Hercules.
Hercules (Greek) Hercules (Roman) Hercules the most popular hero of myths Ancient Greece. The prototype could have been one of the kings of the city of Tiryns (Argolid of the Mycenaean period). Real name Alcides (“strong” or “grandson of King Alcaeus”). The name Hercules (translated as “performing feats due to the persecution of Hera”) was given by the soothsayer Pythia. Genealogy. The son of Zeus and Alcmene, brother of Iphicles (on his mother’s side), husband of Megara and Deianira, on Olympus, after death and acceptance into the host of Olympian deities, became the husband of Hebe. Father of the Heraclides. The twins were conceived in one night: from Zeus, who appeared to Alcmene in the form of her husband Hercules, and from Amphitryon himself Iphicles.
Worship center. He was revered throughout Greece, but especially in Argolis (Peloponnese) and southern Greece. The first wife was Megara, the daughter of the king of Thebes, who bore Hercules three sons. After Hera sent madness to Hercules, he killed both his sons and the children of Iphicles. Having completed all 12 labors and completed his service with Eurystheus, he married Deianira (at the request of the shadow of her brother Meleager), whose children later became known as Heraclides (eldest son Gill, eldest daughter Macarius). After Hercules gains immortality and ascends to Olympus, her daughter, the goddess of youth Hebe, becomes his wife as a reward for his exploits and as a sign of reconciliation with Hera.
The story of the death of the invincible hero is connected with Deianira. After the wedding, Hercules and his wife went to Tiryns and on the way they met the centaur Nessus, who was transporting travelers across the Evenu River. Nessus, who offered to transport Dejanira to the other side, decided to kidnap her and Hercules was forced to pierce the centaur with an arrow poisoned with the poison of the Lernaean hydra. Dying, Nessus advised Deianira to collect his blood as a “love potion.” A few years after this incident, Hercules fell in love with the daughter of King Eurytus Iola and Deianira, hoping with the help of a “love potion” to return her husband’s love, decided to send him a tunic as a gift, soaked, on the advice of Nessus, with his blood. During a sacrifice to the gods from the fire of the altars, the poisoned cloak donated by his wife stuck to the body of Hercules, and the poison of the Lernaean hydra began to penetrate his skin, causing unbearable suffering. To stop the torment, Hercules threw himself into the fire. In another version, Hercules was burned alive on a funeral pyre by his eldest son Hyllus and his friends, performing last will hero.
This is how the prediction of Zeus came true, who predicted that Hercules would die from the machinations of Hades, who had descended into the kingdom, and not from the hand of the living. When the flames of the fire flared up, Athena and Hermes appeared on a golden chariot, carrying Hercules to Olympus. Dejanira committed suicide, and Gill, fulfilling his father’s will, took Iola as his wife. The descendants of Hercules and Hyllus began to be called Heraclides.
Labors of Hercules:
Hercules first showed his strength while still a baby, strangling in his cradle two snakes sent by Hera to kill the illegitimate son of Zeus.
Famous feats were performed by Hercules by order of the weak and cowardly Argive king Eurystheus, whose servant Hercules was for 12 years. Serving Eurystheus and performing twelve great labors was atonement for the sin of infanticide and a condition of the agreement between Zeus and Hera (only after this could Hercules receive immortality).
1 Nemean Lion. The monstrous lion was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. He lived near the city of Nemea (Argolis) and devastated its surroundings. Its skin was invulnerable to arrows and spears, and Hercules strangled the lion with his bare hands, after which he tore off his skin, which he later wore.
2 Lernaean Hydra. The monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon was also the creation of Typhon and Echidna. She lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna (Argolis). The breath of the hydra destroyed all living things. One of her heads was immortal, and in the place of the severed head two new ones grew. Hercules defeated the hydra, calling for help from his nephew Iolaus, who cauterized the monster’s fresh wounds with burning brands.
3 Stymphalian birds. They killed people and animals with their copper feathers, tore them apart with copper claws and beaks, and then devoured them. They lived in the vicinity of the city of Stymphala. Hercules was able to kill the birds with the help of Pallas Athena, who gave him two copper tympani forged by Hephaestus. From the deafening ringing that rose from the tympanums, the birds flew up over the forest, and Hercules was able to shoot them with a bow.
4 Kerynean fallow deer. She had golden horns and copper hooves. Belonged to the goddess of hunting Artemis. She was sent by the goddess to punish people and devastated the fields. Hercules was ordered to catch her alive. He was chasing a doe whole year and was able to catch her only after he wounded her in the leg.
5 Erymanthian boar (boar) and the battle with the centaurs. The boar, who had monstrous strength, lived on Mount Erymanthes and devastated the surroundings of the city of Psofis. Hercules drove the monster into deep snow and carried it bound to Mycenae.
6 Augean stables. Hercules had to clear the stables of Augeas, king of the Epean tribe in Elis, from manure in one day. Augeas had countless herds of cattle, which were given to him by his father (Helios or Poseidon). The barnyard had not been cleared for 30 years. To fulfill the assignment, Hercules blocked the Alpheus River and directed its waters to 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 kept the bull in his herd and sacrificed another. Poseidon became angry and sent the donated bull into a frenzy. Hercules had to catch the bull and bring it to Mycenae. To accomplish this, Hercules sat on the broad back of a 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 human flesh, throwing all foreigners to them to be eaten. Hercules tamed the cannibal horses and delivered them to Eurystheus, who released them into freedom. 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. Hercules was supposed to bring this belt to Eurystheus for his daughter, the priestess of the goddess Hera.
