What Is Your Achilles’ Heel?
The Greek poet Homer has given us many phrases. A famous one is “Achilles’ heel.”
In spoken English, your Achilles’ heel is your weak spot. You can say either “Achilles’ heel” or “Achilles’(s) heel.” Both are correct.
The Greek story of Achilles’ heel is the one Homer tells in “The Iliad.”
When Achilles was a baby his mother bathed him in the river Styx. She believed the river had magical powers. Bathing her son in its waters, she thought, would make Achilles immortal.
But one part of his body did not get wet: his heel, where his mother held him.
Achilles grew up. He became a great warrior. During the Trojan War, he fought with the Greek army.
None of the Trojan weapons was able to hurt Achilles. The god Apollo, however, knew of Achilles’ weak spot. Apollo told the prince of Troy, named Paris, all about it. Legend says Paris shot an arrow at Achilles’ heel and killed him.
