Hercules (Heraclius, Alcides), Greek, lat. Hercules- the son of Zeus and, the greatest hero of Greek legends. By the way, the name of Hercule Poirot, for example, is also from "Hercules".

His name (usually in Latinized form) is usually used when they want to emphasize the enormous height or enormous physical strength of a person. But Hercules was not only a hero. He was a man with human weaknesses and positive qualities, who without hesitation entered into a struggle with fate and used his abilities not only for his own glory, but also in order to benefit humanity, to save him from troubles and suffering. He accomplished more than other people, but he also suffered more, which is why he was a hero. For this he received a reward, which his Babylonian predecessor Gilgamesh or the Phoenician Melqart had vainly sought; for him the most impossible dream of man came true - he became immortal.

Hercules was born in Thebes, where his mother Alcmene fled with her husband, who killed his father-in-law Electrion and feared revenge from his brother Sfenel. Of course, Zeus knew about the upcoming birth of Hercules - not only because he was an omniscient god, but also because he was directly related to his birth. The fact is that Zeus really liked Alcmene, and he, having assumed the form of Amphitryon, freely entered her bedroom. On the day Hercules was supposed to be born, Zeus recklessly declared in the assembly of the gods that today the greatest hero will be born. immediately realized that we were talking about the consequences of another love adventure of her husband, and decided to take revenge on him. Allegedly doubting his prediction, she provoked him to swear that the one born on that day would command all his relatives, even if they were from the clan of Zeus. Then, with the help of Ilithia, Hera accelerated the birth of Nikippa, Sphenel's wife, although she was only seven months old, and delayed the birth of Alcmene. And so it happened that the mighty Hercules, the son of the almighty Zeus, had to serve the wretched pre-born Eurystheus, the son of the mortal Sphenel, - a sad fate, but a true hero is able to overcome this injustice of fate.

Shot from the film "Hercules"

Alcmene's son was named Alcides at birth in honor of his step-grandfather,. Only later was he called Hercules, because he, they say, "thanks to Hera attained glory" (this is the traditional, although not entirely conclusive interpretation of his name). In this case, Hera turned out to be the hero's benefactor against her will: she built all kinds of intrigues for him to avenge her husband's betrayal, and Hercules, overcoming them, performed one feat after another. To begin with, Hera sent two monstrous snakes to his cradle, but the baby Hercules strangled them. Shocked by this, Amphitryon realized that such a child would eventually be able to accomplish great things, and decided to give him a proper upbringing. The best teachers were engaged with Hercules: the son of Zeus, Castor, taught him to fight with weapons, the Echali king Euryth taught him archery. He was taught wisdom by the just Radamanth, music and singing - the brother of Orpheus himself, Lin. Hercules was a diligent student, but playing the cithara was given to him worse than other sciences. When one day Lin decided to punish him, he hit him back with a cithara and killed him on the spot. Amphitryon was horrified at his strength and decided to send Hercules away from people. He sent him to graze the cattle on Mount Kiferon, and Hercules took it for granted.

Hercules lived excellently on Kiferon; there he killed a formidable lion that killed people and livestock, and made himself an excellent cloak from his skin. In the eighteenth year, Hercules decided to look at the white light and at the same time look after his wife. He made a club for himself from the trunk of a huge ash tree, threw the skin of a Kiferon lion (whose head served as his helmet) over his shoulders, and set off for his native Thebes.

On the way, he met strangers and from their conversation learned that they were the tribute collectors of the Orkhomenian king Ergin. They went to Thebes to receive a hundred oxen from the Theban king Creon - an annual tribute imposed on him by Ergin by right of the strongest. It seemed unfair to Hercules, and when the collectors, in response to his words, began to mock him, he dealt with them in his own way: he cut off their noses and ears, tied their hands and ordered them to return home. Thebes enthusiastically greeted their fellow countryman, but their joy did not last long. Ergin with an army appeared at the gates of the city. Hercules led the defense of the city, defeated Ergin and ordered him to return to Thebes twice as much as he managed to get from them. For this, King Creon gave him his daughter Megara and half of the palace to be his wife. Hercules remained in Thebes, became the father of three sons and considered himself the happiest man in the world.

But the hero's happiness is not in a peaceful life, and soon Hercules had to be convinced of this.

Illustrated: the exploits of Hercules, reconstruction of the metopes of the temple of Zeus at Olympia, 470-456. BC. Upper row: Nemean lion, Lernaean hydra, Stimphalia birds; second row: Cretan bull, Kerinean doe, belt of Queen Hippolyta; third row: Erymanthian boar, horses of Diomedes, giant Geryon; bottom row: golden apples of the Hesperides, Kerberos, cleaning of the Augean stables.

While he was a shepherd, Hera believed that everything was going as it should. But as soon as he became the royal son-in-law, she decided to intervene. She could not deprive him of his power, but what could be worse than power not controlled by reason? So, Hera sent madness on him, in a fit of which Hercules killed his sons and two children of his half-brother Iphicles. Even worse, Hera then restored his sanity. Heartbroken, Hercules went to Delphi to find out how he could cleanse himself from the filth of involuntary murder. Through the lips of the Pythia, God told Hercules that he should go to the Mycenaean king Eurystheus and enter into his service. If Hercules completes the twelve tasks that Eurystheus entrusts to him, shame and guilt will be removed from him, and he will become immortal.

Hercules obeyed. He went to Argos, settled in his father's castle of Tiryns near Mycenae (truly this dwelling was worthy of Hercules: with its walls 10-15 m thick, Tiryns to this day remains the most indestructible fortress in the world) and expressed his readiness to serve Eurystheus. The powerful figure of Hercules instilled such fear in Eurystheus that he did not dare to personally entrust him with anything and transmitted all orders to Hercules through his herald Koprey. But the more fearless he came up with tasks for him: one is more difficult than the other.

