Who wrote Hercules? Hercules, Hercules

Origin of Hercules: son of Alcmene. - Jealousy of the goddess Hera: descendants of Perseus. - Milk of Hera: the myth of the Milky Way. - Baby Hercules and snakes. - Hercules at the crossroads. - Rabies of Hercules.

Origin of Hercules: son of Alcmene

Hero Hercules(in Roman mythology - Hercules) came from a glorious family of heroes. Hercules is the greatest hero of Greek myth and everyone's favorite national hero. Greek people. According to the myths of ancient Greece, Hercules represents the image of a man with great physical strength, invincible courage and enormous power will.

Performing the most difficult work, obeying the will of Zeus (Jupiter), Hercules, with the consciousness of his duty, humbly endures the cruel blows of fate.

Hercules fought and defeated the dark and evil forces of nature, fought against untruth and injustice, as well as against the enemies of social and moral orders established by Zeus.

Hercules is the son of Zeus, but Hercules' mother is mortal, and he is a true son of the earth and a mortal.

Despite his strength, Hercules, like mortals, is subject to all the passions and delusions inherent to the human heart, but in the human and therefore weak nature of Hercules lies the divine source of kindness and divine generosity, making him capable of great feats.

Just as he defeats giants and monsters, so Hercules conquers all the bad instincts in himself and achieves divine immortality.

They tell the following myth of the origin of Hercules. Zeus (Jupiter), the ruler of the gods, wanted to give the gods and people a great hero who would protect them from various troubles. Zeus descended from Olympus and began to look for a woman worthy of becoming the mother of such a hero. Zeus chose Alcmene, the wife of Amphitryon.

But since Alcmene loved only her husband, Zeus took the form of Amphitryon and entered his house. The son born from this union was Hercules, who in mythology is called either the son of Amphitryon or the son of Zeus.

And this is why Hercules has a dual nature - man and god.

This incarnation of deity in man was not at all shocking folk beliefs and feelings, which, however, did not stop the ancient Greeks and Romans from noticing and laughing at the comic side of this incident.

One antique vase preserves a picturesque image of an ancient caricature. Zeus is depicted there in disguise and with a large belly. He is carrying a ladder, which he is going to put against Alcmene’s window, and she is watching everything that is happening from the window. The god Hermes (Mercury), disguised as a slave but recognizable by his caduceus, stands before Zeus.

Jealousy of the Goddess Hera: Descendants of Perseus

When it's time to be born son of Alcmene, the lord of the gods could not resist boasting in the assembly of the gods that on this day a child would be born in the family great hero, called to rule over all nations.

The goddess Hera (Juno) forced Zeus to confirm these words with an oath and, as the goddess of childbirth, arranged it so that on this day not Hercules was born, but future king Eurystheus, also a descendant of Perseus.

And thus, in the future, Hercules had to obey King Eurystheus, serve him and perform various difficult works at the command of Eurystheus.

Hera's Milk: The Myth of the Milky Way

When the son of Alcmene was born, god (Mercury), wanting to save Hercules from the persecution of Hera, took him, carried him to Olympus and laid him in the arms of the sleeping goddess.

Hercules bit Hera's breast with such force that milk poured out of her and formed a Milky Way, and the awakened goddess angrily threw Hercules away, who nevertheless tasted the milk of immortality.

In a museum in Madrid there is a painting by Rubens depicting the goddess Juno breastfeeding the infant Hercules. The goddess sits on a cloud, and next to her stands a chariot drawn by peacocks.

Tintoretto in his painting interprets this mythological story somewhat differently. Jupiter himself gives Juno a son, Hercules.

Baby Hercules and snakes

His brother Iphicles was born with Hercules. The vengeful goddess Hera sent two snakes that climbed into the cradle to kill the children. The baby Hercules grabbed the snakes of Hera and strangled him right in his cradle.

The Roman writer Pliny the Elder mentions a painting by the ancient Greek artist Zeuxis, depicting the myth of the infant Hercules strangling snakes.

The same mythological plot is depicted on an ancient fresco, on a bas-relief and bronze statue, discovered in Herculaneum.

From newest works paintings by Annibale Carracci and Reynolds are known on the same theme.

Hercules at the crossroads

The young hero Hercules received the most careful education.

IN academic subjects Hercules was instructed by the following teachers:

• Amphitryon taught Hercules how to drive a chariot,
• - shoot a bow and carry weapons,
• - wrestling and various sciences,
• musician Lin - playing the lyre.

But Hercules turned out to be little capable of the arts. Hercules, like all people who have physical development prevailed over the mental, it was difficult to assimilate music and more willingly and easily pulled the string of a bow than plucked the delicate strings of the lyre.

Angry with his teacher Lin, who decided to reprimand him about his game, Hercules killed him with a blow of the lyre.

ZAUMNIK.RU, Egor A. Polikarpov - scientific editing, scientific proofreading, design, selection of illustrations, additions, explanations, translations from ancient Greek and Latin; all rights reserved.

