Achilles
Heel's famous owner
Achilles is a Greek mythological hero, central to Homer's *Iliad*, who was the greatest warrior of the Trojan War.
His mother dipped him in the River Styx to make him invulnerable, but held him by the heel—leaving that spot unprotected.
He was killed by an arrow to that heel.
An Achilles heel is now any crucial weakness in an otherwise strong position.
The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel bone.
One admired for courage
- Trojan WarLegendary Greek-versus-Troy conflict
- demigodPartly divine being
- HectorMasculine given name
- HomerAncient Greek epic composer
Patroclus · Iliad · Thetis · warrior · Greek · spear · armor · shield
Deficiency in force
- flawImperfection in something
- susceptibilityLiability to influence
- downfallSudden loss of power
- fatal flawRuinous character defect
soft spot · vulnerability · exposure · liability · chink in armor · undoing · mortality · fragility
hero
One admired for courage
- Trojan WarLegendary Greek-versus-Troy conflict
- demigodPartly divine being
- HectorMasculine given name
Patroclus · Homer · Iliad · Thetis · warrior · Greek · spear · armor · shield · wrath
weakness
Deficiency in force
- flawImperfection in something
- susceptibilityLiability to influence
- downfallSudden loss of power
fatal flaw · soft spot · vulnerability · exposure · liability · chink in armor · undoing · mortality · fragility · defenselessness
tendon
Muscle-to-bone connector
gastrocnemius · soleus · rupture · strain · injury · leg · muscle · attachment · calcaneus · posterior
- GreeceAcropolis, Parthenon, Athens, Greek, Hellenic
- Greek mythologyZeus, Athena, Apollo, Hera, Poseidon
- mythologyZeus, Apollo, Athena, Poseidon, Odin
- Classical FiguresZeus, Apollo, Athena, Poseidon, Hades
- Legendary HeroesHercules, Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Sigurd, Theseus
- Ancient epic artOdysseus, Hector, Ajax, Hercules, Perseus
- Achilles' heelCritical personal weakness
- Achilles heelSingular fatal vulnerability
- Achilles tendonCord linking calf to heel
- Achilles' tendonCord linking calf to heel
- Achilles tendon repairSurgery reconnecting heel cord
- achilles tearTorn calf-to-heel sinew