Achilles Heel
A critical weakness that can lead to downfall despite overall strength, from the one spot where Achilles could be harmed.
The Meaning of Achilles Heel
When Achilles was born, his mother Thetis sought to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. She held him by his heel, and that one small patch of skin never touched the magical water. Achilles grew into the greatest warrior of his generation, virtually invulnerable in battle. He slew Hector, the champion of Troy, and seemed unstoppable — until Paris, guided by Apollo, shot an arrow that struck the one vulnerable spot on his body: his heel. The mighty Achilles fell, brought down not by a great warrior but by a single well-aimed shaft to his only weakness. The English phrase "Achilles heel" entered common use to describe any fatal vulnerability in an otherwise strong position — a corporation's regulatory exposure, a boxer's glass jaw, or a nation's dependence on a single resource.
Parents
Peleus and Thetis
Children
Neoptolemus
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Achilles tendon in human anatomy is named after the myth — it connects the calf muscles to the heel bone at exactly the spot where the hero was struck.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Achilles Tendon
💭 conceptAnatomy and mythology
The strongest tendon in the human body connecting the calf muscles to the heel bone, named after Achilles because his heel was the only vulnerable point on his otherwise invincible body
God of War
💭 conceptWar, bloodlust, battle rage, courage
Ares embodies the brutal, violent side of warfare and was feared even by his fellow Olympians.
Achilles
🗡 heroGreatest warrior of the Trojan War
The greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the River Styx as an infant — except for the heel by which his mother held him.
Warrior Ethos
💭 conceptEthics
The martial value system that prized courage, skill, and glorious death in ancient Greek society
Hamartia
💭 conceptTragic flaw or error
Hamartia was the tragic hero's fatal flaw or error of judgement — the concept Aristotle identified as the hinge on which tragedy turns.
Spartan
💭 conceptLanguage and culture
An English adjective meaning austere, disciplined, or stripped of luxury and comfort, derived from the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta renowned for its militaristic way of life
Goddess of Wisdom
💭 conceptWisdom, strategy, crafts, warfare
Athena embodies strategic intelligence, skilled craftsmanship, and disciplined warfare, standing as protector of civilized life.
Heroes & Legends
💭 conceptHeroism, mortality, glory
The mortal and semi-divine champions of Greek myth — warriors, wanderers, and tragic figures whose deeds earned them a fame that outlasted death itself.
Ate
💭 conceptDivine delusion and ruin
Ate was the personification of reckless folly and the ruin that follows — madness sent by the gods.
Herculean Task
💭 conceptExtreme difficulty, superhuman effort
A task requiring enormous strength or effort, from the twelve labours imposed on Heracles by King Eurystheus.
Bellerophon and Chimera
💭 conceptNarrative
The hero's aerial battle against a fire-breathing monster while riding the winged horse Pegasus
The Twelve Labours
💭 conceptHeroism, endurance, redemption
Twelve impossible tasks imposed on Heracles by King Eurystheus as penance for killing his own family in a madness sent by Hera.