Herakles and the Gods

 

Olympian Gods

Zeus (Jupiter)
 Zeus was the god of thunder and the ruler of the other gods, as well as Herakles’ father.  Zeus became the ruler of the gods by overthrowing his own father.  Of all of the immortals, Zeus works most behind the scenes.  Whenever he does commit an act to help out someone, namely Herakles, which is not too often, he does not let everyone know.  The relationship between Zeus and Herakles is not like any other father-son relationship; they both acknowledge each other with the respect due but they do not closely communicate or function as a family.  Hera, the sister and wife of Zeus, is a reason for his lack of participation with the mortals of Earth, not to mention he is the ruler of all the gods and does not have the time to take care of everything.

Poseidon (Neptune)
Poseidon was the brother of Zeus and the god of the ocean. After deposing their father Cronus, Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades shot dice in a helmet for
lordship of the world. Zeus won the sky, Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the sea.  Poseidon may have matched his brother in dignity but he was by far much weaker than his brother.  Poseidon controlled all of the oceans of the world.  Poseidon and Herakles do not interact much at all except for when the gods fight against the giants and Herakles assists them in battle (Apollodorus 1.6.2.)

Hera (Juno)
Hera was the sister and wife of Zeus and was very passionate in her hate for Herakles.  In myth, Hera was simply Zeus’ wife, and as such she was inferior to him in position and power and had to obey his commands. (It was only later, in cult, that she became the queen of the heavens, of gods and men as he was king.)  In myth, she was frequently humiliated and punished by her husband. He punished her after a violent quarrel in which Hephaestus interfered on her behalf, and Zeus threw his son out of Olympus, laming him from the fall. Hera then focused her hatred also upon the women that Zeus loved.  Instead of attempting to punish Zeus, she would punish the women, even when they yielded to him only because he coerced or tricked them. It made no difference to Hera how reluctant any of them were, or how innocent, the goddess treated them all the same. Hera and Zeus had four children together, Hephaestus, Ares, Hebe, and Eileithyia the goddess of childbirth.  Herakles and Hera have a long past together.  Hera was the one, along with Athena, who found Herakles in a field when he was a baby and Herakles bit the breast of Hera and made the Milky Way as the milk shot forth from her breast (Age of Heroes, p.300.)  Hera sent the snakes into the crib of Herakles as he was sleeping as a babe, but the ever-strong Herakles, even as a child disposed of the snakes with ease (Apollodorus 2.4.8.)  When Herakles returns from the underworld to save his wife and children from Lycus, Hera sends Iris and Madness to infest the body of Herakles and drive him insane, forcing him to kill his wife Megara, and his children (Euripides, The Madness of Herakles.)  Hera also sent a storm after Herakles when he was at sea and had taken Troy.  Thus forcing Zeus to hang her from Olympus.  This was also where Hephaestus came to her rescue and he was cast out of the home of the immortals by Zeus (Apollodorus 1.3.5.)  Also, during his labors, Hera sends a giant crab to try to kill Herakles while he is fighting the Hydra (Apollodorus 2.5.2.)  Needless to say, Herakles is an ever-present reminder of the unfaithfulness of Zeus and she is compelled to destroy the hero.

Demeter (Ceres)
Demeter was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and sister to Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera and Hestia. Demeter was the goddess of corn, fruit and agriculture in general and a goddess of fertility.  Demeter had a daughter named Persephone who was captured by Hades and forced to live in his underground palace with him.  Demeter was heart broken and the loss of her daughter and went on a worldwide search for her.  While searching, Demeter neglected her duties to change the seasons and to make the earth bear its fruits, so in turn the earth grew barren and dry as she wandered along searching for Persephone.  Finally, Zeus intercedes and tells Hades that he must give up Persephone.  Hades agrees but since she had eaten part of a pomegranate she had to return to Hades and remain as his wife for four months out of the year and she would live with her mother the other eight months on Olympus.  Whenever Persephone returns to Hades each year, Demeter is sad and the earth grows cold and looses its fruit, causing winter.  Demeter had only a tenuous relationship to Herakles when he was returning from Hades with Cerberus, he freed Ascalaphus whom Demeter had imprisoned, but Demeter turned Ascalaphus into an owl, and allowing Herakles to continue on his journey (Apollodorus 2.5.12.)

Athena (Minerva)
Athena was the daughter of Zeus, and in a way, also the daughter of the titan, Metis, the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Before Athena’s birth, Zeus swallowed Metis because it was predicted that she would give birth to a child destined
to be greater and stronger than himself. At the proper time, fully armed and with an ear-splitting war shout, Athena burst forth from Zeus’ head. She immediately took her seat at Zeus’ right hand side in the great council of the gods. Athena owned the traits of her father, power and valor, and her mother, prudence and wisdom.  In the war that was going on between the gods and the giants, Athena helped Zeus and Herakles, who were sent for at his suggestion, not only by giving them sound advice, but also by taking part in the action. Athena was the protector of heroes, she watched over every one of them and helped them out whenever she could.  Athena, also the half-sister of Herakles, has been found on numerous occasions to assist our hero in his tasks, trials, and missions. The goddess of wisdom that she is in myth, Athena always made sure that she stayed behind the scenes while at the same time making sure that Herakles succeeded in what lay before him.  Athena assisted Herakles when he was a child (see Hera.)  She also kept Herakles from killing his mortal father, Amphitryon, when he was taken by madness (Euripides, The Madness of Herakles.)   When Herakles fought the giant Alcyoneus, Athena advised Herakles to drag him from the town of Pallene, for he could not die within the city (Apollodorus 1.6.1.)  Also, when Herakles was trying to obtain the apples of Hesperides, and he must hold up the world for Atlas, Athena helped him out with this burden as well by standing behind him and taking off some of the weight (Michelle.)

Apollo (same)
Apollo was the god of art, culture, and music.  Apollo was a many sided god, and was worshipped for various different qualities and capacities. He was often a punishing god, and because of this, he is depicted has having a bow and arrows, these having the ability to cause sudden death.  Apollo had the ability to tell prophesy which he channeled through oracles, in particular the famous Delphic Oracle.  In addition to

having the ability to exercise this power, he also had the ability to transfer it to other men and gods as well.  Apollo was a god who would help the mortals one-minute but would punish them for something the next.  The relationship between Apollo and Herakles was complex.  When Herakles visits the Delphic Oracle during his travels he becomes enraged at what the oracle tells him and knocks over a tripod.  Apollo arrives and the two begin to battle.  The fighting only stops once Zeus intervenes (Apollodorus 2.6.2).  However there is an instance when they are side-by-side in battle when the gods fight the giants.  Apollo is seen shooting and arrow into the left eye of the giant Ephialtes, and Herakles is seen shooting the right eye (Apollodorus 1.6.2.)

 Artemis (Diana)
Artemis was the virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo.  Because she is Apollo’s twin it would be expected of her to share the same characteristics of her brother, and indeed she does.  Artemis too carried a bow and arrows, and wielded sudden death upon whomever  the deadly arrows struck. Like the other divinities, some of her qualities were ambivalent; hence she brought evil and suffering upon mortals, yet she also cured their ailments and helped them to solve their problems.  Artemis is not known for many famous deeds but whenever she is mentioned, she is usually along side her brother Apollo.  She does have relationship to Herakles however.  When Herakles had to return to Eurystheus with the golden hind, which was sacred to Artemis since she was the goddess of the hunt, she and Apollo confronted Herakles when he had captured the animal.  They agreed to let him borrow it as long as he returned it to the forest once he was done (Apollodorus 2.5.3.)

Dionysus (Bacchus)
Dionysus was born in Thebes, the son of Zeus and Semele, the daughter of Cadmus, and is generally known as the god of wine and merrymaking. Dionysus was the only god whose parents were not both divine. When Dionysus had grown older, Hera drove him mad, in which condition he traveled through many parts of the earth: Egypt, Syria, Asia and India. Where he was received with hospitality he responded in kind and taught people the elements of civilization and how to cultivate the vine; where he was not accorded the respect due to him and not recognized as a god entitled to worship, he visited horrible punishments upon the inhabitants, usually madness.  Those who incurred Dionysus’ wrath, were not only sent into a frenzy, but in that state harmed or killed themselves and those they loved, or were attacked by their loved ones. Once Dionysus had secured his authority as a god across the world he left his home high on Mount Olympus, and visited Semele in Hades, secured her release and took her back to Olympus, where she was worshipped as Thyone.  In myth Dionysus and Herackles do not come together, but both were driven mad by Hera.  In comedy, Dionysus and Herakles share two very similar attributes; they both love to party and to drink wine.

Hermes (Mercury)
Hermes was the son of Zeus and of Maia, a Naiad who was the oldest and loveliest daughter of Atlas, and was born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. As the messenger and herald of the gods, Hermes was frequently requested to speak in public, and to do a great deal of  traveling; he therefore became the god of eloquence and speech, and the god of roads who would protect travelers like himself.  In many places, Hermes was worshipped as the god of crops, and of mining. In Arcadia, he was honored as the god who bestows the blessing of fertility on animals and soil. He was (as well as Morpheus, who played a minor role), the god of sleep.  Hermes was one of the most active and energetic gods, and held many positions of trust, bestowed on him by Zeus.  One of Hermes' most important duties was to ferry the shades or the ghosts of the dead from the upper world to the lower world (This is how Herakles was able to travel back and forth without injury.) This duty was so important, that Hades, himself used to do it. Hermes, along with Athena, also helped Herakles when he could.  He also counseled Herakles when he descended to Hades and warned him of the Gorgon’s inability to harm him anymore and gave him a sword to use on his journeys (Apollodorus 2.5.12.)

Aphrodite (Venus)
Aphrodite was the goddess of love. The unfaithful wife of the lame Hephaestus, she was in love with at least four other gods; Ares, Hermes, Poseidon and Dionysus, and at least two mortals, Anchises and Adonis, both noted for their beauty. By Anchises, she was the mother of the Roman hero, Aeneus.  Aphrodite, although the most beautiful of the goddesses, rarely played a major role in myth.  There was no relationship between Herakles and Aphrodite in myth.  It is interesting that they are both considered great lovers and they do not have any other connection at all. 

 Ares (Mars)
Ares was one of the sons of Zeus and Hera, and was the god of war.  Ares was very belligerent and violent with his temper, which he inherited from his mother.  His own parents detested him, and his fellow gods disliked him as well, especially Zeus and Athena, who hated him for his blood lust. For a war god, Ares made a surprisingly poor showing in the contests in which he participated.  When Diomedes, the son of Tydeus wounded him before Troy, his cry of pain, as loud as ten thousand warriors, made both the Trojans and the Greeks tremble. In the battle of the gods, Athena, who had helped Diomedes, caught him in the neck with a huge rock, his stunned body, falling over seven hundred feet (Homer, Iliad V).  Herakles, who had killed his son, Cycnus, conquered Ares in single combat (Hesiod, Shield of Herakles).  

Hephaestus (Vulcan)
Hephaestus was born the son of Zeus and Hera, and was the god of fire and the chief workman of the gods. Hephaestus was lame and ugly, and was twice thrown from heaven on Olympus, once by his mother in shame and anger at his deformity, and once by his father because of a quarrel in which he sided with his mother. Perhaps the most important far-reaching contribution made by Hephaestus was his invention of Pandora, the first woman on earth, whom he made out of clay, at the command of Zeus, in order to plague mankind.  Among the specimens of his skill as a craftsman, may be mentioned all of the palaces of the Olympian gods, the thunder-causing and fear-inspiring shield of Zeus, the armor of Achilles and Aeneas, the scepter of Agamemnon, the fire-breathing bulls of Aetes, king of Colchis, the crown or Ariadne, and the beautiful but fatal necklace of Harmonia, the wife of Cadmus.  Hephaestus’ only relationship with Herakles was that he gave the hero a golden breastplate and shield to wear when in battle (Apollodorus 2.4.11, Hesiod, Shield of Herakles).

The following were gods and goddesses but they were not considered to be Olympian gods.

Hades (Pluto)
Hades was the third brother of the Olympians who drew for his share of
the universe; the underworld and to rule over the dead was what he ended up with; God of the underworld (with his queen Persephone).  Hades was also known as the god of wealth and precious metal that lay hidden deep within the earth, and was a son of Cronus and Rhea.  His helmet, given to him by the Cyclops was famous, for whoever wore it, became invisible. Hades lent his helmet, on occasions, to other gods, and sometimes mortals, just as Zeus lent his shield to Athena and Apollo. It was rare that he left his dark realm to visit Olympus or the earth, nor was he urged to do so, he was not a welcome visitor. Hades was unpitying and inexorable, but just; a terrible, not an evil god. Hades was king of the dead, not death itself, whom the Greeks called Thanatos. Hades’ symbol is the two pronged staff, which he used to drive the unwilling shades of spirits into his dark regions. The land of Hades is well mapped in mythology, being split into two parts: Erebus to which the dead come immediately after dying, and Tartarus, the deeper part.  Although not incapable of feeling love, Hades was a grim, fierce, and inexorable god, but not unjust, not a hater of foe of man, although of all of the deities he was the most hated by both men and gods.  Hades did contribute help to Herakles with completing his labors when he had to bring the tri-headed guard dog of Hades, Cereberus, to Eurystheus.  Hades agreed to let Herakles borrow the hound under one condition, that he defeats the animal without any weapons.  Herakles did just that and returned to the world of the living with his new trophy (Apollodorus 2.5.12.)

 Hestia (Vesta)
Hestia was the first born of Cronus and Rhea and the sister of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades and Demeter. Hestia was the goddess of the hearth, and a virgin by choice as Apollo and Poseidon wooed her, but she swore to Zeus that she would live forever in the unmarried state.  With Athena and Artemis, she was one of the trinity of virgin goddesses.  As a symbol of domesticity, she was honored, at the command of Zeus, by a hearth consecrated to her not only in every private home, but also in the public building of every capital city in Greece - as well as in the temples of the gods.  All sacrifices began, and ended with tribute being paid to Hestia, and she always had first mention in prayers. Hestia is quite simply the female counterpart of Hephaestus, the god of fire; hence her presence was not as strong as other divinities.  Herakles and Hestia did not have a relationship together at all, most likely because Herakles never had anything to do with hearth and home.  (AH)