Cultivating a Collective Past

Another Greek hero I was very fascinated with was Achilles.  He was considered to be the hero of the Trojan War and was the central character of Homer's Iliad.  His mother was named Thetis and his father Peleus.  It was said that his cousin/noble comrade Patroclus was killed in action by Prince Hector of Troy during one of the many battles.  When news of Patroclus's death reached Achilles ears, he had set out to avenge his beloved comrade.  Achilles had killed Prince Hector outside the gates of Troy and had dragged him by chariot back to his camp.  At the end of Trojan War, it is said that Prince Paris had killed Achilles by shooting an arrow through his heel also known as the Achilles Tendon.  Rumor has it that his Achilles's mother dipped him in holy water as a baby and dunked him in by holding his ankle.  However, the ankle she held hadn't been touched by the holy water and that is said to be the cause of his death. 

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/achilles