Who was the aged tutor of Achilles who accompanied him to Troy? Phoenix was that tutor and companion.
Phoenix was the son of Amyntor and became closely connected with Achilles after fleeing his father’s kingdom. King Peleus received him in Phthia, made him ruler of the Dolopians, and entrusted him with the upbringing of young Achilles. Phoenix says that he taught Achilles both to speak persuasively and to perform heroic deeds.
In the Iliad’s Book 9, the elderly Phoenix joins Odysseus and Ajax in an embassy sent to persuade Achilles to return to battle after his quarrel with Agamemnon. Phoenix appeals to their personal bond and tells the story of Meleager, a hero whose anger nearly destroys his own people.
Chiron is another important figure in Achilles’ education, especially in later mythological traditions, which explains the common confusion. Phoenix, however, is the aged human tutor and foster-father figure who appears with Achilles at Troy. He later participates in several episodes, including Patroclus’s funeral games.