Heracles | Hercules Heracles See More Heracles Pictures > Heracles (or Hercules) is best known as the strongest of all mortals , and even stronger than many gods. He was the deciding factor in the triumphant victory of the Olympians over the giants . He was the last mortal son of Zeus , and the only man born of a mortal woman to become a god upon his death. Offsetting his strength was a noticeable lack of intelligence or wisdom. Once, when the temperature was very high, he pulled his bow out and threatened to shoot at the sun. This, coupled with strong emotions in one so powerful, frequently got Heracles in trouble. While his friend and cousin Theseus ruled Athens , Heracles had trouble ruling himself. His pride was easily offended. He took up grudges easily and never forgot them. His appetites for food, wine, and women were as massive as his strength. Many of Heracles ' great deeds occurred while doing penance for stupid acts done in anger or carelessness. It would be easy to view Heracles as a muscle-bound buffoon. Indeed, many of the Greek comedy playwrights used his character this way. Even among serious critics, he was often seen as a primitive, brutal, and violent man.

There is much evidence to support this view; his weapon of choice was a massive club; his customary garment was a lion skin, with the head still attached; he impiously wounded some of the gods; he threatened a priestess of Apollo at Delphi when an answer to his questions was not forthcoming. He created most of his own problems. However, viewing Heracles as simply a strong buffoon is unfair. He may have held grudges, but he would also do anything to help a friend. Once his anger passed, he was the most critical judge of his own actions. He was too strong for anyone to force a punishment on him. That he willing did severe penance shows a fundamental sense of justice. During his punishments he showed patience, fortitude and endurance that were as heroic as his strength. Terrible things happened to him because of Hera 's hatred, a hatred that he was not responsible for. That he persevered through it all was a moral victory beyond simple strength. The view of Heracles shifted considerable over time. The early view focused on how badly he managed despite his obvious gifts. As time passed the focus shifted to his virtues. The Romans valued him highly as he best fit their idea of a hero .

He eventually had a fair sized cult that worshiped him as a god. Heracles Is also called Hercules. Hercules - Ancient History - HISTORY.com The constellation Hercules is the fifth-largest one in the sky. Hera’s Revenge Hercules had enemies even before he was born. When Zeus’ wife Hera heard that her husband’s mistress was pregnant, she flew into a jealous rage. First, she used her supernatural powers to prevent the baby Hercules from becoming the ruler of Mycenae. (Though Zeus had declared that his son would inherit the Mycenaean kingdom, Hera’s meddling meant that another baby boy, the feeble Eurystheus, became its leader instead.) Then, after Hercules was born, Hera sent two snakes to kill him in his crib. The infant Hercules was unusually strong and fearless, however, and he strangled the snakes before they could strangle him. But Hera kept up her dirty tricks. When her stepson was a young adult, she cast a kind of spell on him that drove him temporarily insane and caused him to murder his beloved wife and their two children.

Guilty and heartbroken, Hercules tracked down Apollo, the god of truth and healing (and another of Zeus’ sons), and begged to be punished for what he had done. The Heroic Labors of Hercules Apollo understood that Hercules’ crime had not been his fault—Hera’s vengeful actions were no secret—but still he insisted that the young man make amends. He ordered Hercules to perform 12 “heroic labors” for the Mycenaen king Eurystheus. Once Hercules completed every one of the labors, Apollo declared, he would be absolved of his guilt and achieve immortality. The Nemean Lion First, Apollo sent Hercules to the hills of Nemea to kill a lion that was terrorizing the people of the region. (Some storytellers say that Zeus had fathered this magical beast as well.) Hercules trapped the lion in its cave and strangled it. For the rest of his life, he wore the animal’s pelt as a cloak. The Lernaean Hydra Second, Hercules traveled to the city of Lerna to slay the nine-headed Hydra—a poisonous, snake-like creature who lived underwater, guarding the entrance to the Underworld.

For this task, Hercules had the help of his nephew Iolaus. He cut off each of the monster’s heads while Iolaus burned each wound with a torch. This way, the pair kept the heads from growing back.The Golden HindNext, Hercules set off to capture the sacred pet of the goddess Diana: a red deer, or hind, with golden antlers and bronze hooves. Eurystheus had chosen this task for his rival because he believed that Diana would kill anyone she caught trying to steal her pet; however, once Hercules explained his situation to the goddess, she allowed him to go on his way without punishment. The Erymanthean Boar Fourth, Hercules used a giant net to snare the terrifying, man-eating wild boar of Mount Erymanthus. The Augean StablesHercules’ fifth task was supposed to be humiliating as well as impossible: cleaning all the dung out of King Augeas’ enormous stables in a single day. However, Hercules completed the job easily, flooding the barn by diverting two nearby rivers.

The Stymphlaian Birds Hercules’ sixth task was straightforward: Travel to the town of Stymphalos and drive away the huge flock of carnivorous birds that had taken up residence in its trees. This time, it was the goddess Athena who came to the hero’s aid: She gave him a pair of magical bronze krotala, or noisemakers, forged by the god Hephaistos. Hercules used these tools to frighten the birds away. The Cretan Bull Next, Hercules went to Crete to capture a rampaging bull that had impregnated the wife of the island’s king. (She later gave birth to the Minotaur, a creature with a man’s body and a bull’s head.) Hercules drove the bull back to Eurystheus, who released it into the streets of Marathon. The Horses of Diomedes Hercules’ eighth challenge was to capture the four man-eating horses of the Thracian king Diomedes. He brought them to Eurystheus, who dedicated the horses to Hera and set them free. Hippolyte’s Belt The ninth labor was complicated: stealing an armored belt that belonged to the Amazon queen Hippolyte.

At first, the queen welcomed Hercules and agreed to give him the belt without a fight. However, the troublemaking Hera disguised herself as an Amazon warrior and spread a rumor that Hercules intended to kidnap the queen. To protect their leader, the women attacked the hero’s fleet; then, fearing for his safety, Hercules killed Hippolyte and ripped the belt from her body. The Cattle of Geryon For his 10th labor, Hercules was dispatched nearly to Africa to steal the cattle of the three-headed, six-legged monster Geryon. Once again, Hera did all she could to prevent the hero from succeeding, but eventually he returned to Mycenae with the cows. The Apples of Hesperides Next, Eurystheus sent Hercules to steal Hera’s wedding gift to Zeus: a set of golden apples guarded by a group of nymphs known as the Hesperides. This task was difficult—Hercules needed the help of the mortal Prometheus and the god Atlas to pull it off—but the hero eventually managed to run away with the apples. After he showed them to the king, he returned them to the gods’ garden where they belonged.

