Why the son of Zeus was at enmity with his wife Hero and other mythological facts about Hercules

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Hercules from Roman myths is a later adaptation of the Greek divine hero Hercules. He is one of the most famous characters in Greco-Roman mythology, about whom many myths and legends have been written. Hercules became very attractive to the people of Greece and Rome. There are several legendary stories about his heroism, strength and masculinity, the most famous of which is "The Twelve Labors of Hercules", but this is only a small part of what the son of the "King of the Gods" had to face.

1. Birth

Hercules was the son of Jupiter (Zeus). His mother Alcmene was a mortal queen, married to Amphitryon, the son of another legendary Greek hero, Perseus. The exceptional beauty of Alcmene attracted Zeus, who was known for his antics, pursuing one woman, then another. Alcmene rejected the advances of Zeus, but he deceived her, taking the form of her husband Amphitryon and taking possession of her, impregnated her. When Alcmene's childbirth began, Zeus announced to the Gods that the grandson of Perseus would soon be born, who would one day become the Supreme King. The queen of the gods Hera, knowing about the honors that her husband showed to his illegitimate sons, became angry and decided to prevent Alcmene's child from Zeus from fulfilling his aforementioned destiny. As a result, Hercules acquired a powerful enemy in her person even before his birth, and their confrontation will continue for many years.

Hera threw herself into Alcmene's dwelling and forced Ilithia (Lucina in Greek myths), the goddess of childbirth, to delay the birth of Hercules and his twin brother Iphicles. When Ilithyia trapped the twins in the womb, Hera caused the premature birth of Eurystheus, another grandson of Perseus. This ensured that Zeus's prophecy was now fulfilled by Eurystheus. Ilithyia would have postponed the birth of children forever, but she was fooled by one of Alcmene's handmaidens Galantis (Galantis). The woman lied to the goddess that Alcmene had already given birth to a child. This distracted Ilithyia and her curse was broken, allowing Hercules to be born. For her insolence, the goddess turned Galantis, according to one version, into an affection, according to the other, into a cat.

2. Milky Way

In the case of heteropaternal overfertility, Alkema carried the children of Zeus and her husband Amphitryon in the same womb. However, when she gave birth to twins (named Alcides and Iphicles), no one was sure which child belonged to whom. Alkema was correct in her belief that Alcides (Hercules), the larger of the two, was the son of Zeus. She was afraid of the revenge that Hera would bring on her, and decided to abandon the child, leaving Alcides to die of cold in the Theban field. However, the abandoned Hercules was picked up by the goddess Minerva (Athena in Greek myth), his half-sister and patroness.

Athena, knowing perfectly well whom she saved, played a cruel joke with the Hero and gave her the child. Hera did not recognize Hercules and began to care for him, ironically nursing the very child whom she prevented from being born. Hercules was revived and gained new strength thanks to feeding on the milk of the goddess Hera. Once, when the baby was sucking milk from Hera's breast, he got too carried away and hurt the goddess. From the pain, Hera weaned the baby from her breast. As she did so, Hera's mother's milk spurted into the heavens and created the Milky Way.

3. Snakes

After some time, the goddess Athena returned the baby Alcides (Hercules) to his mortal mother Alcmene and stepfather Amphitrion. The couple resigned themselves to their fate, realizing that it was the will of the Gods for them to raise a child. However, the troubles for Alcides continued, since Hera did not forget about the son of Alcmene from her husband Zeus. Since Hera did not know which of the sons of Alcmene was a demigod, she sent two snakes to finish off the eight-month-old twins. When the snakes climbed into the cradle shared by the brothers, Iphicles wept with fear. On the other hand, Alcides grabbed both snakes and strangled them. Concerned, Amphitryon consulted with the wise Theban prophet Tiresias, who assured him that snakes would be only the first of many monsters that Alcides would kill during his lifetime. Wanting to protect his son and in the hope of appeasing Hera, Alcides was renamed by his parents to Heracles, which meant "the glory of Hera" (Hercules is a later Roman adaptation of this name).

4. Curse of Hera

Hercules grew up a noble man at the court of Amphitryon. One day he heard that the neighboring Theban king Creon was in trouble and his lands were captured by the minyan. Hercules rushed to the aid of King Creon and successfully restored his kingdom. In gratitude, the king offered his daughter Megara to wife Hercules. Megara and Hercules turned out to be a happy couple, and they had several sons, but the tragedy happened when Hercules left in search of adventure. A usurper named Likus killed Creon, took the throne of Thebes and tried to forcefully marry Megara. Hercules returned in time and killed Lik. But when he thanked the Gods for the safety of his family, Hera drove Hercules to madness. In his insane state, Hercules killed his family, mistaking his sons for the sons of Lik, and his wife for Hera. Devastated by his atrocity, when he regained consciousness, Hercules was gripped by a suicidal remorse.

