Hi all, I’ve recently started listening to the Song of Achilles audiobook. I actually do not know a single thing about Achilles from mythology, other than being familiar with the “Achilles Heel” of course.
I’m about 60% through the book, and I’m where Agamemnon and Achilles and the army are beginning to do raids on Troy I think? I’ve been listening as I work my shift, so it’s possible I’ve missed some stuff.
Anyway, I’m pretty confused, because I don’t really understand why everyone suddenly is basically worshipping Achilles for being the best fighter or something. Is it literally just because of the prophecies or whatever?
I remember he was taken to the island with the dancing women to get out of having to go to war, and I followed all of that fairly well, but it seems like once Odysseus came and retrieved him, all of the sudden the entire world was just obsessed with Achilles. I don’t get what changed, he wasn’t world famous before going to the island, so what changed? I remember specifically that when he arrives to some location with Odysseus, the entire shoreline is filled with people cheering for him. This is before they’ve even been to battle.
I’m hoping someone can clear this up WITHOUT SPOILING THE REST OF THE BOOK PLEASE. Again, I somehow have avoided knowing anything about this thousand year old story, so it’s a cool experience, I’m just confused about that one thing.
by BajaBlastFromThePast
24 Comments
> Is it literally just because of the prophecies or whatever?
This is a world where gods and heroes literally exist – prophecies have real weight.
I think Patroclus mentions fairly early on watching Achilles train, that he moves and fights faster than any human warrior, that his divine lineage is self-evident. There’s obviously some bias there, but…
> I’m hoping someone can clear this up WITHOUT SPOILING THE REST OF THE BOOK PLEASE. Again, I somehow have avoided knowing anything about this thousand year old story
That’s an achievement in itself!
Would love to hear what you thought of it, come the end.
I won’t go too far into this because you haven’t finished the book, but I think there might be something interesting to dig into re: prophecies and the form of the retelling; how constrained are you by the original story? Does the original myth act as a sort of binding prophecy itself?
I loved that book but thought that the author definitely assumes you’ve already read the Iliad (I had) and are very familiar with it.
I’m not familiar with The Song of Achilles, but it’s a little silly for you to complain about this without reading The Iliad.
Everyone knows Achilles is a demigod, in some versions of the mythology he’s also literally invincible except for the heel and some people know that too. He’s basically a one-man weapon of mass destruction, and the culture of the time focuses heavily on the deeds of individual heroes rather than overall battlefield tactics or anything like that. (There’s several points in the Iliad where all the soldiers basically just sit down in a circle so champions can duel one on one.)
I do remember thinking the section that actually takes place during the siege of Troy is a little weak, it’s a lot of summarizing “and then stuff happened the same as in the Iliad, except for this change that I’ll tell you about.”
I haven’t read the Song of Achilles, but am very familiar with the Iliad. The near worship of Achilles comes down to:
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1. Like you said, there’s a prophecy that they need him to take Troy. This is a world where prophecies determine everything so, yeah, he’s critical to the war effort *for that alone*.
2. He is a literal demi-god. Some interpretations see him as the man who was supposed to be the next Zeus, but failed becuase Zeus forced his mother to marry a mortal. And there’s an interpretation that he basically usheres in the age of man as the greatest of the mortal heroes. So, again, pretty important.
3. He’s the greatest warrior in a culture that exaults warriors. He’s also physically beautiful in a culture that reveres male beauty, a gifted musician, etc. He’s seen, by the Achaeons, as the epitomy of masculinity. So important there, too.
4. Finally, he probably had the only “modern” army in the war. The Myrmidions (literally ants) fight as a unit (unlike the rest of the Greeks/Trojans who just sort of run out and fight one on one duels. The Myrmidions are shown as using coordinated tactics and fighting as a unit…like a modern military or, y’know, like ants). Without the Myrmidions, the war effort is…significantly hindered to put it mildly. This will become a major plot point.
5. Achilles isn’t bound by the Oath of Tyndareus (e.g. the oath that any suitor of Helen of Troy had to mutually defend all other suitors should something happen to her), so arguably is the only hero that isn’t *obligated* to be there. This is a huge deal when combined with the above because if he doesn’t feel like fighting, he can literally walk without becoming an oath breaker.
These are all very *different* points. But it does give a sense as to why Achilles is so important plot wise.
The idea of Achilles being a great fighter comes from.the Illiad. Which itself is developed from generations of oral story telling that created the Illiad. So these bits of the book are basically retillings of scenes from the original Illiad.