Cerberus For his final challenge, Hercules traveled to Hades to kidnap Cerberus, the vicious three-headed dog that guarded its gates. Hercules managed to capture Cerberus by using his superhuman strength to wrestle the monster to the ground. Afterward, the dog returned unharmed to his post at the entrance to the Underworld. Immortality Later in his life, Hercules had a number of other adventures—rescuing the princess of Troy, battling for control of Mount Olympus—but none were as taxing, or as significant, as the labors had been. When he died, Athena carried him to Olympus on her chariot. According to legend, he spent the rest of eternity with the gods. Tags Hercules - Ancient History Encyclopedia Hercules by Mark Cartwright published on 09 July 2012 The pan - Hellenic mythological hero Hercules (or Herakles ) was famed for his great strength and endurance and celebrated as an extraordinary mortal who, through success in seemingly impossible labours, won his immortal place amongst the Olympian gods.

Being the greatest of Greek mythological heroes, he has been ascribed a multitude of adventures and heroic exploits over the centuries which were probably originally connected to lesser, more local figures. Early Life Hercules’ mortal father was Amphitryon (nephew of Elektryon, ruler of Mycenae ) and his mother was Alkmene; both were from Argos . However, following a violent quarrel between Amphitryon and his uncle, resulting in the accidental death of the latter, the family fled to Thebes where Hercules was born. In mythology , though, it was Zeus who lay with Alkmene and so fathered Hercules, explaining the origin of Hercules’ great strength. Hera , the wife of Zeus, was (understandably) always jealous of Hercules and made life difficult for him from an early age. The goddess delayed his birth so that his cousin Eurystheus would be born first and so become the ruler of Greece according to Zeus’ decree. Hera also sent two snakes to kill the new-born Hercules, but the baby easily strangled them.

On the other hand, Hercules generally enjoyed divine favour from the Olympian gods - he did, after all, help them in their battle against the Giants - and he was particularly favoured by Athena . Remove Ads Advertisement Hercules’ youth was spent in the hands of the best teachers in Greece. His father taught him to ride chariots and tame horses. His music teacher was Linus, son of Apollo , although Hercules’ quick temper was demonstrated when he killed Linus with a blow from his stool (or lute). He was then sent to live with herdsmen in the mountains to toughen him up, and there he came into contact with the wise centaur Cheiron. Hercules' 12 Labours Hercules married Megara , the daughter of Kreo, King of Thebes, and together they had five children. Hera once more interfered and drove Hercules insane so that he killed his wife and children. In desperate remorse he sought the advice of Apollo via his oracle at Delphi . The advice was for Hercules to offer his services to his cousin Eurystheus, the king of Mycenae, Tiryns , and Argos.

Hera once more influenced events by persuading Eurystheus to set the hero difficult and dangerous tasks - the famous twelve labours of Hercules: Hercules' greatest challenge was to descend into Hades and capture the ferocious three-headed dog Kerberos who guarded the gates. To kill the Nemean Lion. A lion with a hide impervious to weapons was terrorizing the region of Nemea , in some accounts because of a lack of piety from the inhabitants. Hercules strangled the lion with his bare hands and forever after wore its pelt as a protective cloak. To kill the Lernaian Hydra A fire-breathing monster with a lion’s head and a body of many snakes which dwelt in a swamp near Lerna, close to Argos, was sent by Hera to torment Hercules’ home town. Hercules fought the creature but was hampered by a giant crab which bit his foot and by the fact that every time he cut off one of the snake heads, another two grew in its place. Helped by his faithful companion and nephew Iolaos, who used fire to stop the heads re-growing, Hercules eventually killed the Hydra and dipped his arrows in its poisonous blood.

To capture the Keryneian Hind Sacred to Artemis and with golden horns, the hind took its name from the nearby Mount Kerynea close to Argos. Hercules, having to capture this famously swift-footed animal and present it alive to Eurystheus, was successful only after a lengthy, perhaps one-year, chase which exhausted the animal. To capture the Erymanthian Boar The area of Mount Erymanthos in Arcadia was plagued by a huge, ferocious boar and Hercules was set the task of capturing it and taking it to Mycenae. Goading the animal into a lengthy chase, Hercules again exhausted his prey, captured it, tied its feet, and carried it to Mycenae on his shoulders. It was during this labour that a fight with the centaurs over a broached wine cask resulted in Hercules accidentally killing Cheiron with one of his poisoned arrows. To clear the Augean Stables Augeias, the king of Elis, possessed a herd of animals given to him by his father Helios . The herd was so vast that the excrement it produced threatened the health of the city .

Hercules’ seemingly impossible task was to clear the herd’s stables in a single day. To accomplish the task, Hercules dug ditches on either side of the stables, shovelled the dung into them and then diverted the rivers Alpheios and Peneios to wash the ditches clean. To kill the Stymphalian Birds These were aggressive (possibly even man-eating) birds which inhabited a forest near Lake Stymphalia in northern Arcadia. Hercules used brass castanets or clappers (krotala) given to him by Athena to startle the birds into flight, allowing him to shoot them down with his arrows. To kill the Cretan Bull A destructive bull was troubling the inhabitants of Knossos on Crete and was of two possible origins: either it was the animal ridden by Europa to the island or it was the bull which mated with Pasiphae (the wife of King Minos) and created the Minotaur . In some versions Hercules does not kill the bull but captures it and takes it to Mycenae. To capture the Mares of Diomedes Diomedes, son of Ares and King of Thrace, had in his stables horses which fed on human flesh.

Hercules had to capture them and hand the horses over to Eurystheus. In some accounts Hercules pacified the horses by feeding them either the body of Diomedes or their groom. To steal the Girdle of Hippolyta Hippolyta was an Amazon queen and her girdle had been given to her by her father Ares. With his faithful companions, Hercules travelled to the home of the Amazons in the city of Themiskyra near the Black Sea. They received a hostile welcome from the Amazons who had been persuaded by Hera to attack the heroes; however, ultimately Hercules secured the girdle for Eurystheus. To capture the Cattle of Geryones This herd of cattle on the island of Erythia was guarded by the formidable trio of: three-bodied Geryones; Orthros - a dog with two heads and a serpent’s tail; and the herdsman Eurytion, son of Ares. However, they were no match for Hercules who defeated them with his trusty club and captured the herd. It was on his journey to this island in the western ocean that he set markers in the Strait of Gades which thereafter became known as the Pillars of Hercules.

To take the Apples of the Hesperides The Hesperides lived in a far away garden on the outer edges of the known world in which grew trees which bore golden apples. These sacred fruit were protected by Hera who had set Ladon, a fearsome hundred-headed dragon, as their guardian. Hercules first sought the advice of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, as to the exact location of the garden. On his way to the garden Hercules came across Prometheus who was bound to a rock. As punishment for having stolen fire from Hephaistos ’ workshop and given it to mankind, Zeus sent an eagle everyday to eat his liver. Hercules shot down the eagle with one of his arrows and freed Prometheus; in return, Prometheus informed him that his brother Atlas (and in some accounts the father of the Hesperides) would show him how to reach the sacred garden. Atlas was then holding the heavens on his shoulders (as punishment from Zeus for supporting the Titans in their battle against the Olympian Gods), but he offered to get the apples himself if Hercules would support the heavens in his absence. Hercules agreed and was assisted by Athena in bearing the tremendous weight.

Bringing back the apples, Atlas was (understandably) reluctant to take back his place. However, Hercules, under the pretext of getting cushions for his shoulders, tricked Atlas into temporarily taking back the heavens. Once Hercules was free he took the apples and returned to Mycenae. In an alternative version, Hercules subdued Ladon by giving it an intoxicating herb and then took the apples himself. To capture Kerberos from Hades By this time Eurystheus was becoming increasingly frustrated with Hercules’ success, and so the final task had to be impossibly difficult. This was to descend into the underworld of Hades and capture the ferocious three-headed dog Kerberos who guarded the gates. On his journey in Hades, the hero encounters many souls and persuades the god Hades to allow him to take Kerberos provided he does so without weapons. Hercules succeeds and takes the creature back to Mycenae, causing Eurystheus to jump inside a jar in fear.

Hercule's Other Adventures Whilst performing his labours, Hercules is involved in many more secondary exploits such as fighting Hades to rescue Alcestis from the Underworld, killing Kyknos who waylaid pilgrims to Delphi, and joining the search for the Golden Fleece with Jason and the Argonauts. Remove Ads Advertisement Hercules also went to Troy to save Hesione, daughter of the king, Laomedon. Following Laomedon’s failure to pay homage to the deeds done by Poseidon and Apollo for the city, the gods respectively sent a sea-monster and a plague to wreak havoc with the city. The Delphic oracle stated that only the sacrifice of Hesione would avert disaster for Troy. Laomedon complied but offered his celebrated immortal horses (a gift from Zeus to Laomedon’s father Troas) as a reward for anyone who could save his daughter. Hercules took up the challenge, killed the sea-monster and rescued Hesione. However, Laomedon reneged on his promised reward, and years later Hercules returned with an army, sacked Troy and killed the king (thereby making his son Priam ruler) and gave Hesione to his friend Telamon.

Deianeira On the successful completion of his twelve labours, Hercules started a new life. During his exploits in Hades he had met Meleager who told him he should marry his sister Deianeira, daughter of Oineus, King of Kalydon. On arrival in Kalydon, though, Hercules found that Deianeira was betrothed against her will to Acheloos, the river god. Winning the affections of Deianeira, Hercules wrestled Acheloos into submission and married the princess himself. Deciding to settle in Tiryns, the couple had to cross the River Eunos. It was here that they encountered the centaur Nessos who carried people across the river. However, mid-crossing he unwisely molested Deianeira and Hercules fatally shot the centaur with one of his poisoned arrows. Unfortunately for Hercules, though, just before he died, Nessos lied to Deianeira and told her that his blood had aphrodisiac properties and she should collect some and keep it.

Following some years of peaceful marriage during which the couple had a son, Hyllos, Hercules decided to enter an archery competition where the prize was Iole, daughter of Eurytos, King of Oichalia. Naturally, Hercules won the competition but was refused the prize because he was already married. Piqued, Hercules then stole the horses of Eurytos and took them back to Tiryns. Iphitos then visited Tiryns to demand his father’s horses back but was killed by Hercules. Who Were the Parents of Hercules? Updated March 25, 2016. Question: Who Were the Parents of Hercules? Sometimes it seems that Hera was the mother of Hercules and Zeus his father. At other times, mortals are named. Who were the parents of Hercules? Answer: Heracles technically had three parents: two mortal and one divine. He was raised by Amphitryon and Alcmene , a human king and queen who were cousins and grandchildren of Zeus's son Perseus , but his biological dad was actually Zeus himself. How did this weird custody situation come about?

Zeus fell head-over-divine heels for Alcmene, and, when Amphitryon was away at war, disguised himself as Alcmene, then Amphitryon's fiancé. Zeus seduced Alcmene and had super-rigorous sex with her by making the night three times as long as usual, conceiving Heracles. Amphitryon later made love to his lady, conceiving a fully-human child, Iphicles. Alcmene gave birth to twin boys, but it was soon made clear that Heracles was superhuman and the child of her inadvertent liaison with Zeus. continue reading below our video Profile of Hercules While Alcmene was pregnant, Hera , Zeus's understandably jealous wife, had found out about his child-to-be and made her husband swear that any of his descendants born that day would be king over Mycenae . Zeus had forgotten, however, that Amphitryon's uncle, Sthenelus (a son of the aforementioned Perseus), was also expecting a child with his wife.

Wanting to deprive her husband's secret love child of the prestigious prize of the Mycenaean throne, Hera induced Sthenelus's wife's labor and made the twins root deeper into Alcmene's womb. As a result, Sthenelus's cowardly son, Eurystheus, wound up ruling Mycenae, rather than mighty Heracles. And Heracles's mortal step cousin was the one to whom he brought the fruits of his Twelve Labors . More information on this angsty and incestuous family is available here . -Edited by Carly Silver According to Greek mythology, how did Hercules die? - Quora Quora Written Apr 9, 2016 A centaur named Nessus tried to abduct Hercules’s wife Dejanira. Hercules answered this insult by sending an arrow into Nessus’s heart, mortally wounding him. The dying Nessus told Dejanira to keep some of his blood. It would make a good charm, he told her, to preserve the love of her husband. Later, Dejanira became jealous of a fair maiden named Iole. So she soaked a sacred white robe in Nessus’s blood. Though she washed the robe clean, its magic was retained.

