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Achilles Heels: A Greek Mythology - Literature - Nairaland

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Achilles Heels: A Greek Mythology by Nobody: 2:28pm On May 26, 2021
An Achilles heels is a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall.

The Achilles tendon is a tough band of fibrous tissue that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone (calcaneus). It is also called the calcaneal tendon.

The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (calf muscles) unite into one band of tissue, which becomes the Achilles tendon at the low end of the calf. The Achilles tendon then inserts into the calcaneus. Small sacs of fluid called bursae cushion the Achilles tendon at the heel.

The Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the body. When the calf muscles flex, the Achilles tendon pulls on the heel. This movement allows us to stand on our toes when walking, running, or jumping. Despite its strength, the Achilles tendon is also vulnerable to injury, due to its limited blood supply and the high tensions placed on it.

In Greek Mythology, when Achilles was an infant, it was prophesied that he would perish at a young age. To prevent his death, his mother Thetis took Achilles to the River Styx which was supposed to offer powers of invulnerability, and dipped his body into the water. However, as Thetis held Achilles by the heel, his heel was not washed over by the water of the magical river. Achilles grew up to be a man of war who survived many great battles.

The large and prominent tendon of the gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantaris muscles of the calf is called the tendo achilleus or Achilles tendons. This is commonly associated with the site of Achilles’ death wound. Tendons are avascular, so such an injury is unlikely to be fatal; however, the myth has the arrow poisoned with the blood of the Lemaean Hydro.

Although the death of Achilles is predicted by Hector in Homer’s Iliad, it does not actually occur in the Iliad, but is described in later Greek and Roman poetry and drama concerning events after the Iliad, later in the Trojan wars. In the myths surrounding the war, Achilles was said to have died from a wound to his heel, ankle, or torso, which was the result of an arrow—possibly poisoned—shot by Paris.

Achilles, is the son of the mortal Peleus, king of the Myrmidons, and the Nereid, or sea nymph, Thetis. Achilles was the bravest, handsomest, and greatest warrior of the army of Agamemnon in the Trojan war. According to Homer, Achilles was brought up by his mother at Parthia with his inseparable companion Patroclus. Later non-Homeric tales suggest that Patroclus was Achilles’ kinsman or lover.

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https://terecle.com/2021/05/24/achilles-heels-a-greek-mythology/

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