20.094 - Aineias (Aeneas) tells Lykaon (Lycaon), who is really Apollon in disguise, that Zeus saved him from Achilles on Mount Ida and that the goddess Athene (Athena) protects Achilles
•  
• 20.097 - Aineias (Aeneas) tells Lykaon (Lycaon), who is really Apollon in disguise, that Achilles is protected by the Immortals
•  
• 20.106 - Apollon, in the guise of Lykaon (Lycaon), reminds Aineias (Aeneas) that he was born of Aphrodite (goddess of Love) and that Achilles was born of a lesser goddess
•  
• 20.113 - The goddess Hera watches as Aineias (Aeneas) goes through the throng to face the son of Peleus
•  
• 20.118 - The goddess Hera tells Athene (Athena) and Poseidon (lord of the Sea) that they must stop Aineias (Aeneas) from fighting with Peleus’ son because Apollon wants to kill Achilles
•  
• 20.120 - The goddess Hera tells Athene (Athena) and Poseidon (lord of the Sea) that one of them must go to Achilles and tell him that he is loved by the mightiest of the Immortals
•  
• 20.129 - The goddess Hera tells Athene (Athena) and Poseidon (lord of the Sea) that one of them must speak to Achilles so that he will not be afraid if he fights with an Immortal
•  
• 20.139 - Poseidon (lord of the Sea) tells Hera that they need not interfere unless Ares (god of War) or Apollon attacks Achilles
•  
• 20.160 - Achilles and Aineias (Aeneas) face one another, furious to fight
•  
• 20.164 - Achilles rises like a lion before Aineias (Aeneas)
•  
• 20.174 - A fighting fury moves Achilles to attack Aineias (Aeneas)
•  
• 20.177 - Achilles asks Aineias (Aeneas) why he has moved to the forefront of the fighting to face him
•  
• 20.200 - Aineias (Aeneas) tells the son of Peleus that he is not afraid to fight because his parents are of higher birth than Achilles’
•  
• 20.261 - The son of Peleus holds his shield further out in front of his body because he is afraid that Aineias’ (Aeneas’) spear will pass through it
•  
• 20.273 - Achilles throws his spear at Aineias (Aeneas); the spear lodges in his shield and then in the ground behind Aineias
•  
• 20.283 - Achilles draws his sword and attacks Aineias (Aeneas)
•  
• 20.290 - Aineias (Aeneas) hefts a huge stone and prepares to throw it at Peleus’ son
•  
• 20.294 - Poseidon (lord of the Sea) tells the other Immortals that Achilles is about to kill Aineias (Aeneas) because Apollon goaded him into the fight and now will not protect him
•  
• 20.301 - Poseidon (lord of the Sea) tells the other Immortals that they must not allow Aineias (Aeneas) to be killed by Achilles because it will anger Zeus
•  
• 20.312 - The goddess Hera tells Poseidon (lord of the Sea) that he must save Aineias (Aeneas) from Achilles because she and Athene (Athena) have sworn never to help a Trojan
•  
• 20.320 - Poseidon (lord of the Sea) makes his way to where Achilles and Aineias (Aeneas) are fighting
•  
• 20.322 - Poseidon (lord of the Sea) surrounds Achilles in mist so that Aineias (Aeneas) can escape
•  
• 20.324 - Poseidon (lord of the Sea) pulls Achilles’ spear from Aineias’ (Aeneas’) shield and lays it at Achilles’ feet
•  
• 20.333 - Poseidon (lord of the Sea) hurls Aineias (Aeneas) away from Achilles and tells him to save his courage until after Peleus’ son is dead
•  
• 20.337 - Poseidon (lord of the Sea) tells Aineias (Aeneas) that it is Achilles’ destiny to die at Troy
•  
• 20.341 - After Aineias (Aeneas) is safely away from Achilles, Poseidon (lord of the Sea) lifts the mist from Achilles’ eyes
•  
• 20.365 - Hector thinks of fighting against Achilles
•  
• 20.366 - Hector tells the Trojans not to be afraid of Achilles
•  
• 20.369 - Hector tells the Trojans that not even Achilles can achieve everything he wants
•  
• 20.376 - Apollon warns Hector not to go out to fight Achilles alone
•  
• 20.381 - Achilles charges into the Trojan lines with a great war-cry
•  
• 20.386 - Achilles kills Iphition with a spear thrust to the head
•  
• 20.388 - As Achilles regales the body of Iphition as the Achaean (Achaian) chariots cut his dead body to pieces
•  
• 20.396 - Achilles stabs Demoleon through the temple and kills him
•  
• 20.413 - Achilles kills King Priam’s son Polydoros (Polydorus) with a spear thrown into Polydoros’ back
•  
• 20.422 - When he sees Achilles kill his brother Polydoros (Polydorus), Hector goes after Achilles
•  
• 20.423 - When Achilles sees Hector, he challenges him to fight
•  
• 20.431 - Hector tells Achilles that he is not frightened by his threats
•  
• 20.439 - When Hector throws his spear at Achilles, the goddess Athene (Athena) turns the spear away with her breath
•  
• 20.441 - Achilles charges furiously against Hector to kill him
•  
• 20.445 - Apollon wraps Hector in a mist; Achilles lunges his spear into the mist three times but cannot find his mark
•  
• 20.448 - Achilles charges into the mist which Apollon has wrapped around Hector but cannot find Hector
•  
• 20.460 - Achilles kills Dardanos (Dardanus) and Laogonos (Laogonus)
•  
• 20.463 - Achilles encounters Tros on the battlefield
•  
• 20.465 - Tros clasps Achilles’ knees and begs for mercy; Achilles kills Tros
•  
• 20.479 - Achilles stabs Deukalion (Deucalion) in the elbow with his spear
•  
• 20.481 - Achilles kills Deukalion (Deucalion) by severing his head with a single sword stroke
•  
• 20.488 - Achilles kills Areithoos (Areithous) with a spear thrust to the back
•  
• 20.492 - Achilles sweeps through the Trojan defenses like a blazing fire
•  
• 20.498 - Achilles’ chariot rolls through the blood and gore of the battlefield
•  
• 20.502 - The son of Peleus is splattered with blood as he strains to win glory
•  
• 21.003 - As the Trojans retreat to the river Xanthos (Xanthus), Achilles chases some of them over the flat ground towards the city
•  
• 21.015 - The confusion caused by the retreating Trojans fills the river Xanthos (Xanthus) with men and horses
•  
• 21.017 - Achilles leaves his spear on the riverbank and plunges into the water with only his sword
•  
• 21.040 - Achilles captured Lykaon (Lycaon), the son of King Priam, and sold him on the island of Lemnos
•  
