Homer so vividly personifies the river god that he describes the battle between them as being a battle between two beings, even though, at the same time, it is a vivid description of a man caught in a flood, literally fighting for his life. If the reader can visualize this scene, seeing a thick debris of trees, powerful rocks, and strong waves lashing against Achilles, the scene becomes more powerful and meaningful.
Achilles has over-reached himself, and as he attempts to punish all the Trojans for Patroklos' death and to deny them burial rites for Hektor, so the river god now attempts to drown Achilles, bury him in the mud, and deny him glory and proper burial rites. It is also significant that the river god is the only god to confront Achilles with excessive cruelty and lack of pity. Later, however, the other gods come to view Achilles as the river god does.
Achilles' violence closes with the death of Hektor and with Achilles' mutilation of Hektor's corpse. By now, under Zeus' firm hand, the gods have moved from their own state of disorder to order. When the gods see Achilles act without any sense of pity for Hektor or his family, they come back into Zeus' all-wise fold of authority. And eventually, through his mother, Thetis, even Achilles is finally persuaded to accede to Zeus' will. In the end, Achilles is exhausted. His passions are spent, and he consents to give up Hektor's corpse.
