Achilleid

by Publius Papinius Statius (Editor), Oswald A.W. Dilke

"One of the most entertaining short narratives of all time, the Achilleid is a stand-alone work of compelling contemporary interest that moves with great rapidity and clarity. Its compact narrative, which encompasses a brutish childhood, an overprotective mother, temporary gender bending, sexual violence, and a final coming to manhood with the promise of future military prowess, may be unparalleled in a single narrative of such brevity. The text has survived in hundreds of manuscripts, sometimes copied with Statius’ much longer and lugubrious Thebaid, but just as often with other racy short narratives and dramas taught in the medieval schools. The poem’s literary playfulness, visual imagery, and lighthearted treatment of mythological and historical data made it—and can still make it—a goldmine in the classroom. Until now, however, it has been virtually impossible to get a sense of the work if one did not know Latin—recent translations notwithstanding. Stanley Lombardo's translation of the Achilleid is a dream: it’s sound, enthralling, and will fully engage readers with this enticing, perplexing, at times distressing, but ultimately rewarding work."
     —Marjorie Curry Woods, Blumberg Centennial Professor of English and University Distinguished Teaching Professor, The University of Texas at Austin

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Mythology, Greek Mythology, Fiction, Epic Poetry, Literature

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 95

About the author

Publius Papinius Statius (Greek: Πόπλιος Παπίνιος Στάτιος; /ˈsteɪʃiəs/, Latin: [ˈstaːtiʊs];[a] c. 45 – c. 96) was a Latin poet of the 1st century CE. His surviving poetry includes an epic in twelve books, the Thebaid; a collection of occasional poetry, the Silvae; and an unfinished epic, the Achilleid. He is also known for his appearance as a guide in the Purgatory section of Dante's epic poem, the Divine Comedy.

Reviews

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 4 out of 5]

"¿Te dignarás volver de nuevo a éste tu puerto? ¿O acaso, ensoberbecido, trayendo los lares teucros y el botín de Pérgamo, no querrás recordar tu refugio entre doncellas?"

Esta es una obra incompleta del romano Publio Papinio Estacio. El mismo autor de "La tebaida" se enfrasca en esta oportunidad en contarnos la historia de Aquiles, el héroe de la Iliada.
Durante el gobierno del emperador Domiciano, del cual Estacio era amigo, ya que su padre estaba en las más altas esferas, nace este poema épico encargado de ensalzar de alguna manera a Domiciano.
Solo logró escribir 1 libro y casi una décima parte del segundo antes que lo sorprenda la muerte. Así que es relativamente poco lo que se puede apreciar de su idea original. El primer libro empieza con la voluntad de la madre de Aquiles, Tetis, de salvar a su hijo del reclutamiento por parte de los griegos quienes se dirigen a la Guerra de Troya. Ahí, ella, con engaños, persuade a Aquiles y a Quirón, centauro encargado de su cuidado y entrenamiento, de llevarlo a Esciros.
Pero, como sabemos, Aquiles será vestido de mujer y traba amistad muy rápida con la princesa, hija del rey Licomedes, de nombre Deidamia.
Se supone que la obra debería contar hasta la muerte del héroe en la Guerra de Troya, pero solo llega hasta cuando Aquiles va con los griegos. En esta parte Aquiles revela algo del entrenamiento que tuvo a manos de Quirón, el cual fue bastante severo.
Me gustó poder conocer más al detalle el entrenamiento de Aquiles, cómo convivía con el centauro Quirón y también ver el episodio del héroe en Esciros. El estilo es clásico, parecido a Virgilio o a Homero, de los cuales copió muchas cosas. Hay un poco de diferencia en cuanto al enamoramiento con respecto a libros más antiguos. Lástima que no pudo escribir más; pues, la "Tebaida" que es otra de sus obras es bastante redonda.

"Jamás en otro momento se ha presentado a los valientes la ocasión de tan gran fama ni se ha cultivado el valor en campo mayor"

[Marquise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, I strongly suspect fans of Achilles as we know him from Homer won't be fond of the Achilles to be found in Statius' epic poem.

