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Iolaus . 1st c. CE mosaic from the Anzio Nymphaeum, Rome]] Hercules (also known as '''Herakles''') was the name in Roman Mythology of the hero ''' Heracles ''' from Greek Mythology , the Roman name being a Metathesis of the Greek name. He is the son of Jupiter , the Roman counterpart to the Greek god Zeus and the mortal Alcmene . He was made to perform twelve great tasks, called '' The Twelve Labours Of Hercules '' and became a god. The Romans adopted the Greek version of his life and works essentially unchanged, but added anecdotal detail of their own, some of it linking the hero with the geography of the Western Mediterranean. Details of Cult were adapted to Rome as well. Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the Lion Skin and the Club . He is a paragon of masculinity, and thus embodies characteristics such as great strength, great courage, and great appetite, including great sexual appetite for women. By conquering negative forces he is said to have "made the world safe for mankind." He is often compared to the biblical strong man Samson , who also possessed vast superhuman strength and performed similar feats such as wrestling a Lion . The later Roman Emperor s, in particular Commodus and Maximinus , often identified or compared themselves with Hercules. The ''Great Altar of Hercules'', housed within the Forum Boarium , has been dated to the 6th or 5th Century BC . What is believed to be an dates to 21 BC. ORIGIN OF THE LEGEND The cult of Hercules may have been the first foreign one to be adopted in Rome; his most important shrine, the Ara Maxima , was in the original Palatine settlement. He became popular with merchants, who customarily paid him a Tithe of their profits. Hercules is said to have founded an altar where the Forum Boarium , the cattle market, was later held. One possible origin for the myth of the Cattle Of Geryon , one of The Twelve Labours of Heracles , has been attributed to an older Milky Way Myth which associates the Milky Way constellation with a herd of Dairy Cattle , where each Cow is represented by a Star . A Mosaic discovered in the ruins of Pompeii vividly depicts Hercules as a black man ( [http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/RomanAfrica2/#Subject ). THE GREEK LEGEND ,'' by Baccio Bandinelli , 1525 - 1534. Piazza della Signoria, Florence .]] After killing his music tutor with a lute, he was sent to tend cattle on a mountain by Amphitryon. Here, he was visited by two nymphs - Pleasure and Virtue - who offered him a choice between a pleasant and easy life or a severe but glorious life. He chose the latter. One of Heracles' challenges was put to him by King Thespius of Thespia who wished him to impregnate each of his 50 daughters. According to the legend, Heracles did this in one night. Later in Thebes , Heracles married King Creon 's daughter, Megara . However, Hera drove Heracles into a fit of madness during which he killed his wife and children. Upon realizing what he had done, he fled to the Oracle Of Delphi . Unbeknownst to him, the Oracle was guided by Hera. He was directed to serve King Eurystheus for 12 years and perform any task which he required, resulting in The Twelve Labours of Hercules. After completing these tasks, Heracles joined the Argonauts in the search of the Golden Fleece . They rescued heroines, conquered Troy, and helped the gods fight against the Gigantes . He also fell in love with Princess Iole Of Oechalia . Heracles' advances were spurned by the king and his sons, except for one - Iole's brother Iphitus. Iphitus became Heracles best friend. But once again, Hera drove Heracles mad and he threw Iphitus over the city wall to his death. Once again, Heracles purified himself through servitude - this time to Queen Omphale of Lydia. Heracles later married Deianira . When travelling with her, he came to a river where the centaur Nessus made some money by carrying people across. Heracles decided to make his own way but entrusted his wife to the Centaur. However, Nessus attempted to rape Deianira and Heracles shot him with a poisoned arrow. Nessus, as he was dying, gave Deiranira his coat which he stated would stop Heracles from ever being unfaithful. He did not however mention, that as it was stained in the blood of the Hydra - it would burn through the skin with it's poison onto whoever wore it. Heracles later decided to elope with Princess Iole, and realizing he was not dressed for the occasion requested that his wife send him a coat. Deianira, who knew more about Heracles' relationship with Iole than he thought, decided to send Nessus' coat in order to keep him faithful. However, when Heracles put on the coat it burned his skin, and he was unable to remove it. Heracles begged Zeus to save him, but his calls went unanswered. He eventually ordered his attendants to light fire to him in order to put him out of his misery. The burning of his physical body burned off the mortal parts of him (since he was a demi-god), thus only the immortal parts were left. Because his mortal parts had been incinerated, he could now become a full god and join his father and the other Olympians on Mount Olympos . Acca Larentia In Roman Mythology , Acca Larentia was Hercules' mistress. She was married to Tarutius , a wealthy merchant. When he died, she gave his money to charity. In another version, she was the wife of Faustulus . MOVIE AND TELEVISION ADAPTATIONS Views of Heracles/Hercules since the Renaissance have made few distinctions, the Roman figure overshadowing the Greek. Later interpretations of Heracles' legend cast him as a wise leader and a good friend (many of the movie and TV adaptations cast him in this light, especially the recent syndicated TV series '''', and the movie Hercules ). While he was a champion and a great warrior, he was not above cheating and using any unfair trick to his advantage. However, he was renowned as having made the world safe for man by destroying many dangerous monsters, and he was also held up as an example for never having attacked first, but for having conquered all merely by defending himself when attacked, and protecting the helpless and distraught. His self-sacrifice obtained him the ascent to the Olympian realms and he was welcomed by the gods. The legend of Heracles endures, though often co-opted to suit the political fashion of the day. As a public domain character Hercules or Heracles has appeared in several comic book adaptations; see: '' Hercules (comics) '' See also: Sword And Sandal ( Film Genre ); Maciste ; '' The Sons Of Hercules ''; The legend of Hercules has been described in many Movie and Television adaptations.
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