Though the greatest warrior to fight in the Trojan War, Achilles was fated to die before he could see the city fall. As with Achilles’ dear companion Patroclus before him, the archer god Apollo was instrumental in Achilles’ own demise, guiding Paris’ arrow through his mortal heel. But as Achilles avenged Patroclus, so another would […]
The Trojan War, from antiquity to the modern day, remains the archetype of what a war is, and what happens when a city is besieged and sacked. The pages of Homer, Vergil, and the Greek playwrights give us insight not only into profound topics like the human condition and the nature of heroism and justice. […]
The US power metal band Attacker released their “Armor of the Gods” EP last year. The album art features a version of the iconic “Perseus the Head of Medusa” motif popularized by the Renaissance sculptor Benvenuto Cellini. The eponymous track to the EP betrays the direct inspiration for the song, a sound clip from the […]
In May of 2004, the Hollywood blockbuster Troy supplied a perception of the Trojan War that endures in the popular imagination to this day. Its compression of the mythical 10-year war into a span of days, as to suit a feature-length film, offered a readily accessible synopsis of a saga told and retold in much […]
Heavy Metal Classicist 