10 Cows of Geryon. The giant Geryon had three torsos, three heads, six arms and six legs. Hercules had to drive the cows of the giant Geryon to Mycenae. Helios helped Hercules to reach the island of Erythea, where Geryon grazed his flocks, delivering him on his golden boat, and Pallas Athena helped Heryon defeat him.
11 Kerber. Kerberus (Cerberus) was the guardian of the underground kingdom of Hades. It had three heads, snakes writhed around its neck, and its tail ended with the head of a dragon. Hercules had to go down to Hades and bring Cerberus 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, daughters of the Titan Atlas, looked after the golden apples in their father's gardens. Apples, which bestow eternal youth, grew on a golden tree grown by the earth goddess Gaia as a gift to Hera on her wedding day with 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 prophetic sea elder Nereus, knew the way to the gardens. Nereus was forced to reveal the secret of the path so that Hercules, who had 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. Thanks to his willingness to serve people and endurance, he was an ideal for the Stoics. The Burgundian royal family traced its origins to Hercules and Queen Eliza.
Hercules - in ancient greek mythology hero, son of the god Zeus and Alcmene, wife of the hero Amphitryon. Among the numerous myths about Hercules, the most famous is the cycle of tales about the 12 labors performed by Hercules when he was in the service of the Mycenaean king Eurystheus. The cult of Hercules was very popular in Greece; through Greek colonists it early spread to Italy, where Hercules was revered under the name Hercules.
One day, the evil Hera sent a terrible illness to Hercules. The great hero lost his mind, madness took possession of him. In a fit of rage, Hercules killed all his children and the children of his brother Iphicles. When the fit passed, deep sorrow took possession of Hercules. Cleansed from the filth of the involuntary murder he committed, Hercules left Thebes and went to the sacred Delphi to ask the god Apollo what he should do. Apollo ordered Hercules to go to the homeland of his ancestors in Tiryns and serve Eurystheus for twelve years. Through the mouth of the Pythia, the son of Latona predicted to Hercules that he would receive immortality if he performed twelve great labors at the command of Eurystheus. Hercules settled in Tiryns and became a servant of the weak, cowardly Eurystheus... In the service of Eurystheus, Hercules accomplished his 12 legendary feats, for which he needed all his strength, as well as ingenuity and good advice of the gods.
12 labors of Hercules
The canonical scheme of 12 labors was first established by Pisander of Rhodes in the poem “Hercules”. The order of feats is not the same for all authors. In total, Pythia ordered Hercules to perform 10 labors, but Eurystheus did not count 2 of them. I had to perform two more and it turned out to be 12. In 8 years and one month he accomplished the first 10 feats, in 12 years - all of them.
- Strangulation of the Nemean Lion
- Killing the Lernaean Hydra (not counted due to Iolaus' help)
- Extermination of Stymphalian birds
- Capture of the Keryneian Hind
- Taming of the Erymanthian Boar
- Cleaning the Augean Stables (not counted due to fee requirement)
- Taming of the Cretan Bull
- The Stealing of the Horses of Diomedes, victory over King Diomedes (who threw strangers to be devoured by his horses)
- The theft of the Belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons
- Stealing the cows of the three-headed giant Geryon
- The theft of golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides
- Taming the guard of Hades - the dog Cerberus
The first labor of Hercules (summary)
Hercules strangled the huge Nemean lion, which was born by the monsters Typhon and Echidna and caused devastation in Argolis. Hercules' arrows bounced off the lion's thick skin, but the hero stunned the beast with his club and strangled him with his hands. In memory of this first feat, Hercules established the Nemean Games, which were celebrated in the ancient Peloponnese every two years.
The second labor of Hercules (summary)
Hercules killed the Lernaean hydra - a monster with the body of a snake and 9 heads of a dragon, which crawled out of a swamp near the city of Lerna, killed people and destroyed entire herds. In place of each hydra head severed by the hero, two new ones grew until Hercules’ assistant, Iolaus, began to burn the hydra’s necks with burning tree trunks. He also killed a giant crayfish that crawled out of the swamp to help the hydra. Hercules soaked his arrows in the poisonous bile of the Lernaean hydra, making them deadly.
The third labor of Hercules (summary)
Stymphalian birds attacked people and livestock, tearing them apart with copper claws and beaks. In addition, they dropped deadly bronze feathers from a height like arrows. The goddess Athena gave Hercules two tympanums, with the sounds of which he scared away the birds. When they flew up in a flock, Hercules shot some of them with a bow, and the rest flew away in horror to the shores of the Pontus Euxine (Black Sea) and never returned to Greece.
The fourth labor of Hercules (summary)
The Kerynean doe with golden horns and copper legs, sent to punish people by the goddess Artemis, never tired, rushed around Arcadia and devastated the fields. Hercules chased the doe at a run for a whole year, reaching in pursuit of her the sources of the Istra (Danube) on far north and then returning back to Hellas. Here Hercules wounded the doe in the leg with an arrow, caught her and brought her alive to Eurystheus in Mycenae.
