Herakles

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Hercules in the garden of the Hesperides

Herakles, also known by Hercules in Roman mythology, was a legendary Greek hero. The demi-god son of Zeus, Herakles was born to Alcmene and was the half-brother of Perseus.

He is renowned in Greek mythology for the completion of his Twelve labours.

Biography

Herakles' most famous weapon was his club, a branch of a wild olive tree in Argolis. This was taken and hidden from him by the mischievous Cercopes, and the club was said to have sprouted roots and leaves when it hit the ground.^[1]

Among his many adventures, the most famous were the Twelve Labours. These included the slaying of the Nemean Lion, the Lernaean Hydra, the Stymphalian birds, and the capture of the Hind of Keryneia, the Erymanthian Boar, the Kretan Bull and Cerberus.^[1] The fifth labor required him to cleanse the Stable of Augeias in Elis^[1], while the eleventh labor required him to steal the apples from the garden of the Hesperides.^[2] In some of these, most notably with the Hydra, Herakles was aided by his nephew Iolaos.^[1]

Influence and legacy

In classical antiquity the Kretan town of Heraklion^[1] and the Egyptian city of Herakleion were named after him.^[3]

In 5th century BCE Herakles was widely celebrated all over Greece, whether by word of mouth or as statues and in murals. A tradition held that the island of Mykonos was built from the petrified corpses of Giants slain by Herakles, and in Elis, a statue of him watched over the Sacred Way. In Argolis, not only was the olive tree his club had come from revered, but the southern region, full of sinkholes, was regarded as his.^[1]

In 48 BCE a gladius named Hercules' Gladius was reputedly the very sword he used to kill the Hydra although Roman swords did not exist in his lifetime.^[3]

Trivia

Ercole Massimo's family was said to have originated from the union of Hercules and an unnamed nymph. ^[4]
The name Herakles (Ἡρακλῆς ) means 'Glory of Hera' which he took in an attempt to appease the goddess; his birth name is recorded as Alcaeus (Ἀλκαῖος) or alternatively Alcides, formed by the Greek word for 'strength' (Ἀλκα) appended by a patronymic.
In some stories, Herakles is counted among the Argonauts.
One of Layla Hassan's Animus modifications enabled an avatar based on the mythical hero to become a lieutenant aboard the Spartan misthios Kassandra's ship, the Adrestia.