The Rage of Achilles. When the Achaeans went to war against the city of Troy, they sent for Achilles to be one of their leaders. They called him "Aristos Achaion". Best of the Greeks.
Achilles was reluctant to go to Troy. But from his own mother, he had received a prophecy.
"Two fates bear me on to the day of death.
If I hold out here and I lay siege to Troy
My journey home is gone, but my glory never dies.
If I voyage back to the fatherland I love,
My pride, my glory dies...
True, but the life that's left me will be long,
The stroke of death will not come on me quickly.
- If he went to fight in the Trojan War, he would die a young man. He would die, but his glory would be eternal. His tales would be told, he would never be forgotten.
- If he didn't go to Troy, he would live to an old age. He would live, but his strength would wither. He would be forgotten even before the day he died. His death would not be mourned.
And so Achilles went to Troy. He fought. He won. And he died a young man.
To this day, 3000 years later, he is remembered. His story is told again and again, in songs, in books, in paintings, in movies. And though I'm speculating here, I believe it will be told far into the future.
Because it's one of -- if not the greatest stories ever told.
Love, Loss, Honor, Rage. Heroes and Fighters. Universal. Exciting. And so is the Story of Achilles.
*It's much larger than the little piece I've opened up here... I highly recommend further reading about Achilles, the Trojan War and Helénē of Troy. *