When Hercules put on the robe to perform a sacrifice he was seized by an intense pain. The more he tried to pull the robe from his body the tighter it would cling to him. It got to the point where he was tearing off pieces of his own flesh trying to remove the robe. Eventually, resigning to his fate, he climbed Mt Oeta, where he lay down on a pile of fallen trees. With his head resting on his club, and his lion’s skin draped over him, he ordered Philoctetes to light the pyre. Hercules mortal half dies; ashes to ashes dust to dust. Zeus carries his immortal half up to heaven in a chariot, where Hercules becomes ‘de stella nova’, a new star. And they say that Atlas felt the added weight. Greek Mythology Story of Hercules. The Apples of the Hesperides Slave Again Heracles returned to Thebes. He separated from Megara [or, according to Euripedes, killed her in his madness] and decided to seek a new wife. Eurytus of Oechalia was looking for a husband for his daughter Iole, but the potential suitor had to shoot better than he.

Heracles did just that, and Eurytus accused him of cheating. Disgruntled, Heracles departed, vowing revenge. In the meantime, Eurytus discovered some of his horses had been stolen and assumed Heracles as the thief. The real culprit had sold them to an unbeknowest Heracles. Eurytus's son, Iphitus, refused to believe that Heracles was at guilt and set off to prove the point. Heracles invited him to dine at his house, but Iphitus accidently let it slip the reason for his visit. Enraged at being accused, Heracles killed him, which is an unforgivable crime in Greece: murdering a guest in your own home. He had not even a madness to blame. He went to Delphi to consult the Pythoness, but she refused to speak with the heathen. Angered, Heracles threatened her and seized the tripod. She called upon Apollo. Apollo confronted Heracles, who attacked the god, and Zeus was forced to use a thunderbolt to separate his sons. The king of gods declared that once again Heracles be enslaved as punishment and purification for murdering Iphitus and desecrating Apollo's shrine.

This time his servitude was to Queen Omphale of Lydia. Omphale was impressed with the strong, handsome man, and one can hardly call his duties to her "arduous". Exploits in Troy The king of Troy, Laomedon, had enraged Poseidon, who sent a sea monster to terrorize the kingdom. Consulting an oracle, Laomedon was horrified to discover he needed to sacrifice his daughter Hesione in order rid his kingdom of the beast. Heracles found the girl chained to a rock, and quickly freed her. He then offered Laomedon to slay the monster in exchange for two wonderful mares, which had been presents from Zeus when he abducted Ganymede. Laomedon agreed, and Heracles, with the help from Athene, killed the monster. [The Trojans, in the meantime, had built a high earthwork along the shore that stood steadfast, even during the ensuing Trojan War.] Laomedon was grateful but rescinded on the agreement. He tried to trick Heracles with two ordinary horses. Podarces, the king's son, loudly protested, but Laomedon bade him away.

Heracles was not deceived, and marched back to Greece for an army and revenge. Laomedon was defeated and all in his family, save Hesione and Podarces, was killed. Podarces inherited the kingdom and changed his name to Priam, "the redeemed". Deianira and Death Heracles decided it was time to settle and chose another wife. He sought Deianira, daughter of the king of Calydon. He fought the river god Achelous for her hand and easily disposed of his rival. Heracles and Deianira lived in peace in Calydon, but one day Heracles accidently killed a cupbearer, and the two were forced to flee to Trachis. One their way they had to cross a high river. Heracles could easily swim across and carry his wife, but she would still get wet, and she being the prude she was certainly didn't like that. The centaur Nessus observed the two and offered to carry Deianira on his back. Heracles agreed and started swimming. Nessus then grabbed Deianira and galloped away, intending to rape her.

Upon reaching the other side of the river, Heracles quickly shot at the centaur and hit Nessus in the heart. As Heracles swam back to retrieve his wife, the dying centaur whispered to Deianira a secret: take some of Nessus’s blood and semen and keep it in case it appeared Heracles stopped loving her. Anoint the mixture on Heracles’s shirt and no rival would ever possess him. Deianira, knowing Heracles was, after all, a typical male, quickly drained the mixture in a small oil jar and rejoined her husband. In Trachis Heracles was again confronted with King Eurytus of Oechalia. An oracle had told Heracles that war with the king would be his last great adventure and a serene life would follow. Anxious, Heracles attacked Oechalia and killled everyone except the princess Iole, whom he was previously promised as a wife. He sent the girl to Deianira, who was naturally suspicious of Heracles’s intentions. He had asked Deianira for a fresh wardrobe to be sent for him, and, remembering Nessus’s secret, anointed his shirt with the centaur’s mixture.

The mixture, however, had been tainted with Heracles’s arrow, which had been dipped in the hydra’s venomous blood and was therefore a lethal poison. As soon as Heracles dressed he was overwhelmed with flames. He called upon his son Hyllus and his favorite Iolaus; Hyllus promised to marry Iole and Iolaus was determined to initiate the worship of his uncle. The distraught Deianira, realizing what she had done, hung herself. Zeus blasted the funeral pyre and reclaimed his son for Olympus. Heracles, now an immortal, was reconciled with Hera and given her daughter Hebe, goddess of youth, as a wife. His name, “glory of Hera”, reconstituted his relationship with her. Copyright © thehellenictimes. All Rights Reserved. Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology: Heracles (Also see: Mythweb's Illustrated Hercules .) To make amends for a crime, Heracles was compelled to perform a series of heroic tasks, or Labors. Amongst these were slaying the many-headed Hydra, retrieving the Golden Apples of the Hesperides and bringing the hellhound Cerberus up from the Underworld.

Heracles was also one of the Argonauts. Like most authentic heroes, Heracles had a god as one of his parents, being the son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Alcmene. Zeus's wife Hera was jealous of Heracles, and when he was still an infant she sent two snakes to kill him in his crib. Heracles was found prattling delighted baby talk, a strangled serpent in each hand. When he had come of age and already proved himself an unerring marksman with bow and arrow, a champion wrestler and the possessor of superhuman strength, Heracles was driven mad by the goddess Hera. In a frenzy, he killed his own children. To atone for this crime, he was sentenced to perform a series of tasks, or "Labors", for his cousin Eurystheus, the king of Mycenae. As his first Labor, Heracles killed the Nemean Lion. This was no easy feat, for the lion's skin was impenetrable by spears or arrows. Heracles blocked off the entrance to the lion's cave and throttled it to death with his bare hands. Ever afterwards he wore the lion's skin as a cloak and its gaping jaws as a helmet.

