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Description

ACHILLES’ LAST BATTLE

© 2017 Karakotsoglou publications - Illustration : Christos Giannopoulos

The world around Achilles -after the death of Patroclus and the massacre of Hector- took on a different form, much darker than the one he had in his visions, when as a child was still being trained in Pelion mountain to be the best of all. But the events were following their final course.

The council of the Achaean leaders unanimously decided that the allied army should attack in full strength to Troy, as all the Trojan allies had been defeated and decimated, while several others had abandoned them. Now the Achaeans had the opportunity to conquer the hinterland and encircle the citadel of Ilion, so that even if the Trojans endured the battle they would succumb to starvation. Thus, with Achilles and his Myrmidons as the spearhead of the attack, the fiercest campaign in the history of the Trojan War began. The remaining native Trojan army came out of the walls to prevent the Achaeans from reaching the gates and tearing them down, but Achilles ' chariot formation passed over them mercilessly with the horses' feet and the chariot wheels stained with crimson blood. Achilles chased the retreating Trojans with lunar fury and after getting off his chariot, walking on piles of corpses, he reached the gates of Troy, slashing and spearing anyone who dared resist him. Behind him came the Myrmidons and rest of Achaeans howling in battle frenzy. This berserk warlike company seems to have prevented the gates from closing behind the city's defenders, although some sources claim with poetic exaggeration that Achilles crushed them with his own hands. But as Achilles entered the city he was exposed to the range of the Trojan “sniper” archers who were arrayed at the towers that framed the Skaean gates and the ramparts of the walls. An arrow pierced his "mortal" heel, a part of the body that was not effectively protected by the armor of the time.

According to Quintus of Smyrna, his wound immobilized his leg and the startled Achilles instinctively tried to pull the arrow, but doing this very violently and clumsily he slashed an artery resulting in uncontrollable bleeding. The Trojans surrounded him with savage moods and he began to furiously kill anyone who approached him, but the escalating bleeding began to paralyze his lower limbs first, and then caused an icy oblivion that spread to the whole body and finally reached his heart.

The weight of his body and metal armor fell on his heel and his violent movements did not help the wound to heal. The more he fought, the more he shouted and cursed the Trojans, the more he wasted his strength and encouraged massive bleeding. As Paris raised everyone from the walls not to leave Achilles body to the Achaeans, Odysseus of Ithaca and fierce Ajax Telamon of Salamis managed to retrieve his body from the carnage…

Description

ACHILLES’ LAST BATTLE

© 2017 Karakotsoglou publications - Illustration : Christos Giannopoulos

The world around Achilles -after the death of Patroclus and the massacre of Hector- took on a different form, much darker than the one he had in his visions, when as a child was still being trained in Pelion mountain to be the best of all. But the events were following their final course.

The council of the Achaean leaders unanimously decided that the allied army should attack in full strength to Troy, as all the Trojan allies had been defeated and decimated, while several others had abandoned them. Now the Achaeans had the opportunity to conquer the hinterland and encircle the citadel of Ilion, so that even if the Trojans endured the battle they would succumb to starvation. Thus, with Achilles and his Myrmidons as the spearhead of the attack, the fiercest campaign in the history of the Trojan War began. The remaining native Trojan army came out of the walls to prevent the Achaeans from reaching the gates and tearing them down, but Achilles ' chariot formation passed over them mercilessly with the horses' feet and the chariot wheels stained with crimson blood. Achilles chased the retreating Trojans with lunar fury and after getting off his chariot, walking on piles of corpses, he reached the gates of Troy, slashing and spearing anyone who dared resist him. Behind him came the Myrmidons and rest of Achaeans howling in battle frenzy. This berserk warlike company seems to have prevented the gates from closing behind the city's defenders, although some sources claim with poetic exaggeration that Achilles crushed them with his own hands. But as Achilles entered the city he was exposed to the range of the Trojan “sniper” archers who were arrayed at the towers that framed the Skaean gates and the ramparts of the walls. An arrow pierced his "mortal" heel, a part of the body that was not effectively protected by the armor of the time.

According to Quintus of Smyrna, his wound immobilized his leg and the startled Achilles instinctively tried to pull the arrow, but doing this very violently and clumsily he slashed an artery resulting in uncontrollable bleeding. The Trojans surrounded him with savage moods and he began to furiously kill anyone who approached him, but the escalating bleeding began to paralyze his lower limbs first, and then caused an icy oblivion that spread to the whole body and finally reached his heart.

The weight of his body and metal armor fell on his heel and his violent movements did not help the wound to heal. The more he fought, the more he shouted and cursed the Trojans, the more he wasted his strength and encouraged massive bleeding. As Paris raised everyone from the walls not to leave Achilles body to the Achaeans, Odysseus of Ithaca and fierce Ajax Telamon of Salamis managed to retrieve his body from the carnage…