Hercules.docx

Hercules.docx

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Hercules

Hercules

ThereweremanyheroeswhocouldclaimZeus,thekingofthegods,astheirfather,butfewwereimmortal.Herculesandhishalf-brotherDionysus（Bacchus）claimedimmortalityasanaccidentatbirth.Dionysuswasimmortalbecause,althoughconceivedbythemortalSemele,hewasactuallybornfromthethighofZeus.Dionysusisthereforereferredtoastwice-born.Herculeswasborninamorenormalmanner,fromahumanwoman.HisfinaldoseofimmortalitysprangfromtheQueenofthegods,Hera,whosemilkhedrankatbirth.

HerculesandtheMilkyWay

Heradidn'tknowwhosechildshesuckled--justthatitsmotherhadabandonedherbaby,butwhenthenewbornsuckedtoohard,HerathrewhimfromherbreastwithacosmicspurtofmilkthatcreatedtheMilkyWay.Fromnurturershebecameenemy.Whenshelearnedhisidentity,shesentsnakestostrangletheinfantHerculesandhishaplessbrother,Iphicles.ButHerculesonlychortledashestrangledthesnakesinhischubbybabyfists.

EnemiesofHercules

HeradroveHerculesmad.Inpenancefortheunforgivableactshecommittedwhileoutofhismind,heperformedthe12labors,whichHera,again,instigated.ButHerawasn'thisonlyordeadliestenemy.HerculeskilledNessus,acentaur--thatmythologicalhalf-humanhalf-horsebreed--butverydifferentfromthekindlycentaur,Chiron,whotrainedmostoftheheroesinGreekmythology.Withhisdyingblood,NessusproducedtheweaponofHercules'destruction.Immortalsdon'tusuallydie.BurningalivefromNessus'posionedblood,Herculesbeggedhisfathertolethimdieandsoendthepain.

HerculesBasics:

HerculeswasApolloandDionysus'half-brotherthroughtheirfatherZeus.DisguisedasAmphitryon,ZeuspaidaconjugalvisittoAmphitryon'swife,Hercules'mother,andMycenaeanprincessAlcmene.Herculesandhistwin,mortal,half-brotherIphicles,sonofAlcmeneandtherealAmphitryon,wereintheircradlewhenapairofsnakesvisitedthem.Herculeshappilystrangledthesnakes,possiblysentbyHeraorAmphitryon.Thisinauguratedanextraordinarycareerthatincludedthewell-known12laborsHerculesperformedforhiscousinEurystheus.

Hercules'Education:

Herculeswastalentedinmanyareas.CastoroftheDioscuritaughthimtofence,Autolycustaughthimtowrestle,KingEurytusofOechaliainThessalytaughthimarchery,andOrpheus'brotherLinus,sonofApolloorUrania,taughthimtoplaythelyre.

CadmusisusuallyattributedwithintroducinglettersintoGreece,butLinustaughtHercules,andthenotveryacademicallyinclinedHerculesbrokeachairoverLinus'headandkilledhim.Elsewhere,CadmusiscreditedwithkillingLinusforthehonorofintroducingwritingtoGreece.

HerculesandtheDaughtersofThespius:

KingThespiushad50daughtersandwantedHerculestoimpregnatethemall.Hercules,whowenthuntingwithKingThespiuseachday,wasunawarethateachnight'swomanwasdifferent（althoughhemaynothavecared）,andsoheimpregnated49or50ofthem.Thewomengavebirthto51sonswhoaresaidtohavecolonizedSardinia.

HerculesandtheMinyans:

TheMinyanswereexactingaheavytributefromThebes--theusuallycitedbirthplaceofthehero--whileitwasruledbyKingCreon.HerculesencounteredtheMinyanambassadorsenroutetoThebesandcutofftheirearsandnoses,madethemweartheirbitsasnecklaces,andsentthembackhome.TheMinyanssentretaliatoryamilitaryforce,butHerculesdefeateditandfreedThebesfromthetribute.

Creonrewardedhimwithhisdaughter,Megara,forhiswife.

Hercules'Madness:

Euripides'tragedyHerculesFurensisoneofthesourcesforthemadnessofHercules.Thestory,likemostofthoseinvolvingHercules,hasconfusingandcontradictorydetails,butinessence,Hercules,returningfromtheUnderworldinsomeconfusion,mistookhisownsons,oneshehadwithCreon'sdaughterMegara,forthoseofEurystheus.HerculeskilledthemandwouldhavecontinuedhismurderousrampagehadAthenanotliftedthe（Hera-sent）madnessorate.Manyconsiderthe12LaborsHerculesperformedforEurystheushisatonement.HerculesmayhavemarriedMegaratohisnephewIolausbeforeleavingThebesforever.

Hercules'FightWithApollo:

IphituswasthesonofApollo'sgrandsonEurytus,whowasthefatherofthebeautifulIole.InBook21oftheOdyssey,OdysseusobtainsthebowofApollowhenhehelpsinthehuntforEurytus'mares.AnotherpartofthestoryisthatwhenIphituscametoHerculeslookingforthemissingdozenmares,Herculeswelcomedhimasaguest,butthenhurledhimtohisdeathfromatower.ThiswasanotherdishonorablemurderforwhichHerculesneededtoatone.TheprovocationmayhavebeenthatEurytusdeniedhimtheprizeofhisdaughter,Iole,thatHerculeshadwoninabow-shootingcontest.Possiblyinsearchofatonement,HerculesarrivedatthesanctuaryofApolloatDelphi,whereasamurdererhewasdeniedsanctuary.HerculestooktheopportunitytostealthetripodandcauldronofApollo'spriestess.

Apollocameafterhimandwasjoinedbyhissister,Artemis.OnHercules'side,Athenajoinedthefight.IttookZeusandhisthunderboltstoputanendtothefighting,butHerculesstillhadn'tmadeatonementforhisactofmurder.

Hercules'LastMortalWifeDeianeira:

ThefinalphaseofHercules'mortallifeinvolveshiswifeDeianeira,daughterofDionysus（orKingOineus）andAlthaia.

WhenHerculeswastakinghisbridehome,thecentaurNessuswastoferryheracrosstheEuenosRiver.Thedetailsarevaried,butHerculesshotNessuswithpoisonedarrowswhenheheardthescreamingofhisbridebeingravagedbythecentaur.ThecentaurpersuadedDeianeiratofillherwaterjugwithbloodfromhiswound,assuringheritwouldbeapotentlovepotionwhennextHercules'eyestartedtowander.Insteadofbeingalovepotion,itwasapotentpoison.WhenDeianeirathoughtHerculeswaslosinginterest,preferringIoletoherself,shesenthimarobedrenchedinthecentaur'sblood.AssoonasHerculesputitonhisskinburnedintolerably.

Herculeswantedtodie,butwashavingtroublefindingsomeonetosethisfuneralpyrealightsohecouldself-immolate.Finally,PhiloctetesorhisfatheragreedandreceivedHercules'bowandarrowsasathanksoffering.TheseturnedouttobeessentialweaponsrequiredbytheGreekstowintheTrojanWar.AsHerculesburned,hewastakentothegodsandgoddesseswherehegainedfullimmortalityandHera'sdaughterHebeforhisfinalwife.

WhenHerculeswastryingtotakehisbrideDeianeirahome,hehadtocrosstheEvenusRiver.Nessus,acentaur,servedasferryman.FirstherowedHerculesacrossandthen,ashestartedtorowDeianeiraacross,hetriedtorapeher.Hercules,justlyenraged,drewoneofhispoisonedarrowsandshotthecentaur.Beforehedied,thecentaurpersuadedDeinaeiratotakesomeofhisbloodtouseasalovepotionshouldHerculesevercausehertoworry.

Intime,DeianeirabecamesuspiciousofHercules'interestinanotherwoman,namedIole,soshesmearedsomeofthecarefully-savedcentaurbloodonatunicandgaveittoHercules,trustingthatitwouldactasalovepotionandreturnhimtoher.

Unfortunately,thecentaurhadlied.Thebloodcontainednotalovepotion,butapowerfulpoisonfromthepoisonwithwhichHerculeshadtippedhisarrows.IthadcomefromtheLernaeanhydra.

WhenHerculesputonthetunic,itburned.Hewasinsuchexcruciatingpainthathewantedtodieandhadafuneralpyrebuiltforhimself.Hethenmounteditandhaditlit.Hediedandwenttothegodswherehewasreconciledwithhistormenter,thequeenofthegods,Hera.SheallowedhimtomarryherdaughterHebeandliveamongthegodsthereafter.

12LaborsofHercules

FirstLaborofHercules

TheTyphonwasoneofthegiantswhoroseupagainstthegodsaftertheyhadsuccessfullysuppressedtheTitans.Someofthegiantshadahundredhands;othersbreathedfire.EventuallytheyweresubduedandburiedaliveunderMt.Etnawheretheiroccasionalstrugglescausetheearthtoshakeandtheirbreathisthemoltenlavaofavolcano.SuchacreaturewasTyphon,thefatheroftheNemeanlion.

EurystheussentHerculestobringbacktheskinoftheNemeanlion,buttheskinoftheNemeanlionwasimpervioustoarrowsoreventheblowsofhisclub,soHerculeshadtowrestlewithitonthegroundinacave.Hesoonovercamethebeastbychokingit.

When,uponhisreturn,HerculesappearedatthegatesofTiryns,Nemeanbeastpeltonhisarm,Eurystheuswasalarmed.Heorderedtheherohenceforthtodeposithisofferingsandtokeephimselfbeyondthecitylimits.Eurystheusalsoorderedalargebronzejartohidehimselfin.

Fromthenon,Eurystheus'orderswouldberelayedtoHerculesthroughaherald,Copreus,sonofPelopstheElean.

SecondLabor-Hercules

Inthosedays,therewasabeastlivingintheswampsofLernathatravagedthecountrysidedevouringcattle.ItwasknownastheHydra.Forhissecondlabor,EurystheusorderedHerculestoridtheworldofthispredatorymonster.

Takinghisnephew,Iolaus（asurvivingsonofHercules'brotherIphicles）,ashischarioteer,Herculessetouttodestroythebeast.OfcourseHerculescouldn'tsimplyshootanarrowatthebeastorclubhimtodeathwithhisclub.Therehadtobesomethingspecialaboutthebeastthatmadenormalmortalsunabletocontrolit.

TheLernaeanmonsterhadnineheads,andoneofthesewasimmortal.Ifeveramortalheadwascut,fromthestumpwouldimmediatelyspringforthtwonewheads.Wrestlingwiththebeastproveddifficultbecausewhiletryingtoattackonehead,anotherwoulduseitsfangstobiteHercules'leg.IgnoringthenippingathisheelsandcallinguponIolausforhelp,Hercul