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r/AskHistorians. • 10 yr. ago. Parrallax91. Why is Hercules commonly referred to as Hercules as opposed to Heracles? He really seems to be the only figure from Greek Pantheon that favors his Roman name in the modern age.
Apr 30, 2018 · 3 Answers. Sorted by: 17. Diodorus Siculus tells us that Heracles was originally named Alcaeus and was renamed Heracles 1 after he gained glory with Hera's aid:
- Diodorus Siculus tells us that Heracles was originally named Alcaeus and was renamed Heracles 1 after he gained glory with Hera's aid: μετὰ δὲ ταῦ...
- The reason that his mother 'Alcmene' named him as such, was to mock Hera's failed attempts at preventing her from delivering her child into the wor...
- Herakles ( ΗΡΑΚΛΗΣ ) as a word derives from ( ΗΡΑ ) which means Hera and ( ΚΛΕΟΣ ) which means glory. The word ΚΛΕΟΣ is used in many names. For ins...
- Hercules Birth and Childhood
- Hercules Early Adventures
- The Twelve Labors of Heracles
- Heracles’ Other Exploits
- Death and Apotheosis
- Heracles Sources
A demigod sired by Zeus, Heracles showed immense promise ever since birth: he strangled two snakes sent by Herain his cradle. He had the very best teachers in his childhood, and by the time he reached his teenage years, he had already outdone all of them in both stature and strength.
Heracles’ adventures started in the eighteenth year of his life when he killed the Lion of Cithaeron; an exceptional specimen of manhood and virility, by the time he was nineteen, he had already fathered more than fifty children and bested a whole army!
Heracles is most famous for a cycle of twelve labors he did while serving his cousin Eurystheus; here these are only listed; you can read more about each of them in the relevant article (Labours of Heracles).
Sometimes referred to as Alexikakos – that is, “The Averter of Evil” – Heracles didn’t take any rest even after completing these twelve labors, which would have surely guaranteed him immortality by themselves. In fact, some say that he was busy fighting monstersand villains even in between exhausting exploits, spending basically every spare moment ...
The Shirt of Nessus
Heracles’ second wife was Deianira, sister of the mighty hero Meleager. Soon after their marriage, Deianira was sinisterly attacked by the Centaur Nessus, whom Heracles subsequently killed with his unerring arrows dipped in the poisonous blood of the Lernaean Hydra. With his dying breath, Nessusconvinced Deianira to take his blood-covered (and, thus, poisonous) shirt and use it as a love-charm for whenever she feels as if her husband is about to be unfaithful. Deianira kept the shirt of Nessu...
The Funeral Pyre
In agony, Heracles built himself a funeral pyre on Mount Oeta and mounted it, waiting for someone to set it alight. Nobody was willing to, but, fortunately, his friend Poeas happened to pass by and, after some convincing, agreed to set light to the pyre. In return, he got Heracles’ bow and arrows. Heracles, on the other hand, was taken up to Olympus, wedded to Hebe, and turned into a deity.
The Ghost of Heracles
However, at least if we are to trust Homer’s account of Odysseus’ descent in the Underworld, it seems that some phantom of the mighty Heracles – probably remnants of his mortal part – did remain stuck in Hadesfor some time; and even it was formidable enough to cause fear and trembling all around the Underworld. “About him,” informs us Odysseus in a rather chilling manner, “rose a clamor from the dead, as of birds flying everywhere in terror; and he like dark night, with his bow bare and with...
For a relatively brief and nicely structured recounting of Heracles’ life and deeds, consult either or Diodorus Siculus’ “Library of History” or Apollodorus’ “Library” (on which our article above is based). Unsurprisingly, Heracles appears in numerous other sources, and it is difficult to even list them here. Even so, you’ll make no mistake if you ...
Feb 7, 2011 · Topics. Ancient Greece. Hercules. By: History.com Editors. Updated: April 17, 2024 | Original: February 7, 2011. copy page link. Print Page. Ashmolean Museum/Heritage Images/Getty Images....
May 8, 2024 · Heracles, one of the most famous Greco-Roman legendary heroes. Traditionally, Heracles was the son of Zeus and Alcmene. Suffering the vengeful persecution of Hera, Heracles faced continual challenges, the first of which was two serpents that she sends to kill him in his cradle. He strangles them with his bare hands.
Heracles, also known as Hercules in Greek texts, is one of the most recognised and famous of the divine heroes in Greek mythology. The son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene, he was considered the greatest of the heroes, a symbol of masculinity, sire of a long line of royal clans and the champion of the Olympian order against terrible monsters.
Oitaeans worshiped Heracles and called him Cornopion (Κορνοπίων) because he helped them get rid of locusts (which they called cornopes), while the citizens of Erythrae at Mima called him Ipoctonus (ἰποκτόνος) because he destroyed the vine-eating ips (ἀμπελοφάγων ἰπῶν), a kind of cynips wasp, there.
