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Heracles
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{{otheruses}}
Image:Heracles.jpg right|thumb|200px|Hercules, a Roman bronze ([[Louvre Museum]]
In
Greek mythology, '''Heracles''', or '''Heraklês''' ("glory of
Hera", ''ἩÏ?α + κλÎος'', {{polytonic.html">Greek hero cult
divine hero, the son of
Zeus and
Alcmene, stepson of
Amphitryon and great-grandson of
Perseus (mythology) Perseus. He was the greatest of the mythical Greek heroes, the paragon of masculinity, with extraordinary strength, bravery, ingenuity, and sexual prowess with both males and females being among his attributes.
Many popular stories were told of his life, the most famous being
The Twelve Labours The Twelve Labours of Herakles; Alexandrian poets of the Hellenistic age drew his mythology into a high poetic and tragic atmosphere (Burkert 1985 pp208-9). His figure, which initially drew on Eastern motifs such as the lion-fight, was known everywhere: his
Etruscan mythology Etruscan equivalent was Hercle, a son of
Tinia and
Uni; he was also identified by Greeks with
Heryshaf (
Egyptian mythology). Burkert identifies the core of the Heracles complex as far older still, coming out of the Neolithic hunter culture and
shamanistic crossings into the netherworld.
The greatest of Hellenic
chthonic heroes, yet unlike other Greek heroes, in that no tomb of Heracles was identified, Heracles was both hero and god, as
Pindar says ''heros theos''; at the same festival sacrifice was made to him, first as a hero, with a chthonic
libation, and then as a god, upon an altar (Burkert): thus he embodies the closest Greek approach to a "
demi-god".
:''For his counterpart in
Roman Mythology Roman mythology see
Hercules
Birth and childhood
{{Greek myth}}
A major factor in the well-known tragedies surrounding Heracles is the hatred that the goddess Hera, wife of Zeus, had for him. Heracles was the fruit of the affair Zeus had with the mortal woman Alcmene. Zeus made love to her after disguising himself as her husband, Amphitryon, home early from war. (Amphitryon did return later the same night, and Alcmene became pregnant with his son at the same time.) Thus, Heracles' very existence proved at least one of Zeus's many illicit affairs, and Hera often conspired against Zeus's mortal offspring, as revenge for her husband's infidelities.
On the night the twins were to be born, Hera, knowing of her husband Zeus's adultery, persuaded Zeus to swear an oath that the child born that night to a member of the House of Perseus would be High King. Once the oath was sworn, Hera hurried to Alcmene's dwelling and slowed the birth by sitting crosslegged with her clothing tied in knots. Meanwhile, she caused another boy
Eurystheus to be born prematurely, making him High King in place of Heracles. She would have permanently delayed Heracles' birth had she not been foiled by
Galanthis, her servant, who lied to her that she had already delivered the baby. Upon hearing this Hera jumped in surprise, therefore untying the knots and finally allowing Alcmene to give birth.
One of the boys,
Iphicles, was Amphytrion's son and a mortal, while the other was the demi-god Heracles. The ancient Greeks celebrated Heracles' birth on the 4th day of each Greek month. Another version says that Hera made
Eileithya sit in the said position and that Galanthis tricked the goddess. Hera turned Galanthis into a
weasel and forced her to give birth by laying eggs through her mouth.
Heracles was named in an unsuccessful attempt to mollify Hera. A few months after he was born, Hera sent two serpents to kill him as he lay in his cot. Heracles throttled a snake in each hand and was found by his nurse playing with their limp bodies as if they were child's toys. Zeus tricked Hera into nursing the infant Heracles; discovering who he was, she yanked him from her breast, and a spurt of her milk formed the smear across the sky that can be seen to this day – one way the Greeks accounted for the origin of the
Milky Way. A similar story is told about Hera and
Hermes; however, in that case, the trick worked and Hera became fonder of Hermes.
