Hercules Challenges Samson
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek
divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...
hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...
, son of
Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...
and the mortal Alcmena. In
classical mythology Classical mythology, also known as Greco-Roman mythology or Greek and Roman mythology, is the collective body and study of myths from the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans. Mythology, along with philosophy and political thought, is one of the m ...
, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Greek hero's
iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...
and myths for their literature and art under the name ''Hercules''. In later
Western art The art of Europe, also known as Western art, encompasses the history of visual art in Europe. European prehistoric art started as mobile Upper Paleolithic rock and cave painting and petroglyph art and was characteristic of the period bet ...
and literature and in
popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art
f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...
or mass art, sometimes contraste ...
, ''Hercules'' is more commonly used than ''Heracles'' as the name of the hero. Hercules is a multifaceted figure with contradictory characteristics, which enabled later artists and writers to pick and choose how to represent him. This article provides an introduction to representations of Hercules in the later tradition.


Mythology


Birth and early life

In Roman mythology, although Hercules was seen as the champion of the weak and a great protector, his personal problems started at birth.
Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...
sent two witches to prevent the birth, but they were tricked by one of
Alcmene In Greek mythology, Alcmene ( ; ) or Alcmena ( ; ; ; meaning "strong in wrath") was the wife of Amphitryon, by whom she bore two children, Iphicles and Laonome. She is best known as the mother of Heracles, whose father was the god Zeus. Alcmene ...
's servants and sent to another room. Juno then sent serpents to kill him in his cradle, but Hercules strangled them both. In one version of the myth, Alcmene abandoned her baby in the woods in order to protect him from Juno's wrath, but he was found by the goddess
Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...
who brought him to Juno, claiming he was an orphan child left in the woods who needed nourishment. Juno suckled Hercules at her own breast until the infant bit her nipple, at which point she pushed him away, spilling her milk across the night sky and so forming the
Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...
. She then gave the infant back to Minerva and told her to take care of the baby herself. In feeding the child from her own breast, the goddess inadvertently imbued him with further strength and power.


Death


Roman era

The
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
name ''Hercules'' was borrowed through
Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...
, where it is represented variously as Heracle, Hercle, and other forms. Hercules was a favorite subject for
Etruscan art Etruscan art was produced by the Etruscan civilization in central Italy between the 10th and 1st centuries BC. From around 750 BC it was heavily influenced by Greek art, which was imported by the Etruscans, but always retained distinct charact ...
, and appears often on
bronze mirror Bronze mirrors preceded the glass mirrors of today. This type of mirror, sometimes termed a copper mirror, has been found by archaeologists among elite assemblages from various cultures, from Etruscan Italy to Japan. Typically they are round a ...
s. The Etruscan form ''Herceler'' derives from the Greek ''Heracles'' via syncope. A mild oath invoking Hercules (''Hercule!'' or ''Mehercle!'') was a common
interjection An interjection is a word or expression that occurs as an utterance on its own and expresses a spontaneous feeling, situation or reaction. It is a diverse category, with many different types, such as exclamations ''(ouch!'', ''wow!''), curses (''da ...
in
Classical Latin Classical Latin is the form of Literary Latin recognized as a Literary language, literary standard language, standard by writers of the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. It formed parallel to Vulgar Latin around 75 BC out of Old Latin ...
. Hercules had a number of
myths Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
that were distinctly Roman. One of these is Hercules' defeat of
Cacus In Greek and Roman mythology, Cacus (, derived from κακός, meaning bad) was a fire-breathing giant and the son of Vulcan (Plutarch called him son of Hephaestus). He was killed by Hercules after terrorizing the Aventine Hill before the foun ...
, who was terrorizing the countryside of Rome. The hero was associated with the
Aventine Hill The Aventine Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the southernmost of Rome's seven hills. I ...
through his son Aventinus.
Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...
considered him a personal patron god, as did the emperor
Commodus Commodus (; ; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was Roman emperor from 177 to 192, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father Marcus Aurelius and then ruling alone from 180. Commodus's sole reign is commonly thought to mark the end o ...
. Hercules received various forms of religious veneration, including as a deity concerned with children and childbirth, in part because of myths about his precocious infancy, and in part because he fathered countless children. Roman brides wore a special belt tied with the " knot of Hercules", which was supposed to be hard to untie. The comic playwright
Plautus Titus Maccius Plautus ( ; 254 – 184 BC) was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by Livius Andro ...
presents the myth of Hercules' conception as a sex comedy in his play ''
Amphitryon Amphitryon (; Ancient Greek: Ἀμφιτρύων, ''gen''.: Ἀμφιτρύωνος; usually interpreted as "harassing either side", Latin: Amphitruo), in Greek mythology, was a son of Alcaeus, king of Tiryns in Argolis. His mother was named ...
''; Seneca wrote the tragedy ''Hercules Furens'' about his bout with madness. During the Roman Imperial era, Hercules was worshipped locally from
Hispania Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...
through
Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
.