• 21.047 - After being freed from slavery, Lykaon (Lycaon) encounters Achilles on the battlefield
•  
• 21.049 - Achilles sees Lykaon (Lycaon) on the riverbank without his weapons or shield
•  
• 21.053 - Achilles sees Lykaon (Lycaon) and wonders if the dead have risen to fight him
•  
• 21.067 - As Lykaon (Lycaon) clasps Achilles’ knees begging for mercy, Achilles stabs with his spear but it misses Lykaon and sticks in the ground
•  
• 21.073 - Lykaon (Lycaon) holds Achilles’ knees with one hand and the spear with the other; he again begs for mercy
•  
• 21.116 - Achilles uses his sword to kill Lykaon (Lycaon)
•  
• 21.120 - Achilles grabs Lykaon (Lycaon) by the ankle and throws his dead body into the river Xanthos (Xanthus)
•  
• 21.138 - The river Xanthos (Xanthus) ponders how he can stop Achilles from killing more Trojans
•  
• 21.139 - Peleus’ son springs on Asteropaios (Asteropaeus), furious to kill him
•  
• 21.144 - The river Xanthos (Xanthus) puts valor in the heart of Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) as he emerges from the river to fight Achilles
•  
• 21.147 - The river Xanthos (Xanthus) is angry at Achilles for the young men he has killed by the riverbank
•  
• 21.149 - Achilles asks Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) who he is and why he dares to stand against him
•  
• 21.153 - Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) tells the son of Peleus that he is from Paionia and descended from the river Axios (Axius)
•  
• 21.160 - After giving his linage, Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) challenges Achilles to fight
•  
• 21.161 - Achilles lifts his spear to fight Asteropaios (Asteropaeus)
•  
• 21.166 - Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) throws two spears at Achilles and grazes him on the forearm, drawing blood
•  
• 21.169 - Achilles throws his spear at Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) and it sticks in the riverbank
•  
• 21.173 - The son of Peleus uses his sword to attack Asteropaios (Asteropaeus)
•  
• 21.175 - Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) tries to pull Achilles’ spear from the riverbank, but cannot
•  
• 21.178 - After three attempts to pull Aiakides’ (Achilles’) spear from the riverbank, Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) tries to break it
•  
• 21.179 - Achilles stabs Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) in the stomach and kills him
•  
• 21.182 - Achilles strips Asteropaios (Asteropaeus) of his armor and declares that his linage is stronger because he is descended from Zeus and not a mere river like Asteropaios
•  
• 21.208 - When the other Paionians see Achilles kill Asteropaios (Asteropaeus), they scatter along the banks of the river Xanthos (Xanthus)
•  
• 21.211 - As Achilles is killing the fleeing Paionians, the river Xanthos (Xanthus) speaks to Achilles from his depths
•  
• 21.214 - The river Xanthos (Xanthus) tells Achilles not to clog his waters with more corpses
•  
• 21.222 - Achilles tells the river Xanthos (Xanthus), who is known to mortals as Skamandros (Scamander), that he will not throw any more bodies in the water but he will kill Trojans until Hector is dead
•  
• 21.233 - Achilles leaps into the waters of the river Xanthos (Xanthus)
•  
• 21.236 - The river Xanthos (Xanthus) rises up and sloshes the bodies which Achilles has thrown in the water onto the riverbank
•  
• 21.240 - The river Xanthos (Xanthus) sends a giant wave to batter Achilles
•  
• 21.246 - Achilles tries to get free from the whirlpool created by the river Xanthos (Xanthus)
•  
• 21.250 - The river Xanthos (Xanthus) tries to drown Achilles in order to save the Trojans
•  
• 21.251 - The son of Peleus springs away from the river Xanthos (Xanthus) the distance of a spear-cast
•  
• 21.263 - Regardless of the speed of his feet, the waters of Xanthos (Xanthus) are still overtaking Achilles
•  
• 21.265 - Achilles tries to withstand the blast of the waters from Xanthos (Xanthus), but he cannot
•  
• 21.272 - Achilles asks Zeus to save him from the raging waters of Xanthos (Xanthus)
•  
• 21.288 - Zeus sends Athene (Athena) and Poseidon (lord of the Sea) to Achilles side; Poseidon assures the son of Peleus that the river Xanthos (Xanthus) will not kill him and that he should continue to fight until he has killed Hector
•  
• 21.299 - Achilles is emboldened by the words of Athene (Athena) and Poseidon (lord of the Sea); he goes with urgency towards Troy and his encounter with Hector
•  
• 21.306 - The river Xanthos (Xanthus) calls on his brother Simoeis (Simois) to help him fight Achilles
•  
• 21.324 - The river Xanthos (Xanthus) rises against Achilles again
•  
• 21.327 - The son of Peleus is caught in the turbulent waters of Xanthos (Xanthus)
•  
• 21.328 - The goddess Hera fears for Achilles and calls to her son Hephaistos (Hephaestus)
•  
• 21.333 - The goddess Hera tells her son Hephaistos (Hephaestus) to save Achilles by using fire against the river Xanthos (Xanthus)
•  
• 21.344 - Hephaistos (Hephaestus) burns the corpses which Achilles left on the dry ground
•  
• 21.359 - The river Xanthos (Xanthus) begs Hephaistos (Hephaestus) to stop the fires; he says that he will no longer fight with Achilles
•  
• 21.520 - As the Immortals on Mount Olympos (Olympus) discuss the Trojan War, Achilles is killing Trojans and their horses
•  
• 21.525 - Achilles inflicts sorrow on the Trojans
•  
• 21.532 - King Priam orders that the city gates be left open so that the Trojans can escape from Achilles
•  
• 21.542 - As the Trojans run for the safety of the city, Achilles chases them furiously with his spear
•  
• 21.550 - Apollon drives courage into the heart of Agenor so that he will stand against Achilles outside the city gates
•  
• 21.553 - Agenor thinks that if he runs from Achilles, he will be cut down like a coward
•  
• 21.556 - Agenor cannot decide whether to run from Achilles or stand and face him
•  
• 21.556 - Agenor debates with himself if he should flee the son of Peleus and hide on Mount Ida
•  
• 21.571 - Agenor gathers his courage and stands to fight Achilles
•  
• 21.580 - Agenor holds his shield up and stands to fight Achilles
