What is Ambrosia?
In Greek mythology,
ambrosia was considered the food or drink of the Olympian gods, and it was thought to bring long life and immortality to anyone who consumed it. It was often linked to
nectar, the other element that the gods consumed; usually, it was thought that
ambrosia was the food and
nectar was the drink of the gods. In general, ambrosia was only consumed by deities; when
Heracles achieved immortality,
Athena offered him ambrosia; while when
Tantalus tried to steal some to give to other
mortals, he was punished for committing hubris. Whoever consumed ambrosia no longer had blood in their veins, but another substance called
ichor.
Achilles’ immortality
One of the
myths about
Achilles’ immortality has it that his mother
Thetis anointed him with ambrosia when he was born and then passed him through flames, so that the mortal
elements of his body would be consumed. However,
Peleus, his father, found out and stopped her; this caused
Thetis’ rage and left without managing to immortalise
Achilles’ heel. As a result, that was the only vulnerable spot in his body.
See Also: Nectar, Athena, Heracles, Tantalus, Achilles, Thetis, Peleus