According to Greek tradition, probably based on Libanius, "Oration" XII, 99, or on the Epitome of the Library of Apollodorus, Heracles was conceived in the womb when Zeus extended the night into three during his parents' nuptial. That miraculous event may have been a
solar eclipse near daybreak, which took place on
September 7,
1250s BC 1251 BC. It lasted from 6:51 to 9:41 in the morning at Sparta, with 75.9% magnitude. Legend has it that Heracles was born in
Thebes, Greece, where Alcmene and Amphitryon lived. The eclipse could well be visible there also. Alternatively it is more likely to have been the
solar eclipse total solar eclipse which occurred at around about midday on
February 10,
1280s BC 1286 BC thereby making one night into three. Totality occurred at 10:52 UTC according to [http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEcat/SE-1299--1200.html NASA] projections. This would place Heracles' birth in early November of the same year.
Adulthood
He continued to perform feats such as slaying a lion that was preying on the local flocks and defending Thebes against a neighbouring army. For the latter he was awarded the King of Thebes' (
Creon) daughter, Megara.
The Twelve Labours
''Main Article'':
The Twelve Labours
In a fit of madness induced by
Hera, Heracles slew his own and his brother's children. As penance, commanded by the
Delphic Sibyl, he was required to carry out ten tasks set by his arch-enemy,
Eurystheus (who had become King in his stead). Heracles successfully carried them all out, but
Eurystheus was told by
Hera to deem that he had failed two of the tasks for having received help, and allocated two more, which Heracles also completed, making 12.
image:Heracles_Farnese.jpg right|thumb|200px|Heracles ({{polytonic|ἩÏ?ακλῆς}}). The Strongest Hero of [[Greek Mythology]]
The traditional order of the labours is:
#The
Nemean Lion.
#The
Lernaean Hydra.
#The
Ceryneian Hind.
#The
Erymanthian Boar.
#The
Augeas Augean stables.
#The
Stymphalian Birds.
#The
Cretan Bull.
#The
Mares of Diomedes.
#The
Hippolyte Girdle of Hippolyte.
#The
Geryon Cattle of Geryon.
#The
Hesperides Apples of the Hesperides.
#The Capture of
Cerberus.
According to
Saint Jerome Jerome's
Chronicon Herakles completed his Twelve labours in 1246 BC.
Omphale
Omphale was a queen or princess of
Lydia. As penalty for a murder, Heracles was her slave. He was forced to do women's work and wear women's clothes, while she wore the skin of the
Nemean Lion and carried his olive-wood club. After some time, Omphale freed Heracles and married him. Some sources mention a son born to them who is variously named. For further details see
Omphale.
It was at that time that the
cercopes, mischievous wood spirits, stole Heracles' weapons. He punished them by tying them to a stick with their faces pointing downward.
Hylas
While walking through the wilderness, Heracles was set upon by the
Dryopians. He killed their king,
Theiodamas, and the others gave up and offered him Prince
Hylas. He took the youth on as his weapons bearer and beloved. Years later, Heracles and Hylas joined the crew of the
Argo. As
Argonauts they only participated in part of the journey. In
Mysia, Hylas was kidnapped by a nymph. Heracles, heartbroken, searched for a long time but Hylas had fallen in love with the nymphs and never showed up again. The ship set sail without them. [http://www.androphile.org/preview/Library/Mythology/Greek/Hercules/Hylas/Hylas.htm Story of Heracles and Hylas]
Iole
King
Eurytus of
Oechalia promised his daughter,
Iole, to whoever could beat his sons in an archery contest. Heracles won but Eurytus abandoned his promise. Heracles killed him and his sons–excluding Iphitus–and abducted Iole.
Killing various giants
Heracles killed the giants
Cycnus,
Porphyrion and
Mimas.
Laomedon/Tros
Before the
Trojan War,
Poseidon sent a sea monster to attack
Troy.
Laomedon planned on sacrificing his daughter
Hesione to Poseidon in the hope of appeasing him. Heracles happened to arrive (along with
Telamon and
Oicles) and agreed to kill the monster if Laomedon would give him the horses received from Zeus as compensation for Zeus' kidnapping
Ganymede (mythology) Ganymede. Laomedon agreed.
Heracles killed the monster, but Laomedon went back on his word.
Accordingly in a later expedition Heracles and his followers attacked Troy and sacked it and slew all Laomedon's sons present there save
Podarces, who saved his own life by giving Heracles a golden veil Hesione had made. Telamon took Hesione as a war prize; they were married and had a son,
Teucer.
Other adventures
* Heracles defeated the
Bebryces (ruled by King
Mygdon) and gave their land to Prince
Lycus of
Mysia, son of
Dascylus.
* He killed the robber
Termerus.
* Heracles visited
Evander with
Antor, who then stayed in Italy.
* Heracles killed King
Amyntor of the
Dolopes for not allowing him into his kingdom. He also killed King
Emathion of
Arabia.
* Heracles killed
Lityerses after beating him in a contest of harvesting.
* Heracles killed
Poriclymenus at
Pylos.
* Heracles founded the city
Tarentum (modern:
Taranto) in Italy.
* Heracles learned music from
Linus (and
Eumolpus), but killed him after Linus corrected his mistakes. He learned how to wrestle from
Autolycus. He killed the famous boxer
Eryx of
Sicily in a match.
* Heracles was an
Argonauts Argonaut. He killed
Alastor and his brothers.
* When
Hippocoon overthrew his brother,
Tyndareus, as King of
Sparta, Heracles reinstated the rightful ruler and killed Hippocoon and his sons.
Marriage, affairs and death
Heracles had countless affairs with both women and youths. He naturally had a great many children from various women, collectively referred to as the
Heracleidae (most notable:
Macaria). One event that stands out was his stay at the palace of King Thespios, who liked his build and encouraged Heracles to make love to his daughters, all fifty of them, in one night. They all got pregnant and all bore sons. Many of the kings of ancient Greece traced their lines to one or another of these, notably the kings of
Sparta and
Macedon.
During the course of his life, Heracles married three times. His first marriage was to
Megara (mythology) Megara, whose three children he murdered in a fit of madness and whom he later gave in marriage to his beloved
Iolaus, because the sight of her was too painful. His second wife was
Omphale, the
Lydia Lydian queen or princess to whom he was sold as a slave. His last marriage was to
Deianira, for whom he had to fight the river god
Achelous. (Upon Achelous' death, Heracles removed one of his horns and gave it to some nymphs who turned it into the
cornucopia.) Soon after they wed, Heracles and Deianira had to cross a river, and a
centaur named
Nessus (mythology) Nessus offered to help Deianeira across but then attempted to rape her. Enraged, Heracles shot the centaur from the opposite shore with a poisoned arrow (tipped with the Lernean Hydra's blood) and killed him. As he lay dying, Nessus told Deianira to gather up his blood and spilled semen and, if she ever wanted to make sure of Heracles' love, she should apply them to his vestments. Later, when Deianira suspected that Heracles was preferring the company of Iole, she soaked a shirt of his in the mixture. Heracles' servant,
Lichas, brought him the shirt and he put it on. Instantly he was in agony, the shirt burning into him. As he tried to remove it the flesh ripped from his bones. Heracles chose a voluntary death, asking that a pyre be built for him to end his suffering. After his death on the pyre the gods transformed Heracles into an immortal, or alternatively, the fire burned away the mortal part of the demi-god, so that only the god remained. He then married
Hebe (mythology) Hebe.
No one but Heracles' friend
Philoctetes (in some versions:
Iolaus or
Poeas) would light his funeral pyre. For this action, Philoctetes (or Poeas) received Heracles' bow and arrows, which were later needed by the Greeks to defeat Troy in the Trojan War.
According to
Eusebius in book 10(XII) of his "Preparation of the Gospel",
Saint Clement Clement states that "from the reign of Hercules in
Argos to the
deification of Hercules himself and of
Asclepius there are comprised thirty-eight years, according to
Apollodorus of Athens Apollodorus the chronicler: and from that point to the deification of
Castor and
Pollux fifty-three years: and somewhere about this time was the capture of
Troy." Since Heracles ruled over
Tiryns in Argos at the same time that
Eurystheus ruled over
Mycenae, and since at about this time
Linus was Heracles' teacher, we can conclude based on the date for Linus' notoriety in teaching Heracles in
1260s BC 1264 BC (given by Jerome in his
Chronicon,) Heracles' death and deification occurred 38 years later in approximately
1220s BC 1226 BC. The ancient Greeks celebrated the festival of the ''Herakleia'', which commemorated the death of Heracles, on the 2nd day of the month of Metageitnion (which would fall in late July or early August).