Nemean lion

Eurystheus did not make Hercules bored for a long time while waiting for work. Hercules was ordered to kill a lion who lived in the neighboring Nemean mountains and instilled fear in the whole area, since it was twice the size of an ordinary lion and had an impenetrable skin. Hercules found his lair (this cave is still shown to tourists), stunned the lion with a blow of his club, strangled it, threw it on his shoulders and brought it to Mycenae. Eurystheus was numb with horror: the incredible strength of the servant frightened him even more than a dead lion thrown at his feet. Instead of gratitude, he forbade Hercules to appear in Mycenae: henceforth, let him show "material evidence" in front of the city gates, and he, Eurystheus, will control them from above. Now let Hercules immediately go on a new assignment - it's time to kill Hydra!

Lernean Hydra

It was a monster with a snake body and nine dragon heads, one of which was immortal. lived in the swamps near the city of Lerna in Argolis and devastated the surrounding area. People were powerless in front of her. Hercules found out that Hydra has an assistant, Karkin, a huge cancer with sharp claws. Then he also took with him an assistant, the youngest son of his brother Iphicles, the brave Iolaus. First of all, Hercules set fire to the forest behind the Lernaean swamps to cut off the retreat for the Hydra, then heated arrows in the fire of the fire and began the battle. Fire arrows only teased Hydra, she rushed to Hercules and immediately lost one of her heads, but two new ones grew in her place. In addition, cancer hastened to help Hydra. But when he grabbed Hercules in the leg, Iolaus killed him with an accurate blow. While Hydra looked around in bewilderment in search of her assistant, Hercules uprooted a burning tree and burned one of its heads: a new one did not grow in its place. Now Hercules knew how to get down to business: he cut off heads, one by one, and Iolaus burned his necks before new heads could grow from the embryos. The latter, despite desperate resistance, Hercules chopped off and burned the immortal head of the Hydra. Hercules immediately buried the charred remains of this head in the ground and rolled it over with a huge stone. He cut the dead Hydra into pieces, just in case, and tempered his arrows in her bile; since then, the wounds inflicted by them have become incurable. Accompanied by the inhabitants of the liberated land, Hercules and Iolaus returned to Mycenae with a victory. But the herald Koprey was already standing in front of the Lion's Gate with a new order: to clear the land of the Stymphalian birds.

Stymphalian birds

These birds were found near Lake Stymphalian in and devastated the surroundings worse than locusts. Their claws and feathers were made of solid copper, and these feathers they could throw off a raid like their current distant relatives - bombers. Fighting against them from the ground was a hopeless affair, as they immediately rained down their killer feathers on the enemy. Therefore, Hercules climbed a tall tree, scared the birds with a rattle and began to shoot them down from a bow one by one, while they circled around the tree, dropping copper arrows to the ground. Finally, in fear, they flew far over the sea.

Kerinean fallow deer

After the expulsion of the Stymphalian birds, Hercules faced a new task: to catch a doe with golden horns and copper legs, which lived in Kerineas (on the border of Achaea and Arcadia) and belonged to Artemis. Eurystheus hoped that the powerful goddess would be angry with Hercules and force him to calm down. Catching this doe was no trivial matter, as she was shy and fast as the wind. Hercules chased her for a whole year, until he managed to get close to shot distance. Wounding the doe, Hercules caught it and brought it to Mycenae. He asked Artemis for forgiveness for his act and made a rich sacrifice to her, appeasing the goddess.

Erymanthian Boar

The next task was of the same kind: it was necessary to catch the Erymanthian boar, which ravaged the vicinity of the city of Psophis and killed many people with its huge fangs. Hercules drove the boar into deep snow, tied it up and brought it to Mycenae alive. Eurystheus, out of fear of the monstrous beast, hid in a barrel and from there he begged Hercules to get out as soon as possible with the boar - for this he, they say, will entrust him with a less dangerous task: to clean out the stable of the Elide king Augeus.

Augean stables

What is true, it is true, the work of Hercules was to be safe, but they were huge, and so much manure and all kinds of dirt accumulated in the barn ... not without reason this barn (or stable) has become proverbial. To cleanse this stable was a superhuman task. Hercules, however, offered the king to put things in order in one day, if he received a tenth of the royal cattle for this. Augeas agreed, and Hercules immediately got down to business, relying not so much on his strength as on quick wit. He drove all the cattle to the pasture, dug a canal leading to and Penei, and diverted the water of these two rivers into it. The gushing water cleared the barn, after which all that remained was to close the channel and drive the cattle back into the stalls. However, King Augeas, meanwhile, learned that this work had previously been entrusted to Hercules by Eurystheus, and under this pretext he refused to reward Hercules. In addition, he insulted the hero, saying that, they say, the son of Zeus should not earn money by cleaning other people's cowsheds. Hercules was not one of those who forgets such grievances: a few years later, having freed himself from service with Eurystheus, he invaded Elis with a large army, destroyed the possessions of Augeus, and killed him himself. In honor of this victory, Hercules founded the Olympic Games.

Cretan bull

The next assignment led Hercules to Crete. Eurystheus ordered the delivery of a wild bull to Mycenae, who escaped from the Cretan king Minos. It was the best bull in the royal herd, and Minos promised to donate it to Poseidon. But Minos did not want to part with such a magnificent specimen, and instead he sacrificed another bull. Poseidon did not allow himself to be fooled and, in revenge, sent rabies to the hidden bull. Hercules not only caught the bull that ravaged the island, but also tamed him, and he obediently transported him on his back from Crete to Argolis.

Horses of diomedes

Then Hercules sailed to Thrace (but already on a ship) to bring Eurystheus fierce horses, which the king of the Bistones, Diomedes, fed with human flesh. With the help of several of his friends, Hercules got horses and brought them to his ship. However, there he was overtaken by Diomedes with an army. Leaving the horses in his care, Hercules in a fierce battle defeated the Bistons and killed Diomedes, but the wild horses meanwhile tore Abder to pieces. When the deeply saddened Hercules brought the horses to Mycenae, Eurystheus set them free, just as he had previously released the Cretan bull.

But neither grief nor disregard for the results of his labors broke Hercules. Without hesitation, he went to the island of Erythia to bring from there a herd of cattle that belonged to the three-body giant Geryon.