The fifth labor of Hercules (summary)
Possessing monstrous strength, the Erymanthian boar terrified the entire surrounding area. On the way to fight him, Hercules visited his friend, the centaur Pholus. He treated the hero to wine, angering the other centaurs, since the wine belonged to all of them, and not to Fol alone. The centaurs rushed at Hercules, but with archery he forced the attackers to hide with the centaur Chiron. While chasing the centaurs, Hercules burst into Chiron's cave and accidentally killed him with an arrow. wise hero many Greek myths. Having found the Erymanthian boar, Hercules drove it into deep snow, and it got stuck there. The hero took the tied boar to Mycenae, where the frightened Eurystheus, at the sight of this monster, hid in a large jug.
The sixth labor of Hercules (summary)
King Augeas of Elis, the son of the sun god Helios, received from his father numerous herds of white and red bulls. His huge barnyard had not been cleared for 30 years. Hercules offered Augeas to clear the stall in a day, asking in return for a tenth of his herds. Believing that the hero could not cope with the work in one day, Augeias agreed. Hercules blocked the rivers Alpheus and Peneus with a dam and diverted their water to Augeas's farmyard - all the manure was washed away from it in a day.
Greedy Augeas did not give Hercules the promised payment for his work. A few years later, having already been freed from service with Eurystheus, Hercules gathered an army, defeated Augeas and killed him. After this victory, Hercules founded the famous Olympic Games in Elis, near the city of Pisa.
The seventh labor of Hercules (summary)
The god Poseidon gave the Cretan king Minos a beautiful bull to sacrifice himself. But Minos left the wonderful bull in his herd, and sacrificed another to Poseidon. The angry god sent the bull into a frenzy: he began to rush all over Crete, destroying everything along the way. Hercules caught the bull, tamed it, and swam on its back across the sea from Crete to the Peloponnese. Eurystheus ordered the bull to be released. He, again enraged, rushed from Mycenae to the north, where he was killed in Attica by the Athenian hero Theseus.
The Eighth Labor of Hercules (summary)
The Thracian king Diomedes owned horses of wondrous beauty and strength, which could only be kept in a stall with iron chains. Diomedes fed the horses with human meat, killing the foreigners who came to him. Hercules led the horses away by force and defeated Diomedes, who rushed in pursuit, in battle. During this time, the horses tore to pieces Hercules' companion, Abdera, who was guarding them on the ships.
The Ninth Labor of Hercules (summary)
The queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta, wore a belt given to her by the god Ares as a sign of her power. Eurystheus's daughter, Admeta, wanted this belt. Hercules with a detachment of heroes sailed to the kingdom of the Amazons, to the shores of the Pontus Euxine (Black Sea). Hippolyta, at the request of Hercules, wanted to give up the belt voluntarily, but other Amazons attacked the hero and killed several of his companions. Hercules defeated seven of the strongest warriors in battle and put their army to flight. Hippolyta gave him the belt as a ransom for the captured Amazon Melanippe. On the way back from the land of the Amazons, Hercules saved Hesione, the daughter of the Trojan king Laomendont, who, like Andromeda, was doomed to sacrifice at the walls of Troy. sea monster. Hercules killed the monster, but Laomedont did not give him the promised reward - the horses of Zeus belonging to the Trojans. For this, Hercules, a few years later, made a campaign against Troy, took it and killed the entire family of Laomedon, leaving only one of his sons, Priam, alive. Priam ruled Troy during the glorious Trojan War.
The tenth labor of Hercules (summary)
On the westernmost edge of the earth, the giant Geryon, who had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs, was tending cows. By order of Eurystheus, Hercules went after these cows. The long journey to the west itself was already a feat, and in memory of it, Hercules erected two stone (Hercules) pillars on both sides of a narrow strait near the shores of the Ocean (modern Gibraltar). Geryon lived on the island of Erithia. So that Hercules could reach him, the sun god Helios gave him his horses and a golden boat, on which he himself sails across the sky every day.
Having killed Geryon's guards - the giant Eurytion and two-headed dog Ortho - Hercules captured the cows and drove them to the sea. But then Geryon himself rushed at him, covering his three bodies with three shields and throwing three spears at once. However, Hercules shot him with a bow and finished him off with a club, and transported the cows on Helios’s shuttle across the Ocean. On the way to Greece, one of the cows ran away from Hercules to Sicily. To free her, the hero had to kill the Sicilian king Eryx in a duel. Then Hera, hostile to Hercules, sent rabies into the herd, and the cows that had fled from the shores of the Ionian Sea were barely caught in Thrace. Eurystheus, having received Geryon's cows, sacrificed them to Hera.
The Eleventh Labor of Hercules (summary)
Hercules had to find the way to the great titan Atlas (Atlas), who holds the firmament on his shoulders at the edge of the earth. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to take three golden apples from the golden tree in the garden of Atlas. To find out the way to Atlas, Hercules, on the advice of the nymphs, lay in wait for the sea god Nereus on the seashore, grabbed him and held him until he showed the right road. On the way to Atlas through Libya, Hercules had to fight the cruel giant Antaeus, who received new powers by touching his mother, Earth-Gaia. After a long fight, Hercules lifted Antaeus into the air and strangled him without lowering him to the ground. In Egypt, King Busiris wanted to sacrifice Hercules to the gods, but the angry hero killed Busiris along with his son.
