h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Heracles - A650008
Author: Zarquon's Singing Fish! (ACE) (Scout) - just back and catching up! - U182827

This was written as part of a University Project, like Mina's two.

Interesting that the stories appear to reflect actual happenings. There's a lot more to myths than meets the eye.

I would welcome comments.

Your grandmother smells of elderberries

Seems pretty complete - I certainly can't think of any ommisions offhand. One personal dislike footnotes.

Comments about the *entry*, Gosho!

McKay - I know what you mean about footnotes. If you hold your curser over the footnote number, the text of the footnote will magically appear. Does that help?

I believe that only works in IE.

Yes, i think you're right. I've just had a look at <./>A676965</.>

Looking at the footnotes though, they're all pretty solid and justifiable as footnotes rather than parts of the body of the entry. The only one that I think would easily fit back into the entry is no. 10, about the alternative name.

As everyone else has said, the rest of the entry is smashing!

Jimster

Hi ZSF

You start off by saying "Heracles was known to the Romans...", which might suggest to the unwary or unschooled that Heracles was a Roman, or at least from that region.

It's also some time before the talk of gods etc makes one realise that you are not talking about an actual person but a mythological character, and I feel that should be made clear at the outset- perhaps in the title, even?

Rather than "most well known" I suggest "best-known".

"Many of his exploits can be read as being historical representations of actual events, eg the transition from a matriarchal society to a patriarchal one." - was this transition an 'event', a sudden happening, or a process?

Can you give us some specific examples of exploits of his which represent actual events?

"Father = Zeus". It would be good to be told who and what Zeus was.

I assume your source for much of this is Robert Graves, but could you give some indication of what the ancient sources are?

I noticed a few typos and possible candidates for re-wording here and there, but maybe the sub can do that. But in case it gets missed I'll just mention 'Amphitryton' (3 instances), which should be 'Amphitryon'. (And you might add that he is not to be confused with Amphitrite, goddess of the sea, wife of Poseidon and mother of Triton.)

I've only skimmed so far - will try to get back to it later. I do hope writing it wasn't too much of a Herculean labour

Bels

PS Oops, nearly forgot, there's an 'Amphytriton' in there somewhere as well.

Thanks for the comments, Bels.

I thought that I had mentioned some of the events which were likely to be real ones, such as the getting the 50 women pregnant - this would have been a college of priestesses.

to look. I'll look at the other comments and add notes or alter spelling as necessary. I take your point about the mention of the Romans knowing him as Hercules. I sort of took for granted that people would know this, however you're correct to show me they won't necessarily know.

As I remember it, I did spend a fair amount of time doing some concentrated work on this - not quite Herculean, though.

Ah, no I see I didn't put about the 50 daughters probably being a college of priestesses who were suppressed, although I did mention another college later. I see that I left the reader to look at Graves' book.

I can expand the entry to include more historical references. I'm just wondering how much more I should put in.

I've amended the typos - thanks Bels for pointing out those.

I've not added much more on historical events or references - these could probably take up another entry. If anyone's interested - read The Greek Myths: Part 2 by Robert Graves. It has very full references on both.

*bump*

What took you so long?

I didn't want it to sink to the bottom of PR. Real life's been busy at the moment - still is.

I've just finished researching the zodiac and was amazed at how many of the signs came about through interaction with Heracles.

The Nemean Lion gave itsself to Leo.

The Carcinus (the giant crab) was sent by Hera to distract heracles during the battle of the hydra and when it failed, Hera placed the Carcenus in the heavens in the form of Cancer.

He was also responsible for the death of Chiron the centaur - he was hunting the other marauding centaurs and accidentally shot Chiron, a wise and respected centaur, with a poisoned arrow. Chiron was an immortal, so although he was debilitated by the poison, he could not die. after enduring the poisonn bravely for some time, the Gods took pity on him and turned him mortal so he could die and take his place in the heavens as Sagittarius.

I do believe there are links to all twelve zodiac signs but I'll have to look them up.

Alji (Member of The Guild of Wizards @ U197895)

Nope, not all twelve, just the ones I listed. Aquarius is the most barking because there are at least five legends that could conceivably inspired it. Scorpio is linked to Heracles only in that Hera, who sent the crab to fight Heracles, also sent the scorpion to kill Orion; Pisces is about Aphrodite and Eros; Taurus is the sign of the bull that was one of the forms of Zeus; Gemini was Castor and Pollux (who were Argonauts), Virgo was, um,... I forget, but she was the last Titan to leave the world and escape the evil of Pandora; Libra is Anubis and his scales of justice from Egyptian mythology; Capricorn was Pan.