Help me remember a legend...

[Andrew D. Gable]

The version of Achilles I know is that his mother Tethis held him by the ankle while dipping him into the Styx

Heh, this is an extremely minor niggle, but shows something about mythology, I guess. Achilles' mother was Thetis; Tethys was, IIRC, one of the Titans.

Spelling counts.

 

[William Ronald]

Sigurd! That's it! Thanks, William Ronald!

The version of Achilles I know is that his mother Tethis held him by the ankle while dipping him into the Styx (she alternated between Styx and a hearth fire), so that's why he was vulnerable there.

I didn't know the "leaf" myth was also a version of Achilles' myth.

Actually, the Sigurd story is similar to Achilles. There are many parallels between the different Indo-European mythologies in many incidents and characters. There are also parallels between beliefs in many diverse cultures, as you can see in two books that I mention below.

I believe you are confusing Achilles in the above quote with a myth regarding Demeter. Demeter, when Persephone was abducted, tried to make a young prince immortal as a reward to the kindness of his parents. A similar story is told of Isis.

Klaus, if you have not read them, I urge you to pick up two books which deal with mythology and culture. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell and The Golden Bough by Sir James Frazier can give DMs, players, and even artists many good ideas.

 

[Klaus]

Heh, this is an extremely minor niggle, but shows something about mythology, I guess. Achilles' mother was Thetis; Tethys was, IIRC, one of the Titans.

Spelling counts.

And in Portuguese they're both spelled "Tétis"...