The Twelfth Labor of Hercules (summary)
By order of Eurystheus, Hercules descended through the Tenar abyss into the gloomy kingdom of the god of the dead Hades in order to take away his guard from there - three-headed dog Cerberus, whose tail ended in the head of a dragon. At the very gates underworld Hercules freed the Athenian hero Theseus, rooted to the rock, who, together with his friend, Periphoes, was punished by the gods for trying to steal his wife Persephone from Hades. In the kingdom of the dead, Hercules met the shadow of the hero Meleager, to whom he promised to become the protector of his lonely sister Deianira and marry her. The ruler of the underworld, Hades, himself allowed Hercules to take Cerberus away - but only if the hero was able to tame him. Having found Cerberus, Hercules began to fight him. He strangled the dog, pulled him out of the ground and brought him to Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus, at one glance at the terrible dog, began to beg Hercules to take her back, which he did.
Hercules is an ancient hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, the supreme deity of the Greek pantheon and an earthly woman. In Latin transcription, the hero's name sounds like Hercules, but don't let this confuse you - Hercules and Hercules are the same character. Being a demigod, Hekarl spent his entire life seeking the favor of his thunder father and the opportunity to get to Olympus, for which he had to perform 12 feats, which immortalized the name of the hero for centuries. This myth should not be taken literally. The entire biography of Hercules is a code, by solving which a person can find the path leading to the knowledge of his divine nature.
As an infant, Hercules defeated two snakes that crawled into his cradle. This symbol can be understood as a manifestation of the power of pure, childlike consciousness, which has control of the kundalini energy or sexual energy, depicted in the form of two snakes. It should also be understood that the most fateful victories happen spontaneously, unconsciously, without fear or doubt. It is they who are decisive in our destiny, just as the victory over snakes became decisive in the fate of little Hercules - seeing the strength of his stepson, Amphitryon, Alcmene’s husband, decided to give the baby a comprehensive education, which in the future will become the foundation for the rational and conscious use of his abilities.
In the life of Hercules, Zeus and Hera play a key role, symbolizing, respectively, the masculine and feminine principles. The masculine principle carries harmony, the desire to learn, the desire for knowledge, and personifies order. The feminine, on the contrary, sows destruction and chaos, awakens the animal in a person and pushes him to stupid, reckless actions.
Hercules performed many heroic deeds, mostly military, but they can be attributed to rumors and legends that surrounded the original myth of the demigod. The main ones are the 12 labors performed by Hercules in the service of King Eurystheus. They can be dubbed “feats of spirit,” because the hero probably realized the worthlessness of his master, and despite this, he still humbly accepted the challenges thrown at him. Service is one of the cornerstone pillars of all religions; it is manifested in the persistence of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus, in the abandonment of his own pride in favor of accumulation inner strength and wisdom, redemption of past mistakes and spiritual growth.
In his youth, Hercules was generously gifted by the gods, which is also undoubtedly an act of symbolism. Each of these gifts can be understood in terms of the traits attributed to the deities of the givers. So, Hermes presented Hercules with a sharp sword - a sharp word, eloquence; Apollo presented a bow and arrows - elegance, aestheticism, artistry, or simply a sunny, beneficial mood; Hephaestus gave the shell - physical skill and strength; Athena wove clothes, endowing the hero with wisdom, spirituality, determination, fearlessness and sanity, without which other gifts would be useless.
At a young age, Hercules had the opportunity to protect his hometown from enemies, after which he got married and began to live like a common person, in warmth and comfort, content with what is called “ordinary human happiness.” But was this why he was given divine abilities? Finding no way out, the power of Hercules led to his insanity - in an uncontrollable fit of rage, the hero kills his wife and children, after which, on the advice of the gods, he enters the service of Eurystheus in order to atone for his deeds and unlock his potential, having learned the mysteries of his higher self. "
His first feat was the victory over the Nemean Lion. Having defeated the lion, Hercules subjugated his deep, subconscious, animal forces and mastered solar energy, which was symbolized by a lion. The skin of a lion, which in the future serves as protection for Hercules, indicates that conquered passions serve as true protection for a person, making him immune to external hostile attacks.
The second labor of Hercules was the victory over the Lernaean Hydra, which, like the Nemean Lion, was the product of Echidna, the image of darkness hidden in the human unconscious. Hydra personifies a whole series of human vices at once, “their name is Legion.” These are illusions, phobias and vices such as envy, conceit, laziness, anger, gluttony - they cannot be put into their own service, and the one who has left is invariably replaced by another, or even several, which is depicted in the form of Hydra heads. Hercules retreated, fell into a mire, was attacked by a cancer, and even resorted to the help of his nephew Iolaus, which hints at the importance of family ties and the younger generation in trying to cope with the dark sides of one's soul.
Cancer illustrates genetic predispositions and heredity, but Hercules simply crushes it - even the most difficult, inevitable problems of the family cannot distract the true desire for self-knowledge and self-improvement. Hercules manages to defeat the Hydra with the help of fire, symbolizing active action, virtue, and creation. That is, the path to victory over your weaknesses lies in shifting the position from “not doing bad” to the position of “doing good.” But one of the heads of the Hydra is immortal and cannot be cut off or burned - Hercules presses this head with a fragment of rock - a symbol of firmness, fidelity, constancy. It is impossible to completely get rid of vice, but only tireless vigilance can protect you from it.
The third labor of Hercules was the catching of the Kerynean fallow deer, the favorite of the goddess Artemis. Hunting here is not about killing, but about acquiring. Her golden horns and copper hooves are a symbol of material wealth, and her tirelessness and playfulness are a symbol of passions and emotions. After much preparation, Hercules pursued the doe all the way to Hyperborea. This is the pursuit of the joys of life, both emotional and material, so tempting and tempting. Hercules, in different interpretations, catches the doe in different ways, but in each of the presented methods, of which there are many implied, patience, diligence and self-control are hidden.
