# Thetis — The Iliad character guide

> Thetis in The Iliad by Homer.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Silver-footed Thetis, cruel Thetis

**First appearance:** 0001-the-iliad

## Snapshot

Silver-footed sea nymph and Achilles' mother, who rises from her cave of grieving sisters to carry Zeus's commands to her doomed son.

## Who they are

Thetis lives in a roomy ocean cave surrounded by mourning goddesses, already weeping for a son fated to die young at Troy. She moves between Olympus and the Greek camp as the gods' messenger to Achilles, smoothing his brow and urging him to eat, to sleep, to release Hector's body. Her grief is the poem's tenderest thread, a mother's helpless love threaded through a war that will kill her child no matter what any god decrees.

## In the story

### [Book I: The Contention of Achilles and Agamemnon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/chapters/book-i-the-contention-of-achilles-and-agamemnon)

Achilles' mother, who appeals to Zeus to avenge her son's honor.

### [Book XVIII: The Grief of Achilles for the Death of Patroclus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/chapters/book-xviii-the-grief-of-achilles-for-the-death-of-patroclus)

Comes with the Nereids to comfort Achilles and promises to bring new armor from Hephaestus.

### [Book XIX: The Reconciliation of Achilles and Agamemnon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/chapters/book-xix-the-reconciliation-of-achilles-and-agamemnon)

Brings the armor forged by Hephaestus and preserves Patroclus' body from decay.

### [Book XXIV: The Body of Hector Recovered](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/chapters/book-xxiv-the-body-of-hector-recovered)

Sent by Zeus to persuade Achilles to accept ransom and return Hector's body.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/characters/thetis
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/characters