In Greek mythology, Peleus was a hero, king of Phthia, husband of Thetis and the father of their son Achilles. This myth was already known to the hearers of Homer in the late 8th century BC.
Peleus consigns Achilles to Chiron's care, white-ground lekythos by the Edinburgh Painter, c. 500 BC (National Archaeological Museum of Athens).
Detail of Greek mosaic with Peleus and Clotho, Paphos Archaeological Park
Peleus makes off with his prize bride Thetis, who has vainly assumed animal forms to escape him: Boeotian black-figure dish, c. 500 BC–475 BC
Image: Thetis Peleus Louvre G373
Thetis is a figure from Greek mythology with varying mythological roles. She mainly appears as a sea nymph, a goddess of water, and one of the 50 Nereids, daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus.
Statue of Thetis with a triton, Roman copy
Immortal Thetis with the mortal Peleus in the foreground, Boeotian black-figure dish, c. 500–475 BC - Louvre
Thetis changing into a lioness as she is attacked by Peleus, Attic red-figured kylix by Douris, c. 490 BC from Vulci, Etruria - Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris
Thetis dips Achilles in the Styx by Peter Paul Rubens (between 1630 and 1635)