Nothing is True. Everything is Connected.
Sylum Inspiration: Achilles

Sylum Inspiration: Achilles

Medjai: Deceased

 

Achilles was the son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons. Zeus and Poseidon had been rivals for the hand of Thetis until Prometheus, the fore-thinker, warned Zeus of a prophecy that Thetis would bear a son greater than his father. For this reason, the two gods withdrew their pursuit, and had her wed Peleus.

As with most mythology, there is a tale which offers an alternative version of these events: in Argonautica Zeus’ sister and wife Hera alludes to Thetis’ chaste resistance to the advances of Zeus, that Thetis was so loyal to Hera’s marriage bond that she coolly rejected him. Thetis, although a daughter of the sea-god Nereus, was also brought up by Hera, further explaining her resistance to the advances of Zeus.

According to the Achilleid, written by Statius in the 1st century AD, and to no surviving previous sources, when Achilles was born Thetis tried to make him immortal, by dipping him in the river Styx. However, he was left vulnerable at the part of the body by which she held him, his heel. It is not clear if this version of events was known earlier. In another version of this story, Thetis anointed the boy in ambrosia and put him on top of a fire, to burn away the mortal parts of his body. She was interrupted by Peleus and abandoned both father and son in a rage.

Only myth and legend has survived over the years for where Achilles comes from, and most of that is from Homer’s Illiad and Odyssey – which was encouraged by Odysseus.

For more information about Achilles please see Vampire Council Library

Achilles had always been quick, easily healed, and an agile fighter. He caught Perseus’s eye while fighting against mercenaries who were threatening a small village. Perseus swooped in to help the young warrior only to get chewed out for not letting him finish what he was doing. The two became fast friends, and when Perseus told him the truth of his nature, Achilles asked to be Turned.

Leave a Reply