•  
• 21.583 - Agenor tells Achilles that there will be more hard fighting before Troy is conquered
•  
• 21.594 - Agenor throws his spear at Achilles but it rebounds off Achilles’ greaves, leaving him uninjured
•  
• 21.595 - Achilles springs at Agenor but Apollon removes Agenor from the scene and assumes his likeness
•  
• 21.599 - Apollon leads Achilles away from the other Trojans by assuming the guise of Agenor
•  
• 21.601 - Achilles begins to chase Apollon, who has assumed the guise of Agenor
•  
• 22.007 - Apollon, in the guise of Agenor, asks the son of Peleus why he continues to chase him
•  
• 22.014 - Achilles finally recognizes Apollon in the guise of Agenor and asks him why he has vexed him so
•  
• 22.024 - After realizing that he has been tricked by Apollon, Achilles runs back towards Troy
•  
• 22.036 - King Priam groans as he sees his son Hector waiting at the city gates to face Achilles
•  
• 22.040 - King Priam is afraid his son Hector will meet his destiny by fighting Achilles because Achilles is far stronger than Hector
•  
• 22.055 - King Priam morns his sons Lykaon (Lycaon) and Polydoros (Polydorus), but he knows that all of Troy will morn Hector if Achilles kills him
•  
• 22.058 - King Priam wishes that his son Hector would not seek glory or death by facing Peleus’ son
•  
• 22.092 - King Priam begs Hector to retreat but he still stands outside the city gates to fight Achilles
•  
• 22.102 - Hector laments that he did not retreat within the city walls when Achilles rejoined the fighting
•  
• 22.109 - Hector tells himself that instead of running away, it will be better to kill Achilles or die trying
•  
• 22.113 - Hector considers going out to meet Achilles unarmed and offering to return Helen and end the war
•  
• 22.131 - As Hector considers his options, Achilles is getting closer and closer to him, brandishing his spear
•  
• 22.138 - Hector loses his nerve and runs away from Peleus’ son
•  
• 22.143 - As Hector runs away, Achilles chases after him in fury
•  
• 22.172 - Zeus is sad to see Hector being chased around the city by Achilles and asks the other Immortals what he should do
•  
• 22.176 - Zeus asks the other Immortals if he should allow Hector to be killed by Achilles
•  
• 22.188 - Achilles chases Hector around the city like a dog
•  
• 22.193 - Like a fawn being chased by hounds, Hector cannot get away from Achilles
•  
• 22.197 - As Hector tries to get close to the city walls, Achilles always forces him back out into the open
•  
• 22.205 - Achilles motions for the Achaeans (Achaians) to keep back so that he can kill Hector himself
•  
• 22.211 - As Hector and Achilles round the city for the forth time, Zeus weighs out the fate of both men on his golden scales; Hector’s side of the scales is heaviest, therefore he must die
•  
• 22.214 - Apollon forsakes Hector and Athene (Athena) comes to Achilles’ side
•  
• 22.216 - Athene (Athena) tells Achilles that she will go to Hector and beguile him into combat
•  
• 22.229 - Athene (Athena) takes the guise of Deiphobos (Deiphobus) and tells Hector the he (she) will fight with him against Achilles
•  
• 22.244 - Athene (Athena), in the guise of Deiphobos (Deiphobus), tells Hector that they must fight Achilles
•  
• 22.250 - Hector tells the son of Peleus that the time has come for one of them to die
•  
• 22.258 - Hector tries to make Achilles promise that whoever dies, their armor and bodies will not be disgraced
•  
• 22.260 - Achilles tells Hector that he will show no mercy after he kills him
•  
• 22.277 - Achilles throws his spear at Hector but misses; Athene (Athena) pulls Achilles’ spear from the ground and returns it to him
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• 22.278 - Hector addresses Achilles as the blameless son of Peleus
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• 22.279 - Hector tells Achilles that he will have to stab him in the chest because he will not run and be stabbed in the back
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• 22.290 - Hector throws his spear and it bounces off Achilles’ shield
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• 22.311 - Hector draws his sword and charges against Achilles
•  
• 22.319 - Achilles’ spear glistens like a star as he charges furiously at Hector
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• 22.326 - Achilles drives his spear into Hector’s neck but the wound does not kill him instantly
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• 22.330 - As Hector falls to the ground, Achilles vaults over him and tells him that the vultures and dogs will feed on his corpse
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• 22.344 - When Hector asks that his body be given to his parents, Achilles says that he should butcher him and eat his flesh instead
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• 22.364 - Achilles tells the corpse of Hector that he will accept his own death whenever Zeus chooses
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• 22.377 - Achilles and the gathered Achaeans (Achaians) despoil the body of Hector; Achilles ties Hector’s body behind his chariot and drags it around the walls of Troy
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• 22.446 - Hector’s mother Hekabe (Hecabe) prepares a bath for her son because she does not yet know that Achilles has killed him
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• 23.004 - The Achaeans (Achaians) return to their ships but Achilles will not let the Myrmidons un-harness their chariots so that they can drive them around the body of Patroklos (Patroclus)
•  
• 23.012 - Achilles leads the Myrmidon chariots around the body of Patroklos (Patroclus) three times
•  
• 23.017 - Peleus’ son leads the Myrmidons in chants of lamentation
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• 23.029 - Aiakides (Achilles) sets out a funeral feast for the Achaeans (Achaians) in honor of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 23.036 - The Achaean (Achaian) captains take the son of Peleus to Agamemnon
