Peleus and Thetis
The mortal hero Peleus wins the sea goddess Thetis, and their marriage produces Achilles.
The Story
Thetis was a sea goddess whose marriage became important to the future of the heroic age.
A prophecy held that her son would become greater than his father.
The gods therefore avoided a union that might produce a divine rival.
Thetis was instead destined to marry the mortal hero Peleus.
Winning her was not simple.
Thetis could change her shape.
Peleus seized her and held on while she transformed into different forms.
Eventually she yielded.
Their marriage became one of the great divine gatherings of Greek mythology.
Gods attended the wedding.
But the marriage also helped set the conditions for the Trojan War.
Their son was Achilles.
And another famous tradition places the beginning of the quarrel that led to the Judgment of Paris at the wedding feast of Peleus and Thetis.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
The marriage of Peleus and Thetis connects the generation before the Trojan War directly with Achilles and provides the setting for traditions surrounding the Judgment of Paris.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient traditions vary over how Peleus captured or won Thetis and over the details of the prophecy concerning her future child.