Heracles' children
Telephus is the son of Heracles and
Auge.
Hyllus is the son of Heracles and
Deianeira.
The sons of Heracles and
Hebe are
Alexiares and
Anicetus.
Heracles' male lovers
Image:Heracles, Iolaus and Eros - Cista Ficoroni foot.jpg thumb|200px|Heracles and [[Iolaus, with
Eros between them.
4th c. BCE
Etruscan ritual vessel]]
As paragon of masculinity and warriorship, Heracles also had a number of
Pederasty in ancient Greece pederastic male beloveds.
Plutarch, in his ''Eroticos,'' maintains that Heracles'
eromenos eromenoi (male lovers) were so numerous they were beyond counting.
Of these, the one most closely linked to Heracles is the
Thebes Theban Iolaus. Their story, an
rite of passage initiatory myth thought to be of ancient origin, contains many of the elements of the Greek pederastic apprenticeship in which the older warrior is the educator and the younger his helper in battle. Thus Iolaus is Heracles' charioteer and squire. Also in keeping with the initiatory pattern of the relationship, Heracles in the end gives his pupil a wife, symbolizing his entry into adulthood. Iolaus' ritual functions parallelled his relationship with Heracles. He was a patron of male love – Plutarch reports that down to his own time male couples would go to Iolaus' tomb in Thebes to swear an oath of loyalty to the hero and to each other
[Plutarch, ''Erotikos,'' 761d] – and he presided over initiations in the historical era, such as the one at
Agyrion in central
Sicily.
[Bernard Sergent, ''Homosexuality in Greek Myth,'' Boston, 1986, pp.141-152] The tomb of Iolaus is also mentioned by Pindar.
[Pindar, ''Olympian Odes,'' IX. 98-99]
One of Heracles' best known love affairs, and one frequently represented in ancient as well as modern art, is the one with
Hylas. Though it is of more recent vintage (dated to the third century) than that with Iolaus, it too exemplifies in detail the normal cycle of a youth's initiatory process, consisting of education through service to a warrior, including sexual relations, and concluding with promotion to adult status and marriage.
[Theocritus, ''Idyll'' 13][Apollonius of Rhodes, ''Argonautica,'' I 1177-1357] [http://www.androphile.org/preview/Library/Mythology/Greek/Hercules/Hylas/Hylas.htm]
Sparta, as a warrior city where pederastic pedagogy – ostensibly of a chaste nature – was enshrined in the laws given by
Lycurgus, the quasi-mythical legislator, also provided Heracles with an
eromenos –
Elacatas, who was honored there with a sanctuary and yearly games. The myth of their love is an ancient one.
[Sosibius, in Hesychius of Alexandria's ''Lexicon'', per Sergent, 1986, p.163]
Abdera's eponymous hero,
Abderus, was another of Heracles' beloveds. In what is considered to be initiatory myth, he was said to have been entrusted with – and slain by – the carnivorous mares of Thracian
Mares of Diomedes Diomedes. Hercules founded the city of Abdera in
Thrace in his memory, where he was honored with athletic games. The topos of death in such stories is thought to symbolize the passage from one stage of life to another.
[Apollodorus, ''Bibliotheca,'' II 5.8][Ptolemy Khennos, 147b, in [[Photius' ''Bibliotheca'']
Among the lesser-known myths - but a likely candidate for having been an authentic tradition, is the one of
Iphitus. It is thought to be authentic in light of the fact that Iphitus was the only one to agree to give his sister
Iole to Heracles, who had won her in an archery contest. Heracles' subsequent murder of Iphitus is held to be evocative of an initiatory ritual.
[Ptolemy Khennos, in [[Photius' ''Bibliotheca''][Sergent, 1986, p.297] Another such story is the one of his love for
Nireus, who was "the most beautiful man who came beneath Ilion" (Iliad, 673). Ptolemy adds that certain authors made Nireus out to be a son of Heracles, a fact thought to authenticate this tradition.
