Thetis

“You are strong, and have a goddess for your mother”

“his mother heard him where she was sitting in the depths of the sea hard by the old man her father. Forthwith she rose as it were a grey mist out of the waves, sat down before him as he stood weeping, caressed him with her hand, and said, ‘My son, why are you weeping? What is it that grieves you? Keep it not from me, but tell me, that we may know it together.’”

“Ofttimes in my father’s house have I heard you glory in that you alone of the immortals saved the son of Saturn from ruin, when the others, with Juno, Neptune, and Pallas Minerva would have put him in bonds. It was you, goddess, who delivered him by calling to Olympus the hundred-handed monster whom gods call Briareus, but men Aegaeon, for he is stronger even than his father; when therefore he took his seat all-glorious beside the son of Saturn, the other gods were afraid, and did not bind him. Go, then, to him, remind him of all this, clasp his knees, and bid him give succour to the Trojans.”

“Thetis wept and answered, ‘My son, woe is me that I should have borne or suckled you. Would indeed that you had lived your span free from all sorrow at your ships, for it is all too brief; alas, that you should be at once short of life and long of sorrow above your peers: woe, therefore, was the hour in which I bore you; nevertheless I will go to the snowy heights of Olympus, and tell this tale to Jove, if he will hear our prayer: meanwhile stay where you are with your ships, nurse your anger against the Achaeans, and hold aloof from fight. For Jove went yesterday to Oceanus, to a feast among the Ethiopians, and the other gods went with him. He will return to Olympus twelve days hence; I will then go to his mansion paved with bronze and will beseech him; nor do I doubt that I shall be able to persuade him.’”

“Thetis was not unmindful of the charge her son had laid upon her, so she rose from under the sea and went through great heaven with early morning to Olympus, where she found the mighty son of Saturn sitting all alone upon its topmost ridges. She sat herself down before him, and with her left hand seized his knees, while with her right she caught him under the chin, and besought him, saying:—”

“‘Father Jove, if I ever did you service in word or deed among the immortals, hear my prayer, and do honour to my son, whose life is to be cut short so early. King Agamemnon has dishonoured him by taking his prize and keeping her. Honour him then yourself, Olympian lord of counsel, and grant victory to the Trojans, till the Achaeans give my son his due and load him with riches in requital.’”

“Thetis still kept firm hold of his knees, and besought him a second time. ‘Incline your head,’ said she, ‘and promise me surely, or else deny me—for you have nothing to fear—that I may learn how greatly you disdain me.’”

“the goddess quitted the splendour of Olympus, and plunged into the depths of the sea”

“the old merman’s daughter Thetis has been talking you over, for she was with you and had hold of your knees this self-same morning”

“Thetis took him to her bosom to comfort him, for he was scared by the fury with which the man reviled him”

“Thetis have her way because she kissed his knees and took hold of his beard, when she was begging him to do honour to Achilles”

“My mother Thetis tells me that there are two ways in which I may meet my end. If I stay here and fight, I shall not return alive but my name will live for ever: whereas if I go home my name will die, but it will be long ere death shall take me”

“Achilles himself, whose mother was an immortal”

“only wanted to glorify Thetis and her valiant son”

“for his mother had often told him this when he had sat alone with her, and she had informed him of the counsels of great Jove.”

“his mother heard him as she was sitting in the depths of the sea by the old man her father, whereon she screamed”

“I have borne the most glorious of offspring. I bore him fair and strong, hero among heroes, and he shot up as a sapling; I tended him as a plant in a goodly garden, and sent him with his ships to Ilius to fight the Trojans”

“His mother went up to him as he lay groaning; she laid her hand upon his head and spoke piteously”

“go not, however, into the press of battle till you see me return hither; to-morrow at break of day I shall be here, and will bring you goodly armour from King Vulcan”

“I will go to the cunning workman Vulcan on high Olympus, and ask him to provide my son with a suit of splendid armour”