Heracles is one of the most celebrated characters in Greek mythology, though he is often better known by his Roman name Hercules. The son of Zeus and a demi-god with superhuman strength, Hercules became the ultimate symbol of masculine power and bravery. Even today, we still use the word ‘Herculean’ in everyday language as a reference to this almighty hero. He appeared in hundreds of different myths, meaning he has many fascinating stories surrounding his incredible life. Let’s take a look at some of the most entertaining of these life stories.
The Three Parents of Hercules in Greek Mythology
Technically, Heracles had three parents growing up, two who were mortal, and one who was divine. His two mortal parents were the King Amphitryon and Queen Alcmene, who both raised Heracles. Alcmene was Heracles’ real mother, but his real father – the third, divine parent – was Zeus, king of the gods. How did this come about? Well, Zeus concocted a plan to create an all-powerful, demi-god child with Alcmene, all without her knowledge. He tricked her by disguising himself as her husband Amphitryon (while he was away in battle) and seducing her in a night so long it lasted three days. As a result, Alcmene had twin sons, Iphicles, whose father was Amphitryon, and Heracles, whose father was Zeus.
How Was Hercules Raised? The Infant Hercules
Even as a young child, Hercules showed great bravery and unbelievable strength in the face of adversity. When Zeus’s wife Hera found out that Hercules was her husband’s love child, she sent two serpents to his cradle to destroy him. But Hercules strangled them in a demonstration of his incredible brute power.
As a child, Hercules was taught by the very best. His father, Amphitryon, showed him how to ride a chariot, while Odysseus’s grandfather Autolycus taught him skills in wrestling. Eurytus, king of Oechalia, taught Heracles the finest skills in archery. Hermes’s terrifying son showed Hercules how to box, and Castor, one of the Dioscuri twins, taught him fencing. After all this excellent tuition, Hercules was ready to be a real hero, surpassing the strength and skill of all his teachers.
As well as showing brute strength throughout his life, Heracles was also a great intellect. The finest tutors ancient Greece had to offer taught Hercules skills in reading, writing, and music, and by the end of his childhood, he had outshone them all.
The Wives and Children of the Hero
Heracles fathered at least fifty children with the daughters of King Thespius, and had a wild affair with Megara, daughter of the Theban king Creon. As a result of their affair, Megara and Hercules had an astonishing eight children. But jealous Hera played another horrible trick on Hercules to prevent him from finding future happiness, cursing him with an uncontrollable madness that pushed him to kill them all. As an atonement for this inconceivable sin, Hercules was tasked by the Delphic oracle to serve his cousin Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns, for the next 12 years.
Heracles’ Many Adventures & Famous Twelve Labors
As part of his punishment, Eurystheus instructed Heracles to carry out a series of twelve challenging tasks, which became known as the famous Twelve Labors of Heracles. These included:
- Heracles killed the monstrous Nemean Lion with an impenetrable hide and claws that could cut through any armor.
- Hercules subdued the Lernaean Hydra, a multi-headed serpentine monster that could grow additional heads each time one was cut off.
- Hercules captured the Ceryneian Hind, a female deer with golden antlers and bronze hooves.
- Hercules subdued the Erymanthian boar that was terrorizing the locals by startling it with a shout and chaining it.
- Hercules was required to clean King Augeas’ cattle stables in one day, designed to be both impossible and humiliating.
- Hercules drove away the huge flock of man-eating birds from the town of Stymphalos.
- Hercules defeated the Cretan Bull with his strength and cunning.
- Hercules sent the horses of the Thracian King Diomedes to eat the king, who fed them human flesh.
- Hercules had to retrieve the belt of Hippolyte, the queen of the Amazons.
- Hercules stole the cattle of the giant Geryon by crossing the Atlas Mountains.
- Hercules retrieved the Golden Apples of the Hesperides, which were located either among the Hyperboreans or in Libya.
- Hercules traveled to the Underworld to retrieve Cerberus, the three-headed guardian beast.
After Heracles completed his twelve labors, he went on to have further adventures, including rescuing the princess of Troy, joining Jason and the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece, and encountering and slaying the monster Scylla.
Hercules and the Gigantomachy
When the giants made war on the Greek gods, they seemed unstoppable and invincible. However, Zeus discovered that they had a vulnerability: only a demigod had the power to vanquish them. Consequently, Heracles was summoned and defeated the giant Alcyoneus. Hercules shot the giant with the same bow he used against the Hydra. But Heracles encountered the giant in his hometown, where he was immortal, so Hercules dragged Alcyoneus out beyond the borders of the city where he was no longer immortal and could be killed. He defeated several other giants in similar fashion. Heracles was pivotal in winning the war against the giants for the gods.
How Did Hercules Die?
Hercules eventually married again, the Calydonian princess Deianira. Suspected of adultery, she gave him a poisoned, blood-stained shirt to wear, which caused him such agony he was close to death. In a bid to end his pain, Heracles built his own funeral pyre on Mount Oeta, climbed on top, and waited for someone passing by to set it alight. Eventually, after much persuasion, Heracles’s friend Poeas lit the fire. After meeting his end, Heracles was taken up to Mount Olympus and transformed into an immortal deity, where he married Hebe, the goddess of youth.
Heracles vs Hercules: Greek vs Roman Religion
The Romans worshipped Heracles under his Latin name Hercules, but there were more differences between the two gods than just a name. Hercules was also related to an Etruscan god named Hercle, who was depicted on coins and statues as early as the 6th century BCE and was closely related to Minerva. It is unclear whether Hercle was considered a god or a deified founder of the Etruscan civilization, or if this later idea was adopted from the story of Hercules in Greek mythology.
The Romans believed that Hercules visited the Italian Peninsula before the founding of Rome to complete his 10th labor. saving cattle from the monster Cacus. After completing his labor, he asked the local goddess Boa Dea if he could drink from her spring, but she denied him because it was reserved for women. In retaliation, Hercules built a temple on the same spot and restricted it to men. It was called the Herculis Invicti Ara Maxima and stood in Forum Boarium – Rome’s cattle market. This is one of several buildings that the Romans credited to Hercules. The Romans also considered him the patron of gladiators, stone quarries, and thermal baths, characteristics not associated with the Greek Heracles.
The constellation Hercules is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century BCE astronomer Ptolemy. This reflects the Greek and Roman idea that when mortals were deified they were placed among the stars. Hercules was one of the models for the apotheosis and deification of the Roman emperors.
