Achilles, the famous Greek hero from Thessaly, wearing a so-called composite cuirass, image from a 460-450 BC red figure amphora (the artist is the so-called Achilles Painter), Vatican Museum. Why does Achilles needs a cuirass or any protection armor? Is his body not completely protected after a bath in the Styx river?

“If we search for an etymological connection for Achilles' name, we will find in Hesychius under 'acheilos' a form 'a-chilos' "without grass" or "rich in grass". (We are dealing with either alpha -privative or on the other hand -sm- with sonant -m- giving -a-, an intensifying prefix). Cheilos/chilos (long -i-) means "fodder, feed for animals", by itself this etymology would not be convincing, but taken along with horse breeding which is clearly connected with Achilles, it is worth considering. The old view that Achilles comes from Gr. 'achos' "pain" (in view of his sad end) is unconvincing and rather silly.” William Harris