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Hercules, the first superhero: An unauthorized biography
Hercules the superman, the monsterslaying machine, the myth—who was the man beneath the lionskin headdress, and does he really live up to his legend? This unique biography tells the story of the first superhero from his traumatic birth to his dramatic death.
Hercules was more than just his twelve famous labours. He was a father, a lover, a leader of armies and a fine strategist. He was also a cattlethief, a murderer and a rapist. Using ancient sources from early Greece to the Late Roman Empire, this detailed biography fleshes out the character of one of the most complex and flawed heroes of Greek mythology.
Philip Matyszak has a doctorate in Roman history from St. John's College, Oxford University and is the author of many books on ancient history including the best-selling The Greek and Roman Myths: A Guide to the Classical Stories, Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day, and The Roman Soldier's (Unofficial) Manual. He teaches e-learning courses in ancient History for the Institute of Continuing Education at Cambridge University.
Hercules was more than just his twelve famous labours. He was a father, a lover, a leader of armies and a fine strategist. He was also a cattlethief, a murderer and a rapist. Using ancient sources from early Greece to the Late Roman Empire, this detailed biography fleshes out the character of one of the most complex and flawed heroes of Greek mythology.
Philip Matyszak has a doctorate in Roman history from St. John's College, Oxford University and is the author of many books on ancient history including the best-selling The Greek and Roman Myths: A Guide to the Classical Stories, Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day, and The Roman Soldier's (Unofficial) Manual. He teaches e-learning courses in ancient History for the Institute of Continuing Education at Cambridge University.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 10, 2015
30 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Philip Matyszak
62 books281 followersPhilip Matyszak is a British nonfiction author, primarily of historical works relating to ancient Rome. Matyszak has a doctorate in Roman history from St. John's College, Oxford. In addition to being a professional author, he also teaches ancient history for Madingley Hall Institute of Continuing Education, Cambridge University.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 15, 2025
A really solid version of Hercules’s life, told as a narrative like any celebrity biography. Filled with a great sense of humor and a clear voice for good story telling, this would be a great gift to anyone interested in the Hero of Greece.
August 2, 2021
Hercules always has a status of a modern-day Mount Hollywood celebrity with Paparazzi-conscious showmanship. He also reminds me of an advantaged individual who could get away with wrongdoings or an unsympathetic businessman who would do anything ruthless to get things done in his favor. Hercules was an impulsive egoist and an irascible aristocrat for what was worth the ancient Greek superhero, a paragon of masculine heroism with flairs for celebrity, who could have been a real person in ancient Greece. This uncommon biography about the superhero whose name still rings red herrings millenniums later is a literary documentary about the legendary man known for his feats of tantrums and histrionic performance of the Twelve Labors.
The book is essentially an extended recount or a compendium of unabridged footnotes about the Twelve Labors of Hercules. The author tries to shed the light of truth on the reluctant hero; he wants the reader to judge the accused without prejudice. With a wealth of knowledge on ancient Greek history and extensive research on the subject, Matyszak puts in the capacity of Hercules’s counsel per se in the tribunal between humanity and divinity, who searches for truth based upon factual findings. Matyszak’s defense for his now divine client Hercules is erudite and comprehensive, with exhibits drawn from classical Greek and Roman historians and writers whose wits and reasons were anything but those of Hercules. In addition, the author’s trademark storytelling narrative makes the story of the ancient Greek killer all the more vivid and engaging that each chapter holds the attention of the reader in the phantasmagorical display of images as depicted in Grecian urns or vases.
Notwithstanding the attractiveness of the narrative and the narrator, there are reasons I disapprove of Hercules as a hero, an antithesis of the other half-god, half-man Jesus of Nazareth in millenniums later. The Labors resulted from his egotistical attempt to free himself from the guilt of killing his family in moments of passion. However, he was neither remorseful nor appropriately punished for killing his music teacher Linus whose head his recalcitrant prince pupil Hercules shattered with a lyre he was trying to teach him how to play the way it should. As a prince of Thebes, Hercules showed no remorse for killing his elderly music teacher whose social status was beneath him, and gods condoned it because he was a son of Zeus.
His peremptory sense of entitlement knows no boundary because of his arrogance and hubris. For example, during his Fourth labor of capturing Erymanthian Boar, Hercules killed almost the entire race of centaurs, driving them to near extinction. But Hercules himself was the cause of the killing spree because he intimidated Pholus, a wise, kindly centaur, to open a jar of undiluted wine, a gift from Dionysus to centaurs, who became intoxicated and attacked Hercules out of stupor. Yet, his killing of the drunken centaurs was not even a subject of guilt and was regarded as collateral damage because centaurs were known as lustful creatures. But didn’t Hercules sleep around with women – and only the beautiful – wherever he went to, and sire children, one of whom became the founder of the Scythians?
I have seen quite a few books on Amazon analyzing Hercules’ psychology in shades of gray. Still, this book is best to recount who Hercules was and what he did in objective perspectives, revealing some unknown interesting historical background stories. To summarize, it all boils down to a conclusion that Hercules was a representative figure of a human whose essence is both divine and mortal, always on a chariot race with two horses of desire and reason. Some revisionists claim Hercules was an ancient Greek psychopath who took pleasure in killing people, beasts, and demi-gods. To me, a psychopath loses either the shackle of the ego or the supervisor of the superego, running a mind chariot alone even it drives to a pit full of fire. Methinks, Hercules was a cossetted brat without disciplines that controlled his power of reason, which is apart from mental acuteness or ingenuity. Adler’s will to power embodies the figure of BC man-God hero without regard for compassion and charity. Hercules was anything but Samuel Johnson’s conception of a biographic figure who empathizes for the common characteristics of life in the principle of universal judgment and sentiments. I now know why Christianity has won favors from poor and ordinary people and become the subject of persecutions from emperors and kings because Jesus of Nazareth, begotten by God and born of Virgin Mary, all divine and human aspects.
