Aidonian's blog

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Herakles, born as Alkaios or Alkides. Most people might know him through his Latin name Hercules. There have been countless movies and shows about him. Some good, others bad. I do felt that the Interpretation of the God by Dwayne Johnson was the one who came closest to who he was. 

Still while the stories of Herakles is the source and template of many other heroes, he is different from modern heroes . Very much so. He is the strongest of them but also very human and flawed.

He was divine but also human. He wasn’t all good like most heroes nowadays tend to be portrayed as. He was a antihero. He did things either because he was forced or for his own reasons. He did fight along the Gods as a halfgod against the Giants during the Gigantomachia. 

After his ascension to Olympos he became a God of Strength and Courage.

Extraordinary strength, courage, ingenuity, and sexual prowess with both males and females were among the characteristics commonly attributed to him. Heracles used his wits on several occasions when his strength did not suffice, such as when laboring for the king Augeas of Elis, wrestling the giant Antaeus, or tricking Atlas into taking the sky back onto his shoulders. Together with Hermes he was the patron and protector of gymnasia and palaestraeHis iconographic attributes are the lion skin and the club. These qualities did not prevent him from being regarded as a playful figure who used games to relax from his labors and played a great deal with children.By conquering dangerous archaic forces he is said to have “made the world safe for mankind” and to be its benefactor. Heracles was an extremely passionate and emotional individual, capable of doing both great deeds for his friends (such as wrestling with Thanatos on behalf of Prince Admetus, who had regaled Heracles with his hospitality, or restoring his friend Tyndareus to the throne of Sparta after he was overthrown) and being a terrible enemy who would wreak horrible vengeance on those who crossed him, as Augeas, Neleus, and Laomedon all found out to their cost. There was also a coldness to his character, which was demonstrated by Sophocles’ depiction of the hero in The Trachiniae. Heracles threatened his marriage with his desire to bring two women under the same roof; one of them was his wife Deianeira.

The ancient Athenians celebrated the festival of Herakleia, which commemorated the death of Heracles, on the second day of the month of Metageitnion (which would fall in late July or early August), at the Cynosarges gymnasium at the demos Diomeia outside the walls of Athens, in a sanctuary dedicated to Heracles. His priests were drawn from the list of boys who were not full Athenian citizens (nothoi). Many famous nothoi exercised there (such as Demosthenes) but it was probably not exclusively set aside for them.

The Attic cults of Herakles were often closely connected with youth: at several of his cult sites there was a gymnasion attached, and there was a mythological tradition (perhaps originating in Boeotia) that after Heracles died he was translated to Olympus, where he married Hebe, the personification of youth. Because of this Heracles is sometimes worshipped as a god and sometimes as a dead hero.

In Thebes, the center of the cult of Heracles, the festivities lasted a number of days, and consisted of various athletic and musical contests (agones), as well as sacrifices. They were celebrated in the gymnasium of Iolaus, the nephew and eromenos of Heracles, and were known as the Iolaeia. The winners were awarded brass tripods.

“Heracleia” is also a female first name, from which the common Romanian first name Raluca is ultimately derived, via the Greek name Ralloú.

He was most famous for his 12 labours that he performed as punishment for killing his children in a fit of rage sent by Hera. Some sources say that he also killed his wife, others say he only killed they children he had with Megara. The oracle of Delphi sent him to King Eurystheus where he had to perform the labours as punishment for his crimes. 

Herakles or Hercules is a interesting God in that he was born half god half human and through his suffering in life where he made the world a safer place, he became a God on Olympos.He worshipped as a hero but few cities wanted to acknowledge that he was also a god.

To me he is a God of courage, Strength and ingenuity. Strength and courage can mean a lot of things. Strength and courage to overcome not only physical challenges but also emotional or psychological problems. Strength to go on when you feel like giving up. 

Personally I pray to Herakles for strength to continue training. I thank him, Ares and Apollon for my workouts and dedicate them to Them.

In Hellenism’s Today or Old Stones, New Temples you can find advice on what to use in your offerings to Herakles.