The Greek Myth Of Hercules: A Hero's Journey

Hercules

The myth of Hercules is a classic tale of a hero's journey. Hercules goes through many trials throughout his life that shows how much of a hero he is. The Greek myth of Hercules reveals that a hero to the ancient Greeks must have bravery, determination, and tragedy.

Hercules' bravery was evident in his twelve labors, which he completed as punishment for killing his wife and children in a fit of madness. One of these trials includes slaying the Nemean lion, which he did with incredible skill. “Heracles, after having in vain used his club and arrows against the lion, had blocked up one of the entrances to the den, and entering the other, he strangled the animal with his own hands.” (Encyclopedia Mythica) This feat shows how brave Hercules

He never gave up, even when faced with seemingly impossible challenges. This determination was showcased in his sixth labor, where he had to clean the Augean stables in a single day. The stables were home to thousands of cattle and had not been cleaned for years. “Augeas was a king of Elis in the western Peloponnesos who possessed an enormous herd of cattle. Herakles was commanded by King Eurystheus to clean Augeias' stables as one of his Twelve Labours.”(THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY) What this historic accomplishment shows is that Hercules had the determination to clean out a stable that stank up the entire city. He completed this task because he knew he had to, and that shows what raw determination Hercules has. Another task that Hercules completed was how he hunted the Ceryneian Hind. Hercules was commanded to hunt a Hind that was dedicated to Artemis, the god of the hunt. The hind was incredibly fast and agile, but the most difficult part of this was that he couldn’t kill the animal or Artemis would strike him down. “He pursued it in vain for a whole year: at length it fled from Oenoë to Mount Artemisium in Argolis, and thence to the river Ladon in Arcadia. Heracles wounded it with an arrow, caught it, and carried it away on his shoulders.”(Encyclopedia Mythica) How Hercules caught this animal proved his determination because he pursued it for an entire year without giving up. The determination Hercules shows during these impossible tasks made an example of what the Greeks are looking for in a