本文转自：潘之声英语世界
阿喀琉斯（英语：Achilles），是希腊神话中的英雄，海洋女神忒提斯（Thetis）和凡人英雄珀琉斯（Peleus）之子。在阿喀琉斯出生后，母亲忒提斯从命运女神处得知他将会战死，于是握住阿喀琉斯的脚踝将他浸入冥河。所以阿喀琉斯除了脚踵的致命死穴，全身刀枪不入，诸神难侵。阿喀琉斯参加特洛伊战争后，仅用两次战役就使原本胶着的战况向希腊军队大幅度倾斜，并且*死了特洛伊的守将赫克托耳。但因与太阳神阿波罗交恶，阿喀琉斯被阿波罗的暗箭射中脚踵而死。
✎阿喀琉斯之踵
Achilles is an ancient Greek hero, most noted for two things: his participation in the Trojan War, and his tender heel. Achilles' mother, Thetis, was predicted to bear a child that would be stronger than his father. When Zeus and Poseidon discovered this fact, they both stopped actively pursuing Thetis. Instead, Thetis married Peleus, and bore him a son, Achilles. When he was a young child, his mother Thetis dipped him in the river Styx, the river that separated the mortal world from the underworld. Dipping a mortal into the river was known to create immortality in the person being dipped. She wanted to do this because, although Achilles inherited the “god,” and therefore immortal, half from his mother, his father was mortal, so Achilles too would be mortal. However, his mother held on to his left heel while dipping him, thereby leaving him more vulnerable in that particular area and just a little bit mortal. Despite Achilles' extreme talent in battle, as well as his physical strength and endurance, his one weak area would eventually prove to be fatal. During battle, a clever enemy shot at his left heel with a poison arrow. This killed him, because that part of his foot was not protected by the immortality of the river Styx..
阿喀琉斯是一位古希腊英雄，他最出名的两件事是：参加特洛伊战争和他那柔软的脚跟。阿喀琉斯的母亲忒提斯被预言将生下一个比父亲更强壮的孩子。当宙斯和波塞冬知道这一事实后，他们都停止了对忒提斯的极力追求。忒提斯嫁给了珀琉斯，并给他生了一个儿子—阿喀琉斯。当阿喀琉斯还是个孩子的时候，他的母亲忒提斯将他浸泡在冥河中，这条河将凡人世界与冥界分隔开来。众所周知，将一个凡人浸入冥河中可以使被浸者永生。她之所以如此做是因为，尽管阿喀琉斯继承了来自他的母亲一半的“神”性，，他的父亲是凡人，所以阿喀琉斯也会是凡人。然而，他的母亲在浸他的时候抓住了他的左脚跟，因此让他身体那个特定的位置更容易受到伤害——而且有点致命。尽管阿喀琉斯是天赋异禀的战士，拥有惊人的体力和耐力，但他的那个弱点最终被证明是致命的。在一次战斗中，一个狡猾的敌人用毒箭射中了他的左脚跟。这便*死了他，因为他脚上的那部分没有冥河的不朽保护。
As a child, Achilles showed a natural tendency to hunt, and both Athena and Artemis were impressed with his growing talent. However, with this talent came the prophecy that Achilles would either be glorious and die early, or not be glorious and live a long life. Achilles chose the former option, knowing he would not return from the Trojan War alive. Before going to battle, Achilles' mother sent him to the island of Skyros, disguised as a female, to avoid the prophecy that he would die in the war. A seer predicted that the Greeks would not win without the help of Achilles, so Odysseus sought him out from his hiding place on the island. Achilles then joined the Greeks. He led the Myrmidones and Achaeans in battle against Troy. Achilles was favored by both Athena, goddess of War, and Hera. After ten years of fighting, Achilles got into an argument with Agamemnon, and refused to continue fighting.
阿喀琉斯从小就表现出天生的狩猎天赋，雅典娜和阿尔忒弥斯都对他日益增长的天赋印象深刻。然而，伴随着这种天赋而来的预言是：阿喀琉斯要么名垂青史而早逝，要么碌碌无为而长寿。阿喀琉斯选择了前一种命运，因为他知道自己无法活着从特洛伊战争中回来。在上战场之前，阿喀琉斯的母亲将他伪装成女性，送到斯克罗斯岛，以躲避他将死于战争的预言。一位先知预言，如果没有阿喀琉斯的帮助，希腊人是不会胜利的，所以奥德修斯从阿喀琉斯在岛上的藏身之处找到了他。阿喀琉斯随后加入了希腊人。他率领弥尔米多尼人和亚该亚人攻打特洛伊城。阿喀琉斯得到了战争女神雅典娜和赫拉的青睐。经过十年的战斗，阿喀琉斯和阿伽门农发生了争执，并拒绝继续战斗。
One of Achilles' most famous battles was against the Trojan hero Hector. After chasing Hector around the perimeter of Troy several times, Achilles killed Hector and then proceeded to tie him to a chariot and run it out to sea.
阿喀琉斯最著名的一战是与特洛伊英雄赫克托耳的战斗。阿喀琉斯在特洛伊周边追击了赫克托耳几次后，*死了赫克托耳，然后把他绑在一辆战车上，把它驶入大海。
Achilles died before Troy was overtaken by the Greeks. The Iliad does not mention his death, but the Odyssey expressly mentions it. His killer is not named in some accounts; in others, it is Paris. The remains of his body were burned and, along with the remains of his friend, Patroclus, were buried in an urn near Hellespont. People continued to pay tribute to his burial site.
阿喀琉斯在特洛伊被希腊人占领之前就死了。《伊利亚特》没有提到他的死亡，但《奥德赛》明确提到了这一点。在一些记载中，没有提到*死他的人是谁；在另一些记载中，提到此人是帕里斯。阿喀琉斯被火葬，和他的朋友帕特洛克罗斯的遗体一起埋在了赫勒斯滂附近的一个骨灰盒里。不断有人们去他的墓地致敬。
In literature, Achilles was loved and admired, and readers met his tale with a deep sense of sympathy. He is seen as a courageous, handsome Greek, sent unfairly to die in war. He is affectionate with others, including friends and family. He is considered fearless though vengeful, and extracting anger upon others is often referenced in his myths. However, he always remains obedient to the gods.
在文学作品中，阿喀琉斯深受喜爱和钦佩，读者对他的故事产生了深切的同情。他被认为是一个勇敢、英俊的希腊人，被不公平地送到战场上牺牲。他与人亲密无间，包括朋友和家人。他被认为是无所畏惧的，尽管他睚眦必报，在关于他的神话故事中，经常有提到他对别人泄愤。然而，他从不违背神的意志。
In today's modern language, an “Achilles heel” is a weak spot, or a spot that, if tampered with, could cause great harm to the person in possession of said heel. The Achilles tendon is also a muscle running through the back of the calf of one's leg, and into the ankle. It's unlikely that one would ever die from an arrow wound here; however, the arrow that slayed the Greek Achilles was said to have been coated with poison.
在今天的现代语言中，“阿喀琉斯之踵”是指一个弱点。阿喀琉斯跟腱是指一块由小腿后部一直延伸到脚踝的肌肉。不太可能有人会死于这个身体部位的箭伤；然而，*死希腊人阿喀琉斯的箭据说涂了一层毒药。