The Greeks called Hercules Hercules. He was not endowed with great intelligence, but his courage eclipsed any lack of cunning. Hercules was easily irritated by outbursts of rage at innocent passers-by, and then regretted, felt guilty for what he had done and was ready to accept any punishment. He could only be defeated supernatural powers. IN Greek mythology only two figures - Hercules and Dionysus from ordinary people became completely immortal and were worshiped as gods.

Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmene. Alcmene had a husband, Amphitryon, an outstanding Greek warrior and heir to the throne of Tiryns. One night, when Amphitryon was on a campaign, Zeus appeared to Alcmene under the guise of a husband. When Amphitryon returned, the blind prophet Tiresias told him that Alcmene would give birth to a child who would become a great hero.

The fight of Hercules with the Nemean lion

Alcmene gave birth to twin boys, Hercules and Iphicles. When the goddess Hera discovered that Zeus had seduced Alcmene and gave birth to Hercules, she was furious. Hera was jealous of Zeus and tried to kill the baby by sending two poisonous snakes to him. The child strangled snakes in his crib. Although Hera failed to kill Hercules, she haunted him throughout her life and brought him much suffering and punishment.

Lessons from Hercules

Like most Greek youths, Hercules attended music lessons. One day, Linus, his mentor, taught Hercules to play the lyre. Hercules, disappointed with his game, flew into a rage and broke the lyre on Linus's head. Linus died instantly, and Hercules was shocked and very sorry. He didn't want to kill his teacher. He just didn’t know his strength and didn’t learn to control it.

Miraculous acquisition of immortality

At a time when Hercules was very young, he went to fight the Minyan king Ergin, to whom Thebes paid tribute. As a reward for his release from tribute, the king of Thebes gave Hecules the hand of his daughter Megara. Hercules and Megara had three children. One day, Hercules was returning home after a trip, and Hera sent him into a fit of madness, during which he killed his wife and children. When Hercules came to his senses, he was horrified by his action. Heartbroken, he went to Delphi to the oracle to find out how he could atone for his guilt. The oracle told him to go to the king of Tiryns Eurystheus and carry out any of his orders. The oracle also said that if Hercules completed all the tasks assigned to him, he would become immortal.

Twelve Labors of Hercules

King Eurystheus gave Hercules 12 difficult and dangerous tasks. They became known as the twelve labors of Hercules.

The hero's first task was to kill the Nemean Lion, a beast that terrorized a certain area and could not be killed by any weapon. Hercules strangled the beast with his own strong hands, without using any weapons, but from its skin he built himself a cape, which made him invulnerable.

12 labors of Hercules on ancient coins

The second task was to destroy the Lernaean Hydra, a creature with nine heads that lives in the swamp. One of the hydra's heads was immortal, and the others grew back after being cut off. Hercules went to fight the hydra with his friend Iolaus. Hercules cut off the heads one by one, and Iolaus used a torch to burn them with fire so that new ones would not grow. The last ninth head of the hydra remained alive, and Hercules had to bury it under a pile of stones.

The next task was to catch the Kerynean hind with golden horns, which the goddess Artemis considered sacred. She rushed across the fields, devastating them. Hercules hunted her whole year, finally wounded and brought to Tiryns. Artemis demanded that the sacred animal be returned to her. Hercules promised that the doe would remain alive.

The fourth labor of Hercules was to catch the Erymanthian boar, which was terrorizing the lands around Mount Erymanthus. Chasing the animal from its lair, Hercules drove it so that the beast’s strength was exhausted; the hero easily dealt with it and brought the tied boar to Eurystheus.

The fifth labor of Hercules is known as the cleaning of the Augean stables in one day. The son of the sun god Helios, King Augeas had huge herds of cattle, the stables of which had not been cleaned for many years. Hercules offered to do this work in one day in exchange for a tenth of the herd. Augeas agreed, realizing that no one could do this in a day. Hercules filled up the river bed, it turned its waters towards the stables, and in one day all the manure was washed away.

The sixth labor was the fight against the Stymphalian birds, with iron claws, beaks and wings, which attacked people and terrorized the countryside. The goddess Athena helped Hercules scare away the birds, forcing them to fly out of their nests, and Hercules shot them with a bow.

The seventh task was to bring the Cretan bull alive to Tiryns. This bull was given by the god Poseidon to the king of the island of Crete, Minos. Because Minos did not sacrifice this bull, but replaced it with another, Poseidon sent the bull into a frenzy, and it destroyed everything in its path. Hercules caught it and swam across the sea on it.

With his eighth task, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring him the horses of Diomedes. King Diomedes of Thrace had beautiful but wild horses that he fed human meat. Hercules led away the herds of horses. Diomedes set off in pursuit of him, and Hercules was forced to kill him, and tamed his horses and brought him to Eurystheus.

