Hercules
Hercules is the Latin name used in Rome for the divinity corresponding to the Greek mythological hero Heracles (or Herakles). Hercules is the son of Jupiter, the Roman counterpart to the Greek god Zeus, and the mortal Alcmena. He was made to perform twelve great tasks, called The Twelve Labours of Hercules, to become a god.
Birth
Hercules was the Roman name for the greatest hero of Greek mythology -- Heracles. Like most authentic heroes, Heracles had a god as one of his parents, being the son of the supreme deity Zeus and a mortal woman. Zeus's queen 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. By: redneck53
Hercules, as written by Herodutus, was of Egyptian descent!
Etymology
Hercules' Latin name is not directly borrowed from Greek Herakles, but is a modification of the Etruscan name Hercle, which derives from the Greek name via syncope. An oath invoking Hercules (Hercle! or Mehercle!) was a common interjection in Classical Latin.
Character
1st c. CE mosaic from the Anzio Nymphaeum, Rome
In (Roman works of art and in Renaissance and post-Renaissance art that adapts Roman iconography, Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the lion skin and the club: in mosaic he is shown tanned black, a virile aspect.[1] He is a paragon of action and masculinity, and thus embodies characteristics such as great strength, great courage, and great appetites, including erotic adventures with both women and boys or young men. These qualities did not prevent him from being regarded as a playful figure who used games to relax from his labors and played a great deal with children.[2] While he was a champion and a great warrior, he was not above cheating and using any unfair trick to his advantage. However, he was renowned as having "made the world safe for mankind" by destroying many dangerous monsters. His self-sacrifice obtained him the ascent to the Olympian realms and he was welcomed by the gods.
Roman cult
In popular culture the Romans adopted the Etruscan Hercle, a hero-figure that had already been influenced by Greek culture— especially in the conventions of his representation— but who had experienced an autonomous development. Etruscan Hercle appears in the elaborate illustrative engraved designs on the backs of Etruscan bronze mirrors made during the fourth century BC, which were favoured grave goods. Their specific literary references have been lost, with the loss of all Etruscan literature, but the image of the mature, bearded Hercules suckling at Uni/Juno's breast, engraved on a mirror back from Volterra, is distinctively Etruscan. Also a two way mirror.
This Hercle/Hercules— the Hercle of the ejaculation "Mehercle!"— remained a popular cult figure in the Roman legions. The literary Greek versions of his life and works were appropriated by literate Romans from the 2nd century BC onwards, essentially unchanged, but Latin literature of Hercules added anecdotal detail of its own, some of it linking the hero with the geography of the Western Mediterranean. Details of the Greek cult, which mixed chthonic libations and uneaten holocausts with Olympian services, were adapted to specifically Roman requirements as well, as Hercules became the founding figure of Herculaneum and other places, and his cult became entwined with Imperial cult, as shown in surviving frescoes in the Herculanean collegium that was devoted to Hercules.
The cult of Hercules may have been the first foreign one to be adopted in Rome. According to legend, Hercules is said to have founded his most important shrine in Rome, the Great Altar of Hercules (Ara Maxima Herculis), later housed within the Forum Boarium, the cattle market of Rome, within Rome's original Palatine settlement[3]. This altar has been dated to the 6th or 5th century BC. It stood near the Temple of Hercules Victor. Hercules became popular with merchants, who customarily paid him a tithe of their profits.
Mark Antony identified himself with Hercules, and even invented a son of Hercules, called Anton, from whom Antony claimed descent. In response, his enemy Octavian identified with Apollo.
Some early emperors took up the attributes of Hercules (eg Trajan), and later Roman Emperors, in particular Commodus and Maximian, went further and often identified or compared themselves with him and supported his cult; Maximian styled himself "Herculius".
The cult of Hercules spread through the Roman world. In Roman Egypt, what is believed to be the remains of a Temple of Hercules are found in the Bahariya Oasis.
Myths of Hercules
The Romans adopted the Greek version of Heracles' life and works essentially unchanged, but added anecdotal detail of their own, some of it linking Hercules with the geography of the Western Mediterranean.
In Roman mythology, Acca Larentia was Hercules' mistress. She was married to Tarutius, a wealthy merchant. When he died, she gave his money to charity. In another version, she was the wife of Faustulus.
Art
Roman images of Hercules were modelled upon Hellenistic Greek images and might be contrasted with the images of Heracles that appear in Attic vase-painting (see Heracles). One aspect of Greek Heracles was not adopted by Roman culture: the ambivalent relationship with his patroness/antagonist Hera that was an archaic aspect of "Hera's man", Heracles.
Hercules in popular culture
Since the Renaissance, Hercules has rarely been distinguished from Heracles, the Roman figure overshadowing the Greek. Later interpretations of Hercules' legend cast him as a wise leader and a good friend (many of the movie and TV adaptations cast him in this light, especially the 1995-1999 syndicated TV series). The legend of Hercules endures, though often co-opted to suit the political fashion of the day. Hercules has also had an undeniable influence on modern pop culture characters such as He-Man. The legend of Hercules has been described in many movie and television adaptations.
Video games
- Hercules: The Legendary Journeys was given a video game where he fought against his evil half-brother Ares, loosely based on the series.
- Hercules And The Princess Of Troy - A freeware game of Hercules and one of his great adventures created by 17 year old Michael Becker.
- Disney's Hercules has a PlayStation port.
- Herc's Adventures is a tongue-in-cheek adventure-RPG on the PlayStation where you must complete many tasks, many of which are not actually credited to Hercules anywhere else (such as slaying Medusa).
- Heracles is a PlayStation 2 game where he must free Pegasus from the clutches of his uncle the evil god Poseidon.
- Hercules appeared in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II as a Disney character.
Computer game
The Return of Heracles is a computer game designed by Stuart Smith and released for Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 computers. It is a turn-based adventure/rpg designed around the Twelve Labours of Heracles, though you could play as any or all of several characters including Pegasus and Achilles. It's design is similar to Smith's earlier game Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
Disney's Hercules
Hercules' tale was later made into a movie by Disney. In this tale, he is originally a whole god as a son of Zeus and Hera, but is drained of his power by Hades. He lives among mortals until discovering his tremendous strength is actually the remaining bit of god left in him. He travels to his father, who is overjoyed to see him, and gives him his horse Pegasus. Hercules learns of an evil scheme of Hades' to destroy the other gods and release the Titans, as well as kill Hercules.
The Italian Hercules film series (1957-1965)
A series of nineteen Hercules "beefcake" movies of the "Sword and sandal" film genre were made in Italy during the late 50s and early 60s. A full list is at Italian Hercules film series (1957-1965).
Others
In other incarnations, Hera is still presented as his spiteful stepmother and Zeus as his father though plenty of plots like Amphitryon his stepfather, Zeus taking the guise of his stepfather, etc. are removed.
One version has it that he ends up performing the twelve labors because he accidentally killed his mother. After each labor is performed, he becomes at peace with Eurystheus and marries Megara which is a deviation. He also never confronted Hera either and Hera accepts his existence after the labors are done.
He doesn't confront Hera as a direct enemy but as somebody who tells him that she is his "beloved" stepmother and tricks him into several labors which he all succeeds into.
Also, in another movie, Hercules lives as a mortal striving to become a "hero". If this is accomplished, Hercules will be able to rejoin his father on Mount Olympus. While attempting to be a "hero", characters from the twelve labours are sent to kill him by his Uncle Hades who is usually portrayed to be evil. Hercules must battle Hades, these monsters, and his feelings in order to live with his family on Mount Olympus.
In Paul Tefler's version, there is no appearance of Zeus and Hera as Hera seems to be controling his mother Alcmene and his first wife Megara, which some fans considered to be quite inconsistent.
Comic books
Hercules has also appeared in several comic books:
- Hercules (a 1958 Dell comic adapting the film)
- Hercules Unchained (a 1959 Dell comic adapting the film)
- Hercules (Marvel Comics)
- Hercules (DC Comics)
See also
Notes
- ^ The Classical and Hellenistic conventions of frescoes and mosaics is to show women as pale-skinned and men as tanned dark from their outdoor arena of action and exercising in the gymnasium.(See also[1] and [2]).
- ^ Aelian, Varia Historia, 12.15
- ^ The various founders of this altar, including Hercules himself, are discussed at the Lacus Curtius website.
![[1]](http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/RomanAfrica2/pompei%26herc1.jpg){kind=link}