Achilles Bio

I am Achilles, son of Thetis the sea nymph and Peleus, king of all myrmidons (people of Greek mythology). Originally, Zeus and Poseidon intended to be my father. However, the fire-bringer Prometheus warned them that Thetis' son would be greater than his father. Therefore, both gods stayed away from my mother. As a baby my mother bathed me in the river Styx. Contact with this river made you invulnerable. When I was bathed by my mother, the only part of my body not exposed to the river was my heel, hence my one weakness. Later, my father requested Chiron, the centaur of Mt. Pelion, to raise me. I then became one of the greatest warriors and heros of the Trojan War. I was also known as one of the handsomest warriors. Many Achaeans were lead by me. Over the course of the war, I conquered 11 cities and 12 different islands. I had also defeated and killed such opponents as Troilus the Trojan, Penthesilea, queen of the Amazonians, and the king of Ethiopia Memnon since he had killed my dear friend Antilochus. For a short time, I withdrew my troops from the war, but when I was alerted of the death of Partoclus, my closest comrad, I became enraged. Equipped with a new set of armor, my troops and I set out to kill Petroclus' murderer, Hector, the Trojan prince. I completed my mission, killing Hector, tying him to my chariot, and dragging him around the battlefield for nine days. My death finally came about when Paris, king of Troy, threw an arrow, directly hitting my heel. It is rumored that the god Apollo had guided the arrow. Following my death, my body was cremated. My ashes share the same urn as my long lost companion Petroclus. Paris, on the other hand, was killed by Philoctetes, who used Hercules' bow to finish the deed. My dear son Neoptolemus now wears my armor. Many great poets have made me the protagonist of their stories, too, including Homer's Iliad and Statius' Achilleid. My legacy shall live on forever.

So long!