Achilles, an important ancient personality of Thessaly and Greece, was the main hero of Homer. Son of King Peleus and Thetis, one of the deities of the sea, was born in Fthia region that extends from Nea Anchialos to Farsala.
It is said that his mother wanting to make him immortal, baptized him in the flames of sacred fire or in the waters of Styx in river Krathis. Thetis held Achilles by the heel and plunged him into the waters of the river. When King Peleus saw this, he sent her away, having the impression that Thetis had tried to drown his son, thus the only vulnerable spot on the Achilles’ body remained his heel.
Later King Peleus entrusted to the centaur Chiron upbringing of Achilles. Chiron taught Achilles the art of war and hunting, medicine and music.
Achilles took part in the Trojan war against the will of his mother who had hidden him in Likomidis palace at Skyros. During thw Trojan War he was accompanied by Patroclus and Phoenix while he was commanding 50 ships of Myrmidons. He was considered to be the quickest and most powerful of the Greek warriors, managed to conquer a total of 23 cities, and when Agamemnon grabbed the slave Briseis which had taken prisoner during the war, He was offended and became angry, abandoning the the war.
He went back to the battlefield only after the death of his beloved friend Patroclus. With the help of his mother and the goddess Athena managed to conquer Troy and kill Hector.
But then Paris, son of Priamus, with the help of God Apollo, who was aware of the only weakness of Achilles body, managed to kill him with poisoned arrows, wounding Achilles’ heel.