Giant Geryon

This island was far to the west, where the land ended in a narrow isthmus. With his mighty club, Hercules divided the isthmus in half and placed two stone pillars along the edges of the strait that emerged (in the ancient world, today's Gibraltar was called the Pillars of Hercules). He came to the western end of the world just at the time when in his solar chariot to the Ocean. To escape from the unbearable heat, Hercules was ready to shoot an arrow at Helios. The reaction of the gods is unpredictable: delighted with the courage of the hero who directed his bow at him, Helios not only did not get angry, but even lent him his golden boat, on which Hercules sailed to Erythia. There, the two-headed dog Orph and the giant Eurytion, who were guarding Geryon's herds, attacked him. Hercules had no choice - he had to kill both, and then Geryon himself. Having endured many misadventures, Hercules drove the herd to the Peloponnese. On the way, he defeated the strong man Eriks, who stole one cow from him, and the giant Kaka, who stole part of the herd from him. When Hercules was already hoping that he would safely reach Mycenae, Hera infuriated the cows, and they fled in all directions. Hercules had to work hard to drive off the whole herd again. Eurystheus sacrificed the cows to the eternal enemy of Hercules - Hera.

Belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons

The next feat of Hercules was an expedition to the country of female warriors - the Amazons, from where he was supposed to bring Hippolyta's belt to Admete, the daughter of Eurystheus. Hercules went there with a small detachment of his friends, and on the way stopped in Mysia, where King Lycus, known for his hospitality, ruled. During a feast arranged by Lik in their honor, warlike bebriks invaded the city. Hercules got up from the table, together with his friends drove out the bebriks, killed their king, and gave all their land to Lika, who named her in honor of Hercules Heraclea. With his victory, he gained such fame that Queen Hippolyta herself came out to meet him in order to voluntarily give him her belt. But then Hera began to spread rumors about Hercules that he intended to take Hippolyta into slavery, and the Amazons believed her. They attacked the detachment of Hercules, and the Greeks had no choice but to take up arms. In the end, they defeated the Amazons and captured many of them, including the two leaders, Melanippe and Antiope. Hippolyta returned freedom to Melaniepe, giving Hercules his belt for this, while Hercules presented Antiope to his friend Theseus as a reward for his bravery. In addition, he knew that Theseus and wanted to marry her (as Theseus did when he returned to Athens).

Hell Dog Kerber

So, Hercules performed ten labors, although Eurystheus at first refused to count the murder of the Lernean Hydra (under the pretext that Hercules used Iolaus' help) and the cleaning of the Augean barn (since Hercules demanded payment from Augeus). The eleventh mission led Hercules to the underworld. Eurystheus demanded to introduce him to Cerberus himself - no more and no less. It was truly a hellish dog: three-headed, snakes wriggling around its neck, and its tail ended in a dragon's head with a disgusting mouth. Although until then no one returned from the afterlife alive, Hercules did not hesitate. The gods were impressed by his courage, and they decided to help him. Hermes, the guide of the souls of the dead, took him to the Tenar gorge (at the present Cape Matapan, in the extreme south of the Peloponnese and the entire European continent), where there was a secret entrance to the kingdom of the dead, and then Athena accompanied him. After a terrible journey, in which he met the shadows of dead friends and slain enemies, Hercules appeared before the throne. Hades listened favorably to the son of Zeus and without anything allowed him to catch and take away Cerberus, provided that he did not use the weapon. True, Kerber himself has not yet said his word. The guardian of the underworld fought back with teeth and nails (more precisely, with claws), beat with a tail with a dragon's head and howled so terribly that the souls of the dead rushed in confusion throughout the afterlife. After a short struggle, Hercules squeezed him with such force that the half-strangled Cerberus calmed down and promised to follow him unquestioningly to Mycenae. At the sight of this monster, Eurystheus fell to his knees (according to another version, he again huddled into a barrel or into a large earthen vessel for grain) and implored Hercules to do mercy: to return this hellish creature to its rightful place.

Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini "Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides"

Golden apples of the Hesperides

The last task remained: Eurystheus ordered to convey to Hercules that he should bring him three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides, daughters who, for rebellion against the gods, were doomed to forever support the firmament. No one knew where these gardens were. It was only known that the way to them was guarded by the vigilant dragon Ladon, who did not know defeat in the struggle and was killing all the defeated, and finally Atlas himself. Hercules went to Egypt, passed Libya and all the lands familiar to him from the time of his trip to Erythia, but he never found the gardens of the Hesperides. Only when he came to the very far north, to the endless waters of Eridan, the nymphs there advised him to turn to the sea god Nereus - he knows and can tell everything, but he needs to be forced to do it. Hercules lay in wait for Nereus, attacked him and after a stubborn struggle (all the more difficult because the sea god kept changing his appearance) tied him. He let him go only when he knew everything he needed to know. The Gardens of the Hesperides were in the far west, somewhere between today's Morocco and southern France. Again Hercules had to go through Libya, where he was met by Antaeus, the son of the earth goddess Gaia. According to his custom, the giant immediately challenged Hercules to single combat. Hercules escaped defeat only because during the struggle he guessed where the giant draws his strength from: feeling tired, he fell to mother earth, and she poured new strength into him. Therefore, Hercules tore him off the ground and lifted him into the air. Antaeus was exhausted, and Hercules strangled him. Continuing the journey, Hercules again and again overcame obstacles and traps that robbers and rulers are preparing for travelers. He also avoided the fate that the Egyptian intended to all foreigners, who sacrificed them to the gods. Finally, Hercules came to Atlanta and explained to him the purpose of the visit. With suspicious readiness, Atlas volunteered to personally bring apples to Hercules, if in the meantime he would hold the firmament on his shoulders. Hercules had no choice - he agreed. Atlas kept his promise and even offered to deliver the apples directly to Mycenae, promising to return immediately. The trick can only be interrupted by trick: Hercules apparently agreed, but asked Atlant to hold the firmament while he made himself a substrate so that his shoulders would not crush. As soon as Atlas took his usual place, Hercules took the apples, kindly thanked for the service - and stopped only in Mycenae. Eurystheus could not believe his eyes and in confusion returned the apples to Hercules. He donated them to Athena, and she returned them to the Hesperides. The twelfth task was completed, and Hercules was freed.