[Ptolemy Khennos, 147b; Sergent, 1986, p.298] The last in this category – despite the fact that Greek literature preserves no mention of this role – is the story of [[Philoctetes. He is also heir to the hero – and thus surely his disciple – and is the one who lights his pyre. Later he is the initiator of
Neoptolemus, son of
Achilles.
[Martial, ''Epigrams'' II.84]
There are also a series of lovers who are either later inventions or purely literary conceits. Among these are
Admetus, who assisted in the hunt for the
Calydonian Boar;
[Plutarch, ''Erotikos,'' 761e] Adonis;
[Ptolemy Khennos] [[Corythus;
[idem] Jason;
[Ptolemy Khennos] and
Nestor (mythology) Nestor, who was said to have been loved for his wisdom. His role as eromenos was perhaps to explain why he was the only son of
Neleus to be spared by the hero.
[Ptolemy Khennos, 147e; and [[Philostratus, ''Heroicus'' 696, per Sergent]], 1986, p.163]
Modern and ancient interpretations
Via the
Greco-Buddhist culture, Heraclean symbolism was transmitted to the far east. An example remains to this day in the
Nio guardian deities in front of
Japanese Buddhist temples.
Heracles and his Roman alter-ego have blended since the Renaissance. Interpretations of the post-Renaissance Heracles/Hercules may be found under
Hercules.
The storyteller
Odds Bodkin has created spoken and musical retelling of the story of Heracles/Hercules, entitled "The Rage of Hercules," which tells, from Heracles' point of view, many tales, including those of his labors, his service to
Omphale, and his rescue of Alcestis.
Spoken-word myths – audio files
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#ffdead;" | Heracles myths as told by story tellers
|-
|
Media:Hercules and Hylas wiki.ogg '''1. Heracles and Hylas,''' read by Timothy Carter
|-
|Bibliography of reconstruction:
Homer, ''Odyssey,'' 12.072 (7th c. BC);
Theocritus, ''Idylls,'' 13 (350–310 BC);
Callimachus, ''Aetia (Causes)'', 24. Thiodamas the Dryopian, Fragments, 160. Hymn to Artemis (310–250? BC);
Apollonios Rhodios, ''Argonautika,'' I. 1175 - 1280 (c. 250 BC);
Apollodorus, ''Library and Epitome'' 1.9.19, 2.7.7 (140 BC);
Sextus Propertius, ''Elegies,'' i.20.17ff (50–15 BC);
Ovid, ''Ibis,'' 488 (AD 8 –18);
Gaius Valerius Flaccus, ''Argonautica,'' I.110, III.535, 560, IV.1-57 (1st century);
Hyginus, ''Fables,'' 14. Argonauts Assembled (1st century);
Philostratus the Elder, ''Images,'' ii.24 Thiodamas (170–245);
First Vatican Mythographer, 49. Hercules et Hylas
|-
|}
Notes
References
{{commons|Hercules (mythology)}}
-
Timeless Myths – Heracles The life and adventure of Heracles, including his twelve labours.
-
Heracles, Greek Mythology Link
-
Heracles (in French)
*
Walter Burkert Burkert, Walter, (1977) 1985. ''Greek Religion, IV 5.1 ''et passim'' (Harvard University Press)
{| class="toccolours" style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid "
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|-
|style="text-align:justify; font-size: 95%"|'''NOTE''': Categorising a story as a myth does not necessarily imply that it is untrue.
Religion and mythology differ, but have overlapping aspects. Many English speakers understand the terms "myth" and "mythology" to mean ''fictitious'' or ''imaginary''. However, according to many dictionary definitions, these terms can also mean '''''a traditional story or narrative that embodies the belief or beliefs of a group of people''''', and this category should be understood in this sense only. The use of these terms in this category does '''not''' imply that any story so categorized is historically true or false or that any belief so embodied is itself either true or false.
|}
Category:Greek gods
Category:Argonauts
Category:Twelve labours of Herakles
Category:Pederastic heroes and deities
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