Herakles

Herakles . . .the most popular hero of the ancient world.  His stories were told again and again over hundreds, even thousands of years.  Ancient worshippers established shrines to him from Greece to Spain, from North Africa to Asia Minor.  Dozens of cities were named after him.  He was the most popular subject of Greek art, shown hundreds of times in his labors and other adventures.   

But controversies and contradictions surround this hero.  Son of a mortal woman and Zeus, king of the gods, he both dies and became a god.  Born to rule, he spent years in servitude.  Known as a culture hero and savior, he was also capable of acts of brutal violence.  There are so many conflicting stories about his life that it is impossible to devise a clear biography.  Yet such is his fascination that scholars, students and ordinary people, both ancient and modern, continue to explore the nature of this great hero.

This page was designed to examine some of the issues and contradictions surrounding Herakles, and to provide others (especially undergraduate students) with resources for their own explorations. 

Resources

The Bibliography is a list of English-language books and articles about Herakles, with descriptions of the subject matter and conclusions – an excellent starting point for your own research project.  

Ancient Authors describes the authors who wrote about him, when they wrote, and what sorts of information they provide. It also offers a discussion of primary sources and how to use them.

Links are some of the Internet sources we have found most useful and reliable.

Issues:

This section presents some of the issues we found most fascinating and complex about Herakles.

 Herakles in Classical Art provides a brief introduction to the history of Classical Art, a discussion of the iconography (typical representations) of Herakles in art, and an interpretation of the changes in Herakles' depictions in his twelve labors.

Relationships with the Gods gives an overview of the Olympian (and a few other) gods and Herakles' relationships with them, an in-depth discussion of Herakles and Athena, and insights into the divine nature of Herakles.

Women and Sexuality discusses Herakles as a lover and a husband, as well as his significant conflicts with Hera and the Amazons.

Monsters and Labors explores the significance of the monsters Herakles fought, focusing on his twelve labors.

Herakles in Cult describes some of the cult practices devoted to Herakles, as hero and god, throughout the Greek and Roman world.

Moral Aspects of Herakles discusses the contradictions in his character and how his nature was interpreted in the ancient world.

Cross-cultural Connections investigates possible ancient origins of Herakles, and examines the phenomenon of similar heroes from different cultures.

Children of Herakles describes the fates of Heracles' children and descendents in Greek myth.

Herakles in Popular Culture delves into the many representations of Herakles in modern media, with speculation about what makes him popular (and what we have changed in adopting him into our own society).

The Children's Link discusses Herakles in Children's literature, and offers a link to our  Children's page, which provides illustrated, dynamic retellings of Herakles' central myths, and gives helpful background information on heroes, Herakles and the Greek world.

All artwork on this page is provided by VRoma, an Internet archive of teaching resources.

This page was written by the students of Dr. Andrea Deagon's Classics 345 class, "Topics in Mythology: Herakles," at UNC-Wilmington, Fall 2000.   For more about us and our work, see About This Page.