Achilles

Achilles was a Greek hero who fought in the Trojan War. Unknown. (1972). "Achilles", in Leach, M. (ed) Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. 3rd ed. p.6-7
== Legend ==
Achilles was the son of the hero Peleus and the nereid Thetis. In the most well-known tradition, when he was an infant his mother dipped him in the Styx, making him invulnerable everywhere but the heel she held him from. 
He was educated by the centaur Chiron and reached adulthood in the court of Lycomedes, king of Skyros, where he was dressed as a girl under his mother's instructions to keep him from going to Troy. Ulysses found him and persuaded him to join the war. 
Achilles wounded King Telephus of Mysia with his spear when the Greeks landed in his kingdom on their way to Troy. The wound could not heal unless Achilles used the spear to heal him. Telephus sought out Achilles at the Greek Camp outside Troy, and he made an ointment using the rust from the spear, which healed the wound when applied.Unknown. (1972). "Achilles' spear", in Leach, M. (ed) Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. 3rd ed. p.7
Agamemnon later took Achilles' slave-girl Briseis, inducing Achilles to sulk in his tent and not fight for the Greeks. The tide of the war turned in Troy's favour, until Achilles' closest friend Patroclus went in Achilles' armour to fight the Trojans, during which he was killed. Achilles then went out in rage and fought the Trojans to avenge Patroclus, reclaiming his body and killing Hector the next day before routing the Trojans. Paris of Troy later learned about his heel being his weak spot and killed him with a poisoned arrow. 
=== Pre-Homeric Legend ===
Before Homer composed the Iliad, Achilles was a sea god with temples on capes and cliffs. Navigators would pray to him for favourable winds and safe arrivals, along with other similar things. 
== Analysis ==
Achilles is viewed as the prototypical super-hero who preferred glory to long life.
He fits the following folk motifs: 
* Hero Disguised in Women's Clothes
* Vital Spot
* Magic Weapon
* Talking Horse
== See Also ==
* Swords
* Vulnerable Spot
* Xanthos and Balios
== References ==
Category:Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend
Category:Heroes
Category:Gods