The fourth labor of Hercules was to catch the Erymanthian boar. The specificity of the feat is that the path to Mount Erymanths, where the monster lived, lay through an oak grove where centaurs lived and there was no way to avoid meeting them. It is the meeting with the centaurs that plays the main role here, and not the catching of wild boar. And this is a lesson about the essence of frivolity that comes after defeating vices, conquering passions and acquiring material wealth. Hercules accepts the invitation of Pholus, the sweetest of the centaurs, to stay with him. But friendly gatherings turn into a bloody battle, provoked by other centaurs, offended that they were not invited. In the heat of a fight, Hercules, flushed with wine, mortally wounds the foul and Chiron, the wisest of the centaurs, Achilles’ teacher and his friend.
Centaurs, companions of Dionysius, symbolize, among other things, drunkenness. And the forest, the grove, is a sacred space of the soul in which temptations roam, and those of the kind that cause harm not to others, but to oneself. And the boar is a symbol of immoderation, descent, carnal pleasures that harm the spirit. And Hercules succumbs to temptation, which turns into the death of Chiron, the healer - succumbing to temptation, what is supposed to heal turns out to be destroyed. The boar himself did not take the sword, and Hercules blinded him sunbeam, reflected from the shield, scared him with screams and noise and drove him to a mountain peak, where he got stuck in the snow. This is a practical hint - brute strength does not overcome weakness, but the opportunity to “blind” them, deprive them of the source of temptation and allow emotions to come out, childishly screaming and playing the fool can be effective solution. Hercules brought a live boar to Eurystheus, but its further fate is unknown, which can be understood as a hint at the indestructibility of internal weaknesses and temptations. Here, as with Hydra, only an unbending intention will help.
Having caught a boar, Hercules was given the task of killing the ferocious and bloodthirsty giant birds living on a swampy lake near Stymphalos. These birds symbolize base, lustful human thoughts. First, Hercules strikes the birds with arrows, a gift from Apollo symbolizing clear thoughts. But there are a lot of birds and this method turns out to be ineffective. They need to be expelled. Athena, symbolizing intelligence and practicality, comes to the aid of Hercules - she gives him rattles made by Hephaestus, the sound of which drives birds out of the valley. Negative thoughts can be banished by productive thoughts. creative activity, since the ability to create is, in itself, a gift from the gods.
The Augean stables are the sixth labor of Hercules. For thirty years, manure had been accumulating in the stables of King Augeas, and the hero was entrusted with removing it. But this is a lesson in rational thinking - Hercules cleaned out the stables, but did this by directing a stream of river into the barnyard, which washed away all the impurities. In mental and emotional terms, this feat is a symbol of purification. Hercules, by the way, was entitled to a tenth of Augeas’s herds for his work, but he became greedy and took advantage of non-standard approach Hercules deprived him of his reward. Deception is also a part of life and sometimes even heroes cannot foresee it. Subsequently, however, Hercules took away all his wealth from Augeas, but that was only later.
The seventh labor was a bull from the island of Crete, which had to be defeated. The bull was a gift from Poseidon himself, but Minos, the king of Crete, did not sacrifice the bull as he should have, as a result of which Poseidon sent rabies into the bull. Passion, desire, lust, sensual instinct - all these qualities are embodied in the symbol of the bull, a traditional archetype of the collective unconscious. O also symbolizes a mixture of feminine and masculine principles, the elements of fire and water. To comprehend the unity of these differences, as well as to tame passion and gain mastery over one’s desires is the true motive of achievement. Hercules should not have destroyed, but tamed the bull, for which it was necessary to know and study it. How Hercules managed to tame the bull remains a mystery, which can be understood as a hint at an individual path for everyone - specific recommendations are powerless here.
The eighth feat is obtaining Hippolyta's belt. This touches on the sensitive topic of relationships between men and women. Hippolyta, leader of the Amazons, wields the belt of Ares, the god of war. Here lies the complex relationship between masculine and feminine. A man without a woman, like a woman without a man, is somewhat inferior and inharmonious. In different versions of the myth, Hercules takes possession of the belt in different ways: in one he receives it as a reward or deserves it, in another he takes it away by force. But both options illustrate that a man gets from a woman exactly what he gives her. And only the intrigues of Hera, as well as the suspiciousness, suspicions, fears and ego of Hippolyta lead to the fact that the battle still happens, and Hippolyta, succumbing to the voice of the dark principle, either dies or remains a loser. The lesson of this feat is clear: a man should not be led by the dangerous thoughtless impulses of his aggression, and a woman should consciously work with her secret fears and insecurities.
The Horses of Diomedes is the ninth labor of Hercules. Diomedes fed his horses the flesh of his enemies, and animals, usually personifying the bright side, are presented here in the opposite image. Apparently, they represent time, which devours human flesh, as well as immaterial passions, such as the lust for power. Hercules bridles the horses and defeats Diomedes himself, but in the process his friend dies, which symbolizes the inevitability of sacrifices on the path of knowledge. The horses, as a result, were successfully transported by Hercules to Mycenae. They were sacrificed to the gods or, according to another version, released into the forest thickets, where they were torn to pieces by other predatory animals. Morality and spirituality in a person are able to tame and subjugate the thirst for non-material goods, which, however, can be destroyed by other desires and passions in the wilds human soul. Considering horses as a symbol of time, we can come to the conclusion that a person who knows how to distribute and manage his time either sacrifices it for the benefit of his own improvement and development, or directs it into an active life outside, as a result of which the time that devours a person is itself devoured activities.