Life and death of Hercules after completing twelve labors

Soon Hercules became free in another sense: he generously yielded to his wife Megara to Iolaus, who in his absence as a faithful friend consoled her and was so used to her that he could no longer live without her. After which Hercules left Thebes, with which now nothing connected him, and returned to Tiryns. But not for long. There, new intrigues of the goddess Hera awaited him, and with them new sufferings and new deeds.

It is not known exactly whether Hera inspired him with a desire for a new wife or awakened in him an ambitious desire to defeat the best shooter in Hellas, the Echali king Evryta. However, both were closely interconnected, since Evritus proclaimed that his daughter, the fair-haired beauty Iola, would be given as a wife only to the one who defeated him in archery. So, Hercules went to Echalia (most likely she was in Messinia, according to Sophocles - on Euboea), appeared at the palace of his former teacher, at first sight fell in love with his daughter, and the next day he defeated him in a competition. But Eurythus, stung by the fact that his own disciple had put him to shame, declared that he would not give his daughter to the one who was a slave to the cowardly Eurystheus. Hercules was offended and went to look for a new wife. He found her in distant Calydon: it was the beautiful Deianira, the daughter of King Oineus.

He did not get it easily: for this, Hercules had to defeat her former fiancé in single combat, a mighty one, who, moreover, could turn into a snake and into a bull. After the wedding, the newlyweds stayed in Oineya's palace, but Hera did not leave Hercules alone. She darkened his mind, and he killed the son of his friend Architel at a feast. Actually, Hercules just wanted to give him a slap on the head for pouring water on his hands, intended for washing his feet. But Hercules did not calculate his strength, and the boy fell down dead. True, Architeles forgave him, but Hercules did not want to stay in Calydon and went with Deianira to Tiryns.

On the way, they came to the river Even. There was no bridge across it, and the centaur Nessus transported those wishing to cross for a moderate fee. Hercules entrusted Deianir with Ness, and he himself overcame the river by swimming. Meanwhile, the centaur, captivated by the beauty of Deianira, tried to kidnap her. But he was overtaken by the deadly arrow of Hercules. The bile of the Lernaean hydra poisoned the centaur's blood, and he soon died. And yet, before his death, he managed to take revenge: Nessus advised Deianira to save his blood and rub Hercules 'clothes with it if he suddenly fell out of love with Deianira - and then Hercules' love would immediately return to her. In Tiryns, Deianir seemed to never need "love blood". The couple lived in peace and harmony, raised their five children - until Hera again intervened in the fate of Hercules.

By a strange coincidence, simultaneously with the departure of Hercules from Echalia, a herd of cattle disappeared from the king of Evryta. It was stolen by Autolycus. But this one, in order to distract suspicions, pointed to Hercules, who, they say, wanted to take revenge on the king for the insult. All Echalia believed this libel - with the exception of the eldest son of Evritus, Iphit. To prove the innocence of Hercules, he himself went in search of the herd, which brought him to Argos; and since he got there, he decided to look into Tiryns. Hercules greeted him heartily, but when, during the feast, he heard what Evritus suspected him of, he became angry, and Hera instilled such indomitable anger in him that he threw Iphit from the city wall. This was no longer just a murder, but a violation of the sacred law of hospitality. Even Zeus was angry with his son and sent a serious illness to him.

The tormented Hercules, straining his last strength, went to Delphi to ask Apollo how he could atone for his guilt. But the Oracle-Oracle did not give him an answer. Then Hercules, losing his temper, took the tripod from her, from which she announced her prophecies, - they say, since she does not fulfill her duties, then she does not need a tripod. Apollo immediately appeared and demanded the return of the tripod. Hercules refused, and the two powerful sons of Zeus started a fight like little children, until the thundering father separated them with lightning and forced them to make peace. Apollo ordered the Pythia to give advice to Hercules, and she announced that Hercules should be sold into slavery for three years, and the proceeds should be given to Euryth as a ransom for the murdered son.

Thus, Hercules again had to part with freedom. He was sold to the Lydian queen Omphale, an arrogant and cruel woman who humiliated him in every possible way. She even made him weave with her maids, while she herself walked in front of him in his skin of a Kiferon lion. From time to time she let him go for a short while - not out of kindness, but so that upon his return he would be the more burdened by the slave lot.

Hercules at Omphale. Painting by Lucas Cranach

During one of these vacations, Hercules participated in, on another time he visited the king of Aulids Sileus, who forced every stranger to work in his vineyard. Once, when he fell asleep in a grove near Ephesus, the dwarfs Kerkopa (or Dactyl) attacked him and stole his weapon. At first, Hercules wanted to thoroughly teach them a lesson, but they were so weak and funny that he released them. Hercules himself invariably returned to his slave service.

Finally, the last day of the third year came, and Hercules received his weapon and freedom from Omphale. The hero parted with her without anger and even satisfied her request to leave her a descendant in memory (born of Hercules later ascended to the Lydian throne). Returning to his homeland, Hercules gathered his faithful friends and began to prepare to pay off the old accounts. The first to pay for the long-standing insult was King Augeas, then it was the turn of the Trojan King Laomedont.

After all these deeds, is it any wonder that the glory of Hercules reached the snowy peaks of Olympus? But this was far from all that he did. For example, he freed the titan Prometheus, snatched Alkestida from the hands of the god of death Thanatos, defeated many enemies, robbers and proud people, for example, Kikna,. Hercules founded a number of cities, the most famous of them being Heraclea (Herculaneum) at Vesuvius. He made many wives happy with offspring (for example, after the first night spent by the Argonauts on Lemnos, no less than fifty Lemnian women named him the father of their sons). Ancient authors had doubts about some of his other accomplishments and deeds, so we will not dwell on them. However, all authors unanimously admit that an honor fell to his lot, which no mortal was honored - Zeus himself asked him for help!