5. In the service of Eurystheus

He deeply regretted his sinful act - the murder of his own family and wanted to commit suicide, but his cousin Theseus convinced him to abandon such a cowardly act. Thus, Hercules went to Delphi to atone for his deed. It was here that the Delphic Oracle Pythia advised him to go and serve his sworn rival and cousin, King Eurystheus, for ten long years, and only then can he receive redemption. Desperate Hercules, who was asked to serve his enemy and a man far inferior to him, ultimately obeyed. He did not know that both the Oracle and Eurystheus were in the service of Hera. Eurystheus became a powerful king instead of Hercules only thanks to Hera and was completely devoted to the Goddess. Together they came up with ten almost impossible tasks for Hercules to destroy him, but their plan fell through.

6. The exploits of Hercules

When Hercules began to serve King Eurystheus, he was sent to complete ten impossible tasks.

1. Killing the Nemean lion

An evil lion terrorized the inhabitants of the city of Nemea. The monster had a magical golden hide that was impervious to any weapon. Having learned the secret, Hercules had to fight and strangle the beast with his bare hands. After killing the animal, he skinned it with his own hands. As a result, the lion's skin began to serve as reliable armor for Hercules in his future adventures.

2. The murder of the Lernaean hydra

The Lernaean hydra was raised by the Hero himself to end Hercules. This water snake, whose lair was located in a body of water called Lerna, had deadly breath and blood that contained a deadly poison. She had several heads with later myths giving her a regenerative function, where the chopping off of one head resulted in the growth of two. Fighting the hydra, Hercules realized that she could not be defeated by chopping off her head. Thus, he took advantage of Iolaus's support, which came up with a great idea - to use fire in order to cauterize the stumps that form on the neck as a result of the felling. The idea worked, and while Hercules chopped off was engaged in the fight with the snake, Iolaus burned the stumps, eventually killing the monster. After her death, Hercules took advantage of the poison in the serpent's blood by lubricating his arrows with it. These powerful arrows will serve him well in all of his many adventures.

3. Capture of the Cerinus fallow deer

Furious with the success of Hercules and realizing that few of the monsters will resist the hero, Hera and Eurystheus sent Hercules to capture the Cerinus doe. This animal could run away from any arrow and was the sacred animal of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. After chasing a deer for a whole year, Hercules succeeded, but ran into Artemis and Apollo on the way back. Artemis forgave Hercules after listening to his plight and allowed him to fulfill his task.

4. Capturing the Erymanth boar

Hercules was asked to deliver the giant Erymanthian boar alive to Eurystheus in Mycenae. To catch the boar, he took the advice of the centaurs. First, Hercules chased the wild boar, forcing him to run through dense bushes and trees, and, finally, he drove the exhausted animal into deep snow, and then chained him in chains, throwing him over his left shoulder. The sight of Hercules carrying a boar on his shoulder frightened Eurystheus so much that the king hid in a bronze vessel.

5. Cleaning the stables of Avgia

These stables have not been cleaned in thirty years and have been home to thousands of legendary and immortal critters. Eurystheus instructed Hercules to cleanse them, not only because it was considered an impossible job, but also in order to humiliate him. But Hercules succeeded in this work: using intelligence and cunning, he took advantage of the proximity of two rivers - Alfea and Penea, to clear the flocks in just a day. Hercules demanded 1/10 of the supply of life as payment if he did his job in a day.

6. Defeating the Stymphalian birds

The birds settled on the Steam-Falia reservoir in Arcadia and terrorized the population. Hercules could not advance where the birds lived, as the surface of the swamp was too thin to support his weight. Athena came to his aid again, she gave him a rattle made by Hephaestus, the God of blacksmiths. He shook her that he was frightened by the birds, which immediately rushed upward. He shot several with a bow, and the rest of them headed home, never returning.

7. Capture of the Cretan bull

Hercules sailed to the island of the same name and, having received permission from King Minos, captured the bull that was the father of the famous Minotaur.

8. Stealing the mares of Diomedes

Diomedes was the son of Ares (God of War) and Cyrene. He lived on the shores of the Black Sea and ruled over a tribe in Thrace. His horses were fed an amazing food that included the flesh of the island's unassuming guests. This drove them crazy, making them difficult to tame. Hercules tried to pacify the horses and, realizing that human meat is the only thing that pacifies them, fed their master Diomedes and managed to deliver them to Eurystheus.

9. Theft of Hippolyta's belt

Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, wore a belt that was a gift from her father, Ares. Eurystheus's daughter, Admit, liked the decoration, and Hercules was instructed to bring the belt. The task seemed simple enough, since Hippolyta was impressed by the brave and famous Hercules, agreeing to amicably part with the belt. But Hera, disguised as an Amazon, spread the rumor that Hercules was going to kidnap Hippolyta. This led the Amazons to attack him. Confusion and distrust forced Hercules to kill the queen and steal her belt.

10. Stealing cattle Geryon

Geryon was a giant who lived on the island of Erythia in the far west. Hercules was tasked with stealing his livestock. When he finally arrived on the island, he encountered the two-headed dog Ortrus. Hercules dealt with the animal with one blow, and the same fate befell the shepherd Eurytion (Eurytion). The confusion finally alerted Geryon. As a result, he, having equipped himself with a triple supply of spears, helmets and shields, attacked the hero near the shores of the Anthem reservoir.