This poem is incomplete due to Statius leaving it so, probably due to death as it's argued in the introduction (which I recommend readers to skip; the introduction is terribly spoilery and will predispose you to adopt certain assumptions before you read the poem, so leave it for after you've read the poem first), and it ends abruptly after Book I, just some lines into Book II. But the contents of Book I tell a fairly complete story of Achilles' youth, letting us know details that aren't in The Iliad. You'd be surprised at how many of the hallmark Achillean features don't come from Homer; for a sample, these are the details you probably already know but aren't aware come from this epic:

- Achilles' heel as a metaphor for vulnerability comes from this book. It was Statius the first one (that we have proof of) to have mentioned that unkillable Achilles' one single weak spot is his heel.

- Baby Achilles being dipped in the river Styx by his mother, Thetis, to make him immortal. It's here, there's at least three mentions to this version of how Achilles came to be invulnerable.

- How child Achilles was raised by the centaur Chiron like a wild boy, with details on his warrior training. In this version, though, it's not Peleus but Thetis herself who hands baby Achilles over to the centaur for rearing.

- Boy Achilles pretending to be a girl and living with a bunch of other girls by request of his mother, terrified of the prophecy that he'll die young at Troy. The way Achilles' true gender is revealed is hilarious.

- How he came to have a wife and son.

It's a pity that the poem was never finished, because its start is a fine story, and it'd have given us a good counterpoint to the Homeric version of Achilles, even though as I mentioned, the character as per Statius is fit to rub modern sensibilities the wrong way at one particular portion of the poem I wouldn't want to spoil.

[kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg guys!! i submitted my dissertation!!!! i wrote it on queer theory and liminality in the achilleid 🙈 was it my magnum opus? no … but it was an opus (ask me about how many trees i’ve planted in the forest app) i love this gay little book so much i love you statius mwah

[Eadweard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why the Schiele cover? It doesn't fit.


This starts in media res and ends abruptly but at least in complete form. Too bad Statius didn't write more, it could have been great.

It was a bit odd; Achilles' mother, fearful of him fulfilling his role and dying in the war, disguisses him as a girl and hides him in the court of a king, Achilles plays his part but falls in love with the king's daughter and then shortly afterwards Odysseus arrives and recruits him. It ends with them on their way to Troy.

[el ✯ ࣪ ˖ · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this was finished I just KNOW Statius would be able to make Achilles’ death more emotional than Homer (it’s the backstory for me)

[Juan José · Rating 5 out of 5]

or fail to prove that you are a man

[Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun start to an epic. Would Statius have altered his somewhat playful tone if he’d got further?

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across a reference to this work and was intrigued. It contains the first extant reference to Achilles being dipped in the River Styx to make him invulnerable (p. vii). In a Latin text, not even a Greek one! His mother, the goddess Thetis, held him by his heel, thus keeping that part from being invincible and giving us the term Achilles' heel. I had to read this short work and I picked up the translation by Stanley Lombardo with an introduction by Peter Heslin. I'd rate the story 4-5 and the translation 3-4, so I picked 4 for my overall rating.

The story covers Achilles, from after he was left with the Centaur Chiron and up to when he sails away with the Greek fleet to go to Troy. It mostly covers his mother's attempt to hide him from the Greeks so that he would not go to Troy and die as he was fated to from birth. An interesting love story that has Achilles hiding dressed as a girl and being found out by Odysseus. It's short, unfinished likely due to Statius's death, but still, it is polished and was presented to the public before he died. It stands on its own and tells a fun and interesting story.

I've read so much about Achilles, Greek and Latin mythology, etc. but hadn't heard this tale. There is so much more for me to learn. And yet, the saddest part is that so little has survived from antiquity. What we do have is but a small portion of these great myths and epics. Writers like Statius, Ovid and others knew these stories as did their readers. How much more did they know that we only see flashes and glimpses of, or never hear about at all.

So ... keep reading. I picked up Ovid's Metamorphoses based on Heslin's introduction!

[AB · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick but very enjoyable read. Although it only consists of two books, the narrative does not lack depth or feel rushed. A very nice "hidden gem" of a classical author.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Achilleid is an epic prequel that professes to tell the true, untold story behind the first great hero of Western literature. As he narrates the events that have been whitewashed out of the epic canon, Statius demonstrates the mechanisms by which they came to be erased.
from Peter Heslin's "Introduction"

ACHILLES--bring back the story, Goddess,
of the formidable hero descended through Aeacus
from thundering Jupiter, but denied His heaven,
his deeds indeed famous through Homeric song,
but with much more to celebrate. May it be
your pleasure that I encompass, as is my desire,
the entire hero, trumpeting him forth
from his hiding in Scyros and not stopping
with the dragging of Hector, but going on to hymn
the great warrior through the whole tale of Troy.

Promises, promises: Promises are promised in the opening lines of Statius' epic Achilleid--promises to tell the "whole tale of Troy." But no: This "epic" is only 60 pages. Statius completes one book and half a second and then dies. The absolute nerve. All we really get is the tale of Achilles hiding from conscription into the Argive army by dressing as a maiden on Scyros at the cajoling of his mother, Thetis. What is so frustrating is that the epic is picking up steam when, boom, the series is suddenly axed. We possess what Homer thought of Achilles; Statius' Roman, post-Virgil perspective on Achilles would have been fascinating.

Lombardo's translation is engaging and Heslin's introduction provides insights into the potential of this unique epic. This is an excellent introduction to this oft-forgotten literary piece. Statius presents Achilles cross-dressing and, when discovered by Ulysses and Diomedes, his subsequent request to forget the whole thing ever happened. We can only speculate where Statius was going with this. What little we have is very intriguing, very provocative, very original. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys The Iliad and wishes to know more of the rich mythology surrounding Achilles.

[Deidamia's] roseate face inflames her scarlet robe,
her gems have more luster, her gold more allure,
and she would compare in beauty with Athena herself
if the deity would lay aside the snakes in her bosom,
take off her helmet, and assume a tranquil expression.
When the defiant boy, whose heart had never trembled,
saw this girl at the head of her troop of companions
he stiffened, and every bone in his body
absorbed liquid fire. Nor did this passion stay hidden;
no, the torch pulsing in his marrow goes to his face,
tingeing his bright cheeks and glazing them with sweat.

[Moodreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

Definitely an essential read for anyone who enjoys Greek Mythology and the myths surrounding the Trojan War. The reading is very fast-paced and fluid, with a touch of comedy. It's also a good opportunity to read about a phase of Achilles' story that is often forgotten. A very worthwhile read.

[Blaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

1 star for medieval epic poetry. 5 stars for Achilles in drag.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Achilleid is a fragmentary epic in Latin by Statius, who lived in the late first century AD. Only the first book and the first few hundred lines of the second survives, for about 1100 lines of poetry.

Statius apparently intended to tell the whole story of Achilles in the Trojan War, expanding beyond the events of the Iliad, and began in medias res, with the onset of war and Thetis's inability to prevent it. Desperate, she retrieves her son from Chiron, his centaur tutor, and takes him to the peaceful isle of Scyros, where she has him hide, in drag, in the women's quarters of king Lycomedes's palace, where he is passed off as the tallest and most unladylike of the king's daughters. While incognito, Achilles rapes and impregnates a very confused Deidamia, Lycomedes's eldest and most beautiful daughter, and she bears Achilles a son in secret. Only when Ulysses (Odysseus) and Diomedes are dispatched to find Achilles is the ruse exposed. Achilles makes an honest woman of poor Deidamia and they spend one lawful night together before he is hustled off to Troy. At the beginning of book two, Odysseus recaps the causes of the war and tries to make it personal for Achilles, and that's where Statius leaves off.

This translation by Stanley Lombardo is fast-paced and easy to read, and a good way to dig into the broader Trojan War mythos. Achilleid and another complete work by Statius, Thebaid, though almost unknown now, were popular during the Middle Ages--Statius even accompanies Dante for part of his climb up Mount Purgatory in The Divine Comedy.

The tedious introduction by classicist Peter Heslin is almost as long as the extant portion of Achilleid itself. Heslin essentially recaps the events the poem, blow by blow, with a lot of modern postmodern-ish interrogation of the text and Statius's intentions. Heslin thinks Statius is trying to undermine the authority of Homer's epic and call the seriousness of the Trojan War story into question, or something. He repeatedly refers to events in Statius's poem as having been "suppressed" by Homer, who lived at least eight- or nine-hundred years before Statius, on the early end of what is essentially an ancient fandom that was revised, retconned, and expanded upon long before those were vogueish internet activities. "As he narrates the events that have been whitewashed out of the epic canon," Heslin writes, "Statius demonstrates the mechanisms by which they came to be erased."

