| Achilles | |
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Other Names |
Achilles, Pyrisous, Aeacides, Aemonius, Aspetos, Larissaeus, Ligyron, Nereius, Pelides, Phthius, Podarkes |
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First Appearance |
Greek Myth |
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Created by |
Greek Myth |
Origin[]
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. A central character in Homer's Iliad, he was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, king of Phthia and famous Argonaut. Achilles was raised in Phthia along with his childhood companion Patroclus and received his education by the centaur Chiron. In the Iliad, he is presented as the commander of the mythical tribe of the Myrmidons.
Achilles' most notable feat during the Trojan War was the slaying of the Trojan prince Hector outside the gates of Troy. Although the death of Achilles is not presented in the Iliad, other sources concur that he was killed near the end of the Trojan War by Paris, who shot him with an arrow. Later legends (beginning with Statius' unfinished epic Achilleid, written in the 1st century AD) state that Achilles was invulnerable in all of his body except for one heel. According to that myth, when his mother Thetis dipped him in the river Styx as an infant, she held him by one of his heels leaving it untouched by the waters and thus his only vulnerable body part.
Alluding to these legends, the term "Achilles' heel" has come to mean a point of weakness which can lead to downfall, especially in someone or something with an otherwise strong constitution. The Achilles tendon is named after him following the same legend.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
All published works featuring Achilles from before January 1, 1929 are in the public domain.
Some notable works are listed below:
- Iliad
- Achilleid
- Cypria
- Little Iliad
- Aethiopis
- Iliupersis
- Dante's Inferno
- Troilus and Cressida
- La Mort d'Achille
- Achilleis (1799)
- Achilles (1899)
- The Island of Youth and Other Poems (1921)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Kid Eternity #2-3, 5
- Hit Comics #26
- The Flame #4 - Features a text story entitled the The Spirit of Achilles.
- National Comics #32 - The Olympians send Achilles and Hector to fight for the Allies and Axis respectively to prove who is the better warrior. Uncle Sam and his sidekick Buddy stop them and Zeus and Pluto recall them back to the underworld after they are defeated.
Public Domain Comic Appearances of Modern Day Achilles[]
- Frankenstein #29 - In the story Modern Day Achilles, a convict named Jim learns a secret formula from his cellmate, a scientist. When released, Jim compounds the formula and bathes it it: it makes him invulnerable. He commits numerous robberies and is impervious to bullets, until a shot ricochets into his ear--which he had not coated with the formula--killing him.
- Adventures into the Unknown #27 - Achilles the Strongman was performer at Cummings Colossal Circus who tries to protect another performer Arlene Milford from the circus freak Monstro billed as the Ugliest Man Alive.
Notes[]
- When Billy Batson transformed into Captain Marvel he would gain the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. The wizard Shazam, Captain Marvel Jr., and the Lieutenant Marvels also possess the same powers.