Gods, Myths and Heroes - Part 5a

Hercules

Last time, we looked at he Biblical strongman, Samson.  Now we examine the most famous Greek/Roman strongman, Hercules.  Hercules has been a favorite nude subject for artists for thousands of years.

He was originally called Herakles in Greek myth.  The Greek myth was adopted lock, stock and barrel into Roman mythology, with his name changed to Hercules.  I will use the Roman name Hercules, because it is more familiar today to most people.

Hercules was a demi-god, the son of the god Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene.  As always, Zeus' wife Hera did not take kindly to news of her husband's infidelity.  Hera sent two snakes to kill the infant Hercules, but the infant strangled the snakes in his crib.

Later, after Hercules grew up and got married, Hera, still nursing a grudge, induced a temporary madness upon him that made him kill his wife and children.  When the madness lifted, the stricken Hercules went to the oracle at Delphi, who told him that to atone, he had to serve the Mycenaean king Eurystheus for ten years.  Eurystheus, a weak and jealous man, ordered Hercules to perform a set of what he thought were impossible tasks, which have become known as the Twelve Labors of Hercules.

The first labor was to slay the Nemean lion, a beast with impenetrable fur that could not be pierced by an arrow or blade.

(Hercules and the Nemean Lion by Lorenzo Mattielli, 1729, in the Hofburg palace, Vienna)

Hercules stunned the beast with his club and strangled it to death with his bare hands.  We have already seen how similar this myth is to the Biblical story of Samson killing a lion with his bare hands.

After completing the first labor, Hercules went around draped in the lion's skin, and his favorite weapon was his club.  Any time you see a Greek or Roman muscular figure with a club and/or a lion skin, you know it's Hercules.

(Hercules and the Nemean Lion by Romano Romanelli, 1935, Florence, Italy)

I couldn't resist including this, which I stole from BatRedneck's blog Workmen & Rednecks.  It's funny because it's so true, as anyone who ever had to give a cat a pill knows.

The second labor was to kill the Hydra, a monster with multiple snake-like heads.

(Hercules Slaying the Hydra by Tiziano Aspetti, c. 1580, Doge's palace, Venice)

The catch: every time Hercules cut off a head, two heads grew back in its place.

(Painting of Hercules and the Hydra by George Michael Moser, 18th century, Royal Academy)

Realizing the futility of this approach, Hercules called on his nephew Iolaus for help.  After Hercules cut off each head, Iolaus cauterized the neck with fire, preventing it from growing back, and in this way they killed the Hydra.

Note that the identification of Hercules as the guy with the club was so strong that all of these artists depicted Hercules attacking the Hydra with a club, despite the fact that the myth clearly says that Hercules cut off the Hydra's heads; he didn't club them.

(1545 drawing by Beham showing Hercules at left and Iolaus at right)

Above is a mosaic of Hercules (right) and Iolaus from the Anzio Nymphaeum, Rome, 1st century BC.  Plutarch wrote that Hercules' male lovers were beyond numbering, and they included his nephew Iolaus.  However, Hercules was an equal-opportunity stud.  He is said to have deflowered 49 daughters of King Thespios in a single night.

The third labor was to capture (not kill) the Ceryneian Hind (deer), which was so fast it could outrun an arrow.  The catch: the animal was sacred to the goddess Artemis, and King Eurystheus hoped that by capturing the hind, Hercules would anger the goddess.

(Mosaic from a Roman villa in Valence, France, c. 179-180 AD)

After chasing it for a year, Hercules finally caught the hind.  Encountering Artemis, Hercules begged for forgiveness, explaining the situation, and promised to return it.  The goddess forgave him.  As Hercules was giving the hind to King Eurystheus, as soon as Hercules let go of it, in the blink of an eye it ran off.  Hercules said he had fulfilled his part of the bargain, and Eurystheus wasn't quick enough. 

(Bronze fountain of Hercules and the Ceryneian Hind from Pompeii, now in the regional archaeological museum, Palermo)

It's going to take a few days to get though the 12 Labors of Hercules.  Stay tuned.