The ninth test was to obtain the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta. When the Amazons attacked Hercules, thinking he was going to kidnap their queen, Hercules was forced to kill them. Hippolyta, as a ransom for one of the Amazons captured by Hercules, gave him a belt.

The tenth task was to bring Geryon's cows. Geryon was a monster with three bodies, had three heads and three pairs of arms and legs. The journey to Geryon to the west was difficult, it was necessary to overcome the desert and the sea. The sun god Helios gave Hercules his boat, on which he reached Geryon, killed him and took away his cows.

Hercules defeats the hydra

The eleventh task that Eurystheus gave to Hercules was to bring three fruits from the garden of Atlas, which held the sky. Atlas had it in his garden golden apple tree, from which three fruits had to be picked. Hercules lay in wait for the god Nereus to help him find the way to Atlas. While Atlas went to his garden to buy apples, Hercules had to hold the sky instead. According to other sources, Hercules received the fruit by killing the dragon who stood guard over the tree with golden apples.

Name: Hercules

A country: Greece

Creator: ancient greek mythology

Activity: hero, demigod

Family status: married

Hercules: character story

Ancient Greek mythology is filled with stories of great conquerors, brave warriors and romantic heroes. In the series of divine daredevils, the son, Hercules, especially stands out. The exploits of a man are retold from generation to generation for many centuries, and the masculinity of a brave man evokes admiration even among modern emancipated girls.

History of creation

It is impossible to find out the author of the myths about the ancient Greek demigod. Like any folk art, the legend of Hercules was formed and grew with the help of a large number of people. It is known for certain that Pausanias also made a significant contribution to the spread of legends.

Literary analysis and processing of the works of ancient philosophers allowed Nikolai Kun to release a collection of stories “Myths of Ancient Greece”, which details the life of the great hero.

The appearance of the future god attracts attention. The young man grew head and shoulders above those around him (according to other sources, he is short). Hercules is a brunette with a curly beard. The brave man's eyes glow with a special divine light. A physically developed daredevil is endowed with incredible strength and power.

The character of Hercules is characterized by waywardness and hot temper. Already during his studies, the young man, in a fit of anger, killed his teacher with the hated lyre. The peculiarity of the son of Zeus is hidden madness. Under the pressure of this feeling, Hercules will kill his own children and wife in the future.

The ancient Greeks justified the behavior of their beloved hero by the act of Hera. Zeus's wife, tormented by jealousy, sent mental illness to the demigod. However, Hera often put a spoke in the wheels of the young hero.

The beginning of the legend about the great warrior and brave man is counted from the moment of his birth. The head of Olympus was captivated by the beauty of Princess Alcmena and, reincarnated as her husband, visited the woman. The son of the god Zeus and Alcmene is one of the twins. The future hero's younger brother was conceived by the princess's legitimate husband. The boys got sonorous names- Alcides and Iphiclone. Later, the eldest son, at the insistence of the great seer, will be renamed Hercules.

Inspired by the birth of a descendant, Zeus promises that the firstborn of the Perseus family will rule over all relatives:

“Listen, gods and goddesses, to what I tell you: my heart tells me to say this! Today a great hero will be born; he will rule over all his relatives who descend from my son, the great Perseus.”

Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, uses a spell to hasten the birth of another child. Now Hercules, who was born second in the family of Perseus, must serve Prince Eurystheus. To make amends for his arrogance and long tongue, Zeus negotiates with the gods about a small concession for his son. Hercules must perform 12 labors for the ruler, and then Eurystheus will free his relative from captivity.

Many years later, the matured hero succumbs to another attack of madness and kills his beloved wife, children and younger brother. To atone for his guilt, the son of Zeus went to serve Eurystheus.

Twelve Labors of Hercules

The wanderings of Hercules begin with the destruction of the Nemean lion. A huge monster destroyed all life around the city of Nemea. The hero tried to kill the lion with an arrow, but the weapon bounced off the animal’s skin. The son of Zeus had to strangle the lion with his bare hands. In honor of the first feat, Hercules established the Nemean Games. Eurystheus was horrified when he realized all the strength and power of his relative. Now Hercules is forbidden to approach the ruler's house.

The second feat of the daredevil was the murder of the Lernaean Hydra. The monster had several heads, where each of them was cut down, two new ones grew. The long confrontation ended with the victory of Hercules. The warrior used the poison oozing from the hydra's rads for his arrows. From now on, every shot from the demigod is fatal.

The third task was the Stymphalian Birds. Helped me deal with birds whose feathers and claws were made of bronze. stepsister hero - Athena. The goddess provided the brother with a special tool that made noise. The birds soared into the sky, and the brave man shot the monsters. Those who survived left Greece forever and never returned.

The fourth feat is the Kerynean doe, which devastated the fields. The frantic brave man chased the animal around the world for a year, but could not catch up with the beast. Then Hercules wounded the doe in the leg. This act angered the doe’s owner, the goddess Artemis. The hero had to humbly ask for forgiveness from his sister:

"ABOUT, great daughter Latons, don't blame me! I did not pursue your doe of my own free will, but at the command of Eurystheus.”

