Peleus
Also known as: noble Peleus / the warrior-king / valiant Peleus · Family: The Greeks · Role: father of Achilles · First appears: Book I · Part 5
In Book III, Thetis was sung of as leaving the sea to become Peleus’ bride; Book V recounts that she was given to him as “a most unwilling bride.” At their espousals, her sea-sisters led her from the sea to the warrior-king.
In Book IV, Thetis and the Sea-maids were present at the Argives’ athletic contest. In Book I, Peleus’ son Achilles spoke to an angry goddess; later, in Book IV, a gift was given to Achilles to remind him of his father, Peleus.
Relationship record
Life events
- Thetis was given to Peleus as an unwilling bride.(Book V · Part 2)
- With: Thetis
- “unto Peleus gave / Thetis to wife, / a most unwilling bride.”
Book I · Part 5
- child: Achilles “Then groaned she an angry groan that she had sped Her shafts in vain; and now with scoffing speech To her in turn the son of Peleus spake:”
Book I · Part 6
- child: Achilles “The son of noble Peleus”
Book II · Part 2
- child: Achilles “So glorious, mid the Argives Peleus' son Rode onward.”
Book II · Part 4
- child: Achilles “some in the invincible son Of Peleus, others in the goodly child”
Book III · Part 1
- child: Achilles “praying that he might be the son By Thetis given to Peleus.”
- married with Thetis “Sangest how Thetis silver-footed left The sea's abysses to be Peleus' bride;”
Book III · Part 3
- child: Achilles “So grand of mould There in the foemen's land lay Aeacus' son”
Book III · Part 4
- married with Thetis “And at the feet of everlasting Zeus Will cast me, bitterly planning that he gave Me, an unwilling bride, unto a man-- A man whom joyless eld soon overtook,”
Book IV · Part 1
- child: Achilles (The passage refers to Achilles as her son; his father is identified elsewhere as Peleus.) “For that her heart is purposed to set here Fair athlete-prizes for the funeral-games. This yesterday she told me, ere she plunged Into sea-depths, yea, spake to me apart From other Danaans; and, I trow, by this Her haste hath brought her nigh.”
- married with Thetis “Thyself didst bring to pass Those spousals of a Goddess: on that day All we Immortals feasted there, and gave Gifts passing-fair.”
Book IV · Part 2
- married with Thetis “reverencing the Goddess-bride Of Peleus, and the Sea-maids, who with her”
- child: Achilles “These the bold might Of Peleus' tireless son had driven down”
- with Thetis (interaction) “reverencing the Goddess-bride Of Peleus, and the Sea-maids, who with her Came to behold the Argives' athlete-sport.”
Book IV · Part 3
- child: Achilles “And he to Achilles gave it, whose swift ships Bare it to Troy, to put him aye in mind Of his own father”
- with Achilles (interaction) “And he to Achilles gave it, whose swift ships Bare it to Troy, to put him aye in mind Of his own father”
Book V · Part 1
- with Thetis (Thetis is identified as the sister; the passage depicts her being led to espousals with Peleus.) “And there were lordly Nereus' Daughters shown Leading their sister up from the wide sea To her espousals with the warrior-king.”
- courtship with Thetis “Leading their sister up from the wide sea To her espousals with the warrior-king.”
Book V · Part 2
- married with Thetis “Moved by his prophecies, unto Peleus gave Thetis to wife, a most unwilling bride.”
Book VII · Part 2
- child: Achilles “Measureless grief on Peleus and on her.”
Book IX · Part 2
- child: Achilles “As on he came, Terror clad all those Trojans as a cloak, The while he shouted, cheering on his men: ‘Hear, friends!--fill full your hearts with dauntless strength, The strength that well beseemeth mighty men Who thirst to win them glorious victory, To win renown from battle's tumult! Come, Brave hearts, now strive we even beyond our strength Till we smite Troy's proud city, till we win Our hearts' desire! Foul shame it were to abide Long deedless here and strengthless, womanlike! Ere I be called war-blencher, let me die!’”
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Extracted from the original text of The Fall of Troy. Made with Rho MD.