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===Children's Tales=== ===Children's Tales===


Hercules was later dumbed down into a children's movie. He is still presented as an illegitimate son of ], where he performed the labors when he causes an accident that claims the life of his mother. His half-brother Iphicles was never revealed, he is helped by Athena in one of his labors which was to defeat the stymphalian birds and he never confronts Hera. It's a happy ending since he marries Megara in the end and they are assumed to live happily ever after. The reason was because of the gory nature of the original story. Hercules' tale was later toned down into a children's movie. He is still presented as an illegitimate son of ], where he performed the labors when he causes an accident that claims the life of his mother. His half-brother Iphicles was never revealed, he is helped by Athena in one of his labors which was to defeat the stymphalian birds and he never confronts Hera. It's a happy ending since he marries Megara in the end and they are assumed to live happily ever after. The reason was because of the gory nature of the original story.


===Comic books=== ===Comic books===

Revision as of 07:14, 11 August 2006

For other uses, see Hercules (disambiguation).
For the Marvel Character, see Hercules (Marvel Comics).

Hercules is the Latin name used in Rome for a hero corresponding to the Greek mythological hero Heracles (or Herakles), the Roman name being a metathesis of the Greek name. He was son of Jupiter, the Roman counterpart to the Greek god Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. He was made to perform twelve great tasks, called The Twelve Labours of Hercules and became a god; the Romans adopted the Greek version of his life and works essentially unchanged, but added anecdotal detail of their own, some of it linking the hero with the geography of the Western Mediterranean. Details of the cult were adapted to Rome as well.

Character

Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the lion skin and the club: in mosaic he is shown tanned black, a virile aspect. He is a paragon of action and masculinity, and thus embodies characteristics such as great strength, great courage, and great appetites, including erotic adventures with both women and boys or young men. These qualities did not prevent him from being regarded as a playful figure who used games to relax from his labors and played a great deal with children. While he was a champion and a great warrior, he was not above cheating and using any unfair trick to his advantage. However, he was renowned as having "made the world safe for mankind" by destroying many dangerous monsters, and he was also held up as an example for never having attacked first, but for having conquered all merely by defending himself when attacked, and protecting the helpless and distraught. His self-sacrifice obtained him the ascent to the Olympian realms and he was welcomed by the gods.

Roman Cult

The cult of Hercules may have been the first foreign one to be adopted in Rome. According to legend, Hercules is said to have founded his most important shrine in Rome, the Great Altar of Hercules (Ara Maxima Herculis), later housed within the Forum Boarium, the cattle market of Rome, within Rome's original Palatine settlement. This altar has been dated to the 6th or 5th century BC. It stood near the Temple of Hercules Victor. Hercules became popular with merchants, who customarily paid him a tithe of their profits.

Mark Antony identified himself with Hercules, and even invented a son of Hercules, called Anton, from whom Antony claimed descent. In response, his enemy Octavian identified with Apollo.

Some early emperors took up the attributes of Hercules (eg Trajan), and later Roman Emperors, in particular Commodus and Maximian, went further and often identified or compared themselves with him and supported his cult; Maximian styled himself "Herculius".

The cult of Hercules spread through the Roman world. In Roman Egypt, what is believed to be the remains of a Temple of Hercules are found in the Bahariya Oasis.

Myths of Hercules

File:BandinelliHercules.jpg
Hercules and Cacus, by Baccio Bandinelli, 1525 - 1534. Piazza della Signoria, Florence

The Romans adopted the Greek version of Heracles' life and works essentially unchanged, but added anecdotal detail of their own, some of it linking Hercules with the geography of the Western Mediterranean.

In Roman mythology, Acca Larentia was Hercules' mistress. She was married to Tarutius, a wealthy merchant. When he died, she gave his money to charity. In another version, she was the wife of Faustulus.

Hercules in popular culture

Since the Renaissance, Hercules has rarely been distinguished from Heracles, the Roman figure overshadowing the Greek. Later interpretations of Hercules' legend cast him as a wise leader and a good friend (many of the movie and TV adaptations cast him in this light, especially the 1995-1999 syndicated TV series). The legend of Hercules endures, though often co-opted to suit the political fashion of the day.

The legend of Hercules has been described in many movie and television adaptations.

TV and movies

A series of 19 Italian Hercules movies were made in the late 50's/ early 60's. The actors who played Hercules in these films were Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, Kirk Morris, Mickey Hargitay, Mark Forest, Alan Steel, Dan Vadis, Brad Harris, Reg Park, Rock Stevens and Michael Lane. The films are listed below by their American release titles, and the titles in parentheses are the original Italian titles (if they were different).