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• 23.041 - Agamemnon tries to persuade the son of Peleus to wash the blood from his body but Achilles says that he will not wash until he has laid Patroklos (Patroclus) on the funeral pyre and then buried his bones
•  
• 23.059 - The son of Peleus lays down on the beach and sleeps
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• 23.069 - The ghost of Patroklos (Patroclus) comes to Achilles and asks to be buried as quickly as possible
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• 23.080 - The ghost of Patroklos (Patroclus) tells Achilles that he too will die under the walls of Troy
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• 23.083 - The ghost of Patroklos (Patroclus) asks that his bones be buried with those of Achilles
•  
• 23.093 - Achilles promises the ghost of Patroklos (Patroclus) that he will have their bones buried together
•  
• 23.101 - Achilles tries to embrace the ghost of Patroklos (Patroclus) but he grasps only vapor
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• 23.125 - Achilles chooses a place on the beach for the burial mound for Patroklos (Patroclus) and himself
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• 23.128 - Achilles orders the Myrmidons to put on their armor and yoke their horses to their chariots
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• 23.136 - The Myrmidons drop their shorn hair over the body of Patroklos (Patroclus) as Achilles holds Patroklos head
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• 23.138 - The Myrmidons lay Patroklos’ (Patroclus’) body where Achilles shows them
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• 23.140 - Achilles cuts a lock of his hair and lays it on the body of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 23.168 - Achilles wraps the corpse of Patroklos (Patroclus) in the fat of sacrificial sheep and cattle
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• 23.187 - Aphrodite (goddess of Love) anoints the body of Hector with ambrosia so that it will not be torn when Achilles drags it behind his chariot
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• 23.193 - Achilles prays to the North and West winds, Boreas and Zephyros (Zephyrus), that they will help burn the wood on Patroklos’ (Patroclus’) pyre
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• 23.208 - The goddess Iris tells the North and West winds, Boreas and Zephyros (Zephyrus), of Achilles’ prayer that they will help burn the wood on Patroklos’ (Patroclus’) pyre
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• 23.218 - Achilles pours wine from a golden goblet and calls upon the soul of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 23.224 - Achilles morns Patroklos (Patroclus) as a father morns his son
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• 23.231 - As Patroklos’ (Patroclus’) pyre burns, the son of Peleus lays down to sleep
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• 23.234 - Achilles awakens when he hears Agamemnon’s men approach Patroklos’ (Patroclus’) funeral pyre
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• 23.257 - After Patroklos’ (Patroclus’) pyre is burned and covered with dirt, Achilles brings out gifts for the funeral games
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• 23.287 - The son of Peleus announces the chariot races as the first event in the funeral games in honor of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 23.333 - Nestor tells his son Antilochos (Antilochus) about the turning point established by Achilles as part of the chariot race
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• 23.352 - Achilles draws the lots for the chariot race
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• 23.358 - Achilles points out the distant turning point for the chariot race to the contestants
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• 23.491 - Achilles breaks up a quarrel between Idomeneus and the Lesser Aias as they watch the chariot race
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• 23.534 - Achilles takes pity on Eumelos (Eumelos) for coming in last in the chariot race
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• 23.542 - Antilochos (Antilochus) is angry at Achilles for offering to give his (Antilochos’) prize to Eumelos (Eumelos) for coming in last in the chariot race
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• 23.555 - Achilles says he will give Antilochos (Antilochus) the corselet he stripped from Asteropaios’ (Asteropaeus’) dead body as a prize in the chariot race
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• 23.616 - Achilles presents a two-handled jar to Nestor in memory of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 23.700 - Achilles puts out the prizes for the wrestling competition at the funeral games in honor of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 23.734 - Achilles stops the wrestling competition between Odysseus and Telamonian Aias because neither man can defeat the other
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• 23.740 - The son of Peleus puts out the prizes for the footrace at the funeral games in honor of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 23.748 - Achilles offers a silver mixing-bowl as the first prize in the footrace
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• 23.757 - Achilles points out the turn-post to the participants of the footrace
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• 23.776 - Lesser Aias slips on the dung of the sacrificial oxen which Achilles slew in honor of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 23.792 - After losing the footrace, Antilochos (Antilochus) says that Lesser Aias is fast but not as fast as Achilles
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• 23.793 - Achilles is glorified by the complement from Antilochos (Antilochus) about his swiftness
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• 23.794 - Achilles is so pleased with the complement from Antilochos (Antilochus) that he awards him a half-talent of gold even though he came in last in the footrace