The fifth order of the ruler of Mycenae was the killing of the Erymanthian boar. Having found his prey in the middle of the forest, the daredevil screamed and drove the boar into the mountains. They managed to tie up the huge monster stuck in the snow. Hercules delivered the trophy to the castle to the ruler alive, which caused a great commotion.

The next task was clearing the Augean stables. Augeas, the son of the god Helios, owned a huge herd. To clear the rubble, Hercules broke the walls of the stable and directed the river beds there. The water washed away all the manure from Augeas’s premises and yard.

The seventh assignment for the son of Zeus was the Cretan bull. Eurystheus wanted to take possession of the bull, which Poseidon sent to Crete for a bad offering. The ancient Greek hero caught and tamed the monster. But the ruler was afraid to leave the bull in his herd. The monster of Poseidon gained freedom and fled to other lands.

The next whim of the cowardly king was the horses of Diomedes. Magnificent animals lived in Thrace. Horses were fed only human meat for many years. Diomedes did not want to part with his wealth, and a great fight took place. Hercules emerged victorious from the battle. Eurystheus did not want to keep the horses for himself and released them into the wild. Animals torn to pieces in the forests wild animals.

The ninth task is the belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. The girl happily gave the jewelry to Hercules, but Hera inspired the warlike women that the hero was planning evil:

“Hercules is telling a lie,” Hera said to the Amazons, “he came to you with insidious intent: the hero wants to kidnap your queen Hippolyta and take her as a slave to his home.”

The women rushed to attack, but the great warrior and his friends won. Demigod captured best fighter Hippolytes. The Amazon gave the belt in exchange for the life of her beloved maid.

The tenth task for the hero was the cows of Geryon. The brave man took a long time to reach the secret animal pasture. To steal the herd, Hercules killed two-headed dog Ortho and the giant Eurytion. On the way back, Hera sent rabies through the herd. The hero had to chase the cows for a long time, who did not want to leave their homes.

The penultimate feat of the courageous brave man was the abduction of Cerberus. Having descended into the kingdom of the dead, Hercules begged permission to fight the monster. If the hero wins, he will take creepy dog with myself. Hades, the ruler of Cerberus, did not believe that the demigod would defeat his dog and gave permission. But the son of Zeus completed the task.

The final task for Hercules is the golden fruits of the Hesperides. Anyone who touches the magic apples will become equal to the gods. But only the titan Atlant can pick the magic fruits. By cunning, Hercules persuaded the powerful creature to pick the apples and give them to him. The son of Zeus brought fruit to his master. Only Eurystheus did not need gifts. The king suffered that for 12 years he could not destroy the famous hero.

Film adaptations

The myths of ancient Greece are fertile ground for film adaptation. The film about the adventures of the demigod was first released in 1957. the main role went to actor and bodybuilder Steve Reeves. The Italian film tells the story of the search for the Golden Fleece and does not touch upon the main mythology. The audience liked the film, so it received a sequel - “The Labors of Hercules: Hercules and the Queen of Lydia.”

In 1970, the role of the hero went to another bodybuilder -. The film "Hercules in New York" tells about the adventures of the character in modern America. The film became the future governor's film debut.

The athletic character attracts many bodybuilders. In the film, directed by Luigi Cozzi in 1983, Lou Ferrigno played the same role. The bodybuilder character enters into a confrontation with King Minos. In two years film crew filmed a sequel to the film.

Next appearance Greek hero became the television film-musical “A Cheerful Chronicle of a Dangerous Journey,” which was filmed in the USSR. , the director of the film, showed the audience his view of the adventures of the Argonauts. The role of the son of Zeus was performed by Roman Rtskhiladze.

In 1995, the first full-fledged series about Hercules appeared. The image of the main character was brought to life. The actors and the roles they played glorified the work of the ancient Greeks. The serial film is a free interpretation of myths that affect many deities and heroes.

At the same time, Hercules, performed by Kevin Sorbo, appeared in another epic. "Xena: Warrior Princess", released simultaneously with the adventures of the demigod, was in great demand. The producers had to close the film, which tells the story of the confrontation between Hercules and the forces of evil.

The year 2005 was marked by a new film adaptation of the difficult heroic life of the Greek. This time the main role went to Paul Telfer. The fantasy, which tells the story of the 12 exploits of a heroic demigod, went unnoticed by most at the worldwide box office.

The 2014 film “Hercules: The Beginning of the Legend” achieved a different result. The actors, including (the leading actor) received nominations for the Golden Raspberry - an award glorifying the worst films of our time.

In the same year, another film was released, telling about ancient Greek character. The film "Hercules" is an adaptation of the comic book "Hercules: The Thracian Wars" by Steve Moore. The main role went to the hereditary wrestler.

Except full-length films and TV series the brave man from myths appears in computer games, musical works and cartoons.

