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| One hero stands both literally and metaphorically head and shoulders above all the others: Herakles (Hercules in Latin). Yet he can be a difficult character to pin down: he certainly lives up to his stereotyped image as a mighty performer of astonishing feats, yet he can also appear at the heart of Greek tragedies, take the stage as a gluttonous comic buffoon or be a philosophical role model. His heroism finally wins him the ultimate prize, since his accomplishments lead to immortality.
| | #REDIRECT [[Herakles]] |
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| ==Herakles - Before the Labours==
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| [[author::Apollodoros]] relates a strange chronology and geneology. During the reign of the King of [[place::Mycenae]], [[character::Elektryon]] the six sons of [[character::Pterelaos]] claimed the nearby kingdon of [[place::Tiryns]]. [[character::Likymnios]] was the sole surviving son of Elektryon who swore revenge on the sons and entrusted his daughter [[character::Alkmena]] and his kingdom to [[Amphitryon]]. He died and his brother [[character::Sthenelos]] used the pretext to take over the throne and banish Amphitryon who took refuge with Alkmena and Likynnios with [[character::Kreon]] at [[place::Thebes]].
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| After ridding Thebes of a giant Vixen, Amphitryon sails to [[place::Taphos]] to ravage them. But [[character::Poseidon]] had made Pterelaos immortal by putting gold in his hair and while he was alive Taphos could not be taken. His daughter [[character::Komaitho]] falls in love with Amphitryon and takes out her father's golden hair and he dies. Despite her help Amphitryon executes her for treason.
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| Before Amphitryon returns, [[character::Zeus]] assumes the likeness of Amphitryon and sleeps with Alkmena. When Amphitryon actually returns there is confusion and [[character::Teiresias]] has to reveal the truth. Twon sons are born of Alkmena. [[character::Ipphikles]] by Amphitryon and Herakles by Zeus. Zeus declared that this decendent of [[character::Perseus]] would reign over Mycenae. This irritaed [[character::Hera]] who tied to postpone the birth and persuaded [[character::Eileityiai]],the goddess of childbirth to bring forward the birth Sthenelos' son [[character::Eurystheus]]
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| Herakles first major event was when he strangled tow serpents aged one. Later when [[character::Linos]] brother of [[character::Orpheus]] chastised Herakles, he killed him with his lyre. At 18 he was nearly 7 foor tall.
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| ==Feats of Herakles==
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| He slays the lion of [[place::Kithairon]] 9his attributes include him wearing lionskin) and a thankful [[character::Thespios]] King of [[place::Thespiai]] and wife [[character::Megamede]] gives him 50 daughters on 50 nights (though he thinks its the same daughter every night). These daughters have sons.
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| At this time there is an event called the '''Choice of Herakles''' At a road junction he is met by ''vice'' who offers him an easy path of pleasure, and ''virtue'' who offers him a hard road of duty. He chooses the path of virtue.
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| On his way back he cuts the noses, hands and ears of heralds belonging to [[character::Erginos]]. He is incensed, marches on Thebes but Herakles kills him with a weapon given to him by [[character::Athena]]. As a reward Kreon gives him his daughter [[character::Megara]] and his given a sword by [[character::Hermes]], bows and arrows by [[character::Apollo]] and a cloak from Athena.
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| Hera is still angry and drives Herakles mad and he throws Megara's children and others into a fire. He recovers his sanity and see the [[Delphic Oracle]]. Up until now he had been called Alkaios. The Oracle renames him Herakles (Hera's Glory) and told him to go to Tiryns and serve his uncle [[character::Eurystheus]] for 12 years and perform labours. For this he will become immortal.
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| ==The Labours of Herakles==
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| The twelve labours are the accepted number although [[author::Pausanias]] had 11 possibly after he visits and sees the labours depicted at the temple of Zeus in [[place::Olympia]]. he leaves out [[character::Kerebos]]. We see Herakles transform from a freash faced young man to a mature hero, often helped by Athena. The labours do come in any definitive order.
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| The first 6 take place in the [[place::Pelopennese]]
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| *1. Killing the Nemean lion. After this Eurystheus is so frighened he forebades Herakles from entering Mycenae and communicate through [[character::Kopreus]]
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| *2. Killing the Hydra of [[place::Lerna]]. This was a progeny of [[character::Typheous]] and [[character::Ekhidna]]
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| *3. Killing the Kerynitian hind. This was sacred to [[character::Artemis]]. After killing it he runs into Artemis, Athena and Apollo and persuades them to keep it
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| *4. [[The Labours of Herakles#Capturing the Erymanthian boar|Capturing the Erymanthian boar]]
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| *5. [[The Labours of Herakles#Cleaning the stables of Augeias|Cleaning the stables of Augeias]]
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| *6. Chasing away the Stymphalian birds by using a bronze rattle
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| The next two on the outskirts of the Greek world
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| *7. [[The Labours of Herakles#Capturing the Cretan bull|Capturing the Cretan bull]]
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| *8. [[The Labours of Herakles#Fetching the man eating horse from Thrace|Fetching the man eating horse from Thrace]]
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| The final four are at the ends of the world
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| *9. [[The Labours of Herakles#Getting the belt of Hippolyte|Getting the belt of Hippolyte]]
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| *10. Stealing the cattle of the tribodied Greyon
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| *11. Fetching the golden apples of [[character::Hesperides]]
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| *12. Bring the Kerebos from [[place::Hades]]
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| ===Capturing the Erymanthian boar===
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| On his way he meets friendly Centaur [[character::Pholos]] who gives him meat and wine from [[character::Dionysos]]. The smell attracts other Centaurs. Herakles fights them off and they seek refuse with another freindly centaur [[character::Kheiron]]. Herakles accidentally shoots him and Kheiron goes away to die but he is immortal until [[character::Prometheus]] offers to become immortal in his place. Pholos dies as well as he accidentally extracted a poison arrow that falls on his foor.
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| ===Cleaning the stables of Augeias===
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| Herakles agrees to clean the stables of the Argonaut [[character::Augeias]] in return for 10% of his cattle. Later when Augeias hears that he was doing this labour for Eurystheus he refuses to pay up. When Eurystheus hears that Herakles did the labour for hire he refuses to accept it. This is why the two disqualifications make it the 12 labours of Herakles
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| ===Capturing the Cretan bull===
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| [[character::Minos]] promised to sacrifice a bull to help his claim of kingship. He substituted the bull because it was beautiful. Poseidon made his wife [[character::Pasiphae]] fall in love with it and it became father to the [[character::Minotaur]]. Posiedon made the bull feral, whereapon Herakles captures it. Eurystheus lets it go and harried the population until [[character::Theseus]] kills it.
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| ===Fetching the man eating horse from Thrace===
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| He goes north to [[place::Thrace]] where the Bistones own some man-eatig mares. Herakles overpowers the grooms and drives the Mares of [[character::Diomedes]] into the sea and left them in the care of Abderos. However, while Heracles was away, the horses devoured Abderus. In revenge, Heracles fed Diomedes alive to his own mares
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| ===Getting the belt of [[character::Hippolyte]]===
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| [[Category:Greek Mythology]]
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