Homer, Odyssey -- 8th c. BCE
Homeric Hymn # 15 (To
Heracles) -- between 8th and 3rd c. BCE
Pindar, Nemean Ode # 1 (for
Chromius of Aetna, victor in the chariot race), Nemean Ode # 4 (for Melissus of
Thebes, victor in the pankration [boxing/wrestling combination]), Pythian Ode #
9 (for Telesicrates of Cyrene, victor in the hoplite race [race in full
armor]), Olympian Ode # 9 (for Epharmostus of Opus, victor at wrestling) --
5th c. BCE
Sophocles, The Women of Trachis -- 5th c.
BCE
Euripides, Alcestis and Heracles -- 5th c. BCE
Plautus,
Amphitruo -- 2nd c. BCE
Ovid, Metamorphoses - 1st c.
BCE
Seneca, Hercules Furens -- 1st c. CE
Heracles comes from Hera + kles ("glory"), so that Heracles' name means "the glory of Hera." What's that all about, considering that Hera is always trying to kill him in the stories. Simply put, it is the various tests that he must endure because of Hera that make him a hero. Without all those troubles to overcome, he'd have led an uneventful life. So Hera does make him a hero.
Heracles is a hero in the mold of the fertility figures (like Adonis, for example), and he may originally have been seen as proving his worth to Hera by all his deeds (confusion with the whole Zeus/Hera feud makes this difficult to determine). Such heroes have to overcome a variety of difficulties, and even overcome death (death and rebirth -- the vegetal cycle). The last three labors of Heracles are seen as death-conquering labors, and, when he dies due to Nessus' trickery, he is freed from mortality and made one of the gods. That he is given Hebe, rather than Hera, doesn't change the fact that he wins a fertility goddess and immortality by his efforts.
We have a sense of Heracles (or Hercules -- I will use the Roman name from now on -- it's the name I'm most comfortable with) probably quite different from what the ancients had. We may think of Hercules in terms of his two most recent cinematic incarnations, that of Kevin Sorbo in the long running series, Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, or the animated hero of Disney's Hercules. But Disney's hero is a typical Disney male hero, a young man who has to grow up (think of Aladdin, of Simba, even of Pinocchio). And Sorbo's Hercules is more like a US Marine who's gone through sensitivity training. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his portrayal, but his Hercules is a model of self control. He is also motivated by an anger at the gods, who he sees as the chief cause of mortal problems.
The ancient Hercules is generally seen as a creature of tremendous appetites (eats a lot, drinks a lot, fools around a lot), with a very quick and violent anger, but also with a very generous heart. In everything, Hercules is "the top," or more accurately, "over the top." He is the guy who, as a youngster, killed his music teacher because the foolish man had the temerity to criticize Hercules' playing. He is also the hero who selflessly wrestled death to save Admetus' wife, Alcestis. That he is usually shown in a lion's skin, and carrying a club, makes him seem something of a cave man, and that seems to be the way the Greeks viewed him. He may be the remnant of some early nature figure (a lord of the animals, a wild man) continued into Greek mythology. In the musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, a Roman general with great conceit, says to the crowd at one point, "Stand aside, everyone. I take large steps." Hercules might very well have made the same sort of claim.
These twelve events are the centerpiece of the Hercules' story. The Greek word used for these "labors" is athloi, the word used for athletic competition, such as one would see at Olympia, Nemea, Delphi or Corinth. In true heroic fashion, Hercules has to complete several near-impossible tasks and he earns a reward (just like in an athletic contest). One might see his whole life as an athletic contest of many parts. Hercules, like Pelops, is associated with the start of the Olympic games, though the historical games did not begin until 776 BCE.
Below is a table listing the twelve labors, the location (check the maps out in the book or on the M&L site), and the basic information of the labor.