King Eurystheus was so afraid of his heroic cousin that he hid in a storage jar. From the safety of this hiding place he issued the order for another Labor. Heracles was to seek out and destroy the monstrous and many-headed Hydra. The mythmakers agree that the Hydra lived in the swamps of Lerna, but they seem to have had trouble counting the monster's heads. Some said that the Hydra had eight or nine. Others counted between fifty and a hundred. And still others claimed as many as ten thousand. All agreed, however, that as soon as one head was beaten down or chopped off, two more grew in its place. Only one of the heads was immortal, but cutting it off was the challenge. To make matters worse, the Hydra's very breath was lethal. Even smelling its footprints was enough to bring death to an ordinary mortal. Fortunately, Heracles was no ordinary mortal. The great hero sought out the monster in its lair and brought it out into the open with flaming arrows. Then he made sure to hold his breath while grappling with the beast. Heracles had the strength of ten, but the fight went in the Hydra's favor. The monster twined its many heads around the hero and tried to trip him up.

It called on an ally, a huge crab which also lived in the swamp. The crab bit Heracles in the heel and further impeded his attack. Heracles was on the verge of failure when he remembered his nephew. Heracles had a twin brother named Iphicles. Iphicles took part in a number of heroic exploits but generally remained in the shadow of his illustrious twin. Heracles employed Iphicles' son, Iolaus, as his charioteer. Iolaus had driven Heracles to the swamps of Lerna, and he looked on in anxiety as his uncle became entangled in the Hydra's snaky heads. Finally, Iolaus could no longer bear to stand aside. In response to his uncle's shouts, he grabbed a burning torch and dashed to the fray. Now, as soon as Heracles cut off one of the Hydra's heads, Iolaus was there to sear the wounded neck with flame. This kept further heads from sprouting. In this fashion, Heracles cut off the heads one by one, with Iolaus cauterizing the wounds. Finally Heracles lopped off the immortal head and buried it deep beneath a rock.

This was not to be the hero's last experience of swamp warfare. A future Labor would pit him against the Stymphalian Birds, man-killers who inhabited a marsh near Stymphalus in Arcadia. Heracles could not approach the birds to fight them - the ground was too swampy to bear his weight and too mucky to wade through. Finally Heracles resorted to some castanets given to him by the goddess Athena. By making a racket with these, he caused the birds to take wing. And once they were in the air, he brought them down by the dozens with his arrows. In the course of his Labors and afterwards, Heracles accomplished some amazing feats. He once forced the god Poseidon to give way in battle. He wounded Ares, god of war, in another encounter. And he wrestled the great god Zeus himself to a draw. The hero could move mountains that hindered the route of his cattle herd. He could and did toss boulders about like pebbles. He even relieved the Titan Atlas of the burden of holding up the heavens. This came about when Eurystheus challenged him to retrieve the Golden Apples of the Hesperides.

The Hesperides, or Daughters of Evening, were nymphs assigned by the goddess Hera to guard certain apples which she had received as a wedding present. These were kept in a grove surrounded by a high wall and guarded by a dragon named Ladon, whose many heads spoke simultaneously in a babel of tongues. The grove was located in some far western land in the mountains named for Atlas. Atlas was a Titan, which is to say a member of the first generation of gods, born of Earth. One of his brothers was Cronus, father of Zeus. Atlas made the mistake of siding with Cronus in a war against Zeus. In punishment, he was compelled to support the weight of the heavens by means of a pillar on his shoulders. Heracles had been told that he would never get the apples without the aid of Atlas. The Titan was only too happy to oblige, since it meant being relieved of his burden. He told the hero to hold the pillar while he went into the garden of the Hesperides to retrieve the fruit. But first, Heracles would have to do something about the noisily vigilant dragon, Ladon. This was swiftly accomplished by means of an arrow over the garden wall.

Then Heracles took the pillar while Atlas went to get the apples. He was successful and returned quickly enough, but in the meantime he had realized how pleasant it was not to have to strain for eternity keeping heaven and earth apart. So he told Heracles that he'd have to fill in for him for an indeterminate length of time. And the hero feigned agreement to this proposal. But he said that he needed a cushion for his shoulder, and he wondered if Atlas would mind taking back the pillar just long enough for him to fetch one. The Titan graciously obliged, and Heracles strolled off, omitting to return. As his final Labor , Heracles was instructed to bring the hellhound Cerberus up from the infernal kingdom of Hades. Hades was god of the dead. His realm, to which all mortals eventually traveled, lay beneath the earth and was called the Underworld, or Hades, after its ruler. The first barrier to the deads' journey beyond the grave was the most famous river of Hades, the Styx. Here the newly dead congregated as insubstantial shades, mere wraiths of their former selves, awaiting passage in the ferryboat of Charon the Boatman.

The afterlife, as conceived by the early Greeks, was a grim and gloomy proposition. Although there was no religious dogma on the subject, most imagined that some part of a being lived on after death. What survived, however, was very insubstantial, a ghostly shadow - or shade - of the living being. The surviving families did their best to provide for these wraiths, sending them off to the Underworld with a bribe for Charon the Boatman, to induce him to ferry them across the Styx to the kingdom of the dead. Here they would live on forever in soulless company - unless, that is, they had been guilty of some egregious sin, in which case they might be punished for eternity by the ruler of the Underworld. The only worse fate, perhaps, might be to lack the toll for Charon and be condemned to wander in lonely desolation on the near bank of the river Styx until the end of time. The concept of the afterlife was vague and often contradictory. The blind poet Homer, who sang of the Heroic Age, said that the dead passed on to a gray and gloomy realm below the earth, ruled over by Hades.

