In Homer’s Iliad, Achilles is the Greek warrior known as the fastest runner among the Achaeans.
Achilles is the greatest fighter in the Greek army attacking Troy. Homer repeatedly associates him with speed, using the epithet “swift-footed Achilles,” which is one of the poem’s most recognizable recurring descriptions.
His speed is part of a broader heroic profile that includes exceptional strength, divine ancestry, and unmatched battlefield skill. Achilles is the son of the mortal Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis. His withdrawal from battle after a dispute with Agamemnon drives much of the Iliad’s plot.
The Iliad does not tell the complete story of Achilles’ life or death. It focuses on a short period near the end of the Trojan War, especially Achilles’ anger, the death of Patroclus, and his revenge against Hector. Later myths expand his story, including the tradition that he was killed by Paris.