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Gender
Masculine
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Origin of the Name Achilles
Greek
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Usage of the Name Achilles
Greek Mythology
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Meaning of the Name Achilles
The name Achilles comes from the name Achilleus, the Latinized form of the Greek name Akhilleus, which is of unknown, possibly pre-Greek, origin.
One theory states that it is related to the name of the River Akheloös in western Greece.
Another theory claims that it is derived from the Greek words "akhos" - "pain, grief" and "laos" - "people", thus meaning "grief to the army" or "grief to the enemy".
One more theory states that it could be a poetic version of a compound Greek word meaning "one who overcomes death", which could refer to Achilles' invincibility.
In Greek mythology, Achilles was one of the greatest Greek warriors in the Trojan War.
According to a story first found in Statius' unfinished poem Achilleid published in the 1st century, the boy Achilles was dipped into the River Styx by his mother Thetis, which made him invincible except for the portion of his heel, which Thetis was holding.
Achilles is the main character of Homer's Iliad.
In the Iliad Achilles is the ruler of the Myrmidons in southern Thessaly. His violent temper sets off the chain of events recounted in the Iliad. Near the end of the Trojan War, Achilles is killed. The Iliad does not describe Achilles' weakness or his death, and many depictions of Achilles show him being struck by arrows in his body.
However, the most popular version of his death as first seen in the Achilleid has Paris killing Achilles with an arrow in his vulnerable heel.
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Interesting Facts about Achilles
- The Achilles tendon is the tendon that runs along the back of the ankle, which was the mythological Achilles' vulnerable spot. The term Achilles' heel refers to a weakness or vulnerability, whether in a person, institution, concept, or something else.
- Achillesaurus is a genus of dinosaur found in Argentina named for identifying characteristics on its feet.
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Famous Bearers
Bearers of the name include Achilles Painter, the pseudonym of an unknown 5th-century BC Greek vase-painter;
Achilles Tatius of Alexandria, a 2nd-century Greek writer;
Achilles Rizzoli (1896 - 1981), an American artist;
Achilles Liarmakopoulos (born 1985), a Greek trombonist.
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Names Related to Achilles
List of names related to Achilles.
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