Medusa Mythology Exam 2013 Achilles

1. Medusa Mythology Exam 2013Achilles Mr. Vader

2. Achilles, Almost Immortal, Disguised as Girl, Destined • Son of Peleus, an Argonaut, and Thetis, a Sea-Nymph • Thetis aided many gods, including Zeus, himself • Thetis was fated to give birth to a song, greater than his father • Peleus, king of Phthia, Argonaut, and Participant in the Calydonian Boar Hunt • Dipped by Thetis in River Styx or Fire, to immortalize, but failed, after Peleus stopped her • Raised by Chiron, the wise centaur • Calchas prophesized that Troy could not be taken without him • Fearing his fate at Troy, Thetis took him to Scyros and disguised him as a girl among the king’s daughters • Had son, Pyrrhus or Neoptalemus with Deidamia (king’s daughter) • Found out by Odysseus, who blasted horn, the girls scared, he, not • Another prophecy stated that he could have long, boring life or be famous, but have a short life; he obviously chose the latter

3. Achilles, Preparing for War • Volunteered for war, unlike many others, who had to hold to the Oath of Tyndareus • Unknowingly used as bait to get Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon, to be human-sacrifice • Killed King Tenes of Tenedos and thus was fated to die by the hand of Apollo • Achilles plunders much of the area, surrounding Troy – Tenedos, Lesbos, Thebe, et cetera

4. Achilles in the Iliad • Agamemnon took daughter of priest of Apollo as prize • This angers the priest and Apollo • Agamemnon finally agrees to give girl back, but claims Achilles’s prize in light of this (Briseis) • Achilles contemplated killing Agamemnon, but Athena stopped him • Achilles instead threatened to leave with his army • Patroclus, closest friend and cousin, and others convince Achilles to stay, but not fight • Thetis convinces Zeus to cause grief for Greeks due to Achilles’s mistreatment • Immortals allow Trojans, especially Hector, to push Greeks all the way back to the beaches • Seeing this, leaders convince Agamemnon that they need Achilles • Agamemnon offers Briseis and many other things, but Achilles refuses • Patroclus(with Achilles’s permission) returns to battle with Myrmidons • Patroclus killed with Achilles’s armor by Hector – Hector takes armor • Achilles in rage returns to battle with new armor made by Hephaestus himself, procured by Thetis • Achilles kills many Trojans and even fights the river, Simois, killing Hector • Achilles holds funeral games in honor of Patroclus and gives out great prizes • Whenever overwhelmed, Achilles would drag Hector’s body around the city (the gods protect the body) • Priam, king of Troy, sneaks into Greek camp and begs Achilles’s for the body back • Overwhelmed by a god, Achilles returns the body of Hector to Priam

5. Death of Achilles • Not long after death of Hector (who foretold Achilles’s own death), Achilles killed • Shot in “heel” with a quiver by Paris, aided by Apollo • Odysseus meets Achilles in Underworld, where he seems unhappy to be dead • May have married Helen or Iphigenia in the Underworld

6. Achilles, Names and Epithets • Breaker of Horses • Pyrrha (when disguised as girl) • Peleides (son of Peleus)