How Child Abuse Affects a Hero, a God, and a Monster in Greek Mythology

Abuse has always been a problem throughout the history of the world. Abuse is suffered in various forms such as physical, emotional, and verbal. But all abuse is very harmful, especially when it is experienced by a child. There are many stories in Greek mythology that show various types of abuse but most prevalent are the acts that target children. Three figures in Greek mythology that face child abuse are Heracles, Hephaestus, and the Minotaur.

The first figure is the hero Heracles. He is one of the most known figures that faces abuse throughout his childhood and into adulthood. Heracles’ prime abuser was his stepmother, Hera. Hera shows the classic signs of blaming children for the mistakes of their parents and for the situation they were born into. Hamilton states that Hera is so jealous of her husband Zeus’ philandering ways that she often directs her anger not only on the mistresses but also the innocent children of the unions (27). Even before Heracles was a teenager, Hera made several attempts on his life. One of the first instances say that “Hera sent two serpents to the cradle of the infant Heracles to kill him” (Daly “Heracles” Par. 5). Hera’s jealous and vindictive behavior not only shows that she does not only wants Heracles dead, she wants him to suffer. According to Low, when he finally settles down to marry and have children, Hera causes Heracles to go into a fit of rage and kill his wife and three sons (94). Afterward, Heracles felt the guilt of killing his family. To cleanse himself of this sin, he goes to the oracle who tells him to go to his cousin Eurystheus. Hera includes Heracles’ own family member in his abuse by making Eurystheus assign him the Ten Labors in an attempt to get Heracles killed. Finally when ...

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Works Cited

Daly, Kathleen N. "Heracles." Greek and Roman Mythology A to Z. New York: Facts On File, 2004. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. .

- - -. "Minos." Greek and Roman Mythology A to Z. New York: Facts On File, 2004. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. .

Evslin, Bernard. Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths. New York: Bantam, 1966. Print.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York: Back Bay/ Little, Brown and Company, 1942. Print.

Low, Alice. Greek Gods and Heroes. New York: Simon, 1985. Print.

Martin, Richard P. Myths of the Ancient Greeks. New York: New American Library, 2003. Print.

Sacks, David. "Hephaestus." Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World. New York: Facts On File, 2005. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. .