The author assumes to an extent the reader is familiar with the Illiad. Which isn’t an unreasonable assumption considering its called “the song of achilles” the book was written by a Greek mythology nerd for greek mythology nerds
You’re essentially reading a fanfic without having consumed the source material. That’s where the context comes from
Achilles was a celebrity in mythology. He is a legend, the best warrior of Greece. If war is basketball, he was basically Michael Jordan. Only more so, because he was of semi-divine parentage. He was the son of Peleus (now King of Phthia and formerly one of the group of heroes called the argonauts), and Thetis (one of the daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus).
I haven’t read Song of Achilles, but don’t read the rest of my post if you want to avoid spoilers, although the story told in the Illiad is very well-known and the author of the retelling probably expects her readers to be familiar with it.
The Iliad, more than a story of the Troyan war, is the story of Achilles’ anger, first against King Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek alliance that was laying siege to Troy, who slights him, and later against the great Troyan hero Hector, who slays Patroclus (Achilles’ childhood friend and now close companion, brother-at-arms and possibly lover).
The Illiad begins near the end of the Trojan war, when Agammenon son of Atreus and Achilles fall out:
>Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.
This initial falling out between Agammenon and Achilles is a serious blow to the Greeks, because Achilles retires from the war (until Patroclus’ death) and the Greeks were counting on his fighting prowess to finally defeat the Troyans. So, yes, Achilles is not some random Greek warrior. He is a very famous hero, reputedly invincible in combat, widely-known among men and gods.
Once Achilles’ anger finally abates, the Illiad ends, before the Trojan war has been resolved. Achilles’ death, and the story of the Trojan Horse, are part of Greek mythology but are not described in the Illiad.
Read Iliad. It’s a great book
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This isn’t the first time everyone’s fought, just the first major war that they fought together. People have seen Achilles fight and are aware of just how ridiculously good he is. If a bunch of pro players scrimmage with Lebron and just get dunked on, they don’t need to see him compete in the Olympics to know that he is the best of them.
This book takes place in the last month of a 10 year war. Achilles has been earning his reputation for a decade by the time the story picks up.
haven’t read the book but… i mean, if Usain Bolt of war was going to fight on your side, you’d be hyped too, wouldn’t you?
>Anyway, I’m pretty confused, because I don’t really understand why everyone suddenly is basically worshipping Achilles for being the best fighter or something.
– Hector
Any book that makes me cry is an instant 10/10. I rate Song of Achilles 10/10.
I’ve never understood the continuing popularity of Achilles as a character into the modern day.
In the book, Patroclus described how evident it is that Achilles has divine lineage. The way he looks and moves and fights is completely different and above normal human beings. Plus the prophecies. I know some commenters have mentioned that in a world of gods and heroes, prophecies are taken seriously. But seriously think, if you have interacted with gods and knew them to be real, you’d take their words seriously. Like a hot stock tip.
Don’t we in modern society worship beauty, athletic greatness, musical talent, and noble birth (he’s the son of a god)? Imagine if a person today had all that wrapped into one? Not hard to see why he is so universally adored.
I never cared for Achilles. Not after what he does to Hector and what that does to Troy
This setup will be important in later scenes between Achilles and Agamemnon. I think it is necessary for their relationship and conflict to make sense.
Greek heroes and gods are flawed. They can be mean, stupid, vengeful, greedy, heroic, kind, noble, or all of the above. Achilles is handsome and a great warrior, but not a particularly admirable person. He’s a petulant narcissist. I’m not sure the whole world worships him.
Achilles in the myth is actually a pretty pathetic and selfish character. >!At one point he sulks in his tent and refuses to fight the Trojans because of a dispute over a slave woman. A lot of Greeks die because of it. He values people worshipping him and his gift of invincibility more than being humble and using it to help others. His downfall brought on by his hubris is well deserved. He was a great warrior but he was also a demigod and invincible (or so his enemies thought) so arguably he didn’t even earn his place as a warrior. (The dichotomy of mortal struggles and gifted godhood is a very important part of Greek mythology).!<
The Song of Achilles, as well as Circe start with the premise this we all know the myths. And that we know the characters from the myths, these books only provide us with a “closer look”, so we get to know these legendary people at a more personal level. With that premise we all know why Achilles is worshipped: he is very beautiful, very athletic – to what today would be superhuman, super power level, very good at all the activities the Greeks considered manly and worth of respect and veneration. Plus he is the son of a goddess and a the son of a king.
I wanted to like this book, it sounded good, but somehow I just couldn’t get into it.
I found it so boring tbh, ended up DNFing it.