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| '''Hercules''' is the ] name used in ] for a hero corresponding to the ] hero ''']''' (or '''Herakles'''), the Roman name being a ] of the Greek name. He was son of ] and grandson of Theseus, the Roman counterpart to the Greek ] ] and the mortal ]. He was made to perform twelve great tasks, called ''']''' and became a god. | '''Hercules''' is the ] name used in ] for a hero corresponding to the ] hero ''']''' (or '''Herakles'''), the Roman name being a ] of the Greek name. He was son of ] and grandson of Theseus, the Roman counterpart to the Greek ] ] and the mortal ]. He was made to perform twelve great tasks, called ''']''' and became a god. | ||
| In popular 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 ], which were favoured ]. Their specific literary references have been lost, with the loss of all Etruscan literature. |
In popular 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 ], which were favoured ]. Their specific literary references have been lost, with the loss of all Etruscan literature. | ||
| This Hercle/Hercules, the Hercle of the ejaculation "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 devoted to Hercules (''illustration, left'' below''). | |||
| ] | |||
| Roman images of Hercules (''illustration, right below'') were modelled upon Hellenistic Greek images and might be contrasted with the images of Heracles that appear in Attic vase-painting (see ]). | |||
| One aspect of Greek Heracles was not adopted by Roman culture: the ambivalent relationship with his patroness/antagonist ] that was an archaic aspect of "Hera's man", Heracles. | |||
| ==Character== | |||
| 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 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 ]. 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> 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 ], the cattle market of Rome, within Rome's original ] settlement<ref>The various founders of this altar, including Hercules himself, are discussed at the .</ref>. 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. | |||
| ] 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 are found in the ]. | |||
| ==]s of Hercules== | |||
| ],'' by ], 1525 - 1534, (Piazza della Signoria, ])]] | |||
| 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 ]. | |||
| == Hercules in popular ] == | |||
| 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 main protagonist of the ''Masters of the Universe'' series, who is also widely admired for his massive strength. | |||
| The legend of Hercules has been described in many movie and television adaptations. | |||
| ===Video Games=== | |||
| *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys was given a ] where he fought against his evil half-brother ], loosely based on the series. | |||
| * - A freeware game of Hercules and one of his great adventures created by 17 year old Michael Becker. | |||
| *Disney's Hercules has a ] ]. | |||
| *] is a tongue-in-cheek adventure-] on the ] where you must complete many tasks, many of which are not actually credited to Hercules anywhere else (such as slaying ]). | |||
| *Heracles is a ] game where he must free ] from the clutches of the evil god ]. | |||
| *Hercules appeared in ] and ] | |||
| ===Children's Tales=== | |||
| 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=== | |||
| 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) | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] (]) | |||
| *] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 01:58, 16 October 2006
For other uses, see Hercules (disambiguation).
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 and grandson of Theseus, 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.
In popular 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 4th century BC, which were favoured grave goods. Their specific literary references have been lost, with the loss of all Etruscan literature.