• It was not horses that were kept in the stables of King Augius. Bulls and goats lived in a neglected building.
• The name of the hero in Greece is Hercules, the Romans called the same character Hercules.
• The demigod died due to the fault of his wife, who was jealous of her husband’s slave.
• The city seal of Florence is decorated with the image of the famous Hercules.
• The Greek hero died at the age of 52.
• The main attributes of the demigod are the skin of a lion and a wooden club.

Quotes

“I don’t remember such love on faces since Narcissus looked in the mirror.”

“If the waves are carrying us in one direction, then maybe we shouldn’t resist them.”

“Goodness conceals great power!”

“History is a chronicle of wars, and wars are chronicles of suffering, written with the tears of mothers.”

“The gods are generous with events, but stingy with details.”

if you need BRIEF For information on this topic, read the material “The 12 Labors of Hercules - a summary” on our website. Links to detailed accounts of the Hercules myths are given at the end of this article.

Greek myths about Hercules and their religious and moral meaning

The most famous of the heroes of Greek myths is Hercules, the son of Alcmene and Zeus, who took on the appearance of her husband, Amphitryon. Hercules was revered by everyone Greek tribes, all countries Greek world. But the Dorian military aristocracy called him their ancestor and wanted him to be a hero who belonged primarily to them. He is the personification human strength. The myths about Hercules are related to the tales of the gods of light and the sun, and the features of these gods are visible in him. But he has so many purely human properties that for the Greeks he was the ideal of a person who courageously acts according to the rules of practical morality. The cycle of myths about Hercules reflects the development of Greek concepts of morality. Initially, like the Olympian gods, he was the personification material force, but gradually the mythical Hercules became the personification of purely human morality, a man who, through the power of will, the power of working on his moral improvement, the fight against everything bad both in the outside world and in his own soul, becomes worthy of heaven. IN ancient myths about Hercules, his difficult deeds were the disastrous fate to which he, personifying the power of the sun, was subjected to his hostile Hera, the goddess of the lower, foggy region of the atmosphere; but subsequently the difficult path of life is the path that he chose for himself of his own free will. In contrast to Paris, who prefers the pleasure of a beauty’s love to everything, “Hercules at the Crossroads,” according to a story written in the 5th century by the thoughtful sophist Prodicus, chooses not the path to which Aphrodite, who promises him the pleasures of bliss and love, draws him, but the one on who calls him Athena, the path of labor, struggle, hardship, leading to glory, to the home of the gods. He is under the patronage of Athena. In the myths about Hercules, her protective hand guides him through all difficulties and dangers; and when he, having won the victory, rests, Athena, with maternal care, creates warm springs for ablution, restoring his strength, prepares him beautiful clothes; and when Hercules, exhausted from suffering, calls out to heaven for help, Athena descends from Olympus to help him. She says in the Iliad (VIII, 362) that without her he would not have been saved from the terrible Stygian River.

Apollo, the sun god, is also close to him, the hero of the sun cult. The myth about the struggle of Apollo and Hercules for the Pythian tripod, about their reconciliation, about the conclusion of an alliance between them shows that ideas about them are related to each other. The dispute over the tripod ends in the myth with Hercules becoming a servant of the Pythian god, who becomes his patron and friend. He is the defender of the Delphic oracle, against whose enemies he goes to war, and the spreader of the cult of Apollo. Like Apollo, he is a “reconciler” of the guilty with the gods, and a “deliverer from evils” (alexikakos), leading the fight against evil and harmful to people, saving both gods and people from disasters with his exploits; he conquers even the horrors of the underworld, and therefore, in the Eleusinian mysteries, he was glorified, along with Demeter, with Dionysus.

The idea of ​​repentance in the myths of Hercules

Even the humiliating subordination of Hercules in myths to the insignificant Eurystheus, whose servant made him, according to ancient legend, Hera, who hates him, and in whose service he performs the most important of his exploits for the benefit of people, subsequently received high moral significance. He is quick-tempered, and impulses of passion sometimes cloud his reason; in such madness, he killed with his arrows the children whom his wife bore to him, Megara, the daughter of the Theban king, and threw Iphitus, who came to visit him in Tiryns, from the wall. According to myths, Hercules had to atone for these terrible deeds with difficult feats of repentance. The irresistible hero, defeating all enemies, also conquers his pride, submitting to the Pythian oracle, which tells him, in order to atone for the murders he has committed, to serve eight years as a slave of Eurystheus. On behalf of Eurystheus, Hercules performed labors, the number of which, according to later stories, was twelve. By these exploits, depicted on the bas-reliefs of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, he was cleared of his guilt. Voluntary submission to the divine commandment of purification made him the ideal of obedience to the gods, devotion, and loyalty to them; the ruler whom Hercules served in myths was a coward who hid in a barrel from the Erymanthian boar, which Hercules brought on his shoulders to the palace to him, who was afraid after that to see Hercules, who sent him his orders to Tiryns; but the less worthy of respect Eurystheus was, the more moral merit was Hercules’s obedience to the duty of serving him.