And so forth. Yawn.

This is absolutely worth checking out, but only for the text of the epic itself.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fragment of an epic by 1st Century CE Roman writer Statius.
Selling point here is Achilles' background story - and him prancing around in drag.
Worthwhile Introduction by Peter Heslin, who gives us the connections of the story and text to ancient Greco/Roman myth. And whose synopsis of the story is useful as well. He points out the hypocrisy of Thetis - who hasn't seen her son in forever, pretty much having dumped him on the lap of Chiron to be raised. And then suddenly turns up, all concerned. Or how the ending here foretells how this not flattering story of warrior Achilles will be "forgotten". The Intro (25 pp) is almost as long as the text (40 pp).
An outstanding translation by U of KS prof (emeritus) Stanley Lombardo. He works in the tradition of Ezra Pound, making rhe most of the "shocking" that was bowdlerized in earlier translations. The one I enjoyed the most, when Achilles first meets Deidamia, and " he stiffened" - a possible description for either his whole body, or one part in particular.
Lombardo does not provide Notes, but his extensive "Glossary of Names" includes places as well as individuals and gods, and can be quite extensive at times.
Having approached Homer for the firs time in over 40 years, this was a worthwhile, and enjoyable, quick read that provided a bit of Achilles' back story. I may read Statius' "Thebaid" later, as the whole Thebes story intrigues me.

[Pax Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW: mentions of rape and misogyny




I'm unsure how to describe this book because it has the queer "Achilles cross dressing and passing really well" which seemed to fascinate the Romans which is why Romans wrote about Achilles on Skyros as he was able to 'enter' the world of women by cross dressing and be the best woman to ever woman according to Roman authors

Despite this, because this is a Roman story based on a Greek story, Achilles is kinda described as being a really good woman purely because he's a man so he naturally can do anything better than a woman could while still being able to prove his masculinity

And the way Achilles proves his masculinity is through raping Deidamia at a festival to Dionysus which is presented as something inevitable on Achilles' end because his masculine nature was left unfulfilled and he was overtaken by his passion

Statius, like many authors under the Principate, was a client of the emperor, specially Domitian but the Thebeid, Achilleid and Silvae seem to be his own works rather than something he was being paid to do

Like authors like Ovid or Livy, when surrounding topics like rape or sexual assault, the act is made to seen horrific like it should be, although the act is also romanticised and in Achilles' case, is portrayed as him literally reclaiming his masculinity through this horrifically violent act

[Marko Vasić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Statius shed completely new light on Achilles regarding some facts which are almost unheard in Homer’s epics. Namely, his intention was to create an ultimate epic which will sing about all phases in a life of a hero: birth, childhood, youth, quest and adult phases, the era of utmost glory and death. Yet, the last task hindered Statius to finish his intention. Thus, merely two books emerged.

In Book I Statius depicted Thetis as a caring mother, eager to protect her son from his doom of Trojan war, sending him to Centaur Chiron to be his foster father. Many years later, she returned to Chiron as would take Achilles away to hide him on a better place. In that order, she disguised Achilles in a maiden, and thus sent him to Skyros. Yet, Ulysses and Diomedes will recognise him among other girls, and take the boy with them to Trojan war.

Interesting part for further analyses is, for sure, travesty which Thetis applied to her son, and reasons for it, which was not solitary case in antique literature.

[Marino · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Iliad prequel telling Achilles' origin story. It is not necessarily an easy read, but I at least appreciated the fact that the author did not carpet bomb the text with Homeric metaphors like other Greek and Roman authors have. The text does however contain plenty of rather obscure mythological references.

Many events in Achilles which are often told but do not actually feature in the Iliad are actually described in this short text. Thetis dipping him in the Styx, Achilles being trained by the centaur Chiron (the end of the book even features a training sequence), Achilles being hidden among the women on an island, him raping his hosts daughter and getting a child. Also consider that last sentence your trigger warning.

The book was never actually finished and stops before Achilles even get to Troy. Still three stars however, because it is the only narrative of Achilles' early life and the use of language did not annoy me.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for class but still counting it for my yearly book challenge:)
overall an excellent translation but I wouldn't consider it accessible for people without a background in Classics (not a detriment to Lombardo's translation capabilities but worth noting)
I would have appreciated a bit more commentary from Lombardo on why he made certain translation choices but in general I believe he transferred the essence of Statius from Latin to English in a remarkable way

[carlota · Rating 4 out of 5]

me lo leí para hacer un trabajo de la uni (el de los dichosos textos). Rápido de leer y recuerdo que em gustó mucho. Trata sobre la vida de Aquiles y tocó la Guerra de Troya. Está muy chuli para leerlo una tarde la verdad. 10/10.