A shot from one of the many TV series and films about Hercules (Hercules). Kevin Sorbo plays Hercules.

This happened during the gigantomachy - the battle of the gods with giants. In this battle on the Phlegrean fields, the Olympian gods had a hard time, as the giants possessed incredible strength, and their mother, the earth goddess Gaia, gave them a magical herb that made them invulnerable to the weapons of the gods (but not mortals). When the scales were already tipping on the side of the giants, Zeus sent Athena for Hercules. Hercules did not take long to persuade; hearing his father's call, he readily rushed to the battlefield. The most powerful of the giants was crushed first - and then, with exemplary interaction with the Olympic team of the gods, all other rebels were killed. With this, Hercules won the gratitude of not only the gods, but also people. For all his faults, Zeus was still much better than his predecessors Kronos and Uranus, not to mention the original Chaos.

On his return from the Phlegrean fields, Hercules decided to return the last of his old debts. He set out on a campaign against Echalia, conquered her and killed Evritus, who had once offended him. Among the captives, Hercules saw the fair-haired Iola and again inflamed with love for her. Upon learning of this, Deianira immediately remembered the dying words of Ness, rubbed Hercules's tunic with blood and, through the ambassador Lichas, handed the tunic to Hercules, who was still in Echalia. As soon as Hercules put on the tunic, the poison of the Lernaean hydra, which poisoned the blood of Ness, penetrated into the body of Hercules, causing him unbearable torment. When they brought him on a stretcher to the palace to Deianira, she was already dead - when she learned that her husband was dying in agony through her fault, she pierced herself with a sword.

Unbearable suffering led Hercules to the idea of ​​parting with life at will. Submitting to Hercules, his friends built a huge fire on Mount Ete and put the hero on it, but no one wanted to light the fire, no matter how Hercules begged them. Finally, the young Philoctetes decided, and as a reward, Hercules presented him with his bow and arrows. A fire flared up from the torch of Philoctetes, but the lightning of Zeus the Thunderer glittered even brighter. Together with lightning, Athena and Hermes flew to the fire and carried Hercules to heaven on a golden chariot. All Olympus welcomed the greatest of heroes, even Hera overcame the old hatred and gave him her daughter as his wife, forever. Zeus called him to the table of the gods, invited him to taste nectar and ambrosia, and as a reward for all his exploits and suffering proclaimed Hercules immortal.

Shot from the cartoon "Hercules and Xena: The Battle for Olympus"

Zeus's decision remains in force to this day: Hercules really became immortal. He lives in legends and sayings, he is still an example of a hero (and as a true hero, he inevitably has negative traits), the Olympic Games are still held, which he allegedly founded in memory of his victory over Augeus or upon his return Argonauts from Colchis. And he still lives in heaven: on a starry night, the constellation of Hercules can be seen with the naked eye. The Greeks and Romans honored him as the greatest of heroes and dedicated cities, temples and altars to him. The creations of ancient and modern artists glorify him. Hercules is the most often depicted image of ancient myths and any legends in general.

The oldest known sculptural image of Hercules - "Hercules fighting the Hydra" (c. 570 BC) - is kept in Athens, in the Acropolis Museum. Among the numerous other works of Greek sculpture, metopes from the temple "C" at Selinunte (c. 540 BC) and 12 metopes depicting the exploits of Hercules from the temple of Zeus at Olympia (470–456 BC) are known. The most preserved Roman sculptures are copies of "Hercules" by Polycletus and "Hercules in the fight with the lion" by Lysippos (one of them is in St. Petersburg, in the Hermitage). Several wall images of Hercules have survived even in the Christian catacombs of Rome (mid-4th century AD).

Of the architectural structures traditionally associated with the name of Hercules, the oldest Greek temple in Sicily, in Akragant (6th century BC) is usually named in the first place. In Rome, two temples were dedicated to Hercules, one under the Capitol, the other behind the Circus Maximus near the Tiber. Altars of Hercules stood in almost every Greek and Roman city.

Plots from the life of Hercules were depicted by numerous European artists: Rubens, Poussin ("Landscape with Hercules and Cacus" - in Moscow, at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), Reni, Van Dyck, Delacroix and many others. A huge number of statues of Hercules by European sculptors, some of the best works as a result of the Thirty Years War and dynastic divisions migrated to Sweden and Austria from Czechoslovakia.

Hercules Farnese and the statue of Hercules in the Hermitage

In the literature, the earliest mentions of the exploits of Hercules (but not all) are contained in Homer; in the future, almost none of the ancient authors did not bypass Hercules. Sophocles dedicated the tragedy of the Trakhine girls to the last period of Hercules' life. Perhaps a little later, the tragedy "Hercules" was created by Euripides on the basis of an unconventional version of the myth (which actually has many variants) - it still remains the best literary monument to Hercules. From the works of modern times we will name "The Choice of Hercules" by K. M. Wieland (1773), "Hercules and the Augean Stables" by Durrenmatt (1954), "Hercules" by Matkovich (1962).

And finally, about the fate of Hercules in music. He was honored with their attention by J.S.Bach (cantata "Hercules at the Crossroads", 1733), G.F. "," The Spinning Wheel of Omphale ", the opera" Deianira ").

Hercules (Hercules) is a synonym for a strong man:

“What a giant he is here!
What shoulders! What a Hercules! .. "
- A. Pushkin, "The Stone Guest" (1830).

Hercules is a hero with remarkable strength and a lion's heart. Defender of ordinary people, assistant to them. The son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene, he was famous for his kindness. Every schoolchild knows the legends about the twelve exploits of Hercules.

Heroes do not last forever, and this mighty warrior was no exception. How did Hercules die? Let's talk about this below.

The birth of a hero

Before turning to the question of why Hercules died, let us recall his life on earth.

