Which mythic hero is best known for a heel vulnerability?

• A. Hector
• B. Achilles
• C. Perseus
• D. Theseus

Answer: (B)

The idea here is the way a single vulnerable spot defines a legendary hero. Achilles is the figure most famous for a heel vulnerability because his mother dipped him in the River Styx to make him invulnerable, holding him by the heel. That grip left one tiny area—his heel—unprotected. In the Trojan War, an arrow to that heel caused his death, giving rise to the term “Achilles’ heel” to describe a critical weakness.

Hector, Perseus, and Theseus are celebrated for bravery and remarkable feats, but they don’t have a named, iconic vulnerability tied to a specific body part in the same way.