The book is essentially an extended recount or a compendium of unabridged footnotes about the Twelve Labors of Hercules. The author tries to shed the light of truth on the reluctant hero; he wants the reader to judge the accused without prejudice. With a wealth of knowledge on ancient Greek history and extensive research on the subject, Matyszak puts in the capacity of Hercules’s counsel per se in the tribunal between humanity and divinity, who searches for truth based upon factual findings. Matyszak’s defense for his now divine client Hercules is erudite and comprehensive, with exhibits drawn from classical Greek and Roman historians and writers whose wits and reasons were anything but those of Hercules. In addition, the author’s trademark storytelling narrative makes the story of the ancient Greek killer all the more vivid and engaging that each chapter holds the attention of the reader in the phantasmagorical display of images as depicted in Grecian urns or vases.
Notwithstanding the attractiveness of the narrative and the narrator, there are reasons I disapprove of Hercules as a hero, an antithesis of the other half-god, half-man Jesus of Nazareth in millenniums later. The Labors resulted from his egotistical attempt to free himself from the guilt of killing his family in moments of passion. However, he was neither remorseful nor appropriately punished for killing his music teacher Linus whose head his recalcitrant prince pupil Hercules shattered with a lyre he was trying to teach him how to play the way it should. As a prince of Thebes, Hercules showed no remorse for killing his elderly music teacher whose social status was beneath him, and gods condoned it because he was a son of Zeus.
His peremptory sense of entitlement knows no boundary because of his arrogance and hubris. For example, during his Fourth labor of capturing Erymanthian Boar, Hercules killed almost the entire race of centaurs, driving them to near extinction. But Hercules himself was the cause of the killing spree because he intimidated Pholus, a wise, kindly centaur, to open a jar of undiluted wine, a gift from Dionysus to centaurs, who became intoxicated and attacked Hercules out of stupor. Yet, his killing of the drunken centaurs was not even a subject of guilt and was regarded as collateral damage because centaurs were known as lustful creatures. But didn’t Hercules sleep around with women – and only the beautiful – wherever he went to, and sire children, one of whom became the founder of the Scythians?
I have seen quite a few books on Amazon analyzing Hercules’ psychology in shades of gray. Still, this book is best to recount who Hercules was and what he did in objective perspectives, revealing some unknown interesting historical background stories. To summarize, it all boils down to a conclusion that Hercules was a representative figure of a human whose essence is both divine and mortal, always on a chariot race with two horses of desire and reason. Some revisionists claim Hercules was an ancient Greek psychopath who took pleasure in killing people, beasts, and demi-gods. To me, a psychopath loses either the shackle of the ego or the supervisor of the superego, running a mind chariot alone even it drives to a pit full of fire. Methinks, Hercules was a cossetted brat without disciplines that controlled his power of reason, which is apart from mental acuteness or ingenuity. Adler’s will to power embodies the figure of BC man-God hero without regard for compassion and charity. Hercules was anything but Samuel Johnson’s conception of a biographic figure who empathizes for the common characteristics of life in the principle of universal judgment and sentiments. I now know why Christianity has won favors from poor and ordinary people and become the subject of persecutions from emperors and kings because Jesus of Nazareth, begotten by God and born of Virgin Mary, all divine and human aspects.
April 14, 2025
Matyszak's writings are extremely approachable. He peels away the minutia and relates the pertinent facts in an easy-to-read format, making ancient history available to the general public. In "Hercules" he presents the hero/viliain's tale from before his birth to his death. The author speaks to the reader almost as two friends gathered around a fire telling stories; however, his story is based on fact -- archeological, historical, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and it was a pleasant change from the exceedingly detailed histories I often read. Let me be clear, Matyszak's book is firmly rooted in fact, and a reader will learn a great deal about the Greek gods, Hercules, the culture of the time, and the other persons involved in Hercules's life, and will have fun doing so!
April 30, 2020
A very good read. Combines well-researched passages that come straight from classical texts with modern day humor and insight. A really fun way to write a biography of an ancient figure. I enjoyed this author’s style and will look for more of his books.
December 21, 2020
Stellar Read!!
Been lookig for a book on Hercules for years before I came upon this one last week. It went into just the right amount of detail. The author includes works from authors and poets dating way back to Homer. It was perfectly informative.
Been lookig for a book on Hercules for years before I came upon this one last week. It went into just the right amount of detail. The author includes works from authors and poets dating way back to Homer. It was perfectly informative.
November 18, 2019
Enjoyable
Enjoyable, very good description of events along with interesting facts about events which endure to today. Tantalus & pelops, Aconite, milkyway, italus, pholus, etc.
Enjoyable, very good description of events along with interesting facts about events which endure to today. Tantalus & pelops, Aconite, milkyway, italus, pholus, etc.
July 23, 2023
Matyszak's unauthorized biography of Heracles/Hercules is humorous and very well-researched. This is what every biography of a mythical hero should strive to be!
April 8, 2024
An excellent read
The author does a fine job of sorting through the many tales and artifacts of this mythic hero to piece together a comprehensive accounting of it all.
The author does a fine job of sorting through the many tales and artifacts of this mythic hero to piece together a comprehensive accounting of it all.
December 3, 2021
This was very in-depth and well researched utilizing a variety of historical works. I did not enjoy mythology in college and this was a better experience for me.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews