Hercules: The Divine Hero

In Greek mythology, there are many Gods and Goddesses, but one of the most popular of them all is Hercules. Although Hercules is best known as the divine hero, he is also known for his influence of a moral lesson in today 's society and an act of destruction.

Hercules is the son of Zeus, the sky and thunder god, and Alcmena, "the wife of Amphitryon, a distinguished Greek warrior and heir to the throne of Tiryns."(Wickersham) He is considered a semi-god because his mother is a mortal. Hercules grew up with his mother and step-father Amphitryon. Everyone in the village knew that Hercules was different because of his strength and anger. "He was the strongest man on Earth and he had the supreme self-confidence magnificent physical strength gives."(Hamilton86)

Hercules moral influence on today 's society was his strength and perseverance throughout the time he had to complete the twelve labors to pay for the murder of his family. "the gods commanded him to preform twelve difficult tasks, or labors, which were set by king Eurytheus of Mycenae" ("The New Book of Knowledge"366) These labors were set at a level that no normal human could reach so that it would be difficult for Hercules to compete them. The first labor Hercules had to complete was to "kill the Nemean lion, a beast whose skin could not be pierced by any weapon." ("The New Book of Knowledge"366) He killed the Nemean lion by strangling it with his own two hands until it died and then he took the skin to king Eurytheus as prove for the first labor. Also, Hercules shows strength and perseverance with "the cleansing of the stables of Augeas" (Bleiberg) The stables were filled with cattle, but no one had decided to clean the stables in years. Hercules was ordered to clean the place in one day, in order to complete the fifth labor assigned to him. Once again he shows strength because he had to change the course of two rivers in order to clean the stables, and perseverance because he stayed strong even when he thought that he wouldn 't be able to complete the task in the time given. This moral lesson has an influence on today 's society because it shows how a person should be strong and perseverance even when facing an obstacle they believe they can 't overcome. Even

Hercules is known for many of his adventures, but he 's also known for his acts of destruction. We can even see this in his early years when he kills his musical teacher with a lyre because he got frustrated. One of his main acts of destruction was the murder of his wife and two children. After coming home from one of his many adventures, "Hera visited him with a fit of madness" (Bleiberg) where he killed his wife and children. "When he came to his senses, Hercules was horrified be what he had done." (Wickersham) That 's when he had to go complete the twelve labors of Hercules as a form of punishment the gods thought was appropriate for his crime. Also, another act of destruction Hercules caused was the murder of his half-brother Iphitus. "This crime was more than fratricide; it breached the laws of hospitality, for Iphitus was Hercules ' guest when Hercules hurled him down from the walls of Tiryns." (Bleiberg) After killing his half-brother, Hercules got very sick and had to go with the Delphi to ask for a cure. But when the Delphi refused, he took the tripod he was sitting in making Apollo, the god of prophecy, angry to the point were he fought Hercules for the tripod. The fight ended when Zeus separated them with a thunderbolt. "The oracle did speak at that point, and told Hercules that he must work as a slave for three years if he wanted to be purified."(Bleiberg) Hercules then "served as a slave of Queen Omphale of the Lydians for three years and preformed