The Myth of the Legendary Hercules

Of all the heroes of ancient Greek mythology, Hercules probably garners the most attention. Rightfully so! Hercules was both a man's man and the subject of many women's dreams. He was heroism personified. He saved damsels in distress, defeated mythical beasts that no one else could kill, and fought the gods on the behalf of mankind.

Hercules was half-god and half-mortal; a product of yet another one of Zeus's affairs with mortal women. Alcamene. was, by all accounts, exceedingly beautiful. However, it was not her beauty alone that caught the eye of Zeus. She radiated a warmth and charm that was uncommon among Greek women of the time. She was also full of energy, ambition, and unparalleled compassion. It would have, in fact, been odd had the king of the gods not noticed her.

Hercules was the result of their brief love affair and soon became the light of his mother's life. Though, he seldom acknowledged it, Zeus also had a soft spot in his heart for the young boy who were grow up to become a savior of mankind. He gifted his son with extraordinary strength.

However, Hera, queen of the gods, was tired of Zeus's wandering eye and decided to take her wrath out on his newest son. She even tried to prevent the birth of the boy while he slumbered peacefully in his mother's womb. When that didn't work, she sent snakes to attack the baby in his crib. However, from the very beginning Hercules seemed determined to live and easily strangled the reptiles with his bare hands.

The second failure to kill Zeus's son caused Hera to become even angrier. She vowed to get her revenge against the innocent boy no matter what or how long it took. She, indeed, spent most of life trying to make certain that Hercules never experienced sustained happiness.

Her cruelest act of all was perpetrated not against the half-god himself, but against his beloved family - - his wife Megara and their two children. She accomplished this in the most heartless manner possible. She poisoned Hercules with an hallucinogenic drug that nearly drove the young man insane. During his fit of madness, Hercules killed his own wife and children.