Germanic association

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...
records a special affinity of the
Germanic peoples The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...
for Hercules. In chapter 3 of his ''
Germania Germania ( ; ), also more specifically called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superio ...
'', Tacitus states: Some have taken this as Tacitus equating the Germanic '' Þunraz'' with Hercules by way of ''interpretatio romana''. In the Roman era Hercules' Club amulets appear from the 2nd to 3rd century, distributed over the empire (including
Roman Britain Roman Britain was the territory that became the Roman province of ''Britannia'' after the Roman conquest of Britain, consisting of a large part of the island of Great Britain. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. Julius Caes ...
, cf. Cool 1986), mostly made of gold, shaped like wooden clubs. A specimen found in
Köln-Nippes Nippes (; ) is the fifth borough (') of Cologne, Germany. Nippes was incorporated into the city of Cologne in 1888 and the district was created in 1975. A large Ford Europe production plant is located in Niehl, the north-eastern part of the dis ...
bears the inscription "DEO HER
uli Uli or ULI, may refer to: Places *Uli, Anambra, Nigeria; a town * Uli, Iran; a village People and figures * Uli I of Mali (Yérélinkon; 13th century), emperor of Mali Germanic name Uli is a name, short for Ulrich or Ulrike (disambiguation) and ...
, confirming the association with Hercules. In the 5th to 7th centuries, during the
Migration Period The Migration Period ( 300 to 600 AD), also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories ...
, the amulet is theorized to have rapidly spread from the
Elbe Germanic Elbe Germanic, also called Irminonic or Erminonic, is a proposed subgrouping of West Germanic languages introduced by the German linguist Friedrich Maurer (1898–1984) in his book, ''Nordgermanen und Alemanen'', to describe the West Germanic d ...
area across Europe. These Germanic " Donar's Clubs" were made from deer antler, bone or wood, more rarely also from bronze or precious metals. The amulet type is replaced by the
Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...
Thor's hammer Thor (from ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, and fertility. Beside ...
pendants in the course of the
Christianization of Scandinavia The Christianization of Scandinavia, as well as other Nordic countries and the Baltic countries, took place between the 8th and the 12th centuries. The realms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden established their own Archbishop, archdioceses, responsi ...
from the 8th to 9th century.


