Heracles similarity to gods?

by prussakas

My english is not so good, but i'll try. I'm interested if Heracles can be "realted" to somekind Greek gods. For example, Hephaestus and Heracles both hathed Hera but this wasn't their blame. Are there myths/cults/rithuals about Heracles that you can relate to other gods also? Does any of his 12 labors(?) maybe relate to some other similar myths?

rosemary85

A little bit, but not really. Herakles did have run-ins with other gods too --

  • In the Hesiodic Aspis (ca. 630-570 BCE?) Herakles fights a duel with Kyknos, near Iolkos, who is aided by the god Ares; at lines 424-466, after Kyknos falls, he has a duel with Ares himself and wounds him badly.
  • A local tradition at Elis held that when Herakles sacked Pylos and murdered the sons of Neleus, the Eleans cried out for help to their patron god Hades, who came and fought Herakles in person; but Herakles wounded him, too, forcing him to withdraw to Olympos.

But these events don't define his career in quite the same way that the hostility from Hera does. Hera is closely bound up with his identity: his name means "glory of Hera" (*Hera-klewe-), a reflection of Hera's role in creating his reputation.