The tenth labor of Hercules was the task of stealing a whole herd of red cows from the giant monster Geryon, who lived far in the West, traditionally associated with the kingdom of death. This feat can be considered as killing stereotypical thinking and gaining a fresh enlightened consciousness. The cow guards are the servants of Geryon: the giant Eurytion and the dog-headed Ortr, the offspring of Echidna. Together they personify the formless primeval nature, wildness and duality, which is the source of the dark depths of the unconscious, aggressively tearing our consciousness away from the peace and harmony of unity. Geryon is Echidna's brother. He is very ugly - he has three fused torsos, three heads, and six arms and legs. There is an obvious allusion to the biblical ominous number of the beast - 666, which emphasizes the power of this devilish creature. Perhaps Geryon's body is a metaphor for the rigidity of man's mental, sensory and physical worlds; his heads, separate and yet connected, are a metaphor for differentiated, not universal consciousness, and his legs and arms are contradictory and uncoordinated actions.
On the way to Geryon, Hercules reaches the end of the earth, where he builds an entrance, or rather, a border between the worlds, known as the Pillars of Hercules. These gates seem to separate everyday consciousness from the meditative one, necessary for a special kind of knowledge. This indicates that the hero, before completing the task itself, needed to distance himself from the world and the hectic haste of everyday life and acquire knowledge, but not that set of functional abilities that replace knowledge in modern world, but true, hidden and accessible only to those who truly suffer from its comprehension.
To get to the island of Geryon, Helios himself lends Hercules his boat. The solar deity that appeared to Hercules emitted such a bright light that the hero wanted to shoot an arrow at him, but such behavior, unthinkable for ancient consciousness, leads to a completely unexpected result: the god lends him his own boat. Is this not a symbol calling for a challenge to the solar rational consciousness, and, despite the expected defeat, to unexpectedly receive a means of free, unhindered passage through the waters of the unconscious? Hercules defeats the monsters themselves on the island quite easily, but the principle of trinity is invariably present in everything. The victory over the giants symbolized the victory over chaos, but the fragility of acquired knowledge is demonstrated on the way back - Hercules had to not only gain knowledge, but also protect it, bypassing many obstacles.
The eleventh labor of Hercules was to find the wonderful garden of the Hesperides and get from there three golden apples that bestow immortality. But in fact, this is a lesson in Divine love, in search of which Hercules overcame many obstacles and even almost came into battle with Ares himself. But as a result, the extracted fruits turned out to be beyond the control to the common man- Eurystheus simply could not hold them in her hands. Then Hercules returned the apples to the garden of the Hesperides, thereby making a sacrifice to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. In this feat, Hercules did not have to kill, steal or clean anyone - the Hesperides themselves gave him the fruits, Atlas gave this wonderful gift to the hero and only for him to return them back. Divine love is always bestowed and knowledgeable consciousness returns this love to its source. It is in this plane that the secrets of immortality are hidden.
The last, twelfth labor of Hercules is the victory over Cerberus, his capture. Cerberus, in itself, was not a negative character - he guarded the gates to the kingdom of the dead, not allowing souls to escape from the underworld. His three heads were a symbol of the trinity of time - future, present and past. Before descending into the kingdom of Hades, Hercules underwent a sacrament Eleusinian Mysteries, during which he experienced posthumous states, getting rid of the fear of death. In addition, the hero enters into a special interaction with the matter of time. Hermes, the one known as Thoth-Hermes-Trismegistus, the founder of alchemy, became a companion on the journey to the kingdom of the dead. Hermes helps Hercules successfully have an audience with Hades, who gave his permission for the hero to take Cerberus, but on the condition that Hercules will not use weapons. Although he no longer needs weapons, he defeats Cerberus with his bare hands, as in his very first feat sibling, Nemean lion. The circle closes.
In the future, Cerberus was returned to his place, since the hero learned the main law of the universe - the law of expediency. The example of Hercules, who asked permission and returned, in the future, Cerberus to his post, teaches: even in the knowledge of death itself and other worlds, one must respect the highest plan that distributed existence. In other words, the true goal of the path, the true destiny of a person is knowledge, reunification with one’s consciousness and archetypes of the subconscious, harmonious interaction with their images. To join the cycle of life, to find harmony in coexistence with the rhythms and patterns of nature implies a change in one’s own consciousness, and not a change in reality according to the limited ideas of one’s mind.
The cycle of the labors of Hercules is an almost universal program for human improvement. The hero undergoes internal self-identification, determines his projection onto external life and social identification, and then learns the sacred secrets of the universe itself. Labors of Hercules - practical guide on self-improvement, internal and external development. In fact, it is a road sign, which can be seen by those who truly want to move forward not only along career ladder, but also according to the stages of development of one’s own being, hidden in a meat suit.
Hercules Hercules - in the myths of the ancient Greeks, the son of Zeus and mortal woman Alcmene. The newly born baby Hercules immediately amazed everyone with his extraordinary strength when he strangled two monstrous snakes sent to his cradle by a jealous Hera. Zeus picked up for Hercules the best teachers, who taught him various arts, wrestling, archery, playing the cithara, and so on. At the age of eighteen, Hercules killed the Cythaeronian lion on Mount Cithaeron, which was devastating the surrounding area. While serving with the Tirinthian king Eurystheus, Hercules became famous for his 12 labors: he obtained the skin of the Nemean lion; killed the Lernaean hydra; caught a Cerynean doe; caught the Erymanthian boar; cleaned the Augean stables (a huge barnyard); drove out the monstrous Stymphalian birds; brought a fierce Cretan bull to Eurystheus; drove the mares of Diomedes; obtained the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta; He brought Geryon's cows from the distant West. To deliver these cows, Hercules had to sail to the distant island of Erithia; along the way, he placed two stone steles on the northern and southern shores of the strait separating Europe from Africa. Pillars of Hercules; obtained and brought the golden apples of the Hesperides to Tiryns; kidnapped the guardian of the underworld Kerberos. Was accepted into the host of immortal gods. Hera reconciled with Hercules, and he married her daughter, the goddess of youth Hebe. The cult of Hercules was widespread throughout the Greek world. With the spread of the cult of Hercules in Italy, he began to be revered under the name Hercules.
Historical Dictionary. 2000 .
Synonyms:See what "Hercules" is in other dictionaries:
See Hercules. (Source: “A Brief Dictionary of Mythology and Antiquities.” M. Korsch. Saint Petersburg, published by A. S. Suvorin, 1894.) HERCULES (Ήρακλής), in Greek mythology, a hero, the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene (wife of Amphitryon). In the absence of… … Encyclopedia of Mythology
Hercules- destroys Stymphalian birds. Fragment of an amphora painting. Mid-6th century BC e. London, British Museum. Hercules destroys the Stymphalian birds. Fragment of an amphora painting. Mid-6th century BC e. London, British Museum. Hercules in ancient myths... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History
hercules- HERCULES, a, m. (or dried Hercules, dried Hercules). Iron. addressing a person who unreasonably considers himself physically strong. Put down the weight, dried Hercules, otherwise you’ll start snot in your ears (otherwise you’ll tear yourself up). From own "Hercules" hero... ... Dictionary of Russian argot
And husband.; old Heracles, a.Otch.: Heraklovich, Heraklovna; decomposition Heraklych.Derivatives: Hera.Origin: (In ancient mythology: Hercules popular Greek. a hero who is credited with performing many feats. From Greek Hēra Hera and kleos glory.)… … Dictionary of personal names
- (Hercules) hero of Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Endowed with extraordinary strength, Hercules performed many feats; the most famous is the cycle of tales about the 12 labors of Hercules; in addition, Hercules freed Prometheus, defeated... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
One of the favorite figures of Greek folklore, the averter of evil, defeating wild animals, monsters and demons, earning himself a place among the gods through his exploits. The whole image of Hercules bears the stamp of creativity of the lower classes: uncouth, rustic... ... Literary encyclopedia
- (Hercules), in Greek mythology, the hero, the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Endowed with extraordinary strength, Hercules strangled 2 snakes as a baby. While serving with Eurystheus, he became famous for his 12 exploits: he obtained the skin of the Nemean lion; kills the Lernaean hydra;... ... Modern encyclopedia
From ancient Greek mythology. Hercules (Roman Hercules) is the most popular hero of Ancient Greece and Rome, the son of the head of the Olympian gods Zeus and a mortal woman, Queen Alcmene. Was endowed with enormous physical strength: while still a baby lying in... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions
Hercules, Melkart Dictionary of Russian synonyms. hercules noun, number of synonyms: 8 big (27) hercules ... Synonym dictionary
At the crossroads. See Hercules at the Crossroads (HERCULES). Dried Hercules (dried, dried). Razg. Iron. About a person who unreasonably considers himself physically strong. Zaikovskaya, 40; Elistratov 1994, 87; Maksimov, 83 ... Big dictionary Russian sayings
Books
- Hercules, Fred Saberhagen. Hercules - son of Zeus and Alcmene, great hero ancient greek myths. He immortalized himself with twelve labors. The only mortal ascended to Olympus. Fred Saberhagen is a legendary...
