Only after his elevation into Olympus did Hera accept Herakles as an adoptive son. He is, after all, the illegitimate son of her husband and a local queen, and in Homeric poetry this turned Hera into Herakles' most bitter enemy (see, for example, Iliad 15.25 –28). His name takes the very common form of Greek personal names that are easily understandable as composite nouns: Hera-kles means "the glory of Hera," as Dio-kles is "the glory of Zeus," or Patro-klos "He who brings glory to his father." In mythology, however, such a positive connection with Hera does not exist. NameĪncient authors, as well as some modern scholars, connected his name with that of the goddess Hera. 522 –438 bce) blurred the categories and called him a "hero god," ( h ēr ōs theos Nemean Ode 3.22). One can understand why the poet Pindar (c. Instead, his mythology connects him especially with the cities of Thebes and Argos, and his cult is panhellenic and makes him appear much more like a god than a hero. He lacks the close connection with a single city, or with a grave as the focus of his cult. But although he has a mortal mother and dies himself, he is no typical hero. HERAKLES, the son of Zeus and the Theban queen Alcmene, is the most prominent Greek hero, despite the fact that no poem on his labors is preserved -numerous images, several preserved tragedies, and countless allusions to his myths and cults in Greek and Latin literature attest to his importance.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |