What Is A Myth?
A myth is a purely fictional story that has been passed on for generations, usually involving supernatural persons, actions or events. Hercules (also called Herakles), is one of the strongest and most celebrated mythical heroes. These myths were made up thousands of years ago and have acquired more details as they have been passed down. The story of Hercules is one 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. He was worshipped in many temples all over Greece and Rome.
Birth of a Hero
The legacy of Hercules began when Zeus, the chief god, fell in love with a mortal woman named Alcmene. When Alcmene’s husband, Amphitryon, was away, Zeus made her pregnant. This made the goddess Hera so angry that she tried to prevent the baby from being born. When Alcmene gave birth to the baby, she named him Herakles (Romans pronounced it "Hercules"). The name Herakles means "glorious gift of Hera". This made Hera even angrier. When Hercules was an infant, Hera sent two serpents to destroy him in his cradle. However, Hercules strangled them, one in each hand, before they could bite him.
When Hercules grew up and had become a great warrior, he married a young woman named Megara. They had two children together and lived very happily. However, things didn’t turn out as they do in the movie. One day, Hera sent a fit of madness to Hercules that put him into so great a rage, that he murdered his wife and both children. When Hercules regained his senses and realized what he had done, he asked the god Apollo to rid him of his sins. Apollo commanded that Hercules do certain tasks as punishment for his wrongs, so that evil might be cleansed from his spirit.
Apollo was a god of prophecy and 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 o...
... middle of paper ...
...ra that Hercules had suffered enough, and Hera agreed. Athena was sent to retrieve Hercules from the pyre and to bring him back to Mount Olympus on her chariot. There, Hercules was to spend his life, as a god.
Bibliography
1. Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia (1996) for Windows 95
2. Webster’s Concise Encyclopedia for Windows 3.1 or 95
3. www.perseus.tufts.edu
Table Of Contents
1. What Is A Myth? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. Birth Of A Hero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3. The 12 Labors Of Hercules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
4. The Death Of Hercules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5. Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Hephaestus, was one of the twelve Greek Gods, the lame God of blacksmiths, sculptors, metallurgy, fire, and volcanos. He is symbolised with a hammer, anvil, or a pair of tongs. As stated in Homer’s epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, he is the son of Zeus, the king of gods, and Hera, the goddess of women and marriage. Contradicting that, according to Hesiod Hera had Hephaestus alone; because she was jealous that Zeus bred Aphrodite by himself. Hera reportedly after Hephaestus was born threw him off Mount. Olympus because he was ugly, when he fell Hephaestus broke both his legs, leaving him crippled. He fell into the ocean and was brought up by Thetis and Eurynome, the goddesses of the sea. Hephaestus never forgave Hera. As revenge he fashioned
Hercules is best known for his twelve labours. That said, few people actually know why Hercules had to perform these labours. He is the man of everyone’s dreams – men and women alike. He had the physique, the complexion, the heritage, and the romance. Because of Hercules’ ancestry, he is automatically considered a hero. This is because of the globally accepted equation: God + Mortal = Hero (Rouse, 1957, p. 55).
Everyone knows the story of Hercules, but not everyone knows that it follows the same pattern as most hero stories. Hercules is a story about the son of Zeus. When Hercules was a baby, Pain and Panic, Hades’ evil henchmen, gave him a potion to turn him mortal. It was prophesied that this baby would be the one to defeat Hades and they didn’t want that to come true. Since Hercules was now mortal, he could no longer live on Mount Olympus. A couple on earth took him in so he could grow up as a human. Hercules knew something was different about himself, so when he grew up, he set out to discover who he really was. Even though Hercules is an ancient Greek myth, it still follows Joseph Campbell’s modern basic outline of a hero’s journey.
First of all, the character Hercules was a non-hero who later received the power of strength. As a young boy Hercules wished to overcome any problem and always had in mind to be a strong man and to do the impossible. For example, in the movie , Hercules is a hard working kid who later by his parents gained a valuable power of strength being “introduced in ordinary surrounding in a mundane world, doing mundane things “ (Linda Seger 2) Hercules could not believe where all his strength was coming from because he had become too powerful to believe. Seger also explained that “this is how...
Hercules is one of the most well-known mythical heroes in history; his associations with adventure and violence exemplify as to why audiences are so interested in him. Virgil briefly writes about Hercules within The Aeneid, showcasing his heroic qualities within a climactic event with the monster, Cacus. Through the characterization of Hercules and Cacus, demonstrations of Hercules’ anger, and exemplifications of vividness, Virgil’s account of the battle between Hercules and Cacus in Book 8 of The Aeneid exemplifies an element of impact, heightening the conflict between the two characters for entertainment purposes.
