Achilles and Patroclus cousins?

Question

are they cousins?
coz on wiki i read they are, and some other site i 4got where

but when i wrote that in my essay my professor left a note saying they weren't cousins
whats going on?
and on this site someone mentioned they are cousins as well

anyone can give me sources that proves they are cousin?
my professors not gonna believe wiki for sure

where in the iliad? book lines?

er as i said i my professor discredits wiki lol
nth i can do about that

Answer 1

Some accounts hint at them being cousins (first cousins once removed), other accounts say they are merely close friends. Still others hint at the possiblity of the two being "lovers". Like Rob S. mentioned, this has been a topic of debate for centuries.

It is possible that they were only dear friends but so close that they might as well have been cousins. I don't know how familiar you are with Greek mythology, but have you ever heard about the story of Patroclus and Clysonymus? Clysonymus was a good friend of Patroclus, but when they were young the two had engaged in an argument and Patroclus killed Clysonymus. Patroclus was sent off to Peleus, Achilles' father, and was raised alongside Achilles. So there may be that "familial" bond there: two people that grow up together and share a type of kinship that naturally comes from always being together

But there may actually be a blood tie, depending on which accounts you read. Some accounts say that the nymph Aegina had only one son, Aeacus, other accounts said that she had another son named Menoetius that was fathered by Actor. If this latter bit is true, than Achilles and Patroclus were indeed related.

Let me try to explain the genealogy. Aegina had a son name Aeacus by Zeus. Aeacus in turn had a son, Peleus. Peleus was of course the father of Achilles, by the nymph Thetis. Aegina is also said to have had another son, Menoetius, fathered by Actor. Menoetius had a son name Patroclus. See the common ancestor here? Aegina. Aegina was Achilles' great-grandmother, Patroclus' grandmother, if this is true. Since there is only one generation between Patroclus and Aegina, and more than one between Achilles and Aegina, this would make them first cousins once removed.

This is the best illustration I can provide (on here) of their common ancestry:

Aegina > Aeacus > Peleus > Achilles
Aegina > Menoetius > Patroclus

But this is up for debate, as there wasn't a whole lot of consistency from one account to the next.

Answer 2

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patroclus. They were best friends and possibly lovers.
However, according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_and_Patroclus. They were in fact, first cousins once removed. They have a deep and extremely meaningful friendship.

From what I can gather, I believe they shared a very close relationships more than being distant relatives.

Answer 3

This has been a debate for thousands of years. I doubt you will be able to win it. For those thousands of years readers have interpreted the stories through the lens of their own culture, some have believed them to be cousins, some have believed them to be lovers. Look up Greek pederasty...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_and_Patroclus

Answer 4

In the Iliad by Homer, it says that they are cousins.

Sorry, I can't find it! It does say it, but that's not much good to you I know.