The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body and is the most important involving the foot and ankle. But how did the tendon get its name? And to what does the phrase “Achilles’ heel” refer to? We can thank Greek Mythology for the following story.
According to legend, Achilles’ mother was obsessed about her son and wanted to make him immortal. So, she took him to the River Styx, where the water was said to have mythic properties. Achilles’ mother grabbed him by the heel and dipped him into the water, bestowing upon him invulnerability-except for his heel which remained dry.
Homer’s masterpiece, The Iliad, details the last year of the Trojan War and centers much of the storyline on the great warrior Achilles. Achilles was a hero of many battles in the Trojan War, but was fatally wounded near the end of the ten year war by an arrow to the heel. Achilles’ immortality was denied because the arrow hit the one spot in which he had no protection.
The phrase “Achilles’ heel” refers to one’s greatest weakness or vulnerability, and it is easy to understand the theme of the phrase. The Achilles tendon, which attaches the calf muscle to the heel bone, is the largest and most powerful in the human body. Achilles was undefeated in battle and was only killed by a rival when he was ambushed entering the city of Troy. It is fitting that the immense strength of Achilles is immortalized within the anatomy of his namesake tendon in the human body.