But Homer also spoke of the Islands of the Blessed, located somewhere at the far western edge of the world. Here the greatest heroes went when they died, to live on in comfort and pleasure. In time these two ideas were put together, so that entrance to the Underworld was situated in the west, near where the flat earth dropped off into nothingness. Later still, people began to speak of other entrances to the world of the dead below. There were two ways to get to the Underworld. The first and simplest was to die. The other way was only open to gods or heroes, who could proceed with caution to Hades' realm via certain natural chasms and caves. The most popular of these seems have been Taenarum in Laconia. This was the portal chosen by Theseus and his companion Peirithous on their ill-fated venture to abduct Hades' queen Persephone. And some say that it was via Taenarum that Orpheus pursued his wife Eurydice when, bitten by a snake, she shared the common fate in journeying to the afterlife below. But others maintain that Orpheus's entrance was Aornum in Thesprotia.

Before becoming a fully fledged member of the godly council on Mount Olympus, the wine-god Dionysus brought his mother up from Hades. She was the heroine Semele, who had been consumed by lightning when she asked Zeus to reveal to her his true nature as storm god. To retrieve her from the Underworld, Dionysus went to Lerna and dove into the Alcyonian Lake, which has no bottom. In being challenged to bring back Cerberus to the land of the living, Heracles was faced with one of his most difficult Labors. Descending to Hades via Laconian Taenarum, the first problem he encountered was a glowering Charon the Boatman. Charon wasn't about to ferry anyone across in his rickety craft unless they met two conditions. Firstly, they had to pay a fare or bribe. And secondly, they had to be dead. Heracles met neither condition, a circumstance which aggravated Charon's natural grouchiness and caused him to glower more fiercely than usual.

But Heracles simply glowered in return, and such is the perseverance of a proper hero - at least one of Herculean magnitude - that once having set about a task, said hero will not fail to achieve and excel. The task in this instance being glowering, Heracles accomplished it with such gusto that Charon let out a whimper and meekly conveyed the hero across the Styx. The next and greater challenge was Cerberus himself. The dog had teeth of a razor's sharpness, three (or maybe fifty) heads, a venomous snake for a tail and for good measure another swarm of snakes growing out of his back. When Heracles closed and began to grapple with the hound, these snakes lashed at him from the rear, while Cerberus's multiple canines lunged for a purchase on the hero's throat. Fortunately, Heracles was wearing his trusty lion's skin, which had the magic property of being impenetrable by anything short of one of Zeus's thunderbolts. After a titanic struggle, Heracles got Cerberus by the throat and choked the dog into submission.

Taking care to secure the permission of Hades and his queen Persephone, the hero then slung Cerberus over his shoulder and carted him off to Mycenae, where he received due credit for the Labor. In its grueling nature, the entire adventure was so at variance with the experience of Orpheus that it bears noting. When Orpheus' wife Eurydice was claimed by Hades for his kingdom of the dead, Orpheus determined to get her back. Journeying to the Underworld by the entrance chasm at Taenarum, he too fetched up on the banks of the Styx. But instead of out-glowering Charon, Orpheus won him over by song. Such was the sweetness of his singing and his strumming of the lyre that not only did Charon willingly submit to ferrying Orpheus across the River of Darkness, but Cerberus, beguiled by the melody, lay down, crossed his paws under his chin and listened entranced. The mortal status of Greek mythological heroes was subject to varying interpretations. Most heroes were sons of gods, and as such at least semi-divine.

But this by no means meant that they automatically got to go to heavenly Mount Olympus when they died. Perseus achieved immortality of a sort by being made into a starry constellation. The Dioscuri, or Hero Twins, were originally accorded a mixed blessing. Polydeuces (Pollux to the Romans) was deemed godly enough to be admitted to Olympus, while his brother Castor was dispatched to Hades as a mere mortal. But Polydeuces interceded on his twin's behalf, on the plea that he could not bear eternal separation. The gods relented to the extent that the two were allowed to remain together forever, spending half the year deep in the earth beneath their shrine in Sparta and the other half on the airy heights of Olympus. Heracles was the only hero to become a full-fledged god upon his demise, but even in his case there was his mortal aspect to be dealt with. He received special consideration because he had aided the Olympians in their epic battle against the Giants. These titanic sons of Earth had stormed the godly citadel in a hail of flaming oaks and rocks. And the deities of Olympus would never have prevailed without Heracles and his bow.

By virtue of his spectacular achievements, even by heroic standards, Heracles was given a home on Mount Olympus and a goddess for a wife. But part of him had come not from his father Zeus but from his mortal mother Alcmene, and that part was sent to the Underworld. As a phantasm it eternally roams the Elysian Fields in the company of other heroes. The infant Heracles strangles the snakes sent by Hera. ( zoom ) Disney Mythology vs. Greco-Roman Mythology | Latin Language Blog Disney Mythology vs. Greco-Roman Mythology: Part I Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Nov 19, 2014 in Roman culture Salvete Omnes, With the many of you learning Latin and the Roman culture; I believe it is important to observe how antiquity permeates through modern media. So today I propose we observe the role of mythology, mythic characters and items within Disney films and series. Walt Disney World. Courtesy of Flickr & Dawn Ashely. #1.

Character or Item FEMALE CENTAURS OR KENTAURIDES Film or Series: Fantasia; 1940 & The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe; 2005 Commentary: Female Centaurs are not really discussed at length within modern or even ancient mythology. When recalling recent films with centaurs (Harry Potter, Step- Brothers, Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief), the centaurs are male. However that small amount of mythology which is discussed by ancient sources does reflect the imagery that Disney produces in these films (i.e.- beauty consumed creatures, but nobly warlike when they need to be). Disney Mythology: Within Fantasia ( the video above) is from the chapter known as “The Pastoral Symphony” by Beethoven. The setting is a mythical world of centaurs, cupids, fauns and other figures from classical mythology. A gathering for a festival to honor Bacchus (Dionysus), the god of wine, is interrupted by Jupiter (Zeus), who creates a storm and throws lightning bolts at the attendees.

The mythology of centaurs present in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is that of C.S Lewis’ mythology ( here )and not necessarily of Disney. Greco-Roman Mythology: Though female centaurs, called Kentaurides, are not mentioned in early Greek literature and art, they do appear occasionally in later antiquity. A Macedonian mosaic of the 4th century BC is one of the earliest examples of the Centauress in art. Female centaurs flanking Venus (Mosaic from Roman Tunisia, 2nd century AD).Courtesy of WikiCommons & GiorcesBardo55 . Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” also mentions a Kentaurides named Hylonome who committed suicide when her husband Cyllarus was killed in the war with the Lapiths: “In the high woods there was none comelier of all the centaur-girls, and she alone by love and love’s sweet words and winning ways held Cyllarus, yes, and the care she took to look her best (so far as that may be with limbs like that).

