Mythology · 2
How did Achilles' mother Thetis try to make him invulnerable?
Answer
She dipped him in the River Styx, holding him by the heel — leaving that one spot unprotected
Thetis, a sea nymph and the mother of Achilles, dipped her infant son in the River Styx to make him invulnerable. However, she held him by the heel as she lowered him in, meaning that one spot never touched the water and remained mortal. Paris of Troy eventually killed Achilles by shooting an arrow guided by Apollo to that single weak spot — giving us the modern phrase 'Achilles' heel' for a fatal vulnerability.
💡 Did you know?
The phrase 'Achilles' heel' — meaning a person's one critical weakness — has been used in English since at least the early 1800s, directly inspired by this myth.
Other options people guess
- She had Hephaestus forge him a suit of divine armour that covered his whole body
- She fed him ambrosia from birth, making him semi-divine
- She enchanted him with a spell from Hecate that made him impervious to all weapons
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