The son of the Greek supreme God Zeus and an ordinary woman named Alcmene. Legend has it that the husband of the beautiful Alcmene was the brother of the king of Argoss. And this beautiful young man bore the name Amphitryon. As soon as he saw the girl, he was so struck by her beauty that he immediately forgot about everything in the world. And he went to the house of the beauty, to her parents, to ask for the hand and heart of a young person.

Alcmene's parents did not oppose the desire of the young man of royal blood. And they gave their daughter for him. The newlyweds were happy. And only one circumstance darkened their lives. Amphitryon was an avid hunter and often left his young wife alone in their house.

On one of these days, when Alcmene was longing for her husband, being in the house, he drew attention to the beautiful Zeus. And then he wanted to make her his wife. He began to appear in dreams, persuading him to stop loving his husband-hunter. The young woman did not give in to persuasion, for her heart belonged only to Amphitryon. And then Zeus drove all the forest animals into the forests, where the husband of the rebellious beauty so often hunted. Amphitryon, like a passionate hunter, rushed there, and Zeus, assuming his form, visited Alcmene.

After the allotted time, Hercules, the son of Zeus, was born.

Feats

How did Hercules die? On the next feat? Not at all. But we will return to this a little later. Now let's talk about the feats performed by this mythical character.

Nemean lion. The offspring of the giant Typhon and the monster with the female head of Echidna. The lion was huge and very scary. However, Hercules was able to strangle the monster with his bare hands.

Lernean hydra. Sister of the Nemean lion, half-blood. It was distinguished by the fact that it had several heads, including an immortal one. The son of Zeus cut off the heads of the monster, burned the wounds with fire. The victory was his.

Stymphalian birds. The birds were distinguished by the fact that they had bronze feathers and claws. If not for the help of Athena - the half-sister of Hercules - the latter would have had a hard time. The goddess of wise and just war provided the hero with a special weapon that made a fuss. After the birds soared into the air, the demigod safely shot them.

Kerinean fallow deer. A favorite of Artemis, wreaking havoc on the fields. To no avail, Hercules drove the animal through the forests and fields. Then the hero shot her, wounding her in the leg. Than angered the Goddess - the patroness of hunting.

Erymanthian Boar. The son of Alcmene and Zeus took the animal alive. Despite the size of the boar, they managed to tie it up and deliver it to the palace of King Eurystheus. Who gave all these unthinkable orders to the hero.

Augean stables. In order to fulfill this order of the king, Hercules had to break down the walls of the stables and direct the river beds there.

Cretan bull. According to myths, Poseidon was angry with the inhabitants of Crete for a bad offering. And he sent a huge, ferocious bull on them. Hercules caught Poseidon's bull and brought him to Eurystheus. After all, it was he who so wanted to own the monster. However, the king was frightened by the fierce animal, and the son of Zeus set the bull free.

Horses of Diomedes. Lovely animals. But only - from the view. These cute horses ate human meat. To get the animals, the hero had to engage in battle with their rightful owner. Hercules won, but the fate of the horses was sad. The cowardly king, who dreamed of getting them, did not dare to leave the cannibals in his herd. They were set free and torn apart by wild beasts.

We are all about exploits and exploits. And when will we come to the answer to the question of how Hercules died? This secret will be revealed very soon. In the meantime, briefly about the 9th feat. Hippolyta's Belt - Queen of the Amazons. The beautiful Amazon parted with him voluntarily, giving it to Hercules.

Geryon's cows. To get the herd, our hero had to fight a giant and a two-headed dog. Naturally, both of them were defeated. Hercules got the herd, but thanks to Hera, he then gathered animals for a long time in the fields. The evil stepmother of the hero tried and sent rabies to the cows.

The abduction of Cerberus. To accomplish this feat and the whim of King Eurystheus, Hercules had to overcome the three-headed dog. And with the permission of its owner - Aida. The latter did not believe that his nephew would defeat the dog. And in vain.

Golden fruits of the Hesperides. Apples that give immortality. And this assignment was carried out by a brave hero. But the tsar did not need apples, he longed to destroy the hero. And Eurystheus failed.



It would seem that the life of a hero is one continuous interesting fact. Indisputably. But there are others about which little is known. And this is not the death of Hercules, although it is also not particularly mentioned in mythology.

In all myths, the son of Zeus and Alcmene is glorified as a good hero. But there is an opinion that Hercules had an explosive character. And he was susceptible, speaking in modern language, to attacks of schizophrenia. Therefore, he killed his entire family: his wife with three children.

According to myths, the hero was tall. With dark hair and curly beard. According to other sources, Hercules is short and densely built.

The Augean stables were a stable. Why? Because they contained a huge number of bulls, not horses.

One of Greece's greatest heroes died at the age of 52. So we got to the main point - how Hercules died. The answer to this question is in the next subsection.



Death of the son of Zeus

The hero died at the hands of his own wife, no matter how wild it sounds. And the myths tell that this was the case. Hercules and Deianira crossed a raging and dangerous river. A centaur named Nessus volunteered to transfer the woman. And then he desired her. Naturally, Hercules was indignant, and a fight ensued. The son of Zeus killed the insolent man, but he lied to Deianira before his death. He said that his blood could be used as a love potion. Although she was poisoned. Deianira collects the centaur's blood, and this seems to be the end of the matter.

No matter how it is. The wife was jealous of the son of Zeus for the beautiful Iola. And she sent him clothes soaked in the blood of Nessus. The hero put on a tunic, and the poison caused him terrible torment. To avoid them, the man threw himself into the fire.

According to another version, his death occurred at the age of 50. Hercules committed suicide after discovering that he could not draw the string of his bow. Therefore, why Hercules actually died is not known.

Conclusion

Heroes die too. And sometimes a completely inglorious death. However, the memory of them lives on thanks to perfect deeds.