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• 23.798 - At the funeral games in honor of Patroklos (Patroclus), Achilles lays out the armor stripped from Sarpedon as the prize in the combat competition
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• 23.824 - Telamonian Aias and Diomedes are so evenly matched in the combat competition that Achilles stops the fight and divides the prize between them
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• 23.826 - The son of Peleus brings out a lump of pig-iron as a prize for the funeral games in honor of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 23.828 - Achilles brings out a lump of pig-iron which he took from King Eetion when he sacked Thebes
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• 23.850 - At the funeral games in honor of Patroklos (Patroclus), Achilles puts out iron and axes as prizes for the archery competition
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• 23.884 - At the funeral games in honor of Patroklos (Patroclus), Achilles puts out a spear and cauldron as prizes in the spear-throwing competition
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• 23.889 - Achilles gives the first prize in the spear-throwing competition to Agamemnon without making him throw his spear
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• 24.003 - After the funeral games, Achilles weeps for the loss of his companion Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 24.021 - Apollon guards Hector’s body from all ugliness so that it will not be torn when Achilles drags it behind his chariot
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• 24.022 - Achilles is still furious with Hector even though he is dead
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• 24.039 - Apollon tells the other Immortals that Achilles has no feelings of justice
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• 24.044 - Apollon tells the other Immortals that Achilles has no pity or shame for the way he treats Hector’s body
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• 24.057 - The goddess Hera tells Apollon that Achilles deserves more respect than Hector
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• 24.059 - The goddess Hera tells Apollon that Achilles is only half mortal because his mother is a goddess
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• 24.072 - Zeus says that in order to steal the body of Hector away from Achilles, they must distract Achilles’ mother
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• 24.075 - Zeus says that King Priam must give Achilles gifts if he wants the body of Hector to be returned
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• 24.108 - Zeus tells Thetis that the Immortals have been quarreling for nine days over whether Achilles should be allowed to keep Hector’s body
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• 24.110 - Zeus tells Thetis that he wishes to do honor to Achilles but the body of Hector must be returned to King Priam
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• 24.119 - Zeus says that he will send Iris to King Priam so that he can offer a ransom to Achilles for the return of Hector’s body
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• 24.138 - When Thetis tells Achilles that Zeus wants Hector’s body returned to King Priam; Achilles agrees to do as Zeus commands
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• 24.147 - Zeus tells the messenger-goddess Iris to go to King Priam and order him the take a ransom to Achilles for the return of Hector’s body
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• 24.151 - Zeus tells the messenger-goddess Iris to order King Priam to take only one elder with him when he goes to Achilles to ransom Hector’s body
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• 24.154 - Zeus tells the messenger-goddess Iris that he will send Hermes to accompany King Priam when he goes to ransom Hector’s body from Achilles
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• 24.155 - Zeus tells the messenger-goddess Iris that Achilles will not harm King Priam when he goes into the Achaean (Achaian) camp to ransom Hector’s body
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• 24.176 - The messenger-goddess Iris tells King Priam to take gifts to Achilles in order to ransom Hector’s body
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• 24.180 - The messenger-goddess Iris tells King Priam that he can only take one elder when he goes to Achilles to ransom Hector’s body
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• 24.183 - The messenger-goddess Iris tells King Priam that Zeus will send Hermes to guide him to Achilles
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• 24.184 - The messenger-goddess Iris tells King Priam that he will not be harmed when he goes to Achilles to ransom Hector’s body
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• 24.196 - King Priam tells his wife Hekabe (Hecabe) that he is going to Achilles to ransom Hector’s body
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• 24.226 - King Priam tells his wife Hekabe (Hecabe) that he does not care if Achilles kills him as long as he can hold his son Hector again
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• 24.309 - King Priam prays to Zeus to send him a bird-sign so that he might trust Achilles when he goes to ransom Hector’s body
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• 24.338 - Zeus tells Hermes to take King Priam to the son of Peleus and to let no one see him
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• 24.394 - Hermes, in the guise of a mortal, tells King Priam that he saw Hector fighting when Achilles was still mad at Agamemnon and would not fight
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• 24.396 - Hermes, in the guise of a mortal, lies to King Priam and says that he is one of Achilles’ henchmen
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• 24.406 - King Priam asks Hermes if he is really a henchman of Achilles
