Herakles:
Cross-Cultural Connections

Herakles is an extremely complicated character. He is full of troubling inconsistencies. The question of Herakles’ origin leads to incredible heroes in other cultures in varying levels of contact with the Greeks.  Connections between these heroes certainly exist, but the question is to what degree.  Furthermore, Greek culture developed out of preexisting cultures that were probably nomadic. The most significant is that of the Indo-Europeans, which extends to include Northern Europe and India.  I read descriptions about several different heroes from several different cultures to get a better picture of the development of the Herakles image.

Herakles is a dynamic figure whose roots extend into the distant past. His contradictions and inconsistencies may arise from his origins in an overarching body of heroic myth. He resembles other heroes from a variety of cultures, some more closely than others.  The basic story for all of these heroes is essentially the same.  They are sent out on a dangerous quest to retrieve some item or perform some task for another individual. Whether this journey is forced or elected by the hero varies. For examlple, Herakles was forced into his labors, but Beowulf chose to fight Grendel.  Heroes are interesting figures who exist in all cultures. Scholars argue whether this kind of story is built into the human psyche, but it certainly seems to be a common theme around the globe. (MAC)