![]() ![]() Hera decided to pay Zeus back for his infidelity by making the rest of Hercules' life as miserable as she could. How could she get even? Hera knew that she would lose in a fight, and that she wasn't powerful enough to prevent Zeus from having his way. Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Musée du Louvre The baby Hercules wrestles with the snakes Hera has sent to his crib. Louvre G 192, Attic red figure stamnos, c. But little Hercules was one strong baby, and he strangled the snakes, one in each hand, before they could bite him. Then she tried to kill the baby by sending snakes into his crib. (The Romans pronounced the name "Hercules," and so do we today.) The name Herakles means "glorious gift of Hera" in Greek, and that got Hera angrier still. When Alcmene gave birth to the baby anyway, she named him Herakles. This made Hera so angry that she tried to prevent the baby from being born. When Alcmene's husband, Amphitryon, was away, Zeus made her pregnant. Zeus fell in love with a beautiful Greek woman named Alcmene. That meant Zeus could do anything he pleased, but it also meant that sometimes Zeus was not a very good husband to his wife, Hera, the queen of the gods. Zeus, Hercules' father, was the most powerful of the gods. Differences between the Disney movie version and other versions include the explanation of who Hercules' parents were, and why he had to perform the 12 Labors. There are as many different versions of Hercules' life story as there are storytellers. ![]() Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz: Antikensammlung Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Staatliche Walks with a procession of gods and goddesses to Olympus. Side B: Hercules, carrying his club and wearing his lion skin, Hercules was worshipped in many temples all over Greece and Rome.īerlin F 2278, Attic red figure kylix, c. More stories were told about him than any other hero. Hercules was both the most famous hero of ancient times and the most beloved. Yet, his story is of a man who was so strong and courageous, whose deeds were so mighty, and who so endured all the hardships that were given to him, that when he died, Hercules was brought up to Mount Olympus to live with the gods. Was there a real Hercules, a man behind the stories? We will never know. Stories about the gods, called myths, were made up thousands of years ago. ![]()
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