Hercules, the greatest of heroes in Greek mythology, is the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Zeus needed a mortal hero to defeat the giants, and he decided to give birth to Hercules. The best mentors taught Hercules various arts, wrestling, archery. Zeus wanted Hercules to become the ruler of Mycenae or Tiryns, key fortresses on the approaches to Argos, but jealous Hera thwarted his plans. She struck Hercules with madness, in a fit of which he killed his wife and three of his sons. In atonement for grave guilt, the hero had to serve Eurystheus, king of Tiryns and Mycenae for twelve years, after which he was granted immortality.

Hercules at the crossroads between
Virtue and Vice
Pompeo Batoni, 1765

Francois Lemoine,
1725 year

The most famous cycle of legends about the twelve labors of Hercules. The first feat consisted in the extraction of the skin of a Nemean lion, which Hercules had to strangle with his bare hands. Having defeated the lion, the hero dressed his skin and wore it as a trophy. The next feat was the victory over the hydra, the sacred nine-headed snake of Hera. The monster lived in a swamp near Lerna, not far from Argos. The difficulty was that instead of the head cut off by the hero, the hydra immediately grew two new ones. With the help of his nephew Iolaus, Hercules overpowered the fierce Lernaean hydra - the young man burned the neck of each head severed by the hero. True, the feat was not counted by Eurystheus, since Hercules was helped by his nephew.

Gustave Moreau, 1876

Boris Vallejo, 1988

The next feat was not so bloody. Hercules should have caught the Kerinean doe, the sacred animal of Artemis. Then the hero caught the Erymanth boar, which devastated the fields of Arcadia. At the same time, the wise centaur Chiron accidentally died. The fifth feat was the cleaning of the Augean stables from manure, which the hero did in one day, directing the waters of the nearest river into them.

The last of the feats accomplished by Hercules in the Peloponnese was the expulsion of the Stymphalian birds with pointed iron feathers. The ominous birds were frightened by the copper rattles made by Hephaestus and given to Hercules by the goddess Athena, who is benevolent to him.

The seventh feat was the capture of a fierce bull, which Minos, king of Crete, refused to sacrifice to the god of the sea Poseidon. The bull copulated with Minos' wife Pasiphae. who gave birth to the Minotaur from him, a man with a bull's head.

Hercules performed the eighth feat in Thrace, where he subdued the cannibalistic mares of King Diomedes to his power. The remaining four exploits were of a different kind. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to obtain the belt of the queen of the warlike Amazons, Hippolyta. Then the hero kidnapped and delivered the cows of the three-headed giant Geryon to Mycenae. After that, Hercules brought Eurystheus the golden apples of the Hesperides, for which he had to strangle the giant Antaeus and deceive Atlas, who was holding the firmament on his shoulders. The last feat of Hercules - the journey to the kingdom of the dead - was the most difficult. With the assistance of the queen of the underworld, Persephone, the hero was able to take out and deliver to Tiryns the three-headed dog Cerberus (Cerberus), the guardian of the underworld.

The end of Hercules was terrible. The hero died in terrible agony, putting on a shirt, which his wife Deianira, on the advice of the centaur Ness dying at the hands of Hercules, soaked the poisonous blood of this half-man-half-horse. When the hero, with his last strength, ascended the funeral pyre, a crimson lightning struck from heaven and Zeus accepted his son into the host of immortals.

Some of the exploits of Hercules are immortalized in the names of the constellations. For example, the constellation Leo - in memory of the Nemean lion, the constellation Cancer reminds of the huge cancer Karkin, sent by the Hero to help the Lernaean hydra. In Roman mythology, Hercules corresponds to Hercules.

3 - Stymphalian birds. They killed people and animals with their copper feathers, tore them apart with copper claws and beaks, then devoured them. They lived in the vicinity of the town of Stymphala. Hercules was able to kill the birds with the help of Pallas Athena, who gave him two copper tympanes forged by Hephaestus. From the deafening ringing that rose from the tympans, the birds flew over the forest, and Hercules was able to shoot them with a bow.

4 - Kerinean fallow deer. She had golden horns and brass hooves. Belonged to the goddess of the hunt Artemis. She was sent by the goddess as punishment to people and devastated the fields. Hercules was ordered to capture her alive. He chased the doe for a year and was only able to catch it after he wounded her in the leg.

5 - Erymanthian boar (wild boar) and the battle with the centaurs. The boar, possessing monstrous strength, lived on Mount Erimanth and devastated the surroundings of the city of Psophis. Hercules drove the monster into deep snow and carried it bound to Mycenae.

6 - Augean stables. Hercules had to clear dung from the stables of Avgius, the king of the Epean tribe in Elis, in one day. Augeas had innumerable herds of cattle, which were donated to him by his father (Helios or Poseidon). The barnyard has not been cleaned for 30 years. To carry out the assignment, Hercules blocked off the Alpheus River and directed its waters to the barnyard.

7 - Cretan bull. The fire-breathing bull was sent by Poseidon to the king of Crete Minos, who was supposed to sacrifice the bull to the god of the seas. Minos left the bull in his herd and sacrificed another. Poseidon was angry and sent rabies on the donated bull. Hercules had to catch the bull and bring him to Mycenae. To accomplish this, Hercules sat on the broad back of the bull and swam across the sea on it.

8 - Horses of King Diomedes. Horses of wondrous beauty and strength. They lived in Thrace with King Diomedes, who fed them with human flesh, throwing them to be devoured by all strangers. Hercules tamed the man-eating horses and brought them to Eurystheus, who set them free. In the mountains, the horses were torn to pieces by wild animals.

9 - Belt of Hippolyta. The belt was presented to the queen of the Amazons Hippolyta by the god of war Ares and served as a symbol of power over the Amazons. This belt Hercules was supposed to bring Eurystheus for his daughter, a priestess of the goddess Hera.

10 - Geryon's cows. The giant Geryon had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs. Hercules had to drive the cows of the giant Geryon to Mycenae. To reach the island of Erifeia, where Geryon grazed his flocks, Helios helped Hercules by delivering him on his golden boat, and Athena Pallas helped to defeat Geryon.

