The Forbidden Love of Achilles; Achilles and Penthesileia

Translated From 'The Fall of Troy' by Quintus Smyrnaeu:

Penthesileia was the daughter of Otrere and Ares, the Greek god of war. She ruled over the Thermodon River Amazons as their Queen and was, in Quintus' words, "Clothed upon with the beauty of Goddesses." Penthesileia also had considerable battle prowess and unmatched beauty. While on a hunt, Penthesileia accidentally killed her sister, Hippolyte II, when she cast a spear at her, mistaking her for a stag. Fleeing the reproach of her people and the torturing taunts of the Erinyes (known to the Romans as the Furies) a sorrowful, Penthesileia gathered together Clonie, Polymusa, Derinoe, Evandre, Antandre, Bremusa, Hippothoe, "dark-eyed" Harmothoe, Alcibie, Derimacheia, Antibrote and Thermodosa "glorying with the spear." and left Thermodon for Troy.

King Priam was desperate; the walls of Troy had been besieged by Agamemnon and his men for a decade and there was no end in sight. Due to the marauding of Greek raiders up and down the countryside, most of his allies were far too occupied with putting out the home fires burning than in giving him aid. His daughter, Cassandra, was insane and kept babbling about Greeks bearing gifts; his favorite son Hector was dead, having been tied to the back of a chariot and dragged around the walls of Troy by Achilles.

Penthesileia gathered the Trojan thousands and rallied them to the battlefield, accompanied by her twelve companions. The Greeks supposed the Trojans to be entirely disheartened at this point and were amazed when it was observed that the Trojans were coming back for more, and the troops were being led by a woman, to boot!

Glorious in battle and endowed with Hephestian armor and armaments that were given to her by her father, Ares, Penthesileia wore greaves fashioned of gold; a rainbow-radiant corselet; scabbard of ivory and silver; a shield of unearthly splendor; a bright helmet with a wild mane of golden-glistening hairs; flaming mail that resembled lightning; a pair of javelins in her shield hand and a huge sharp halberd in her right hand. She struck awe in all who gazed upon her.

During the first engagement, Penthesileia killed Molion, Eilissus, Antitheus, Hippalmus and Elasippus. Derinoe killed Laogonus and Clonie slew Menippus. Podarcus, enraged at the death of Menippus, cast a lance at Clonie and "her bowels gushed out." Penthesileia in her turn struck down Podarcus with a long spear. But the Amazons were dropping like flies. Derinoe was slain by "Oileus' fiery son;" Evandre and Thermodosa were killed by Meriones; Alcibie and Derimacheia lost their heads to "Tydeus' son;" and Bremusa was slain by Idomeneus. As Quintus says, "All through the tangle of that desperate day stalked slaughter and doom."

Penthesileia eventually engaged in some doom-saying of her own, standing up to give a brave speech in the midst of the battle and rushing the Greeks, who were thrown into confusion and gave ground. Then our fearless Amazon romped up and down the battlefield, lopping off heads, disemboweling with girlish glee and generally causing the sort of havoc that made her Ares' darling.

Penthesileia's speech and subsequent warlike actions prompted the women of Troy to try and join the fray. Egged on by Tisiphone, Meneptolemus' wife, who made a rousing jingoistic rant that fired their blood, the Trojan women traded their distaffs for weapons and made as if to leave the safety of the walls. Fortunately, they were stopped by wise old Theano, who pointed out that Amazons were not common women and it was best to leave war to those who know how to fight it.

In the meantime, Penthesileia and the Trojans had broken through the Greek lines and were on the point of firing the enemy's ships. Seeing a serious disaster was about to take place, Achilles was persuaded to grab his weapons and get his heroic butt into gear. As soon as he took the field, the Greeks rallied. In swift order, Achilles slew the remaining Amazons and was at last confronted by Penthesileia herself. There ensued a mighty battle with flashing spears, shields, fancy footwork and yards of poetic hyperbole. The Amazon Queen was slain by Achilles and the Trojans panicked, fleeing the battlefield.

When Achilles removed her helmet, he was stricken by the Amazon's beauty and felt deep remorse for having killed her. As the Greeks busied themselves with stripping the corpses of the Trojan dead, Achilles gazed at Penthesileia with big calf's eyes and mourned her passing with enormous sighs.

One of the Greeks, Thercites, began mocking Achilles for his fine feelings, calling him "woman mad" and insinuating that the hero might like to indulge in some necrophilia naughtiness with the cooling corpse. The writer Apollodorus says that Thercites was the ugliest Greek in the army, which goes a long way in explaining why he was so jealous of Achilles' relationship with the corpus delecti in the first place.

According to Quintus, absolutely infuriated by Thercites' insults, Achilles smote the man a mighty blow with his naked hand, causing all of Thercites' teeth to fall out and killing him deader than a stone. His soul immediately took up residence in Tartarus, which is no doubt precisely where he belonged for having such a dirty mind, and his wretched corpse was tossed into a pit without ceremony. King Odysseus of Ithaca, who hated Thercites with a passion, cleansed Achilles of the death with a big fat smile on his face.

After the battle, King Priam sent a herald to the Greeks, asking for Penthesileia 's body so he could give it a magnificent funeral. The Amazon was placed on a pyre with costly treasures and burned; the fires were quenched with costly wine; her bones anointed with perfumed ointment and placed in a casket. (A second version by Tzetzes: Is that the Greeks were outraged by Achilles' contact, especially Thercites' nephew Diomedes. He took Penthesileia 's body by the heels and dragged her to the SkamanderRiver, tossing her in the water. But the corpse was saved before it could drift away and either returned to the Trojans or buried by Achilles himself with full honors.)

She was buried in an outstanding tower beside the bones of King Leodemon. In the plain beyond were buried all her Amazons as well as the Trojans who had followed her and died on the battlefield.

And thus ends the life and times of Penthesileia, Queen of the Thermodon Amazons; a brave woman who, through a cruel twist of fate, ended her life almost before it began on the bloodied battlefield of Troy. Her connection with Achilles guaranteed Penthesileia a niche in history - but her hubris, that overweening pride which was the downfall of so many Greeks, brought her only posthumous glory and a premature appointment with Hades. 

Nowthat you've read the true account of Achilles and Penthesileia, how about alittle FANTASY .