| Nemean Lion | Nemea, Peloponnese | Kill the lion, skin him. Lion is near-invulnerable. Hercules strangles the lion (or beats him with club) |
|---|---|---|
| Lernaean Hydra | Lerna (near Argos), Peloponnese | Kill the hydra (water serpent). Problem is the hydra sprouts new heads as you chop them off. H uses fire to singe head stumps (helped by cousin Ioläus) |
| Cerynean Hind | Arcadia, Peloponnese | Capture hind with golden horns. Problem is the hind is very fast, and sacred to Artemis. (There is a version where H slays hind). |
| Erymanthian Boar | Mt. Erymanthus, Peloponnese | Capture boar. Problem is hind is very fast. H captured him by chasing him into deep snow, where boar got stuck. |
| Augean Stables | Elis, Peloponnese | Clean Augean Stables. Problem: 3K+ cattle, stable uncleaned in 30 years; H has one day. Diverts rivers and cleans them. |
| Stymphalian Birds | Lake Stymphalus, Peloponnese | Kill these birds that have brazen beaks. Problem: Lake is marshy and H can't reach them. Uses rattle given to him by Athena and picks them off as they fly. |
| Cretan Bull | Isle of Crete | Capture wild bull that Minos didn't sacrifice. |
| Diomedes' Mares | Thrace (North of Greece) | Capture the horses. Problem is the horses are wild and eat human flesh. H tosses Diomedes to them as a snack and tames them. |
| Hippolyta's Girdle | Asia Minor | Capture the Amazon Queen's war belt (the girdle). Problem: when trying to negotiate a deal, Hera stirred up Amazons and H had to fight the group. |
| Geryon's Cattle | Isle of Erythia in far west (off map) | Capture the cattle. Problem: how to get there (he was given a vessel by Helius that got him to Erythia); Geryon is three bodied monster, with two-headed dog. H managed to kill the monsters and get the cattle. |
| Apple of the Hesperides | Far West (maybe Spain?) | Get apples from Hera's tree. Guarded by a serpent. Problem: finding location and getting apples. H gets info from Nereus and gets Atlas to fetch the apples. H has to trick Atlas into taking back sky. (other versions exist) |
| Cerberus | Underworld (off map) | Get Hades' poochie. Problem: getting there, dealing with dog. The force of his personality is enough to get in, and he's strong enough to take on the dog. |
In most versions, Hercules has to perform the various labors to pay for the bloodguilt of killing his wife (Megara) and children. According to the account, Hercules went mad and killed them. Euripides in his Heracles and Seneca in his Hercules Furens, treats this moment in Hercules' life (though he has already done his labors for Eurystheus in Euripides' version) marvelously well. That play begins with Hercules' wife and children in danger from a tyrant who has taken over Thebes, but Hercules enters the town in triumph and the celebrations begin. On top of the roof of the palace, though, appears the figure of Madness, sent there by Hera, and when she enters the palace during the celebration, Hercules begins to hallucinate and sees his enemies instead of his family. He goes crazy and kills them, knocking out two pillars, causing the roof to collapse. For much of the play, Hercules has to come to grips with what he's done, and it takes a visit from Theseus, his Athenian friend, to pull him through. It is clear in Euripides' version that Hercules' madness is external. The big H, though, does have a great temper -- might we not see it (as in some versions) not as external, but internal. Does that make Hercules seem a greater or lesser hero? Is it just Euripides' way to blame the gods? He certainly does in other plays. If Hera does this, isn't this over the pale, even for her? Just some questions to think about.
Prodicus of Ceos, a 5th c. BCE Greek philosopher, told the story of Hercules at the Crossroad, tempted to follow an easy but dissolute life, but determined to take the rougher road, as that would be the path of glory. Rather like Robert Frost's poem that ends "and I took the road less traveled by. And that has made all the difference." The Hercules of this story bears little resemblance to the boorish figure we see in other contexts. Prodicus chose Hercules, perhaps, for that very reason. Here was a guy for whom Miller Time may have had almost religious significance, but he chose rightly, as do we all.
As you read this chapter, think of how Hercules, who isn't the nice, clean boy that Kevin Sorbo portrays, but often a big lout, loud and drunk, quick to anger and very destructive, got to be a hero. Remember that for the Greeks, heroes were not necessarily "nice" people. Sometimes they were even rather horrific, but they did represent something of the tremendous human potential as they pushed the envelope of human achievement. For good or bad, these guys did more and bigger things than others. Perhaps there's a little Hercules in all of us (don't take this as a suggestion to have a few brews and go over to Swope Park Zoo and wrestle with the lions -- please don't do that). Do read the last part of ch. 22, "Heracles: Man, Hero and God," pp. 537-541. Ask yourself if you agree or not.
Also consider the tremendous Nachleben of this character -- no other figure from Greek mythology is as well known in the modern world, but are these modern incarnations Hercules? Or does it matter?
For class powerpoint presentation on ch. 20, click here.