    • Hercules (Le Fatiche di Ercole/ The Labors of Hercules, 1957) starring Steve Reeves
    • Hercules Unchained (Ercole e la regina di Lidia/ Hercules and the Queen of Lydia, 1959) starring Steve Reeves
    • Goliath and the Dragon (La Vendetta di Ercole/ The Revenge of Hercules, 1960) (this Hercules film had its title changed to "Goliath" when it was distributed in the USA for some reason)
    • Hercules Vs The Hydra (Gli Amori di Ercole/ The Loves of Hercules, 1960) co-starring Jayne Mansfield
    • Hercules and the Captive Women (Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide/ Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis, aka Hercules and the Haunted Women) 1961
    • Hercules in the Haunted World (Ercole al centro della terra/ Hercules at the Center of the Earth) 1961 (directed by Mario Bava)
    • Hercules in the Vale of Woe (Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai/ Maciste Vs. Hercules in the Vale of Woe) 1961 (this was made as a semi-comedy/ satire on peplums)
    • Ulysses Vs. The Son of Hercules (Ulisse contro Ercole/ Ulysses Vs. Hercules) 1962
    • The Fury of Hercules (La Furia di Ercole/ The Fury of Hercules, aka The Fury of Samson) 1962
    • Hercules, Samson and Ulysses (Ercole sfida Sansone/ Hercules Challenges Samson) 1963
    • Hercules Vs. the Moloch (Ercole contro Molock/ Hercules Vs. Moloch, aka The Conquest of Mycene) 1963
    • Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness (Ercole l'invincibile/ Hercules, the Invincible) 1964 (this was originally a Hercules film that was retitled to "Son of Hercules" so that it could be included in the "Sons of Hercules" TV syndication package)
    • Hercules Vs. The Giant Warrior (il Trionfo di Ercole/ The Triumph of Hercules, aka Hercules and the Ten Avengers) 1964
    • Hercules Against Rome (Ercole contro Roma, 1964)
    • Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun (Ercole contro i figli del sole, 1964)
    • Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon (Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia, 1964)
    • Samson and the Mighty Challenge (Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili, aka Combate dei Gigantes) 1964 (this was more of a comedy/ satire on peplums & featured Hercules prominently in the plot)
    • Hercules and the Princess of Troy (no Italian title, aka "Hercules vs. the Sea Monster", 1965) (this 48-minute Italian/U.S. co-production was made as a pilot for a Charles Band-produced TV series that never materialized)
    • Hercules, the Avenger (Sfida dei giganti/Challenge of the Giants, 1965) this was a cheaply made-for-TV quickie that consisted mostly of re-edited stock footage from 2 earlier Hercules films, “Hercules and the Captive Women” and “Hercules in the Haunted World”.

A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured the Hercules name in their title were never intended to be Hercules movies by their Italian creators.

  • "Hercules, Prisoner of Evil" was actually a retitled Ursus film.
  • "Hercules and the Black Pirate" and "Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas" were both retitled Samson movies (the second film not even being a sword-and-sandal film).
  • "Hercules and the Masked Rider" was actually a retitled Goliath movie.
  • "Hercules Against the Moon Men", "Hercules Against the Barbarians", "Hercules Against the Mongols" and "Hercules of the Desert" were all originally Maciste films.

None of these films in their original Italian versions were connected to the Hercules character in any way. Likewise, most of the "Sons of Hercules" movies shown on American TV in the 1960's had nothing to do with Hercules in their original Italian incarnations.

Video Games

Children's Tales

Hercules' tale was later toned down into a children's movie. He is still presented as an illegitimate son of Zeus, where he performed the labors when he causes an accident that claims the life of his mother. His half-brother Iphicles was never revealed, he is helped by Athena in one of his labors which was to defeat the stymphalian birds and he never confronts Hera. It's a happy ending since he marries Megara in the end and they are assumed to live happily ever after. The reason was because of the gory nature of the original story.

Comic books

Hercules has also appeared in several comic book adaptations:

  • Hercules (a 1958 Dell comic adapting the film)
  • Hercules Unchained (a 1959 Dell comic adapting the film)
  • Hercules (Marvel Comics)

See also

  1. The Classical and Hellenistic conventions of frescoes and mosaics is to show women as pale-skinned and men as tanned dark from their outdoor arena of action and exercising in the gymnasium.(See also and ).
  2. Aelian, Varia Historia, 12.15
  3. The various founders of this altar, including Hercules himself, are discussed at the Lacus Curtius website.
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