学文网Achilles was the son of Peleus and Thetis. He was the greatest and the most handsome warrior (战士) of Greek army in Trojan War. As a baby, his mother dipped him in the water of the River Styx(冥河) to make him invulnerable (刀***不入的) to attack, except for the part of his heels by which she held him.
Peleus, having received an oracle2 that his son would die fighting at Troy, dressed Achilles as a woman trying to avoid the obligation of going to Troy. Greek hero Odysseus (Roman name Ulysses) was called upon3 to search for Achilles on the warning of an oracle that Troy couldn't be taken without Achilles's service. Peleus made his son stand in the hall among a group of similady(相像地) dressed women. Odysseus was allowed to pick him out, which turned out to be a very difficult job. Odysseus suddenly took out a bugle(号角) and blew it. All the women in the hall scattered4 in panic5 except Achilles, who grabbed(抓取)the sword from Odysseus and was ready to fight. In this way he betrayed6 himself and was found out by Odysseus.
Achilles wore amour and weapon made by Hephaestus to join the war, and he took fifty ships with him to Troy. During the war, he took 12 cities around Troy and killed innumerable(无数的) enemies, including Tenes, a son of Apollo. Later, Apollo veiled(遮盖) himself with cloud, guiding the hand of Paris to shoot a poisoned arrow into Achilles's heel. This deadly shot took the life of the great hero. At last Apollo avenged(进行报复) his son's murder.
"Achilles's heel" refers to the only part of the body that remains vulnerable(脆弱的).
注释：
1. heel n.(足)跟
2. oracle n．神的启示
3. call upon=call on 邀请，要求
4. scatter vt.逃散
5. panice n．恐慌，惊慌
6. betray vt．(非故意地)暴露；显露；表现
阿喀琉斯是珀琉斯和西蒂斯的儿子，他是特洛伊战争时希腊***中最伟大、最英俊的勇士。当他还是个婴儿时，他母亲倒提着他的脚踵在冥河中洗过，除了未被浸到水的脚踵外，他周身的其他地方则刀***不入。
珀琉斯曾被一先知告谕说他的儿子将战死在特洛伊战场，于是他把儿子打扮成妇女，试***逃避去特洛伊服兵役。希腊英雄俄底修斯(罗马人称他尤利西斯)被召来寻觅阿喀琉斯，因为一先知提醒说，没有阿喀琉斯参战，希腊人就不能攻下特洛伊。珀琉斯让儿子混在装束相似的妇女中，她们站在大堂，由俄底修斯挑选。由于很难辨认出阿喀琉斯，于是俄底修斯突然拿出一支号角，吹了起来。除了阿喀琉斯外，大堂中的妇女都惊慌地四下逃散，他从俄底修斯的身上抽出宝剑，准备应战。这样，阿喀琉斯暴露了自己，被俄底修斯辨认出来。
阿喀琉斯佩带（火神）赫菲斯托斯打制的盔甲和武器奔赴战场，同时，他还带了50艘战舰去特洛伊。战争期间，他攻克了特洛伊附近12座城池，杀敌无数，其中包括阿波罗的儿子特内斯。后来，阿波罗躲在云朵后，引导帕里斯之手，向阿喀琉斯的脚踵射出了致命的毒箭，夺去了这位大英雄的性命。阿波罗终于报了杀子之仇。
“阿喀琉斯之踵”比喻身上惟一致命的弱点。