Problems With Heracles

Problems With Heracles

When we talk about something that is problematic, it is usually to do

with time. Tales passed through time are often adapted for the

societies to which they are being told. This could be in terms of

added moral value or just generally adapted to suit the tastes of

different cultures. Romans changed the name Heracles to ‘Hercules’ and

altered some of his adventures, whereas in Greek the name ‘Heracles’

is often translated to mean ‘glory of Hera’. This could be due to her

attempts to destroy him backfiring on her and leading to his

glorification by the ancient Greeks.

Since the stories of Heracles were created thousands of years ago,

languages have been changed and altered resulting in key words being

incorrectly translated. This can lead people to misinterpret or badly

translate the various stories featuring Heracles. These

misinterpretations often cause problems for the future and for those

who analyse ancient texts.

Heracles, born to the king of Gods Zeus and the mortal Alcmene,

possesses powers unknown to the majority of mankind. He has masses of

courage, is incredibly strong and he uses his strength to succeed in

life. It is through this strength (and the twelve labours that he is

challenged to complete) that many of his problems arise, like the

coinciding tales that exist about Heracles and the events that happen

in his life.

There have been problems surrounding the tales of Heracles at birth

and his childhood. Some tales consist of Hera sending two snakes in to

kill him as an infant, whereas other sources say it was Amphitryon,

Alcmene’s husband. In most tales, Heracles strangles the snakes and so