[liz]

read for my college mythology class

[Xander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to get a bit of Achilles before Troy.

[Maddy Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my fave classics tbh. I wish it was finished. Loved the gender twist and just everything.

[Audrey]

maiden achilles

[Mitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Achilles should have stayed in drag throughout the Trojan War, tbh.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

hate achilles, but this was fun to read

[Evan Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fragmentary poem is one of the weirder examples of Latin literature. Only about 1,100 lines of the Achilleid survive, and the poem was probably incomplete upon Statius' death. Statius (of The Thebaid: Seven against Thebes fame) set out to write an epic poem about Achilles, from the hero's boyhood all the way to his death. He barely got into book II, so what we're left with is a bizarre little story about a young Achilles masquerading as a girl on the island of Scyros. Achilles' mother hatches this scheme to keep the Greeks from recruiting her son to fight in the Trojan War, but over the course of the first book it all falls apart and Achilles duly goes off to war.

This is quite the departure from the Thebaid, which could be heavy going at times. The Achilleid is a light, almost comic story - refreshingly different from most ancient epic. It would have been interesting to see where Statius went with this, but it was not to be. What's left of the poem is intriguing, and it's a quick and breezy read relative to other works in its genre. I would recommend this to readers interested in ancient epic, so long as they understand that only a small chunk of this story is extant. 3 stars.

[Morgan Greensmith]

This book is interesting only in what it can tell us about the modern conception of Achilles. As someone who wrote their diss on this book, I have read it too many times.

On the one hand, Statius elaborates on the Skyros episode in a way that no other surviving writer does, and invests in Thetis as a character with her own character and motivations.

However, this book can only be described as the original TERF narrative. It features classical Roman 'humour', in which sexual assault is a comedic occurrence, and a man dresses up as a woman to enter a women-only space and assault a woman, forcing her to become his wife and bear his child. This book filled me with a rage I didn't think I could feel towards ancient texts, and I am almost glad the book was never finished for what other damage it could have done to the myth. Just because a book is ancient, does not mean it is good, or accurate, or productive towards the compounding storytelling of a myth.

Honestly, do not read this book unless you are genuinely interested in the origins of myth and/or are studying classics, and even then, immerse yourself in anti-TERF rhetoric as a counter.

[· · Rating 4 out of 5]

(31 January, 2022)

A great addition to the Achilles mythos. In all honesty, this does not portray him in the best of lights but Achilles was never meant to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, so where exactly is the problem?

Statius, via Lombardo, gives us three things:

- a great story of motherly love, however absent. She is always too late to do anything for her somewhat beloved child.

- Achilles as a simple-minded doofus, eager to gratify baser instincts and physical urges or reveling in the glory of war.

- and best of all, Ulysses as the sneaky little bastard he is. It is really fun to read of how he can trick anybody, anywhere, under any circumstance. He's awesome!

Sadly cut short, nevertheless this makes for a wonderful and fun read. Despite the Latin names, the 'Achilleid' feels right and deserves to be considered a worthy successor to (and prequel of) 'The Iliad'.

[CivilWar · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent prequel by Statius, the most underrated writer of Latin epic, which adds much to the Achilles' characterization and, uniquely, even gender identity. It also puts him among the great host of primevally old hunter boy stories who die after sex, a là Adonis, Kessi, Enkidu, Attis, Orion, etc. It is shocking how much of everything here fits with all of the characterization in the Iliad and like a truly great prequel, even adds to it - Achilles lack of interest in "being a man" within the Mycenaean honor system and his willingness to scream this at his comrades when Agamemnon's envoys come into his tent to offer him gifts in return makes a lot more sense with his year of socialization as a girl: a detail much more appreciated with a re-read of the two, back to back!

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part of a longer poem but is studied in its shorter form as it gives the only extant description of Achilles before Troy. Remember the story of Achilles' heel? First mentioned here if I remember correctly. Achilles dresses as a woman too, great stuff.