Hercules of Greek mythology is the most famous and popular hero of Greek mythology.
Greek mythology has more stories than any other hero or legend. In Greek mythology, his real name is Hercules, but he is best known by his Roman name Heracles.
Is Hercules a God or a Demigod?
Despite being very popular, some people still wonder who Hercules is in Greek mythology and are still confused by the idea of whether or not Hercules is a god in Greek religion.
This confusion is caused by the fact that some myths treat Hercules as a demigod, while others give him the status of a god in Greek mythology.
So, if you sometimes get confused about the correct position of Hercules in Greek mythology and need to know a definitive answer to the question of who Heracles in Greek mythology is, you are on the right page.
This article details not only the circumstances under which Hercules was born, but also how the circumstances changed after his death.
First, let’s clarify the difference between gods and demigods in Greek religion.
Difference between gods and demigods in Greek mythology.
Who are the gods in Greek mythology? In Greek beliefs, a god is a deity or spirit that rules over this world or part of it and represents a particular nature. That is, different things have different gods and goddesses.
For example, Ares is the god of war and Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty.
Who are the demigods in Greek mythology?
A demigod, on the other hand, is a being whose one parent is mortal and the other is a god. It means that the demigods are part of God and part of man. Almost all demigods are male.
For example, Perseus was a demigod. His father was Zeus and his mother was a human woman named Danae.
So, is Hercules a god? In light of the above definition, Hercules in Greek mythology is a demigod rather than a real god. According to Greek mythology, Hercules’ mother was human and his father a god.
Who is Hercules’ mother?
Hercules’ mortal mother, Alcmene, was Queen of Thebes and wife of King Amphitryon.
(Fun fact! Alcmene is the granddaughter of the legendary demigod Perseus. She is the same Perseus who killed the famous monster Medusa.)
The Transformation of Hercules from Demigod to God in Greek Mythology:
So why and how did this happen? To answer this question, we must examine several events from the life of Hercules.
Hercules in Greek mythology was very brave and courageous since childhood. When Hera, the queen of all gods and goddesses and the actual wife of Zeus, found out about his existence, she was very angry.
Hera sent two snakes to kill Hercules in her childhood. However, to everyone’s surprise, he kills both snakes before they can be strangled.
But Hera continued her cunning and dirty deeds. After she married Hercules, she cast a spell on him that drove him insane. In his madness, Hercules kills not only his beautiful wife, but also his two beloved children.
When Hercules came to his senses, he was heartbroken. He felt guilty for the horrible act of murdering his own family.
Hercules went to Apollo, the god of healing, to seek punishment for his terrible deed. Apollo then told King Eurystheus that he would be pardoned if he performed 12 deeds for him.
Hercules` Twelve Labours:
For your interest, those twelve labours were these;
To kill the Nemean Lion
To kill the Lernaean Hydra
To capture the Ceryneian Hind
To capture the Erymanthian Boar
To clean the Augean Stables
To kill the Stymphalian Birds
To capture the Cretan Bull
To capture the Horses of Diomedes
To take the Gridle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons
To capture the Cattle of Geryon
To take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides
To capture Cerberus
There are some other tasks completed by Hercules himself, but they are not that important.
Hercules` Marriage and Death:
After completing these twelve labours, Hercules in Greek Mythology married another woman named Deianira.
With this marriage also came Hercules` death and his changing into a god. It all began when a centaur (a creature whose half body is of man and half of a horse), tried to kidnap Deianira.
But Hercules killed that centaur with an arrow that was soaked in Hydra`s poison. As the centaur was dying, he found his blood poisoned.
There he played a trick. He gave Deaneira a tunic (her loose clothing) and lied to her that this tunic would bind Hercules to her forever.Years later, Deianira heard rumors of Hercules’ affair.
So she gave Hercules this poisonous cloak, hoping it would bring him back to her.
But when Hercules put on this tunic, his flesh began to burn. Hercules found himself poisoned. After realizing this, he made himself some firewood and burned himself to death on it.
Hercules finally becomes a god in Greek mythology. When the mortal part of Hercules burned with this firewood, Hera took pity on him and stopped his anger.
Zeus then ordered Athena to bring the role of God to Olympus. The scroll of the god Hercules was taken to Mount Olympus, where he was transformed into an immortal god, a god.
On Mount Olympus, Hercules married Heba, the goddess of youth.
Conclusion:
In Greek mythology, Hercules left this world and lived forever with the gods of Mount Olympus.
His father was God, but his life was no picnic. His great power didn’t help him in his relationships.
Although he accomplished great things, he was not immune to the dark ages that are part of every human life.
The myth of Hercules shows the world as it is. This is why the ancient Greeks were so eager to hear the story of Hercules.
Even today, novels, comics, movies and series about Hercules are very popular.
The reason is that everyone could identify with Hercules because his life was not perfect and he was not an ideal person.
So when someone faces a difficult situation in life, he can be freed from the idea that if Hercules in Greek mythology can endure suffering, so can he.