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• 24.409 - King Priam asks Hermes if his son Hector has been torn apart by Achilles’ dogs
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• 24.412 - Hermes, in the guise of a mortal, tells King Priam that Hector’s body still lies beside Achilles’ ship and has not been ravaged by dogs or birds
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• 24.416 - Hermes, in the guise of a mortal, tells King Priam that Achilles has been dragging Hector’s body behind his chariot but the body has not been damaged
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• 24.431 - King Priam gives Hermes a drinking cup and asks him to show the way to the shelter of the son of Peleus
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• 24.434 - Hermes, in the guise of a mortal, tells King Priam that he cannot accept gifts from him lest Achilles find out
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• 24.448 - Hermes, in the guise of a mortal, and King Priam arrive at the towering shelter of Peleus’ son
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• 24.456 - When Hermes, in the guise of a mortal, and King Priam arrive at Achilles’ shelter they come to a gate that is so massive that Achilles is the only man who can open it by himself
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• 24.458 - When Hermes, in the guise of a mortal, and King Priam arrive at Achilles’ shelter, Hermes opens the massive gate
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• 24.463 - Hermes reveals his true identity to King Priam and says that it would not be proper for him accompany the king when he sees Achilles
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• 24.465 - Hermes tells King Priam to go to Achilles and beg for mercy in the name of Achilles’ mother and father
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• 24.472 - King Priam goes into the shelter of Achilles alone
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• 24.478 - King Priam clasps Achilles’ knees and kisses his hands
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• 24.483 - Achilles is puzzled at the godlike appearance of King Priam
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• 24.486 - King Priam begs Achilles to remember his father and mother; Priam then tells Achilles of his sorrows since the Achaeans (Achaians) came to Troy
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• 24.503 - King Priam asks Achilles to remember the Immortals and have pity on him
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• 24.510 - King Priam sits at Achilles’ feet and weeps
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• 24.511 - As King Priam weeps at Achilles’ feet, Achilles begins to cry for his companion Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 24.513 - Achilles lets his sorrow pass and pulls King Priam to his feet
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• 24.559 - Achilles tells King Priam that he can have Hector’s body because it is Zeus’ will
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• 24.572 - The son of Peleus tells King Priam that he knows that an Immortal helped him enter the Achaean (Achaian) camp and that he (Achilles) will not harm the king
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• 24.574 - Achilles gets his two trusted henchmen, Automedon and Alkimos (Alcimus), to remove the gifts the king brought to exchange for Hector’s body
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• 24.581 - Achilles calls out the serving-maids to wash Hector’s body before King Priam sees it covered with filth
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• 24.585 - Achilles is angry because Zeus forbade him to harm King Priam
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• 24.589 - Achilles lifts Hector’s body into King Priam’s wagon
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• 24.596 - Achilles asks the spirit of Patroklos (Patroclus) to forgive him for accepting the ransom for Hector’s body
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• 24.621 - Achilles tries to comfort King Priam and offers him food and a place to rest before he returns to Troy
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• 24.626 - Achilles serves meat to King Priam before the king returns to Troy
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• 24.629 - King Priam marvels at the size and beauty of Achilles
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• 24.631 - Achilles gazes at King Priam and wonders at his bravery
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• 24.643 - Achilles orders his serving-maids and companions to prepare a bed for King Priam on the porch of his shelter
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• 24.648 - Achilles tells King Priam that he must sleep on the porch because otherwise, one of the Achaeans (Achaians) might see him and tell Agamemnon
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• 24.661 - King Priam asks Achilles if he will help negotiate an eleven day truce so that the Trojans will have time to morn and bury Hector
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• 24.668 - Achilles tells King Priam that he agrees to an eleven day truce so that the Trojans will have time to morn and bury Hector
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• 24.675 - King Priam and his herald sleep on the porch and Achilles sleeps in his shelter with the captive girl Briseis
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• 24.684 - Hermes tells King Priam that he should have no fear of Achilles but the other Achaeans (Achaians) might hold him for ransom if they see him
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• 24.751 - Queen Hekabe (Hecabe) morns Hector and her other sons who were killed or sold into slavery by Achilles
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• 24.779 - King Priam tells the Trojans to begin preparations for Hector’s funeral because Achilles has promised an eleven day truce