Late ancient and medieval mythography

After the Roman Empire became
Christianized Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...
, mythological narratives were often reinterpreted as
allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...
, influenced by the philosophy of
late antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early Middle Ages. Late antiquity as a period was popularized by Peter Brown (historian), Peter Brown in 1971, and this periodiza ...
. In the 4th century,
Servius Servius may refer to: * Servius (praenomen), a personal name during the Roman Republic * Servius the Grammarian (fl. 4th/5th century), Roman Latin grammarian * Servius Asinius Celer (died AD 46), Roman senator * Servius Cornelius Cethegus, Roma ...
had described Hercules' return from the underworld as representing his ability to overcome earthly desires and vices, or the earth itself as a consumer of bodies. In some early
patristic Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Patristics em ...
texts, Hercules was identified with the biblical figure
Samson SAMSON (Software for Adaptive Modeling and Simulation Of Nanosystems) is a computer software platform for molecular design being developed bOneAngstromand previously by the NANO-D group at the French Institute for Research in Computer Science an ...
. In medieval mythography, Hercules was one of the heroes seen as a strong role model who demonstrated both valor and wisdom, while the monsters he battles were regarded as moral obstacles. One
glossator The scholars of the 11th- and 12th-century legal schools in Italy, France and Germany are identified as glossators in a specific sense. They studied Roman law based on the '' Digesta'', the ''Codex'' of Justinian, the ''Authenticum'' (an abridged ...
noted that when Hercules became a constellation, he showed that strength was necessary to gain entrance to Heaven. Medieval mythography was written almost entirely in Latin, and original Greek texts were little used as sources for Hercules' myths.


Renaissance mythography

The
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
and the invention of the
printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in whi ...
brought a renewed interest in and publication of Greek literature. Renaissance mythography drew more extensively on the Greek tradition of Heracles, typically under the Romanized name Hercules, or the alternate name Alcides. In a chapter of his book ''Mythologiae'' (1567), the influential mythographer Natale Conti collected and summarized an extensive range of myths concerning the birth, adventures, and death of the hero under his Roman name Hercules. Conti begins his lengthy chapter on Hercules with an overview description that continues the moralizing impulse of the Middle Ages:
Hercules, who subdued and destroyed monsters, bandits, and criminals, was justly famous and renowned for his great courage. His great and glorious reputation was worldwide, and so firmly entrenched that he'll always be remembered. In fact the ancients honored him with his own temples, altars, ceremonies, and priests. But it was his wisdom and great soul that earned those honors; noble blood, physical strength, and political power just aren't good enough.
In 1600, the citizens of
Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
bestowed on
Henry of Navarre Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
(the future King
Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
) the title of the ''Hercule Gaulois'' ("Gallic Hercules"), justifying the extravagant flattery with a genealogy that traced the origin of the House of Navarre to a nephew of Hercules' son Hispalus.


Worship


Road of Hercules

The Road of Hercules is a route across Southern Gaul that is associated with the path Hercules took during his 10th labor of retrieving the Cattle of Geryon from the Red Isles. Hannibal took the same path on his march towards Italy and encouraged the belief that he was the second Hercules. Primary sources often make comparisons between Hercules and Hannibal. Hannibal further tried to invoke parallels between himself and Hercules by starting his march on Italy by visiting the shrine of Hercules at Gades. While crossing the alps, he performed labors in a heroic manner. A famous example was noted by Livy, when Hannibal fractured the side of a cliff that was blocking his march.


Worship from women

In ancient Roman society women were usually limited to two types of cults: those that addressed feminine matters such as childbirth, and cults that required virginal chastity. However, there is evidence suggesting there were female worshippers of Apollo, Mars, Jupiter, and Hercules. Some scholars believe that women were completely prohibited from any of Hercules's cults. Others believe it was only the "Ara Maxima" at which they were not allowed to worship.
Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...
in his first book of ''Saturnalia'' paraphrases from Varro: "For when Hercules was bringing the cattle of Geryon through Italy, a woman replied to the thirsty hero that she could not give him water because it was the day of the Goddess Women and it was unlawful for a man to taste what had been prepared for her. Hercules, therefore, when he was about to offer a sacrifice forbid the presence of women and ordered Potitius and Pinarius who were in charge of his rites, not to allow any women from taking part". Macrobius states that women were restricted in their participation in Hercules cults, but to what extent remains ambiguous. He mentions that women were not allowed to participate in Sacrum which is general term used to describe anything that was believed to have belonged to the gods. This could include anything from a precious item to a temple. Due to the general nature of a Sacrum, we can not judge the extent of the prohibition from Macrobius alone. There are also ancient writings on this topic from Aulus Gellius when speaking on how Romans swore oaths. He mentioned that Roman women do not swear on Hercules, nor do Roman men swear on Castor. He went on to say that women refrain from sacrificing to Hercules. Propertius in his poem 4.9 also mentions similar information as Macrobius. This is evidence that he was also using Varro as a source.


Worship in myth

There is evidence of Hercules worship in myth in the Latin epic poem, the ''
Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...
''. In the 8th book of the poem
Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas ( , ; from ) was a Troy, Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus (mythology), Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy ...
finally reaches the future site of Rome, where he meets
Evander Evander is a masculine given name. It is an anglicization of the Greek name Εὔανδρος (lit. "good man", Latinized ''Evandrus''). It has also been adopted as an anglicization of the Gaelic name Ìomhar (the Gaelic variant of the name Ivor) ...
and the Arcadians making sacrifices to Hercules on the banks of the Tiber river. They share a feast, and Evander tells the story of how Hercules defeated the monster Cascus, and describes him as a triumphant hero. Translated from the Latin text of Vergil, Evander stated: "Time brought to us in our time of need the aid and arrival of a god. For there came that mightiest avenger, the victor Hercules, proud with the slaughter and the spoils of threefold Geryon, and he drove the mighty bulls here, and the cattle filled both valley and riverside. Hercules was also mentioned in the Fables of Gaius Julius Hyginus. For example, in his fable about Philoctetes he tells the story of how Philoctetes built a funeral pyre for Hercules so his body could be consumed and raised to immortality.


Hercules and the Roman triumph

According to Livy (9.44.16) Romans were commemorating military victories by building statues to Hercules as early as 305 BCE. Also, philosopher Pliny the Elder dates Hercules worship back to the time of Evander, by accrediting him with erecting a statue in the Forum Boarium of Hercules. Scholars agree that there would have been 5–7 temples in Augustan Rome. There are believed to be related Republican ''triumphatores'', however, not necessarily triumphal dedications. There are two temples located in the Campus Martius. One, being the Temple of Hercules Musarum, dedicated between 187 and 179 BCE by M. Fulvius Nobilior. And the other being the Temple of Hercules Custos, likely renovated by Sulla in the 80s BCE.


In art

In Roman works of art and in Renaissance and post-Renaissance art, Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the Nemean Lion, lion skin and the gnarled Club (weapon), club (his favorite weapon); in mosaic he is shown tanned bronze, a virile aspect.''Hercules'' almost suggests "Hero". The Classical and Hellenistic convention in frescoes and mosaics, adopted by the Romans, is to show women as pale-skinned and men as tanned dark from their outdoor arena of action and exercising in the gymnasium (ancient Greece), gymnasium.(See als
Reed.edu
, jpg file
Reed.edu
, subject).
In the twentieth century, the ''Farnese Hercules'' has inspired artists such as Jeff Koons, Matthew Darbyshire and Robert Mapplethorpe to reinterpret Hercules for new audiences. The choice of deliberately white materials by Koons and Darbyshire has been interpreted as perpetuation of colourism in how the classical world is viewed. Mapplethorpe's work with black model Derrick Cross can be seen as a reaction to Neo-classical colourism, resisting the portrayal of Hercules as white.


Roman era

File:Heracles Pio-Clementino Inv252.jpg, ''Hercules of the Forum Boarium'' (Hellenistic, 2nd century BCE) File:Affresco romano eracle ebbro e onfale.JPG, Hercules drunk and Omphale. Fresco from House of the Prince of Montenegro, Pompeii, 25–35 CE File:Hercules Nessus MAN Napoli Inv9001.jpg, Hercules carrying his son Hyllus looks at the centaur Nessus (mythology), Nessus, who is about to carry Deianira across the river on his back. Fresco from Pompeii, 30–45 CE File:Herculaneum Collegio degli Augustali Ercole sull'Olimpo.jpg, Hercules in Olympus with
Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...
and
Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...
, fresco from Herculaneum, 1st century CE File:Hercules and Iolaus mosaic - Anzio Nymphaeum.jpg, Hercules and Iolaus (1st century CE mosaic from the Anzio Nymphaeum, Rome) File:Hercules Hatra Iraq Parthian period 1st 2nd century CE.jpg, Hercules (Hatra, Iraq, Parthian Empire, Parthian period, 1st–2nd century CE) File:Muze 001.jpg, Hercules bronze statuette, 2nd century CE (museum of Alanya, Turkey) File:Missorium Herakles lion Cdm Paris 56-345 n3.jpg, Hercules and the Nemean Lion (detail), silver Plate (dishware), plate, 6th century (Cabinet des Médailles, Paris) File:Affresco romano - eracle ed onfale - area vesuviana.JPG, Heracles and Omphale, Roman fresco, Pompeian Styles, Pompeian Fourth Style (45–79 CE), Naples National Archaeological Museum, Italy File:Tesoro di hildesheim, argento, I sec ac-I dc ca., piatto da parata con ercole bambino e i serpenti 01.JPG, A Roman gilded silver bowl depicting the boy Hercules strangling two serpents, from the Hildesheim Treasure, 1st century CE, Altes Museum File:Head from statue of Herakles (Hercules) Roman 117-188 CE from villa of the emperor Hadrian at Tivoli, Italy BM 2.jpg, Head from statue of Herakles (Hercules) Roman 117–188 CE from villa of the emperor Hadrian at Tivoli, Italy at the British Museum File:Herakles with the Apples of the Hesperides Roman 1st century CE from a temple at Byblos Lebanon BM.jpg, Hercules (Herakles) with the Apples of the Hesperides Roman 1st century CE from a temple at Byblos, Lebanon at the British Museum File:Hercules from Cappadocia or Caesarea 1st century BCE - 1st century CE Walters Art Museum.jpg, Hercules from Cappadocia or Caesarea 1st century BCE – 1st century CE, Walters Art Museum File:Hercules slaying the Hydra Roman copy of 4th century BCE original by Lysippos Capitoline Museum.jpg, Hercules slaying the Hydra Roman copy of 4th century BCE original by Lysippos, Capitoline Museum File:Hercules Roman 1st century BCE - 1st century CE Walters Art Museum.jpg, Hercules Roman 1st century BCE – 1st century CE, Walters Art Museum File:Herakles and Telephos Louvre MR219.jpg, Herakles and Telephos Louvre MR219 File:Ercole seduto (epitrapezios), 50 ac-50 dc ca., con braccia, clava e gambe sotto il ginocchio di restauro 02.JPG, Hercules, 50 BCE – 50 CE, MAN Florence


Modern era

File:Hendrik Goltzius, The Great Hercules, 1589, NGA 70311.jpg, ''The Giant Hercules'' (1589) by Hendrik Goltzius File:Lucas Faydherbe - Hercules.jpg, Lucas Faydherbe, Bust of Hercules – collection King Baudouin Foundation File:Peter Paul Rubens cat01.jpg, ''The Drunken Hercules'' (1612–1614) by Rubens File:HerculeDejanire.jpg, ''Hercules and Deianira'' (18th century copy of a lost original), from I Modi File:Brooklyn Museum - Les Écuries d'Augias - Honoré Daumier.jpg, Hercules in the Augean stable (1842, Honoré Daumier) File:Hercules Comic Cover.JPG, Hercules (comics), Comic book cover () File:Bartholomäus Spranger - Hercules, Deianira and the Centaur Nessus - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Hercules, Deianira and the Centaur Nessus'', by Bartholomäus Spranger, 1580–1582 File:Henry IV en Herculeus terrassant l Hydre de Lerne cad La ligue Catholique Atelier Toussaint Dubreuil circa 1600.jpg,
Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
, as Hercules vanquishing the Lernaean Hydra (i.e. the Catholic League (French), Catholic League), by Toussaint Dubreuil, . Louvre Museum File:Herakles pyre Coustou Louvre MR1809.jpg, Hercules on the Pyre by Guillaume Coustou The Elder, 1704, Louvre MR1809


In numismatics

Hercules was among the earliest figures on ancient Roman coinage, and has been the main motif of many collector coins and medals since. One example is the Austrian Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Austria)#2002 coinage, 20 euro Baroque Silver coin issued on September 11, 2002. The obverse side of the coin shows the Grand Staircase in the town palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy in Vienna, currently the Austrian Ministry of Finance. Gods and demi-gods hold its flights, while Hercules stands at the turn of the stairs. File:Æ Triens 2710028.jpg,
Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...
, with Hercules fighting a Centaur on reverse (Roman, 215–15 BCE) File:Denarius Publius Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus 1 Obverse.jpg, Club over his shoulder on a Roman denarius () File:MAXIMINUS II-RIC VI 77-251201.jpg, Maximinus II and Hercules with club and lionskin (Roman, 313 CE) File:5 French francs Hercule de Dupré 1996 F346-2 obverse.jpg, Commemorative franc (France), 5-franc piece (1996), Hercules in center File:Caracalla Denarius Hercules RIC192.jpg, Hercules, as seen on a Denarius of the Roman Emperor Caracalla. Dated 212 CE


Military

Six successive ships of the British Royal Navy, from the 18th to the 20th century, bore the name HMS Hercules, HMS ''Hercules''. In the French Navy, there were no less than nineteen ships called ''French ship Hercule, Hercule'', plus three more named ''HMS Alcide, Alcide'' which is another name of the same hero. Hercules' name was also used for five ships of the US Navy, four ships of the Spanish Navy, four of the Argentine Navy and two of the Swedish Navy, as well as for numerous civilian sailing and steam ships. In modern aviation a military transport aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin carries the title Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Operation Herkules was the German code-name given to an abortive plan for the invasion of Malta during the Second World War.


Other cultural references

File:PillarsHerculesPeutingeriana.jpg, Pillars of Hercules, representing the Strait of Gibraltar (19th-century conjecture of the ''Tabula Peutingeriana'') File:Maczuga Herkulesa (background Castle Pieskowa Skała).jpg, ''Maczuga Herkulesa, The Cudgel of Hercules'', a tall limestone rock formation, with Pieskowa Skała, Pieskowa Skała Castle in the background File:Royal Coat of Arms of Greece.svg, Hercules as Supporter, heraldic supporters in the Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Greece, royal arms of Greece, in use 1863–1973. The phrase "Ηρακλείς του στέμματος" ("Defenders of the Crown") has pejorative connotations ("chief henchmen") in Greek.


In films

A series of nineteen Italian Hercules movies were made in the late 1950s and early 1960s. 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, Peter Lupus (billed as Rock Stevens) and Michael Lane. A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured the name of Hercules in their title were not intended to be movies about Hercules.


See also

* List of films featuring Hercules * Hercules (comics) * Hercules (constellation) * Hercules in popular culture of the 20th and 21st centuries * Sword-and-sandal * ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' * Strength (Tarot card) *
Samson SAMSON (Software for Adaptive Modeling and Simulation Of Nanosystems) is a computer software platform for molecular design being developed bOneAngstromand previously by the NANO-D group at the French Institute for Research in Computer Science an ...
* Gilgamesh * Melqart * Cú Chulainn * Demigod


References

;Notes ;Sources * Charlotte Coffin
"Hercules"
in Peyré, Yves (ed.) ''A Dictionary of Shakespeare's Classical Mythology'' (2009) * Bertematti, Richard (2014)
"The Heracliad: The Epic Saga of Hercules"
(Tridium Press).


External links

* {{Authority control Hercules, Heroes in mythology and legend Metamorphoses characters Roman gods Lion gods Archetypal names Legendary progenitors