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Hercules is the Latin name used in Rome for the divinity 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.
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 2nd century BC 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 cult, which mixed chthonic libations and uneaten holocausts with Olympian services, were adapted to specifically Roman requirements as well, as Hercules became the founding figure of Herculaneum 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.
Roman images of Hercules were modelled upon Hellenistic Greek images and might be contrasted with the images of Heracles that appear in Attic vase-painting (see Heracles). One aspect of Greek Heracles was not adopted by Roman culture: the ambivalent relationship with his patroness/antagonist Hera that was an archaic aspect of "Hera's man", Heracles.
Character
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 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
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. Hercules has also had an undeniable influence on modern pop culture characters such as He-Man, 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 video game where he fought against his evil half-brother Ares, loosely based on the series.
- Hercules And The Princess Of Troy - A freeware game of Hercules and one of his great adventures created by 17 year old Michael Becker.
- Disney's Hercules has a PlayStation port.
- Herc's Adventures is a tongue-in-cheek adventure-RPG on the Playstation where you must complete many tasks, many of which are not actually credited to Hercules anywhere else (such as slaying Medusa).
- Heracles is a PlayStation 2 game where he must free Pegasus from the clutches of the evil god Poseidon.
- Hercules appeared in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II
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)
- Hercules (DC Comics)
See also
References
- Etruscan mirror illustrated Uni and Hercle
- Hercle and Menerva on an Etruscan mirror from Città di Castello, c 300 BCE: Badisches Landesmuseum
Brandon Tweedell is a stud.
- 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 ).
- Aelian, Varia Historia, 12.15
- The various founders of this altar, including Hercules himself, are discussed at the Lacus Curtius website.
