Hercules

Myths and Legends #6

by Fred Lente

The greatest hero of Ancient Greece, Hercules battled gods, men and monsters in a lifetime of violence and destruction. Today, Hercules is best known for his 'twelve labors', a series of near-impossible tasks assigned to him as punishment for the killing of his wife and children. During those tasks, he slew the multi-headed hydra, wrestled with Cerberus, hound of the underworld, and stole the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Yet even when his labours were done, his adventures continued. Hercules led armies, sacked cities, fought against the gods, and then joined forces with the gods in the great war known as 'The Gigantomachy'. This book tells the complete story of this legendary warrior, including information on the classical sources, his deification and cult, and his continuing popularity as a character in film, television and comic books.

Genres: Mythology, History, Classics

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Anibal]

Heracles, or Hercules was named to honor the goddess Hera (so she wouldn’t be too upset by Zeus escapades or by the choosing of this infant as the prophesized savior of the gods) and the author accurately states the point that this hero represents (obviously immensely amplified) the qualities and flaws of the male (especially the Greco-Roman male; it is impressive how they were able to see their patriarchal society characteristics and represented them so well in their favored hero)…so it’s only reasonable that his enemy is the most perfect representation of the female gender, Hera. The life experiences of this mythological hero end up with the reconciliation with the goddess, but only after a long life journey.

In just 80 pages Fred Van Lente delves into the sources and gives a very good overview, chronologically organized, of the main adventures and some side quests of the greatest of Heroes. It describes not only the 12 labors but also the gigantomachy or the attack on Troy for example.

There are also sections (small but interesting) on Hercules and the modern culture and one of the most interesting – the evolution of the cult of Hercules.

The book is profusely illustrated with photographs and reproductions of representations of Hercules throughout the ages, but the main event of those illustrations are the plates by Alexei Aparin which are very good. They include Hercules protecting Thebes; Hercules kneeling before King Eurystheus of Mycenae; Hercules and his sister Athena against Poseidon, Ares, Hades and Hera; Hercules slaying Hippolyta; Hercules and Atlas; the gigantomachy; Apotheosis.

[Declan Waters]

Hercules (or Heracles) was the epitomy of heroic heroes, in the era of heroic Greece! Bound to service to complete 10 impossible labours, he completed 12 (due to having help on two of them), and then went to settle down with his wife... which did not go well.

This is a good summary of the twelve labours with all the lovely pictures and art expected in an Osprey 'Myths and Legends' book.

Will remain on my bookshelf as a reference tool.

[Joe Collins]

Enjoyable book on the Hercules’ legends plus interesting details on Hercules in other media (TV, movies, comics, etc).