or Hercules (Heracles, Hercules, Ήρακλής) - national Greek hero. The oldest source where his exploits are glorified is Homer. In the latter, as well as in Hesiod, Hercules is still quite Greek hero in the weapons of heroes of the prehistoric period and operates almost exclusively within Greece. Subsequently, Pisander, the epic poet of the mid-7th century, in his Heraclea, of which only fragments have come down to us, gave him a club instead of an ordinary weapon and dressed him in a lion's skin. At the same time, the circle of legends about him began to gradually grow; The exploits of the heroes of other peoples, especially the Phoenicians and Egyptians, were transferred to him, and according to Eastern views, his activities were connected with the course of the sun. According to the Greeks, Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, the wife of the Tirinthian king Amphitryon, the son of Alcaeus, the grandson of Perseus. On the day when Hercules was supposed to be born, Zeus had the imprudence to boast in the assembly of the gods that a man would be born who would rule over all the descendants of Perseus. Jealous Hera then slowed down the birth of Alcmene, and instead of Hercules, Eurystheus, the son of his uncle Sthenel, was born that day. When the twins Hercules and Iphicles were finally born, Hera sent two terrible snakes to the babies' bed, but Hercules strangled them. When Hercules, in a fit of anger, killed his mentor Linus with a lyre, Amphitryon sent him to graze the flocks on Cithaeron. Here he killed the terrible lion of Kiferon, in the skin of which - according to another legend, in the skin of the Nemean lion - he dressed himself so that the lion's mouth served him instead of a helmet. For the service rendered, Creon, the king of Thebans, gave his daughter Megara to Hercules. Soon after, Eurystheus, who reigned over the Argives, called on Hercules to serve him. He had to fulfill 12 works imposed on him by Eurystheus, and upon completion of them he was destined by Zeus to immortality. When the oracle announced to him the will of the gods, he fell into madness and, in a fit of rage, killed his own children from Megara and the children of Iphicles. Having recovered from madness, Hercules went to Tiryns to the court of Eurystheus. Of his works, we find only the story of Cerberus in Homer. Hesiod mentions the fight with the Nemean lion, with the Lernaean hydra and with Geryon. Later poets, Pindar and the tragedians, list all 12 works. Their complete cycle probably first became known to Pisander. These works are as follows: 1) the fight with the Nemean lion, which Hercules strangled in his own cave with his own hands. 2) The killing of the Lernaean hydra, with the poison of which Hercules smeared his arrows, so that the wounds they inflicted became fatal. 3) Hunting for the Erymanthian boar, which devastated Arcadia and was caught alive by it. 4) Capture of the Cerynean, or Menalian, fallow deer with golden horns and copper legs. 5) Extermination of the Stymphalian birds, equipped with copper claws, wings, beaks and feathers, which they shot like arrows. 6) Acquisition of the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta for Admeta, daughter of Eurystheus. 7) The cleansing of the Augean stables, accomplished in one day by drawing a river through them, after which Hercules, having defeated Augeas and destroyed him with all his family, established Olympic Games . 8) Capture of the Cretan bull, given by Poseidon to Minos, but enraged as a result of the latter’s disobedience. 9) Acquisition of the mares of Diomedes, king of the Bistons in Thrace, who threw foreigners to his horses to be devoured. Hercules defeated Diomedes and gave him to the mares to be eaten, and brought the horses to Eurystheus, who set them free. 10) The abduction of the cows of Geryon, a monster with three bodies, who lived in the far west in the ocean, on the island of Erithia. Hercules passed through Europe and Libya and erected the so-called Pillars of Hercules (see) in memory of this wandering. During the return journey, at the very place where Rome was later founded, part of Hercules’ cows was stolen by the giant Cacus, who, after a fierce battle, died at the hands of Hercules. For the liberation of the country from the robber, the natives established the cult of Hercules, which then passed to the Romans. This feat of Hercules coincides with the fight with Antaeus, the ruler of Libya, an invincible giant, who, with every touch of Mother Earth, restored his strength: Hercules lifted him above the ground and strangled him in his arms. 11) The theft of golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides, located in the far west, overseas. In search of these apples, Hercules came to Atlas, who got three apples for him while Hercules held up the sky for him. 12) Taming Cerberus, the most difficult work and therefore usually considered the last. Hercules descended into hell at Tenarum and, according to the condition, defeated the hundred-headed dog without any weapons, carried him bound into the light and, showing him to Eurystheus, took him back to the underworld. Having completed the 12 works assigned to him by Eurystheus, Hercules went to Thebes, where he married his former wife Megara to Iolaus, and he himself retired to Oichalia (according to a later legend - to Euboea or Messenia), where he wooed Iola, the daughter of King Eurytus. For the murder of Iphitus, the son of Eurites, in a fit of rage, Hercules, by order of the oracle, had to serve the Lydian queen Omphale for three years, who forced him to spin wool in women's clothing, while she herself dressed in a lion's skin and carried a club. Having finished serving Omphale, Hercules attacked Troy, took the city and killed King Laomedont with all his sons, with the exception of one, who was ransomed by his sister Hesion, after which he began to be called Priam (i.e., ransomed). From here Hercules returned to Greece, where in the city of Pylos he destroyed the entire family of Neleus, except Nestor, and wounded Pluto himself, who was helping the Pylosians. Then Hercules received the hand of Deianira, the daughter of the Aetolian king Oeneus, because of whom he fought with the water god Achelous and cut off one of his horns, which the naiads had turned into a cornucopia. Deianira, in order to bind Hercules to herself, sends him a robe soaked in poison, which she considered a love potion. As soon as the clothes have warmed up on the body, the poison begins to take effect and Hercules, tormented by terrible pain, orders himself to be taken to Trakhin, where Deianira commits suicide in despair. Hercules builds a fire for himself on Eta and orders it to be lit by Peant, who is passing by, or by his son Philoctetes, to whom he gives his bow for this service. Amid thunderclaps and lightning flashes, the transformed hero ascends in a cloud to heaven, where, having reconciled with Hera and becoming the husband of Hebe, the goddess of eternal youth, he lives in the host of the Olympian gods. According to legend, immediately after the apotheosis, Hercules was given divine honors by his friends, who surrounded the fire, as a demigod (ήρως). Soon the cult of Hercules became common among the entire Hellenic people. Festivals in his honor were called Heraclea and existed in Sikyon, Thebes and other places. As a representative of power, Hercules was recognized as the patron of all gymnasiums and palaestras: gladiators who retired dedicated their weapons to Hercules in Rome. When the hero rested after a victory, he loved to delight his ears with music and singing: hence his attitude towards the muses. In Italy the cult of Hercules was very widespread; in Rome numerous temples are dedicated to him. Hercules was identified here, probably, with some Italian hero, who also embodied the ideal of physical strength. The cult of Hercules was transferred to the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Malta and Gades in Spain by the Phoenicians. The latter, like the Egyptians, Persians, and Lydians, had similar national heroes who were, over time, identified with the Greek Hercules.