Hercules, the son of the Greek god Zeus and mortal Alcmene, was one of the most famous hero in Greek mythology. He is known for his super strength and his many adventures he went on. When Hercules was born, Hera became furious that her husband had sired another child with a mortal. Hera punished Hercules by putting a spell on him that made him mad. While Hercules was under the spell, he slaughtered his own wife and six kids. After Hercules’s sanity returned, he deeply regretted the actions that he had taken. To pay for the crimes of murder that he had committed, Hercules was sent to the land Tyrin, where he was sentenced to perform 12 years of labors that were assigned to him.
The story of Heracles that comes to people’s mind is not what Heracles had to do during his life. Throughout the life of Heracles, he has shown that he deserved to be remembered as a great hero, through the opposition that he faced from the husband of Zeus, the king of the gods, wife, Hera, because he was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. Hera is the main reason that Heracles had to complete the 12 labors.
Odysseus brave, always able to think fast and able to fight the good fight when the need arises has been one of my favorite hero's since I first read about him. Throughout the Odyssey we are able to how great of a hero he truly is. If there was a defining moment that made Odysseus my favorite classical hero I would never be able to pick just one. This is due to how Odysseus was not just one kind of hero, he was the hero that knew how to think his way out of any problem, as well as a hero that would know the time he needed to use force to get the job done. As we progress in this essay my goal is to show you the classical hero that taught me not only is your strength a valuable ally but your mind and quick thinking as well.
Hercules was a hero known for his strength and courage and for his legendary adventures. But there is much more to him. He was the son of the god Zeus and a human mother Alcmene, which is a huge thing because he was supernatural to tall others around him. He was a demi-god. He was wife was called Amphitryon. Hera was jealous of the human mother and decided to try and kill Hercules by putting two poisonous snakes in his c...
Rosenberg, Donna."The Labors and Death of Heracles." World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. (1999): 84-9
“Now it came to pass that after the battle with the Minyans Hercules was driven mad through the jealousy of Hera and flung his own children, whom he had by Megara, and two children of Iphicles into the fire; wherefore he condemned himself to exile, and was purified by Thespius, and repairing to Delphi he inquired of the god where he should dwell.97 The Pythian priestess then first called him Hercules, for hitherto he was called Alcides.98 And she told him to dwell in Tiryns, serving Eurystheus for twelve years and to perform the ten labours imposed on him, and so, she said, when the tasks were accomplished, he would be immortal.” (Apollodorus
Hercules had a very adventurous life. He managed to complete twelve labors even though he was originally suppose to only have ten labors. Hercules was brave through each labor. No monster, animal, or god scared him along the way. He got through each labor bravely, with Hera constantly harassing him along the way or having the king being scared of the creature he wanted Hercules to capture and bring to him. After Hercules deceased he became a god and moved to Mount Olympus. Hercules was the only hero to ever become a god after he died. He was given a home and married a goddess. Hercules mother, Alcmene, was sent to the underworld (mythweb.com, 7). That is Hercules family, one very jealous Hera, and his twelve labors.
When you hear the name Hercules, what is the first thought that pops into your head? When I hear his name, I can only reflect on Hercules’s horrible sin of killing his sons and nephews in a fit of madness. In my humble opinion, Hercules should not be absolved of his sins just because he completed 12 labors for the king. I intend to demonstrate to you that Hercules should not be forgiven of his sins and glorified by mortals. I will show you this truth by sharing knowledge of Hercules’s backstory, explaining how the punishment does not fit the crime, and verifying that in the myth, Hercules never expressed his remorse for killing his family.
Zeus, his name is synonymous with Greek mythology and religion. God of the weather and sky he used his powers of wind, lightning, and thunder to uphold the law and keep order. He ruled Mount Olympus as well as the pantheon of gods who lived there. Watching over mankind he would punish those who defied him and help those who were wronged. However, Zeus did have his flaws. His quick tempered nature combined with his lust for women made him relatable to the common man. From his coming to power until the beginning of Christianity, this complex god would have no equal.
The only thing she had to do was get into Hercules’ head and make him weak. Phil had figured out why she was there. He warned Hercules, but he didn’t want to listen because he believed that they were in love with each other. She forgot all about the deal, because she was so lost in Hercules. Hercules couldn’t shake the thought that maybe Phil was right so he asked her for the truth. She admitted that she had made a deal with Hades. The fact that it was true really tore Hercules apart. He became sad and lonely and really got in the way of Hercules fulfilling his goal of becoming a