Heracles The Universal Hero

Heracles: The Universal Hero Most popular hero in Greek myth More exploits than a (logical) lifetime can hold Geographically diverse Found in Linear B tablets, (indicating that he is as old as the Greek gods) Constantly reinterpreted over time Even different contemporary stories show him in very different lights.

Master of Animals Heracles is, basically, not a heroic figure in the Homeric sense: he is not a warrior fighting warriors, he is mainly concerned with animals, just as he is a savage clad in a skin; and his main job is to tame and bring back the animlas which are eaten by man. Walter Burkert

Heracles’ Birth Alcmene, had just married a young warrior, Amphitryon, who had to go to war before he could consumate the marriage. Zeus took his form and spent the night with Alcmene. Confusion when the real Amphitryon came home!

Heracles’ Birth Punishment vs. Salvation: Amphitryon tried to punish his adulterous wife; Zeus protected her. Twinship: Heracles was a twin: he was born to Zeus, while his brother Iphicles was born to Amphitryon.

Heracles and Eurystheus Kingship prophecy: the child born that day would be king. Hatred of Hera: she delayed Heracles’ birth, sped up the birth of his cousin Eurystheus. Eurystheus became king and Heracles was denied. Wanderer and outcast: Heracles was deprived of his birthright due to Hera’s interference.

Heracles’ Birth Hera sends serpents to strangle Heracles: he strangles them instead. Alcmene, the mortal mother, comforts the mortal baby, while Athena shows her favor toward Heracles.

Heracles’ Early Life Her a suckles Heracles: did this make him immortal? Heracles means “Strength of/from Hera.” Other connections which show Hera and Heracles as close, even allies.

Heracles’ deeds are too vast to fit in any one lifetime, but twelve of them eventually became cannonized as the “Labors,” duties undertaken in service of King Eurystheus. In most versions, Heracles had to undertake the Labors to expiate his guilt for killing his wife and children. He had married Megara and had three children by her. But Hera drove him mad, and he killed his family, thinking they were enemies. Heracles is known for irrational violence in other stories as well – even though he is not to blame for the murders, they are the result of his larger-than-life, almost god-like nature, which brings about both great benefit and great harm. Heracles’ Twelve Labors

The Nemean Lion He strangles it and/or kills it with a club. The lionskin and club then become his chief attributes.

The Lernaean Hydra Heracles had the help of his nephew Iolaus. To add insult to injury, Hera sent a crab to bite Heracles’ foot as he fought the Hydra. It was catasterized – as Cancer. Heracles saved the hydra’s venom and used it as poison on his arrows – this would later come back to haunt him.

The Cerynean Hind The golden-horned deer is sacred to Artemis... Heracles appears as a master of animals. The Erymanthian Boar Heracles caught the rampaging boar with nets, then took it to Eurystheus, who jumped into a jar to hide from it.

The Augean Stables Heracles cleans the vast stables by diverting a river. Augeus refused to pay him; later Heracles kills Augeus. Afterwards, he founded the Olympic games, pacing out the stadium himself.

The Stymphalian Birds Nasty creatures. He startled them up with castanets, then shot them (with arrows or a slingshot).

The Cretan Bull The bull Minos refused to sacrifice (more later). Heracles caught it, showed it to Eurystheus, then released it.

The Mares of Diomedes Trained by their master to eat human flesh. Heracles fed Diomedes to his own mares, then brought them back to Eurystheus.

The Girdle of Hippolyta Now some non-animal related labors... Heracles is sent to get the girdle (belt) of Hippolyta, the Amazon queen, which has magical powers. Accounts vary – some say she gave it to him willingly, but then Hera caused strife to break out and he killed the queen. Heracles is often shown fighting Amazons.

The Cattle of Geryon Heracles must steal the cattle of the three-bodied monster, Geryon. He sails to the ends of the earth in a golden cup lent by Helios...

The Apples of the Hesperides Heracles must go to the Island of the Hesperides, daughters of night, and get the golden apples from their tree, which is guarded by the unsleeping serpent, Ladon. First he has to wrestle Nereus to get the “old Man of the Sea” to tell him where the island is. In some versions, he gets Atlas, the Titan who holds up the world, to get the apples for him, by temporarily taking on the burden himself.

The Apples of the Hesperides Athena helps out a little... Heracles has to trick Atlas into taking the burden back, showing his faint but still present “trickster” element.

The Apples of the Hesperides Heracles crosses the ocean in a golden bowl...

The Apples of the Hesperides In other versions, Heracles kills the serpent and gets the apples himself... The apples of the Hesperides are parallel to “magical” apples in many traditions: the Tree of Knowledge in Eden, the Norse apples of immortality...

Cerberus Heracles must go into the Underworld and bring up Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the gate. How does he do it? Versions differ: Hades and Persephone give him permission He charms and tames the dog He wrestles it and defeats it.

Hades and Persephone cooperate...

Cerberus He emerges from the Underworld... The last two Labors put him in the borders of the world; this one actually shows him descending into the Underworld and coming back again. This is a “conquest of death” and shows his extraordianry power as a hero.

Cerberus When he shows Cerberus to Eurystheus, the cowardly king leaps into a pot in terror... Heracles has now completed his labors.

Parerga (Alcestis) Another conquest of death... His friend Admetus is in mourning for Admetus’ wife, Alcestis. Heracles wrestled death and brought Alcestis up from the Underworld, where she was reunited with her family. Comic elements: Hearcles’ partying nature...

The Cercopes “beware the black- bottomed man.” Heracles subdues (then releases) these mischeivous creatures

The Pythia’s Tripod Irritated by an unpleasant oracular response, Heracles chased the Pythia off her tripod and tried to walk off with it. Apollo came down and wrestled him for it. Zeus made them stop. same story...

Busiris Heracles spent a lot of time making things better for ordinary mortals. Many of these deeds involved capturing rampaging animals. Busiris was an Egyptian priest who performed human sacrifices; Heracles treated him to his own medicine.

Antaeus Antaeus, son of Gaia, challenged passersby to wrestle. Every time he was thrown down onto the ground, he got up stronger. Heracles defeated him by holding him up in the air and strangling him.

Gigantomachy Though the chronology of this is hard to figure, Heracles also fought on the side of the gods against the giants – in one version killing the giants as the gods disabled them. His nature is divine, though also different from that of the “other” gods.

Omphale After committing crimes against his host and attacking the Pythia, Heracles had to serve as a slave for two years. His mistress was Omphale. In some accounts he performed ordinary masculine slave tasks; in others he switched clothes and roles with the perverse queen. Either way it makes a good story.

Heracles & Deianira Heracles was bringing his chosen bride, Deianira, back home, when the centaur Nessus tried to rape her. Heracles fought Nessus, killing him with an arrow. As he died, Nessus caught some blood from the wound in a vial and gave it to Deianira, saying it was a love potion. Deianira kept it for years, thinking it might come in handy. When Heracles was at war, she heard that he had fallen in love with the maiden Iole. To keep his interest, Deianira soaked a shirt in the centaur’s blood and give it to her husband.

Heracles & Deianira Of course, the blood was not a love potion, It was poison, infected by the hydra’s blood on Heracles’ arrow. Heracles unsuspectingly put on the shirt, and the poison began to eat away at him. In incredible agony, he repudiated Deianira, who killed herself. Unable to recover, but unable to die, Heracles determined to burn himself alive on his funeral pyre.

The “Death” of Heracles Heracles handed his famous bow to his friend Philoctetes, then had the pyre lit. As it burned, he underwent a transformation – the human side was burned away, leaving the divine. In some versions, his shade went to Hades, while his divine element went to Olympus.

The “Death” of Heracles Here Athena, always his protector, takes him to Olympus.

Heracles as a God Heracles is often depicted banqueting at ease with the gods; his wife is Hebe (“Youth”), daughter of Zeus and Hera.

Heracles as Savior Heracles’ accomplishments are remarkable: defeated a huge number of rampaging animals overcame death (Alcestis) went into the Underworld and came back alive (maybe more than once) overcame many semi-human monsters established the Olympic games & many other institutions made an impact all over the world Yet he was not a king, and in fact often appears in positions of servitude (Eurystheus, Omphale).

Heracles’ Violence Heracles also perpetrates many violent, unlawful acts, balancing his role as humanity’s savior with a role as a violent, chaotic force. How does he get away with all this? kills his music tutor, Linus, for criticizing him kills Iphitus, with whom he had (in some versions) a relationship of xenia Takes violent revenge for minor slights (e.g. overthrowing/killing Aegeus for non-payment) Attacks the Pythia makes war very freely

Comic Heracles Heracles is often portrayed in comedy as a big-eating, big- drinking, sexually voracious oaf. Despite his seeming lack of finesse, he does manage to go out and get things done, though. The larger-than-life comedy is also an integral part of the hero.

Philosophical Heracles Heracles also underwent great suffering in his lifetime, some brought on himself, some inflicted by the gods, and some in between. He murdered his own family – though not of his own accord. He endured slavery. He was deprived of his birthright. He wandered for many years with no secure home. In some more philosophical treatments of Heracles’ life, especially in the later Greek & Roman world, he was an exemplar virtutis, a model of virtue/courage, laboring for the good of mankind, showing how to engage suffering for the common good.

The Nature of Heracles Of Heracles I will sing, whom Alcmena bore in Thebes... to be by far the greatest of men on earth. He traversed long ago vast distances of land and sea at the order of King Eurystheus; many were the bold deeds he did, many were the things he endured. Now he dwells in joy in the beautiful palace of snowy Olympus and has for wife the slender-ankled Hebe. Hail, Lord, son of Zeus. Grant me both excellence and wealth. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of this hero, who had shrines everywhere, visited every city in the Greek world and figured in so many local legends, was worshipped at more shrines and sanctuaries than most of the gods, was called “savior” and “protector” and invoked almost unconsciously by Romans with “mehercule!”

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