The influence of Eastern cults on the image of Hercules

Greek poetry has invested deep moral meaning and in those Syrian-Phoenician myths that were transferred to Hercules: in the legend borrowed from the myth of Melqart that he set up the pillars of the Strait of Hades (Gibraltar), passed through Libya, Iberia, Italy, Thrace, Scythia, founding cities everywhere; in the legend about serving the Lydian queen Omphale (goddess Astarte), that he then put aside his weapon and lion skin, put on women's dress and sat down to spin. This service to Omphale is also represented in the myths about Hercules as a matter of repentance for shed blood, a feat of selflessness, receives religious character. But on the Attic stage, the service of Hercules to Omphale was exhibited in satirical funny; These plays expressed the opinion of the Greek people about the foreign element introduced into the stories about their favorite hero. The myth that Hercules burned himself on the top of Eta and rose again renewed, also, in all likelihood, passed on to the Greeks from the rites of the Eastern service to Sandon, the god of the sun and fire. The Iliad only says that the power of Hercules, the beloved son of Zeus Croton, was overcome by the inexorable goddess of death; in the Odyssey, the shadow of Hercules, armed with a bow, complains about the hard lot that Hercules endured while living under the light of the sun, serving an unworthy man who sent him even to underground kingdom bring a dog from the home of Hades. Just as Hercules was a tireless warrior during his life, so in the kingdom of shadows he appears to Odysseus as a formidable fighter: gloomy, he stands like dark cloud in a crowd of dead heroes, his bow is drawn, his arrow lies on the string, he constantly takes aim.

Hercules as a national hero of the Greeks

In myths, Hercules was the hero not of just one tribe, but of the entire nation. True, he was a descendant of the Argive hero Perseus, therefore he most closely belonged to the Argive region, and his activities were devoted mainly to the good of the Peloponnese; but his homeland was Thebes, where his mother Alcmene, the granddaughter of Perseus, fled with her husband Amphitryon, and the exploits of his service to Apollo of Pythia were accomplished in the region of the mountains of Eta and Parnassus. He participated in the Argonaut expedition, so he also belongs to the Thessalian cycle of myths. And when the main subject heroic myths When the Trojan warrior became a warrior, an episode related to Troy was also included in the legends about Hercules: he marched on Troy and destroyed it. The expansion of the maritime trade of the Greeks and the founding of Greek colonies in distant countries also expanded the geography of the myths about Hercules, introducing into the legends about him the legends of foreign peoples with which the Greeks became familiar. Many of the Greek colonies had him as their founder and patron. The Greeks found similarities between the myths about Hercules and the legends of the Indians, Phoenicians, and Egyptians; legends appeared about his campaigns in Libya, Spain, Gaul, Italy, on the Danube, on the shores of the Black Sea; traces of his exploits remained everywhere. The Dorians, having moved to the Peloponnese, justified their rights to the areas they conquered by the fact that these lands, according to myths, are the heritage of the ancestor of their kings, Hercules. Argos, Tiryns and Mycenae should have belonged to Hercules, because he was the eldest in the royal family; Hera, out of hatred for him, by deceit and against the will of Zeus, took away the royal rank from him and handed it over to the unworthy Eurystheus; Elis, Messenia, Laconia, Pylos were occupied by the descendants of Hercules by right of inheritance, as the conquerors claimed, because some of these regions were conquered by him, and others were given to him by treaties.

In Elis, Hercules rendered a service to the Epeian king Augius (“the shining one”), whose daughter Agameda knew all the magical herbs throughout the whole earth: Augius had very large herds; Hercules in one day cleaned his stables (or stables) by drawing the river Alpheus into them. The basis for this part of the myths about Hercules was probably the fact that by drawing a canal the swamp produced by the herds of Helios, that is, the clouds, was drained. Augeas did not give Hercules the promised reward; Hercules went to war against him; Augeas was helped by his nephews, the Molionides, gifted with gigantic strength; after a long and difficult struggle, Hercules won. In memory of the victory, he established the Olympic Games, erected six altars to the twelve gods, measured the stages for the games with his feet, planted shady trees in Olympia, and decreed that all hostilities should cease during the games. – He conquered Pylos, defeating Neleus, son of Poseidon; and Neleus himself and eleven of his twelve sons were killed by Hercules; only the twelfth son, Nestor, who was not in Pylos at that time, survived; he was in Geren (that’s why they call him Gerensky). – The king of Laconia, Tyndareus, was expelled from his kingdom; Hercules restored his power and he promised that subsequently the Laconian kingdom would be given to the descendants of Hercules. – Hercules took and destroyed the city of Echaly; some myths say that this city was also located in the Peloponnese, on the border of Arcadia and Messenia; according to other stories, it was a Thessalian or Euboean city. – Hercules helped the Dorian king Aegimius defeat the Lapiths; Aegimius, in gratitude for this, transferred his rank to the son of Hercules, Gill, and his descendants. – Myths tell that in Boeotia, Hercules liberated his hometown, Thebes, from tribute to the Orchomenian Minyans, defeated the Minyans, buried their underground canals and forced them to pay tribute to Thebes. Hercules and his faithful assistant, the ruler of his chariot, Iolaus (son of Iphicles, son of Amphitryon and Alcmene, mother of Hercules) were patrons of gymnastic games; they initially received this meaning in Thebes, but soon acquired it throughout Greece; Games were played in their honor, accompanied by merry feasts.

