Achilles' heel: Encyclopedia - Achilles' heel

Achilles' heel

Achilles' heel refers to a fatal weakness in a powerful person that leads or may lead to his downfall. It references a vulnerability that the individual may possess. While the mythological reference is physical, this can often be used as a description of an attribute or quality of a person that can lead to their downfall. In Greek mythology, Achilles is made invulnerable by being dipped in the river Styx by his mother, Thetis. However, his mother held him by the heel, and the patches of skin covered by her thumb and forefinger were left unprotected. Many years later, during the Trojan war, Achilles was killed by Paris with an arrow fired into his heel.

See also

• Duryodhana
• Achilles' tendon

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Achilles' heel", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki