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Chiron
Peleus is the king of Phthia, Achilles’s father, and sea-nymph Thetis’s husband. The gods forced Thetis to marry and have sex with Peleus, which was meant as a reward for Peleus’s piety. Peleus is known to be clever, handsome, and a benevolent ruler; he fosters many young boys on Phthia, including an exiled Patroclus. But Patroclus eventually realizes Peleus may have an ulterior motive for doing so: the young boys are trained as soldiers and will eventually prove to be a uniquely loyal army. Still, Peleus is kind to Patroclus and seemingly deferential to Thetis, who loathes him; he has no control over her choices, including her choice to send Achilles to Scyros instead of allowing him to fight in Troy. After Patroclus becomes Achilles’s companion—something Peleus personally allowed—he often tells the two boys stories of heroes he fought with, all of which demonstrate his modesty. After Achilles is sent to Scyros, Patroclus coerces Peleus into divulging Achilles’s location, and he notices that Peleus seems worn out and has little control over his kingdom. Achilles, meanwhile, doesn’t tell his father that he’s fated to die in the Trojan War; later, when Thetis tells Achilles that the gods predict the death of the “best of the Myrmidons” (Achilles’s kinsmen), Achilles and Patroclus believe the prophecy refers to Peleus, though it really refers to Patroclus. Patroclus once notes that Peleus is what Achilles will be like when he’s old, before remembering that Achilles will never grow old. Peleus’s long life therefore represents an impossibility for Achilles, who is destined to die young.
Peleus Quotes in The Song of Achilles
The The Song of Achilles quotes below are all either spoken by Peleus or refer to Peleus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 3 Quotes
Its king, Peleus, was one of those men whom the gods love: not divine himself, but clever, brave, handsome, and excelling all his peers in piety. As a reward, our divinities offered him a sea-nymph for a wife. It was considered their highest honor. […] Divine blood purified our muddy race, bred heroes from dust and clay. And this goddess brought a greater promise still: the Fates had foretold that her son would far surpass his father. Peleus' line would be assured. But, like all the gods' gifts, there was an edge to it; the goddess herself was unwilling.
Everyone, even I, had heard the story of Thetis' ravishment. The gods had led Peleus to the secret place where she liked to sit upon the beach. They had warned him not to waste time with overtures—she would never consent to marriage with a mortal.
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Chapter 5 Quotes
His movements were so precise I could almost see the men he fought, ten, twenty of them, advancing on all sides. He leapt, scything his spear, even as his other hand snatched the sword from its sheath. He swung out with them both, moving like liquid, like a fish through the waves.
He stopped, suddenly. I could hear his breaths, only a little louder than usual, in the still afternoon air.
"Who trained you?" I asked. I did not know what else to say.
"My father, a little."
A little. I felt almost frightened. "No one else?"
"No."
I stepped forward. "Fight me."
He made a sound almost like a laugh. “No. Of course not."
"Fight me." I felt in a trance. He had been trained, a little, by his father. The rest was—what? Divine? This was more of the gods than I had ever seen in my life.
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Chapter 6 Quotes
Her desire was ambitious. It was a difficult thing, to make even a half-god immortal. True, it had happened before, to Heracles and Orpheus and Orion. They sat in the sky now, presiding as constellations, feasting with the gods on ambrosia. But these men had been the sons of Zeus, their sinews strong with the purest ichor that flowed. Thetis was a lesser of the lesser gods, a sea-nymph only. In our stories these divinities had to work by wheedling and flattery, by favors won from stronger gods. They could not do much themselves. Except live, forever.
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Peleus Character Timeline in The Song of Achilles
The timeline below shows where the character Peleus appears in The Song of Achilles. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...he moves. Patroclus’s father takes the garland from Patroclus and crowns the boy, whose father, Peleus, proudly claims him. Peleus’s kingdom is small, but he supposedly has a goddess wife and...
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Chapter 2
...presents himself, alongside his hulking brother, Agamemnon. Patroclus wishes he were older, though he thinks Peleus’s young son would make a fine impression. Mind wandering, he suddenly notices Tyndareus’s three daughters...
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Chapter 3
Phthia is a small country; its king, Peleus, was always a favorite with the gods due to his devout faith. As a reward,...
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...royal family—including his mother’s lyre, which was once part of her dowry. When Patroclus arrives, Peleus is gone, so his son greets Patroclus instead. This is the same blonde boy who...
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It turns out that Patroclus isn’t Peleus’s only foster son; the kingdom is full of them, the result of Peleus’s charity. There’s...