Hercules kills the Nemean lion. Copy from the statue of Lysippos

Divine and human traits in the personality of Hercules

Greek deities were personifications of the forces of nature and at the same time moral ideas. In the myths about Hercules, a hero close to the gods, and after difficult feats of his earthly life accepted into their society, was also the personification of physical strength in close union with moral forces; ideas about man were combined in the image of the mythical Hercules with ideas about deity. He was the earthly likeness of Zeus, his father; there was a hero who triumphed in countless battles; he and his assistant Iolaus were the first winners at the Olympic Games. But he was a hero who served the sun deity, clearing the earth from the forces of darkness with his victories. In myths, Hercules performed his exploits for the benefit of people: he killed monsters, crossed rivers, set limits to their floods, cleared roads from robbers, established peace and order. The myths about Hercules depict the ideal of a morally strong person, with all his virtues leading a difficult, miserable life, fulfilling the difficult duty of humility, obedience, self-control, and as a reward for this, acquiring a life of eternal joy in the circle of the gods. But even with this idea of ​​Hercules, he did not turn into an abstract ideal of virtue: his image bears the stamp of a healthy, strong nature, in which ideal aspirations for high goals connected to human qualities and attractions, sensual, real. In myths, Hercules eats a lot; he happened to eat a whole bull, even with bones. He loves wine, games; he entered into a fraternal alliance with Dionysus; He loves beautiful women and had many children with them: Theban myth He said about Hercules that when he was still young, in one night he enjoyed the love of fifty daughters of Thespius, the Heliconian nymphs, and they gave birth to fifty sons. Moral greatness national hero did not suffer in the opinion of the Greeks from the fact that satirical drama and folk humor exhibited in comic exaggeration such features of his passion for sensual pleasures during leisure hours.

Hercules as the embodiment of the Hellenic spirit

The myths about Hercules were so diverse and the idea of ​​the hero in them was so complex. Hercules was a true personification of the multifaceted development of the Hellenic national character. In all parts of the Greek world, on all the shores where their commercial enterprise led the Greeks, they saw traces of the activities of their national hero, who paved the way for them with his courage, endurance in all dangers, hardships, and disasters, who personified them own life. In myths, Hercules visited everywhere, from the Atlas Mountains and the Gardens of the Hesperides in the far west, where the pillars he erected testified to the reliability of his campaign there, to Egypt, where he killed the enemy of foreigners, Busiris, and to the shores of the Black Sea. It is clear that such perfect image, into which each generation put the features of its concepts, drives, interests, should have big influence on the mental life and on the entire culture of the Greek people, and that some elements of the idea of ​​​​Hercules penetrated into the religious and moral views of the Greeks. The hero Hercules, who, according to myths about him, reached the sky through the labors of a hard life, was a type of valor for poetry. For Greek youths, he, a fighter, winner of lions and giants, was a type of athlete, patron of gymnastic exercises. The military aristocracy, especially the Spartans, saw in the myths of Hercules the embodiment of their own virtues in a strong-hearted and physically strong warrior who not only defeated enemies, but also subordinated himself to his duty. Patient and firm, obedient to the sense of his duty and victorious, Hercules was for the Spartans of the best time of Sparta the type of what they themselves should be. The main traits praised by the myths of Hercules: physical strength, victorious warlike behavior and obedience to legitimate authority were the characteristic qualities of the Spartans.

Hercules, also known as Hercules, is one of the most famous heroes ancient greek myths. His father was Zeus, and his mother was a simple mortal woman named Alcmene.

Life before exploits

The young man was a full head taller than the tallest of men, and possessed strength that surpassed human strength. More as a child he strangled two snakes, sent to him by the vengeful Hero.

Hera, the wife of Zeus, was angry with her husband for betrayal, and pursued Hercules, sending all sorts of misfortunes. Deciding to take revenge, Hera sent a curse on Hercules - she made him insane. When the hero came to his senses, he realized that in a fit of madness he had killed his children.

When Hercules realized what he had done, he left the city of Thebes and went to Apollo.

God Apollo commanded the young hero to go to Tiryns, enter the service of King Eurystheus for 12 years and perform 12 labors.

Hercules was told that at the end of his service to the king he would become immortal. King Eurystheus (who was Hercules' cousin) was cowardly and dishonest, but Hercules fulfilled the will of Apollo and became his servant.