However, he was easily struck by the demigod's poisoned arrow. While Hercules accompanied the animals back, Hera again did her tricks, sending insects to attack the animals and forcing them to scatter. It took Hercules almost a year to get them back. Then the goddess sent a flood so that Hercules could not cross the river with cattle, but he dumped stones into the reservoir completed the tenth feat.

7. End of service

After the completion of the tenth feat, Hercules' obligations to Eurystheus ended. However, instead of freeing him, the king announced that two of his tasks had not been counted. Hercules was reminded that in killing Hydra, he took advantage of his nephew's support. He also took a fee to clean the stables, and it was the rivers that did the job for him. As a result, he was tricked into performing two more exploits for Eurystheus.

11. Stealing golden apples

He was instructed to steal three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides, the nymphs of the evening. The task was difficult, since the garden belonged to Hera and was guarded by nymphs and a dragon named Ladon. On the way to the garden, Hercules collided with the titan Atlas, on whose shoulders the sky rested. Hercules convinced Atlas to get apples for him in exchange for holding them himself, thereby removing the curse from him for a short time. Atlas was the father of the nymphs, and it was easier for him to enter the garden. However, when he returned with the apples, he offered to deliver them himself and was reluctant to take heaven back. Realizing what he got himself into, the hero deceived Atlas and ran away with apples.

12. Capture of Cerberus

The last task of Hercules was to capture the dog that guarded the entrance to the kingdom of the dead. Hercules was preparing to descend there, being initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries. With the help of Athena, he managed to find the passage there and Hades, the king of the underworld. Instead of trying to steal the monstrous dog, he decided to ask Hades for permission to borrow it. Hades gave the go-ahead, but demanded that the hero independently grabbed and pacified the dog without using weapons and without injuring it. This was not a big problem, as a result of which the hero defeated the dog, carried it on himself and returned to Eurystheus. Eurystheus was again frightened by the monster and asked the hero to return the dog back to the kingdom of Hades, promising that the hero would be released from any further assignments. As a result, the dog was released, and she was able to return to her rightful post as a gatekeeper.

8. Omphale

Finally freed from slavery, Hercules was free to do his will. But due to the cunning of Hera and his own incontinence, the life of Hercules will never be calm. He killed his friend Iphit in another fit of anger. Repented of what he had done, he again made a journey to the Oracle to purify himself. When the Oracle remained silent in response, the hero became angry and tried to steal the tripod. As a result, the harbinger decreed that Hercules would be sold into slavery for a year for his terrible deeds.

As a result, Queen Omphale bought the Hero from Hermes. Omphale was the queen of Lydia, an ancient kingdom around modern Turkey. The myth took an unexpected turn when, during the enslavement, he and Omphale switched responsibilities. He did what was traditionally the lot of women, and wore women's clothing, while Omphale wore a lion's skin and headdress. She also carried his baton. Omphale finally freed him and, impressed by him, married him. The couple had a son. The myth remained fairly popular with artists, giving them the opportunity to explore erotic themes and gender roles further.

9. Hercules and Deianira

Hercules continued his adventures, helping the Gods of Olympus to fight the titans. In battle, he saved the world from chaos and the Gods from imprisonment. During his lifetime, he landed in Claydon and fell in love with the princess Deianira (Deianira). To win her hand, Hercules defeated the river god Aheloy in a fight. Hercules and Deianira had a happy marriage, but each fairy tale has a less than rosy ending. Once, when a couple were trying to cross a dangerous river, a centaur named Ness offered to help the woman cross. Reaching the other side, Nessus showed his true intention and tried to take possession of Deianira. This forced Hercules to kill him from a bow with an arrow dipped in the poison of a hydra.

However, in his dying moments, the centaur decided to take revenge. He told Deianira that his blood is a love potion, and by rubbing it into the hero's clothes, she can be sure that the hero will always be faithful only to her. Struck by the poison, Ness was well aware that it was fatal to any mortal. Hercules and Deianira settled in the city of Trachis and started a family. Deianira stayed away from the potion for many years, but eventually she felt threatened by Iole, another princess. Fearing that Hercules would leave her, she offered her husband a tunic soaked in Ness's blood. The poison quickly corroded Hercules, and the incredible pain drove him crazy. His last human act was to build his own funeral pyre on Mount Etna and throw himself into it in order to finally end his suffering and his mortal life. Knowing what she had unwittingly done, Deianera committed suicide.

10. Rebirth

Hercules' story did not end with his death. When he burned to death in his pyre, his mortal side was destroyed, but his immortal side remained. Athena herself took him to Olympus in her chariot, where he was accepted as God and attained immortality. Hera also ended her long-standing feud with her stepson as soon as he received divine status. The last time he married his half-sister Hebe, the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She was the goddess of youth and served as her father's cup-bearer. The couple lived peacefully in their father's house, personifying marital fidelity and happiness.

And in continuation of the topic, read also about why was Athena so cruel, but it is fair in relation not only to people, but also to gods.