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...next day, the boys begin training together in combat. Patroclus realizes that, in this way, Peleus’s charity happens to ensure him an unusually loyal army. Luckily, Patroclus is easily ignored on...
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Chapter 4
The next day, Patroclus meets Peleus. Peleus says that while Patroclus is in Phthia because he killed a boy, he hopes...
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Chapter 5
Immediately after the lesson, Achilles brings Patroclus to see Peleus. He asks for his father’s forgiveness: he took Patroclus from his drills. Achilles wants Patroclus...
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Achilles and Patroclus part ways after leaving Peleus’s chamber. Achilles is about to practice fighting, which he never allows anyone to see. After...
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...room tonight. The other boys are surprised by his choice of companion, as surprised as Peleus and Patroclus were. In Achilles’s room, the two sit awkwardly. Eventually, Achilles asks Patroclus to...
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When Achilles stops, Patroclus asks who trained him. Achilles replies that Peleus did “a little,” but most of his skill is innate. Feeling frightened, Patroclus asks Achilles...
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Chapter 6
...to him about his growing reputation and asks him to return underwater with her, something Peleus has forbidden since no mortal who does so remains unchanged. One day, Thetis asks to...
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Chapter 7
...barracks, the foster boys start having sex with serving girls, something common and accepted. Because Peleus doesn’t have a live-in wife, most of the women around the palace are war slaves...
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One night, Peleus is telling Achilles and Patroclus a story about the hero Meleager, the best and proudest...
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Chapter 8
...to Achilles. Suddenly, he hears someone around him, attempting stealth; he thinks it could be Peleus’s soldiers, Thetis, or bandits. Suddenly someone strikes Patroclus from behind and he whirls: it’s Achilles....
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Chapter 10
...the lyre. The two then eagerly eat the figs, while Achilles opens his present from Peleus: a purple cloak, signifying his royal status, which pleases Achilles. Patroclus thinks the color suits...
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...says that even if he was angry, it wouldn’t stop them. Even if Chiron told Peleus—the worst-case scenario—Peleus couldn’t do anything about it. Patroclus worries that, in that hypothetical, Thetis would...
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...Achilles that there’s urgent business in Phthia; messengers from Mycenae have arrived with news, and Peleus wants Achilles to be there. As the two return to the cave, they speculate about...
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Chapter 11
When Patroclus and Achilles arrive in Phthia, Peleus and Thetis are waiting for them. Still unnaturally pale, Thetis stands apart from Peleus and...
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...there are only three place settings on the raised dais: they’re for Achilles, Thetis, and Peleus. Achilles insists that another setting be added for Patroclus, annoying Thetis. Quietly, Achilles jokes to...
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Peleus finally announces the news to everyone in the hall: Menelaus’s wife, Queen Helen, was abducted...
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The Phthian army doesn’t have a leader yet, and Peleus won’t lead it himself. Patroclus panics, noticing Peleus’s gaze on Achilles and Thetis’s “distant” eyes....
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Peleus continues his announcement: Helen’s suitors once vowed to defend her, and Agamemnon and Menelaus now...
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After dinner, Peleus asks to speak to Achilles alone. Patroclus joins them. Peleus says that he thinks Achilles...
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Peleus notes that Patroclus has been summoned by oath, but Achilles argues that, in his exile,...
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Chapter 12
...parting comment to him, that he no longer gives up on things. He goes to Peleus, clasping Peleus’s knees and chin in supplication: this intimate position will force Peleus to treat...
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Patroclus says, dully, that it was all for nothing, as Peleus told him where Achilles was, not Thetis. Patroclus reflects that Achilles has always been too...
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Chapter 16
...the grandness that will always follow Achilles now that he’s chosen to be a legend. Peleus greets his son, saying that he’ll lead the army to glory and return triumphant. Patroclus...
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Patroclus asks Achilles how he’s going to tell Peleus about the prophecy. Achilles says that he won’t—it would only hurt him to know. He...
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Over the next six weeks, they continue to plan the war’s logistics. Peleus gives Achilles many supplies, including a charioteer, Automedon, a boy even younger than Achilles and...
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...of wood. Achilles wears his purple cloak, and the crowd cheers about glory and gold. Peleus waves from shore. Achilles didn’t tell him about the prophecy, just hugged him. Patroclus hugs...
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Chapter 19
...he killed Clysonymus. Patroclus finds it hard to describe, but says he remembers the blood. Peleus told Achilles to think of his enemies as animals, but Achilles doesn’t think he can...
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Chapter 24
...think of which of the Myrmidons it might relate to: perhaps Automedon, or maybe to Peleus. At least it’s not Achilles. That day, they sacrifice to Apollo. Patroclus prays to him,...
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