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Achilles in The Odyssey

(listed by book and line)

The line numbers listed here correspond fairly well with the Lattimore and Murray/Dimock translations of The Odyssey. Other translations (Fitzgerald, Fagles et al) do not correspond as well but, with a small amount of effort, you should be able to find the reference you need regardless of the translation you use. Richmond Lattimore (ISBN 0060931957); A.T. Murray/George E. Dimock Vol. I & II (ISBN 0674995619 and 0674995627); Robert Fitzgerald (ISBN 0374525749); Robert Fagles (ISBN 0140268863)

• 03.106 - When Odysseus’ son Telemachos (Telemachus) was talking to King Nestor at Pylos, Nestor told him that the Greeks endured much hardship on the seas and went after plunder wherever Achilles led them
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• 03.109 - When Odysseus’ son Telemachos (Telemachus) was talking to King Nestor at Pylos, Nestor told him that their best warriors were killed at Troy, including Telamonian Aias and Achilles
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• 03.189 - When Odysseus’ son Telemachos (Telemachus) was talking to King Nestor at Pylos, Nestor told him that the Myrmidons who followed Achilles to Troy, made a safe homecoming after the war was over
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• 04.005 - When Odysseus’ son Telemachos (Telemachus) arrived at Sparta to see King Menelaos, a wedding feast was in progress for Menelaos’ son, Megapenthes; his daughter by Helen, Hermione, was being sent to Achilles’ son Neoptolemus (Neoptolemos) as a bride
•  
• 08.075 - While Odysseus was with the Phaiakians (Phaeacians), the singer Demodokos (Demodocus) sang of a quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles; Agamemnon had been given an oracle by Apollon predicting the quarrel
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• 11.467 - When Odysseus was at the entrance to the Underworld, he saw the “shades” of Achilles, Telamonian Aias, Antilochos (Antilochus) and Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 11.478 - When Odysseus was at the entrance to the Underworld, he told the “shade” of Achilles that he had come to consult the dead seer, Teiresias
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• 11.482 - When Odysseus was at the entrance to the Underworld, he told the “shade” of Achilles that he was the greatest of the Achaeans (Achaians) at Troy
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• 11.486 - When Odysseus was at the entrance to the Underworld, he told the “shade” of Achilles not to grieve because the Achaeans (Achaians) honored him even after his death
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• 11.546 - When Odysseus was at the entrance to the Underworld, he told the “shade” of Achilles that he and Telamonian Aias had fought over his armor and he (Odysseus) had won
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• 11.557 - When Odysseus was at the entrance to the Underworld, he told the “shade” of Achilles that his death was the work of Zeus
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• 24.015 - After Odysseus had killed the vainglorious suitors of his wife Penelope, Hermes led their souls to the place where other dead men resided, like Achilles and Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 24.036 - In the Underworld, the “shade” of Agamemnon told Achilles that they fought fiercely for his body and treated it with reverence
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• 24.072 - In the Underworld, the “shade” of Agamemnon told Achilles that after his body had been burned on the pyre, his bones were placed in a jar with the bones of Patroklos (Patroclus); the jar had been made by Hephaistos (Hephaestus) and given to Thetis by Dionysos
•  
• 24.076 - In the Underworld, the “shade” of Agamemnon told Achilles that after his body had been burned on the pyre, his bones were placed in a jar with the bones of Patroklos (Patroclus); the jar had been made by Hephaistos (Hephaestus) and given to Thetis by Dionysos
•  
• 24.094 - In the Underworld, the “shade” of Agamemnon told Achilles that although he was dead, the name of Achilles would always be honored by mankind

