Hercules from Greek mythology: the mortal who became a god

When Hercules was born from Alcmena, she called him Heracles. But in Roman, Heracles is pronounced Hercules, which is the name we use for Hercules to this day. Hercules in Greek mythology is a great figure of courage and muscular strength. Hercules’ bravery earned him a place among the gods. After leaving the mortal world, he found a position on Mount Olympus, the abode of the gods.

Zeus, the King of the gods was an unfaithful husband. He had a weakness for worldly pleasures. He fell in love with Alcmena, Amphitryon’s wife. Before long, Alcmena conceived Hercules. This enraged Hera and she tried to kill Hercules. Hercules survived his first fatal assault with a miracle.

When Hercules reached adulthood he became a famous warrior. He also fell in love with a beautiful woman named Megara. Megara became the mother of Hercules’ children and together they formed a happy family. However, things were going to be different. Hera vowed to irritate Hercules during his lifetime. She tricked Hercules into raging. In his rage, the mortal god Hercules killed his family. This was exactly what Hera wanted!

When Hercules returned to his normal state of mind, he saw that things were hopeless. He prayed to Apollo to get rid of his crime. Apollo was the sun god who could read the future. We find in Greek mythology that Hercules sought his advice. Apollo assigned him ten important tasks (later it became twelve) as the way to purify his soul.

The oracle of Delphi sent him to Tiryns, where King Eurystheus ruled. Hercules was expected to serve him as a laborer for twelve years of his life. However, the difficult service was not unsuccessful. Apollo promised him immortality. He would become a god. However, the great Hercules of Greek mythology had a problem, Hera. In fact, he kept his promise to make Hercules’ life as miserable as he could. However, with the help of Hermes and Athena, Hercules fulfilled his twelve-year tenure with excellence. Furthermore, he became the greatest mortal on earth to become a god.

Hercules in Greek mythology: what made him so special?

Hercules’ honorable penance and eventual success is what makes it so special. His success brought him immortality, which would have been unthinkable for ordinary mortals. Hercules’ first task was to peel the skin of the hideous Nemean Lion after capturing one. His next task was to kill The Lernean Hydra. The Hydra of Lernean was a serpent with nine heads, which never gave peace to the lives of those around it. The third task for him was to bring a deer (a sacred red deer) from Ceryneia to the king. The deer was the pet of Diana, the Moon goddess.

Hercules’ fourth task was to bring in a live Erymanthian boar. It was very dangerous for the men and animals that lived around the Erymanthus Mountain. Hercules was then asked to clean King Augiah’s stables in one day. Thinking what’s so cool about it? King Augias had a large number of cattle of cows, bulls, goats, sheep, and horses. Hercules proposed to King Augias that he would clean the stable only if he rewarded Hercules with a tenth of his livestock.

After this success, Eurystheus planned to do something more difficult for Hercules. He ordered Hercules to drive out a huge flock of birds, which gathered at a lake near the city of Stymphalos. The goddess Athena helped him with a pair of bronze krotala, an item similar to castanets. The Cretan Bull was an easy task for Hercules. Hercules fought the bull and then gave it back to King Eurystheus.

The eighth task was to bring the man-eating horses of Diomedes. It was followed by the battle against the Amazonian female army to obtain the belt of Hippolyte, the queen. The 10th job was amazing. Hercules had to go around the world to bring the Monster Geryon’s cattle. It had three heads and three pairs of legs, all attached at the waist.

The difficult task was the eleventh. Eurystheus asked Hercules to get the apples from the Hesperides. These were the golden apples that Hera gave to Zeus. These apples were strictly guarded by a hundred-headed dragon, named Ladon, and also by Hesperides, daughters of Atlas. The other obstacle was that Hercules had no idea where these Hesperides apples were located. Eventually, Hercules found the location of Nereus whom he seized until Nereus gave him the location of the apples of Hesperides.

Then Hercules learned from Prometheus, whom Hercules had helped, that he would have to make Atlas retrieve the apples. Hercules agreed to hold heaven and earth while Atlas retrieved the apples. When Atlas returned with the apples, he told Hercules that if he kept heaven and earth for the rest of the time, he would take them to Eurystheus himself. But Hercules tricked Atlas by asking him to hold the earth until he supported his shoulders. Atlas took the place of Hercules holding the earth, and Hercules picked up the apples and ran.

After having the great Hercules run all sorts of incredible errands, Eurystheus made sure he was unsuccessful last time. So, he ordered Hercules to kidnap Cerberus, the beast from the underworld. Have you ever heard a living man visit Hades? However, Greek mythology tells us that Hercules was not an ordinary man. He was a hero.

Finally he completed all the tasks, purified his soul and rescued the princess of Troy from a voracious sea monster. It also facilitated Zeus to defeat the Giants in a great battle for control of Olympus. He remarried the lovely Deianira. She presented him with a cloak, which was covered with what she mistakenly thought was a magic love potion. They told her that the balm would make the person love her forever.

Ironically, it was poison, which burned Hercules’ skin. Hercules, unable to bear the pain, asked his friends to light a fire. So Hercules was placed on fire to be burned alive. But the gods looked down and Zeus thought Hercules had suffered enough. So he asked Hera to end her anger towards Hercules, and she did. Later, Hercules was taken to Olympus in Athena’s chariot at the request of Zeus.

This Greek mortal Hercules is undoubtedly the greatest hero in Greek mythology. Hercules is still considered the perfect mythical character.