Achillies and Weak Heel

 Achilles and His Weak Heel


Achilles is a famous warrior from Greek mythology. He is best known for his great strength and bravery in the Trojan War, which was told in the story called The Iliad by Homer. Achilles had a very special body. He could not be hurt anywhere — except for one small part: his heel. This weak spot is now called the “Achilles’ heel.” People use this phrase even today to mean a person’s only weakness.


When Achilles was a baby, his mother, Thetis, wanted to make him immortal. So, she dipped him into a magical river called the River Styx. This river had the power to protect anyone from harm. But while dipping him, she held him by his heel. That part of his body did not touch the water, so it stayed weak and unprotected. When Achilles grew up, he became a great warrior. But during the war, he was shot in the heel with an arrow and died because of this weakness.






Thetis – A Loving but Controlling Mother


Achilles’ mother, Thetis, was a sea goddess. She loved her son deeply and wanted to protect him from death. After dipping him in the river, she even tried to hide him from going to war. She knew he would die if he went. So, she disguised him as a girl and sent him to live in a faraway place. But Achilles wanted fame and glory. He left that place and went to fight in the Trojan War. His mother’s love could not change his fate. Even though Thetis had magical powers, she could not stop her son from dying. This shows that even powerful mothers can’t always protect their children from destiny.



Gandhari – A Blind Mother by Choice


Now let us look at Gandhari from Indian mythology. She was the mother of Duryodhana, the main villain in the Mahabharata. Gandhari was a queen. Her husband, Dhritarashtra, was blind. To show her loyalty to him, Gandhari also chose to blindfold herself for life. She became blind by choice. She gave birth to one hundred sons, and Duryodhana was the eldest. Gandhari loved her sons very much, especially Duryodhana. She wanted the best for them, but her love also made her blind to their faults.


She knew that Duryodhana was wrong many times. He was proud, jealous, and cruel, especially towards the Pandavas. But instead of stopping him, she supported him silently. Her motherly love stopped her from punishing or correcting him. This is how her love became a weakness — both for her and for Duryodhana.










Duryodhana – Strong Body, Weak Morals


Duryodhana, like Achilles, also had a special body. Before the Kurukshetra war, Gandhari removed her blindfold and looked at her son. Her eyes had divine power because of her long penance and fasting. Wherever her eyes looked, that part of Duryodhana’s body became as strong as iron. But he covered his thighs with a cloth out of shame. So, that part remained weak. In the war, Bhima broke his thighs, and Duryodhana died because of that weakness. Just like Achilles’ heel, Duryodhana’s thighs became his weak spot. Both men were nearly invincible, but they were brought down by one small flaw.




Comparison: Two Mothers, Two Sons, Same Lesson


Thetis and Gandhari are two mothers from different cultures. But both tried to protect their sons using special powers. Thetis dipped her son in a magical river, and Gandhari gave her son strength with her divine sight. Both sons were almost unbeatable but died because of the one part their mothers couldn’t protect — Achilles’ heel and Duryodhana’s thighs.


The mothers also had different ways of showing love. Thetis tried to stop Achilles from going to war. She feared for his life. Gandhari, on the other hand, did not stop Duryodhana from doing wrong things. Her love made her silent. One mother tried to protect her son from danger, while the other did not protect him from his own pride and anger.


In the end, both stories teach us that love, even when powerful, cannot stop fate. And when mothers do not correct their children or miss protecting one small part, even the strongest heroes can fall.

Conclusion


Achilles and Duryodhana were great warriors with special strengths. But they both had one small weakness that led to their deaths. Their mothers, Thetis and Gandhari, loved them deeply and tried to protect them, but their love could not fight destiny. These stories remind us that even small weaknesses can bring down the mighty — and that even great love must face the limits of fate.


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