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Other Text References

Theogony

• Line 1007 - The son of Peleus and Thetis

Argonautika

• Book 1, line 557 - Thetis held the infant Achilles cradled in her arms as Peleus sailed away with the Argonauts
•  
• Book 4, line 868 - Thetis would anoint her infant son Achilles with ambrosia and bathe him in fire to make him immortal

The Kypria

• Fragment 1 - After the Argive fleet left Aulis, they put in at Teuthrania to sack the city; Telephus (Telephos) went out to defend the city and killed Thersander, son of Polynikes (Polyneices); Achilles wounds Telephus; after leaving Aulis, the fleet is scattered by a storm and Achilles lands on the island of Skyros (Scyros); Achilles marries Deidamia (Diedameia), daughter of Lykomedes (Lycomedes); Telephus is given an oracle and goes to Argos where Achilles heals his wounds; Telephus then leads the fleet to Troy
•  
• Fragment 1 - When the Argive fleet is forced to stay at Aulis, the seer Kalchas (Calchas) proclaims that Artemis demands the sacrifice of Agamemnon’s daughter Iphigenia (Iphigeneia); Agamemnon sends for Iphigenia under the pretext that she will marry Achilles; just as Iphigenia is about to be killed, Artemis substitutes a stag in her place and transports her to Tauris where she is made immortal
•  
• Fragment 16 - Perhaps a quote from Agamemnon saying that he did not intend to enrage Achilles

The Aethiopis

• Fragment 1 - The Amazon Penthesilea (Penthesileia), daughter of Ares (god of War), comes to the aid of the Trojans and is killed by Achilles; she is buried by the Trojans; a Greek soldier named Thersites reviles Achilles saying that he (Achilles) was in love with Penthesilea; Achilles kills Thersites and causes turmoil in the Achaean (Achaian) camp; Achilles sails to the island of Lesbos and makes sacrifices to Apollon, Artemis and Leto; he is then purified of his blood guilt by Odysseus
•  
• Fragment 1 - Memnon, the son of Eos (Dawn), enters the fighting at Troy; Thetis tells Achilles about Memnon and after Memnon kills Nestor’s son Antilochos (Antilochus), Achilles kills Memnon; Eos persuades Zeus to bestow immortality on Memnon
•  
• Fragment 1 - After killing Memnon, Achilles rushes into Troy on the heels of the fleeing Trojans and is killed by Alexandros (Paris) and Apollon; a fierce battle takes place over the body of Achilles; Telamonian Aias carries the body of Achilles away while Odysseus holds off the Trojans; a pyre is erected to burn the body of Achilles and athletic games are held in his honor; Thetis, the Nereids and the Muses attend; before Achilles’ body can by consumed by the flames, Thetis removes it and transports him to the White Islands; a dispute then arises between Aias and Odysseus over the armor of Achilles; Odysseus gets the armor and Aias kills himself

The Little Iliad

• Fragment 1 - After Achilles’ death, Odysseus brings Achilles’ son Neoptolemus (Neoptolemos) from Skyros (Scyros); Odysseus gives Neoptolemus his father’s armor and he kills Alexandros (Paris); the ghost of Achilles appears to Neoptolemus
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• Fragment 3 - When Telamonian Aias and Odysseus were arguing over the armor of Achilles, Nestor advised them to send a spy to the walls of Troy to see which of the warriors the Trojans thought was most deserving of the armor; when a woman praised Aias for carrying Achilles’ body out of the fray, another woman, at the contrivance of Athene (Athena), said that anyone, even a woman, could carry a body but only a real warrior like Odysseus could fight off the attackers
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• Fragment 5 - After leaving Aulis, Achilles was blown off course and landed on the island of Skyros (Scyros)
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• Fragment 14 - Neoptolemus (Neoptolemos) was awarded Hector’s wife Andromache as his concubine; Neoptolemus took her baby Astyanax and threw him from the walls of Troy

The Sack of Ilium

• Fragment 1 - After burning Troy, the Greeks sacrificed King Priam’s daughter Polyxena at the tomb of Achilles; Neoptolemus (Neoptolemos) took Andromache as his concubine and Odysseus threw the infant Astyanax from the walls of Troy

The Returns

• Fragment 1 - When Agamemnon was preparing to leave Troy, the ghost of Achilles tried to warn him that he would be murdered by his wife Klytemnestra (Clytemnestra)

The Histories

• 4.55 - The Racecourse of Achilles; a heavily wooden area located at the eastern edge of the Scythian lands near the Crimea
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• 4.76 - Anacharsis hid in the Woodland known as the Racecourse of Achilles and was killed for practicing rites to The Great Mother which he learned during his travels

Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander

• 1.12 - Alexander placed a wreath at the tomb of Achilles and said that unlike himself, Achilles was lucky that he had Homer to proclaim his deeds and preserve his memory
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• 7.14 - After the death of Hephaestion, Alexander cut his hair short just as Achilles had done after the death of Patroklos (Patroclus)
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• 7.17 - After the death of Hephaestion, Arrian speculates that Alexander would have rather died before his friend and companion, just as Achilles had surely wished that he had not lived to see Patroklos (Patroclus) die

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