11 - Kerber. Cerberus (Cerberus) was the guardian of the underworld of Hades. It had three heads, snakes wriggled around its neck, and its tail ended with the head of a dragon. Hercules was supposed to go down to Hades and lead Kerberus to Eurystheus. According to the condition of Hades, Hercules could take Kerberus only if he could tame him without weapons.

12 - Apples of the Hesperides. It was considered the most difficult feat. The Hesperides, daughter of the titan Atlas, looked after the golden apples in their father's orchards. Apples, giving eternal youth, grew on a golden tree grown by the goddess of the earth Gaia as a gift to Hera on the day of her wedding to Zeus, and the garden was guarded by a dragon. Hercules was ordered to bring three golden apples. The difficulty was that no one, except the sea prophetic elder Nereus, knew the way to the gardens. Nereus was forced to reveal the secret of the path so that Hercules who bound him would release him.

Hercules- the name by which Hercules was known in ancient Rome and had the glory of a fighter against injustice. Due to his willingness to serve people and endurance, he was the ideal for the Stoics.

The Burgundian royal lineage was descended from Hercules and Queen Eliza.

The concept of a myth, mythological time. Features of myths.

A myth is a tale of supernatural beings that explain the origin of the myth and its elements.

Mythology - 1) A science that studies myths, beliefs and rituals.

2) The system of beliefs and rituals

3) The system of myths

Features of myths:

Ancient man perceived myth as truth

Myth is a sacred phenomenon

The function of a myth, as opposed to a fairy tale (to develop and teach), is to explain

Special characters (table)

Syncretic phenomenon

The myth reflects a view of the world, ethics, aesthetics, history, philosophy

Myths retained archetypes

The most ancient are etymological

The latest are cosmogonic

Mythological archetypes and characters of myths

The term archetype originated in antiquity. Mythological archetypes reflect a person's ability to generalize and draw conclusions. Now look at the tables.

Hero myths (Hercules, Theseus, Perseus, Jason, Odysseus)

Perseus

King Acrisius had a daughter, Danae. It was predicted to Acrisius that he would die at the hands of the son of Danae. To avoid such a fate, he built underground chambers and imprisoned his daughter Danae in them. Zeus fell in love with her and entered the chambers in the form of a golden rain. They had a son, Perseus. Acrisius found out about this and concluded Danae with his son in a box and sent to the sea. The fisherman Diktris accidentally pulled the box ashore and the answer to Danai and Perseus to his brother Tsar Polydectus. Over time, Polydectus planned to take Danae as his wife, but Perseus stood up for his mother. The king decided to destroy him and sent Perseus to fetch the head of the gorgon Medusa. Perseus coped with this task. The gods Hermes and Athena actively helped him (Hermes gave a sharp sword, and Athena gave a shining shield, in which everything was reflected). Perseus also received gifts from the nymphs: the helmet of the ruler of the Underworld Hades, which makes anyone who puts on him invisible, sandals with wings, with which you can quickly rush through the air, and a bag that expanded and contracted depending on what was in it. ... Equipped, Perseus went to the Gorgons. When he arrived on the island of the gorgons, Hermes told him who exactly is Medusa (of the three gorgons, she was the only mortal + they looked alike). Having defeated a dangerous enemy, Perseus went home. The assassination of Medusa is the most important feat of Perseus. On the way home, the hero turned the giant Atlas to stone for not accepting him as a guest (because of the prediction). Perseus also saved Andromeda, who was supposed to atone for the guilt of the boastful mother, who angered the sea nymphs. Poseidon sent a monster (giant fish) to Andromeda, but Perseus protected her. Together with Andromeda, returning to Tsar Polydectus, Perseus turned him into stone, since he did not believe that the hero was able to defeat Medusa and asked for proof. During the competition in throwing a heavy discus, Perseus became the unwitting killer of his grandfather. And so the oracle's predictions came true.

Theseus.

King Aegeus, who ruled in Athens for a long time, was saddened by only one thing: he had no children. The Oracle of Apollo gave Aegeus an unclear answer. King Pitfey unraveled the mystery of the answer and realized that Aegeus would have a son who would become a great hero. Pitfey gave his daughter Ephra to wife Aegea and they had a child, but it was the son of the god Poseidon. When Theseus grew up, he was able to move the rock under which Aegeus left him his sword and sandals. On the way to Athens, the young hero defeated the giant Periphetes (the son of the god Hephaestus), the pine-beater Sinida, a huge wild pig, the robber Skiron, and other cruel robbers. The main feat of Theseus is the murder of a minotaur who lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete. He did this thanks to a sharp sword and a ball of thread that Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, gave him. Theseus dies after a long imprisonment in the kingdom of Hades at the hands of the traitor king, who did not want to give him his possession and pushed Theseus into the sea.

Hercules

Hercules is the son of Zeus and a mere mortal. When a mighty hero lived in Thebes, Hera sent a terrible disease to him. Hercules lost his mind and in a fit killed all his children and brother. After that, Hercules went to Apollo, what should he do. God told him to go home and serve Eurystheus for 12 years.

1 feat: Nemean lion.

2: Lernaean hydra

3: steamphalian birds

4: the Kerinean fallow deer

5: the Erymanthian boar and the battle with the centaurs

6: barnyard of king Augean

7: Cretan bull

8: horses of Diomedes

9: Hippolyta's Belt

10: Geryon's cows

11: Kerber

12: Apples of the Hesperides

Jason

Jason was raised by the centaur Chiron in a cave. When he was 20 years old, Jason decided to return to his native Iolk in order to regain power, and Pelius ruled at that time, who took power from Jason's father. However, Pelius, holding a grudge in his heart, asked Jason to appease the underground gods and take possession of the golden fleece in Colchis. Jason has gathered many heroes. Their ship was called Argo. Athena and Hera took the heroes under their protection. On the way, the Argonauts visited the island of Lemnos. They also defeated the six-armed giants who wanted to block the Argonauts' exit from the gulf. In Colchis, Jason tells King Eetus that he will perform any service if he gives up the fleece. Eeth asks Jason to plow the field dedicated to Ares with a plow harnessed by fire-breathing bulls.