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Like many mythological heroes, Achilles was part human and part supernatural being. His parents were Peleus (pronounced pe-LAY-uhs), a king of Thessaly in northern Greece, and Thetis (pronounced THEE-tis), a sea nymph. According to Homer, Thetis raised both Achilles and his closest friend and companion, Patroclus (pronounced pa-TROH-kluhs). According to legend, Thetis tried to make her infant son invulnerable by dipping him into the river Styx, which flowed through the underworld. Afterward, no sword or arrow could pierce Achilles wherever the Styx's water had touched him. However, the water did not touch the heel by which Thetis held Achilles, leaving it as his only vulnerable spot. This myth is the origin of the term “Achilles’ heel,“ referring to a person’s most notable weakness.
