Achilles sacrificing to Zeus. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Notes taken from the source book and lectures of Gregory Nagy on the course – The Ancient Greek Hero -Harvard edx.

The key passage this week is from a climactic moment when Achilles is praying to Zeus that Patroklos should be successful and come home safely. He uses the word therapōn in referring to his nearest and dearest friend. This word can b used to mean ritual substitute such as animals sacrificed in the place of a noble.

We are exploring the concept of the body double. Petrokles dresses in the armour of Achilles and meets his death. Then Hector take Achilles armour and becomes a second body double for him.

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