Week 2 Story: The Rise of Achilles

Achilles was born into extraordinary circumstances. It was prophesied long before his birth that his mother, Thetis, would bear a child much stronger than his father. Many gods feared to bear children with Thetis, in fear of creating too strong of a being. However, Achilles’ father was an extraordinarily strong man, king of many people.

When Achilles was just a baby, his mother tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. However, she missed a small part on his ankle, his only weakness. That hardly stopped Achilles from rising to greatness at a young age, though.

Achilles quickly became the greatest fighter in all of Greece. He spent a lot of his younger years around the soldiers, and learned how to use a sword and all sorts of other weapons. When Achilles was just ten years old, he could win a sword fight with every member of the Greek army.

When Achilles was twelve, he officially joined the army anytime they went to battle. This was significantly younger than most soldiers had to be before joining the army. There was one battle in particular where Achilles really showed his strength and prowess. Greek had been fighting with Messenia for many years. Achilles had been begging his father to send him to join the fighting. Despite his best efforts to keep his son safe, Peleus knew that Achilles could really help their fight in Messenia and reluctantly sent him.

When Achilles first arrived, there was no clear winner. He rounded the troops and came up with a strategy. They would withdraw, regroup, and attack from their undefended side. The journey to the other side of Messenia would take longer than most men were willing to do, but Achilles was able to convince the soldiers that their best bet was to try and attack Messenia from where they weren’t expecting it.

The soldiers set off on their journey, making it longer than necessary to ensure that they would arrive undetected. Upon their arrival in the early morning, they were detected by a few guards. Achilles sprang forward, slaying both of them with the single pull of his sword. The Greek soldiers quietly spread throughout Messenia, leaving destruction and death in their wake.

Achilles, however, took mercy on those who were not involved in the battle. He didn’t harm any of the older men, women, or children. Quickly and quietly, the Greek soldiers made their way to the middle of the town where the king of the Messenia lay sleeping. Upon Achilles entering into his bedchamber, the King awoke with a start.

The King could hardly believe that a mere twelve year old boy lead the successful siege of his town after the fighting had gone on for so long with no clear shift of power. The King asked who Achilles was and Achilles replied with pride, “Achilles, son of Peleus, here to accept your surrender.”

The King had no choice; the soldiers had clearly won the battle and destroyed Messenia. The King gave his surrender to Achilles and Achilles brought back the Greek soldiers to Sparta, victorious. Ever since that win in Messenia, Achilles was the most respected soldier in all of Greece.

Author's Note: The Iliad is a story of the Greeks attacking the Trojans to retrieve their beloved Helen. The story is full of great fights, heroism, and love. When reading the Iliad, my favorite character was immediately Achilles. Not only was he a great fighter, but he loved and cared for his friends, and was merciful towards his enemies. I chose to write about Achilles' rise because I thought he was an interesting character that must've had a pretty interesting backstory.
Caption: A statue of Achilles in Hyde Park. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Achilles_Statue,_Hyde_Park_in_March_2011.jpg.
Bibliography: Homer's The Iliad. http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/iliad-rousing-of-achilles.html.