She combed her glossy hair, and twined her curls in turn with rosemary or violets or roses, and sometimes she wore a pure white lily. Twice a day she bathed her face in the clear brook that fell from Pagasae’s high forest, twice she plunged her body in its flow, nor would she wear on her left side and shoulder any skin but what became her from best-chosen beasts. #2. Character or Item: KING TRITON or TRITON Film or Series: The Little Mermaid; 1989 King Triton added to Ariel’s Undersea Adventure Building at Disneyland. Courtesy of Flickr and Loren Javier. Commentary: King Triton often confused with Neptune (Poseidon) due to this Disney portrayal. Neptune is the king of the seas, but Triton is actually a son of Neptune. Ariel does not exist in any mythology. Disney Mythology: King Triton is king of the sea and has a triton.

He is a widower with seven daughter including Ariel who is the protagonist of the featured film “The Little Mermaid.” The film is based upon the Hans Christen Anderson’s fairy tale which is simply called “The Little Mermaid” and the stories are almost identical except for a few details: she has no name (simply known as the Little Mermaid), her legs hurt with excoriating pain, her prince does fall in love with her (but marries someone else), heartbroken she is given the choice to kill the prince (a become a mermaid again) or not, and lastly she throws herself into the sea unable to kill the prince and becomes foam and then an air spirit. The Triton Fountain, by Gianlorenzo Bernini, Rome.Courtesy of Wikicommons & Tritonbrunnen rom. Greco-Roman Mythology: He is usually represented as a merman, having the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish, “sea-hued”, according to Ovid “his shoulders barnacled with sea-shells. According to Hesiod, Triton dwelt with his parents in a golden palace in the depths of the sea.

He is said to have had one daughter , Pallas, who was killed by Minerva (Athena), who was a foster daughter or ward to him, in an innocent friendly fight. Pausanias describes Triton(s) (the children and class of mermen/mermaids) as the following: On their heads they grow hair like that of marsh frogs not only in color, but also in the impossibility of separating one hair from another. The rest of their body is rough with fine scales just as is the shark. Under their ears they have gills and a man’s nose; but the mouth is broader and the teeth are those of a beast. Their eyes seem to me blue, and they have hands, fingers, and nails like the shells of the murex. Under the breast and belly is a tail like a dolphin’s instead of feet #3. Characters or Item PANTHEON of GODS Film or Series: Hercules; 1997 Commentary: While the names of the Gods are from the Greek Mythology; Hercules is the Romanized version of Herakles. Furthermore, Mount Olympus would rarely house all the gods at one time for the birth of a god.

There is no record of this ever taking place within mythology. Lastly, the entire film is based upon Hercules seeking to be a hero to regain his “godhood;” when in fact Hercules was never a god. He was also a demi-god and Hera was not his mother let alone loving towards him at all! Courtesy of GraphJam.com Disney Mythology: The birth day celebration of Hercules the god, who is the son of Juno (Hera) and Jupiter or Jove (Zeus). It features Neptune (Poseidon), Minerva (Athena), Jupiter (Zeus), Jove (Hera), Mars (Ares), Venus (Aphrodite), Vulcan (Hephaestus), Mercury (Hermes), Diana (Artemis), Bacchus (Dionysus), Sol (Helios), and more! The scene is filled with gods who are too obscure to see or who shouldn’t be considered a “god” (like Narcissus).

Fragment of a Hellenistic relief (1st century BC – 1st century AD) depicting the Twelve Olympians carrying their attributes in procession; from left to right, Hestia (scepter), Hermes (winged cap and staff), Aphrodite (veiled), Ares (helmet and spear), Demeter (scepter and wheat sheaf), Hephaestus (staff), Hera (scepter), Poseidon (trident), Athena (owl and helmet), Zeus (thunderbolt and staff), Artemis (bow and quiver), Apollo (lyre), from the Walters Art Museum. Courtesy of WikiCommons. Greco-Roman Mythology: The gods would rarely been seen together, but the 12 Olympians would be seen as the hierchacial gods that would reign from Mount Olympus. The gods were known for fighting with another, taking sides in the affairs of mortals, and hardly being cordial or nice unless you were Jupiter or Jove (i.e. King of the Gods!). For more information on stories of the Greco-Roman Gods; check it out here . #4.

Characters or Items: MYTHOLOGICAL CROSSOVER Films or Series: The Little Mermaid; 1989 & Hercules;1997 Courtesy of WDWMAGIC.COM & Allyinwonderland. Commentary: This connection between Disney and Greco-Roman mythology was included merely for fun and humorous sake. Since Ariel is not a “real” or “true” mythological character- most of this means nothing. Disney Mythology: The world of Disney (in films) does not remark of this correlation other than “memes” that fans have figured out and one conversation reported with two Disney actors: Courtesy of Evergreenring. Courtesy of Pinterest of Thalia Grace. Greco-Roman Mythology: According to Greek mythology, Ariel’s father, Triton, is the son of Poseidon, which would make the sea god Ariel’s grandfather. Poseidon’s brother Zeus is the father of Hercules, so Herc and Triton are first cousins. The child of your first cousin is your first cousin once removed, therefore Hercules and Ariel are first cousins once removed. If this is still causing issues in the respect to “your mind is blown;” I have provided a helpful image of a family tree illustrating this ( here ).

However, since Ariel does NOT exist then perhaps it is better said that King Triton and Hercules are related. FINAL THOUGHTS I do hope you enjoyed this! I have more similarities next week! Some of them are super obvious and others are bit harder to discern! Have an awesome weekend! If you are interested in Part II of this Blog series- check it out here ! Hercules and Zeus - Introduction Hercules and Zeus Works Cited Introduction to Zeus and Hercules Zeus, the god of the sky, is the ruler of the Olympian gods according to Greek Mythology. He is the son of Cronus and Rhea and is the father of many children, including Apollo, Athena, Hermes, Ares, Aphrodite, and Artemis. The Roman god Hercules, also known as Heracles in Greek mythology, is known mostly for his strength. Hercules is the son of Zeus and he is the only man born of a mortal woman to become a god. Hercules has over 100 children, some of which include Therimachus, Ophitus, Agelaus, Sophax, and Macaria.

