"'Why dost thou weep, Patroclus?' asked Achilles. 'Like a fond little maid art thou that runs by her mother's side, plucking at her gown, hindering her as she walks, and with tearful eyes looking up at her until the mother lifts her in her arms. Like her, Patroclus, dost thou softly weep.'"
The Iliad as interpreted by Jeanie Lang
Dear reader, the story of Patroclus and Achilles has been so twisted over time that its true meaning may have gotten lost in translation by the time it made its way to you. Many believe that the two were simply soldiers in the Battle of Troy. But there was so much more than that, dear ones. Please, for the sake of verity, read the words of Calliope, our muse of poetry and song:
Our story takes place during the Battle of Troy. But before we get there, take in this anecdote about our hero, Achilles: when he was a baby, his mother bathed him in the river Styx to make him invincible, dangling him with his heel in her hand. This baptism in the river the separates the world of the living from the underworld was a blessing for him. Until it wasn't.
And now, our hero's tale.
While the other soldiers marched on to battle the Trojans, Achilles stayed in their camp, refusing to fight alongside his men. The king of Mycenae, Agamemnon, stole his slave -- Briseis, a woman who had served Achilles faithfully -- from him, and Achilles withdrew from the war in protest.
Achilles could best be described as a callous man; he took everything very seriously and did not have patience for small talk or lighthearted conversation. He was brusque with everyone, no matter the nature of the interaction. But there was one person who could break through Achilles' hard exterior: his closest companion, Patroclus.
It was at this time that Patroclus knelt beside Achilles and attempted to convince him to rejoin the fight.
"You're our greatest warrior," he said to Achilles. "We cannot win without you."
But Achilles refused to compromise to allow Agamemnon to believe he held power over him, so Patroclus decided to try something unheard of.
"Let me wear your armor."
Achilles stared blankly at Patroclus.
"Let me lead the army, disguised as you, and together we can contain the invasion of the Trojans."
Achilles was doubtful, but he trusted Patroclus, so he agreed. Patroclus donned the armor of the Greeks' greatest warrior and set off to march with the other soldiers into battle.
Patroclus' bravery paid off -- the Greeks successfully defended themselves from the Trojans -- but a price had to be paid. The god Apollo disguised himself to help Hector, a prince of Troy and the leader of the Trojan army, kill Patroclus in the battle as punishment for his arrogance.
When the news of this tragedy reached Achilles, he became incensed. The one man on this earth who ever understood him, who ever knew his soul, was gone. Spurred by his heartbreak and intense grief, he vowed to avenge Patroclus on the battlefield.
But the gods warned him: If he killed Hector, Achilles would die himself.
Enveloped by sorrow, Achilles did not listen.
He raged through the battlefield and swiftly took the life of Patroclus' murderer. This is for him, Achilles thought. This is all for him. Achilles could think of nothing but to humiliate Hector as some sort of repayment for the murder of his closest consort, and so he tied his body to the back of his chariot and rode around victoriously -- a warning for the others that Achilles was not one to be messed with.
But the gods do not forget. Achilles did not listen to their warning, and now he had to pay.
Now, Achilles was thought to be invulnerable. No matter how many battles he fought, he never came out worse for the wear. The water of the river Styx had made him invincible -- with one little exception: his heel. Because his mother had to hold him by the foot to dip him in the river, it was the one part of his body that was vulnerable.
And Apollo, disguised as Hector's brother Paris, knew this. When he encountered Achilles, all it took was one arrow to the heel, and the once-great warrior crumpled to the ground.
As he gasped for air, with his last dying breath, Achilles said:
"I do not wish to die. But to be reunited with my one true love, to hold him in my arms once more, I will cross over to the underworld. Patroclus, my heart: I will see you soon."
Author's note: As Calliope mentions, this story takes place during the Battle of Troy, which was a part of the Trojan War. In this war, the Greeks launched an attack on the Trojans after Paris, the Trojan prince who killed Achilles, stole away Helen, the wife of the king of Sparta. Helen was said to be the most beautiful woman in the world. This whole thing originated from an argument between the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena about who was the fairest. The full context of the Trojan War can be read here.
Depending on which texts you read, Achilles and Patroclus are portrayed as either close friends or as lovers. In The Best of the Achaeans, Gregory Nagy describes Patroclus as πολὺ φίλτατος ἑταῖρος (pronounced "polý fíltatos etaíros") to Achilles, which can be translated to both a good friend/soldier, or a loving companion. There is much debate about the nature of their relationship, but ever since I read The Iliad by Homer, I have personally believed the two were in love. LGBTQ people have existed since the beginning of time -- why couldn't Achilles and Patroclus be gay? So, I chose to rewrite this story in a way that shows how their relationship was more than friendship.
Bibliography: Most of the research for this story came from Homer's The Iliad, written in 800 B.C.