12 labors of Hercules

Total about a hundred feats are known, committed by Hercules, but the main ones in myths Ancient Greece These twelve are considered:

1. Strangulation of a lion.
2. Killing the Hydra.
3. Expulsion of the Stymphalian birds.
4. Kerynean fallow deer.
5. Capture of the Erymanthian boar.
6. Cleaning the stables.
7. Taming of the Cretan Bull.
8. Stealing horses and defeating Diomedes.
9. Victory over the Amazons.
10. Construction of the Pillars of Hercules.
11. Taming the dog Cerberus with three heads.
12. Victory over Antaeus and golden apples.

Nemean lion was huge and dangerous, often attacked Argolid (the city ruled by Eurystheus). Hercules tried to kill the lion by shooting him with a bow, but the arrows could not wound the lion's thick skin. Then Hercules began to fight and strangled the predator with his hands. After this feat, the hero of ancient Greek myths established the festive Nemean Games, which took place in the Peloponnese.

Gigantic Lernaean Hydra - a creature with a snake body and nine dragon heads, killed all living things in the vicinity of the city of Lerna. It was very difficult to kill the hydra, because instead of a severed head, it grew two. In the battle, Hercules was helped by his assistant Iolaus, who guessed to burn the neck after beheading.

Huge Stymphalian birds with copper claws and bronze feathers they attacked livestock and people, killing them with their claws. Athena helped Hercules by giving him two tympani ( musical instrument like a tambourine). The sounds of the tympanum scared the birds away and they left Greece forever.

Kerynean fallow deer- a large and fast animal that Artemis sent to Earth. The fallow deer destroyed the fields of Arcadia. Hercules tried to catch up with her for a whole year, and having caught up, he easily wounded her with a shot from a bow. He brought the animal to his owner Eurystheus.

Erymanthian boar possessed enormous power and terrified local residents. Hercules was able to catch him and deliver him to Eurystheus. While hunting a boar, Hercules accidentally killed the centaur Chiron, his former mentor and friend.

Augeas was an Elis king who owned huge herds of amazing red and white. Augean stables, where the bulls lived had not been cleaned for 30 years. Hercules said that he could clear them in a day if Augeas gave him part of the herds. Augeas agreed, Hercules kept his promise, cleaning the stables with the waters of the rivers Alpheus and Peneus. Augeas deceived Hercules, after a while the hero returned and killed the dishonest Augeas. In honor of his victory, he established.

Poseidon gave the king of Knossos Minos a large bull, which had to be sacrificed on Crete. But the king deceived the master of the seas and kept the bull for himself. The angry god sent the bull into a frenzy, and he began to destroy everything around him. Hercules caught the Cretan bull and delivered it to his owner.

King Diomedes kept wonderful horses in his stables, but fed them with human meat. Hercules stole Diomedes' horses. The owner tried to stop the hero, but he fought with Diomedes and won.

Admet, daughter of Eurystheus, wanted to get the belt worn by Hippolyta, leader of the Amazons. Hippolyta did not want war and gave up the belt, but her Amazons attacked the hero and his friends. In battle, Hercules captured one of the Amazons, Hippolyta ransomed her subject, again giving the hero the belt. On the way back, he saved Hesion, the daughter of the Trojan king, from a sea monster, chained to a rock.

Eurystheus wanted to take possession of the cows that were herded by Geryon, a monster with several heads and bodies. To do this, the hero had to go on a long, dangerous journey. In honor of him Hercules two stone pillars were erected, called Hercules. believed that Atlantis was located immediately behind the pillars. Hercules stole the cows, but he had to fight with the owner of the animals. The hero defeated him and went to Return trip. Later, Hera sent rabies to the cows, and one of them fled to Thrace. Hercules caught her and delivered her to his king.

Hercules went to Hades (the kingdom where the dead live) to tame Cerberus, a dog with three heads. On the way, Theseus freed the hero walled up in a rock from Ancient Rome. Hercules tamed Cerberus and delivered it to the owner, but he, frightened, ordered the monster to be taken back.

A Titan named Atlas held on his shoulders the vault of the sky on which he was located magic garden. Golden apples did not grow. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring three fruits. Hero Antaeus defeated and came to Atlas. He resorted to cunning so as not to give away the apples, but Hercules turned out to be more cunning and got golden apples.

Hero's death, ascension and deification

The hero lived for about 50 years. There are two versions of the death of Hercules. According to the first, when the hero realized that he could no longer draw the bow, he threw himself into the fire. The second legend says that Hercules was accidentally poisoned by his wife Dejanira, and, unable to withstand the torment, he himself threw himself into the fire.

After death, the hero ascended to heaven. As the myths tell, Hercules began to live on Mount Olympus among other gods, reconciled with Hera and married her daughter, the goddess Hebe. And in the kingdom of the dead, Hades, lives the ghost of this great hero of Ancient Greece.

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