Xanthus and Balius
By Jimmy Joe
The immortal horses of Achilles. They were the offspring of Zephyrus, god of the west wind, and Podarge, one of the Harpies.
The horses originally belonged to Peleus, Achilles’ father, when the hero married the sea goddess Thetis. Peleus received the pair of horses as one of the wedding gifts from the gods.
When the Trojan War broke out between the Greeks and the Trojans, Peleus gave his gifts to Achilles: his armour, his helmet, and the chariot drawn by Xanthus and Balius.
Xanthus and Balius wept at the death of Patroclus, companion of Achilles. Hera gave them human speech.
