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	{{otheruses\|Hercules (disambiguation)}}
	] (detail), ] ], ] (], ]).]]

	'''Hercules''' is the ] name for the ] ] hero ''']''', son of ] and the mortal ].

	==Etymology==
	Hercules' ] name is not directly borrowed from Greek ''Herakles'' but is a modification of the ] name ''Hercle'', which derives from the Greek name via ]. An oath invoking Hercules (''Hercle!'' or ''Mehercle!'') was a common interjection in ].

	==Character==
	] ].<br> 1st c. CE mosaic from the Anzio Nymphaeum, Rome]]
	In Roman works of art and in Renaissance and post-Renaissance art that adapts Roman iconography, Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the ] and the ]: in ] he is shown tanned black, a virile aspect.<ref>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 ].(See also and ).</ref> He is an example of action and masculinity, and thus embodies characteristics such as great strength, great courage, and great appetites, including erotic adventures with both women and ]. 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.
	<ref>Aelian, ''Varia Historia,'' 12.15</ref> He was a champion and a great warrior, many strong man challenged him, he not only defeated them but killed them all in the fight.However, he was renowned for his 12 labors layed upon him by Zeus, because he killed his first wife Megara, and three children in a fit of madness.The death of Hercules came in the Persian Wars Battle at Thermopylae 480 B.C. he battled alongside the 30.000 men headed by 300 Spartans against the vast army of Xerxes who had 600.000 men at his disposal, he defeated hunderds of enemies before finally being overpowered with difficulty.This obtained him the ascent to the Olympian realms and he was welcomed by the gods as their equal.

	] in 1864, (], Rome)]]

	==Roman culture==
	The Romans adopted the Etruscan '''Hercle''', a hero-figure that had already been influenced by Greek culture — especially in the conventions of his representation — but who had experienced an autonomous development. Etruscan Hercle appears in the elaborate illustrative engraved designs on the backs of Etruscan bronze mirrors made during the fourth century BC, which were favoured ]. Their specific literary references have been lost, with the loss of all Etruscan literature, but the image of the mature, bearded Hercules at ]/]'s breast, engraved on a mirror back from ], is distinctively Etruscan. Also a two way mirror. This Hercle/Hercules — the Hercle of the ] "Mehercle!" — remained a popular cult figure in the Roman legions. The literary Greek versions of his life and works were appropriated by literate Romans from the ] onwards, essentially unchanged, but Latin literature of Hercules added anecdotal detail of its own, some of it linking the hero with the geography of the Western Mediterranean. Details of the Greek ], which mixed ] libations and uneaten holocausts with Olympian services, were adapted to specifically Roman requirements as well, as Hercules became the founding figure of ] and other places, and his cult became entwined with Imperial cult, as shown in surviving frescoes in the Herculanean ''collegium'' that was the ]. This altar has been dated to the 6th or 5th century BC. It stood near the ]. Hercules became popular with merchants, who customarily paid him a ] of their profits.
	]" by ]]]
	] identified himself with Hercules, and even invented a son of Hercules, called ], from whom Antony claimed descent. In response, his enemy ] identified with ].

	Some early emperors took up the attributes of Hercules (eg Trajan), and later ]s, in particular ] and ], 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 ].

	==Myths of Hercules==
	The Romans adopted the ] 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 ] ], ] was Hercules' mistress. She was married to ], a wealthy merchant. When he died, she gave his money to charity. In another version, she was the wife of ].

	==Art==
	]
	Roman images of Hercules were based upon Hellenistic Greek images and might be contrasted with the images of Hercules that appear in Attic vase-painting ''(see ]).'' One aspect of Greek Hercules was not adopted by Roman culture: the ambivalent relationship with his patroness/antagonist ] that was "Hera's man", Hercules.

	==Germanic cult==

	] mentions a special affinity of the Germans for Hercules, stating
	:''they say that Hercules, too, once visited them; and when going into battle, they sing of him first of all heroes. They have also those songs of theirs, by the recital of this ''barditus<ref>or, ''baritus'', there being scribal variants. In the 17th century, the word entered the German language as ''barditus'' and was associated with the Celtic ]s. </ref> ''as they call it, they rouse their courage, while from the note they augur the result of the approaching conflict. For, as their line shouts, they inspire or feel alarm.'' (chapter 3)

	Roman era ]s appear from the 2nd to 3rd century, spread over the empire (including ], c.f. Cool 1986), mostly made of gold, shaped like wooden clubs.
	A specimen found in ] bears the inscription "DEO HER", confirming the association with Hercules.
	In the 5th to 7th centuries, during the ], the amulet type rapidly spreads from the ] area across Europe. These Germanic "]'s Clubs" were made from deer antler, bone or wood, more rarely also from Bronze or precious metals. They are found exclusively in female graves, apparently worn either as a belt pendant, or as an ear pendant. The amulet type is replaced by the ] ] pendants in the course of the ] from the 8th to 9th century.

	==Hercules in Popular Culture==
	{{main\|Hercules in popular culture}}
	<!-- Deleted image removed: ] as Hercules.]] -->
	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. Hercules has also had an undeniable influence on modern pop culture characters such as ]. The legend of Hercules has been described in many ].

	==Notes==
	{{reflist}}

	==References==
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Revision as of 16:49, 13 January 2008