Create a free website The Life and Times of Hercules The Life and Times of Hercules Stories about the gods, called myths, were made up thousands of years ago. Was there a real Hercules, a man behind the stories? We will never know. Yet, his story is of a man who was so strong and courageous, whose deeds were so mighty, and who so endured all the hardships that were given to him, that when he died, Hercules was brought up to Mount Olympus to live with the gods. Hercules was both the most famous hero of ancient times and the most beloved. More stories were told about him than any other hero. Hercules was worshipped in many temples all over Greece and Rome. Berlin F 2278, Attic red figure kylix, c. 500 B.C. Side B: Hercules, carrying his club and wearing his lion skin, walks with a procession of gods and goddesses to Olympus. Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz: Antikensammlung Zeus and Alcmene There are as many different versions of Hercules' life story as there are storytellers.

Differences between the Disney movie version and other versions include the explanation of who Hercules' parents were, and why he had to perform the 12 Labors. Zeus, Hercules' father, was the most powerful of the gods. That meant Zeus could do anything he pleased, but it also meant that sometimes Zeus was not a very good husband to his wife, Hera, the queen of the gods. Zeus fell in love with a beautiful Greek woman named Alcmene [Alk-ME-ne]. When Alcmene's husband, Amphitryon, was away, Zeus made her pregnant. This made Hera so angry that she tried to prevent the baby from being born. When Alcmene gave birth to the baby anyway, she named him Herakles. (The Romans pronounced the name "Hercules," and so do we today.) The name Herakles means "glorious gift of Hera" in Greek, and that got Hera angrier still. Then she tried to kill the baby by sending snakes into his crib. But little Hercules was one strong baby, and he strangled the snakes, one in each hand, before they could bite him. Louvre G 192, Attic red figure stamnos, c.

480-470 B.C. The baby Hercules wrestles with the snakes Hera has sent to his crib. Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Musée du Louvre Hera remained angry. How could she get even? Hera knew that she would lose in a fight, and that she wasn't powerful enough to prevent Zeus from having his way. Hera decided to pay Zeus back for his infidelity by making the rest of Hercules' life as miserable as she could. Eurystheus and the 12 Labors When Hercules grew up and had become a great warrior, he married Megara. They had two children. Hercules and Megara were very happy, but life didn't turn out for them the way it does in the movie. Hera sent a fit of madness to Hercules that put him into so great a rage, he murdered Megara and the children. When Hercules regained his senses and saw the horrible thing that he had done, he asked the god Apollo to rid him of this pollution. Apollo commanded the hero to do certain tasks as a punishment for his wrongs, so that the evil might be cleansed from his spirit.

Würzburg L 500, Attic red figure Panathenaic amphora, c. 500 B.C. The god Apollo. Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Martin von Wagner Museum, Würzburg Apollo had many divine responsibilities. As Phoebus, he was the sun god, and every day he drove the chariot of the sun across the sky. He was the god of healing and music. Finally, Apollo was a god of prophecy: the Greeks believed that Apollo knew what would happen in the future, and that he could advise people how to act. Hercules hurried to the temple where Apollo gave such advice. It was in the town of Delphi and was called the Delphic oracle. Apollo said that in order to purify himself for the spilling of his family's blood, he had to perform 10 heroic labors (this number would soon be increased to 12). Delphi, view looking SE across the Temple of Apollo's terrace toward the valley below. The sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi was built on a very steep hillside. Photograph by Pamela Russell Hercules got even more bad news. Apollo declared that he had to go to the city of Tiryns.

The king of Tiryns was Eurystheus [You-RISS-theus]. Eurystheus had a reputation for being mean, and Hercules knew that the king would give him a tough time. The hero had to serve Eurystheus for twelve years while he performed the Labors. There was some good news, though. When the tasks were completed, Apollo said, Hercules would become immortal. Unlike other men, instead of dying and going to the Underworld of Hades, he would become a god. Aerial view of the fortress-palace at Tiryns. The citadel's impressively thick fortress walls have stood for over thirty centuries. Photograph by Raymond V. Schoder, S.J., courtesy of Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers You might want to explore the 12 Labors of Hercules , at this point, or you can continue to read about his life. Most of the pictures of Hercules shown at this web site were painted by the Greeks on vases around 2200 to 2500 years ago. Notice that Hercules wears a lion's skin, the prize from his first Labor, and wields a huge club.

Further Adventures of Hercules After he completed the 12 Labors, Hercules didn't just sit back and rest on his laurels. He had many more adventures. One was to rescue the princess of Troy from a hungry sea-monster. Another was to help Zeus defeat the Giants in a great battle for the control of Olympus. You might want to read these other stories about Hercules now, or continue with the hero's biography, below. Toledo 1952.66, Attic black figure lekythos, c. 510 B.C. Hercules sneaks up on a sleeping giant, Alkyoneus Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Toledo Museum of Art Hercules on the Pyre Hercules got married a second time, to the beautiful Deianira [Day-an-EE-ra]. When Hercules was returning from his last adventure, Deianira gave him a welcome-home present. This was a cloak which she had woven herself. Deianira had a magic balm which a centaur had given to her. The centaur told Deianira that anyone who put on the balm would love her forever. But actually the balm contained a caustic poison.

This balm she now smeared into the cloak. London E 370, Attic red figure pelike, c. 440-430 B.C. Hercules trades in his old lionskin for the new cloak Deianira has woven him. Photograph courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum, London When Hercules received the cloak and tried it on, his body immediately began to burn with excruciating pain. He tried to pull the cloak off, but the pain burned even harder and deeper. Death, thought Hercules, would be better than unendurable pain. Bellowing in agony, he asked his friends to build a huge pile of wood on the top of Mount Oeta. This would be Hercules' funeral pyre. He laid himself upon the pyre, and told his friends to light it. As the fire began to burn Hercules alive, the great gods looked down from Olympus. Zeus said to Hera that Hercules had suffered enough. Hera agreed and ended her anger. Zeus sent Athena to take Hercules from the pyre, and she brought Hercules to Olympus on her chariot. Munich 2360, Attic red figure pelike, c. 410 B.C.

Athena and Hercules leave the funeral pyre, headed for Mount Olympus. Photograph copyright Staatl. Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek, München (wpm) To read more about these topics, see Further Resources . This exhibit is a subset of materials from the Perseus Project digital library and is copyrighted . Please send us your comments .

Question: According to Greek mythology who was the father of Hercules
Answer: Zeus