Essay on Favorite Greek Mythological Figure: Herakles

Essay on Favorite Greek Mythological Figure: Herakles

Among the many Greek and legendary Roman heroes, Herakles is one of the most popular. According to Greece-Roman mythology, Herakles was born to Zeus and Alcmene. Zeus had sworn to approve the next son from Alcmene’s lineage as the future king of Greece. This child could have been Herakles, but instead, Hera, Zeus’s wife, used treachery to give Eurystheus the title. When Herakles was grown, he had to serve the king and also suffer the vengeance of the treacherous Hera. This paper compares the Greek vase paintings of Herakles’ capture of Cerberus and his slaying of the Lernaean Hydra, labors which were given to him by King Eurystheus.

The two paintings have some similarities and some differences. Both were painted using the same ware and were both from the archaic period. What’s more, the artworks got painted at almost the same time. The painting of Herakles and Cerebus, however, was painted in 520 B.C; this was ten years after the art of Herakles and Iolaus clubbing the Lernean Hydra. This difference in times follows the chronological order in which Herakles completed his twelve labors.

Herakles became a good warrior and led a successful fight against another kingdom. He got rewarded with princess Megara. However, Hera sent him spells that messed his mind, and he ended up murdering his children and princess Megara. What followed was Herakles serving king Eurystheus. It was in this obedience to service to King Eurystheus that Herakles did the famous twelve labors. Of the twelve works, the second one, which was killing the Lernaean Hydra and the twelfth- fetching the beast with three heads, Cerberus stood out for me.

Echidna, a monster who was half-serpent and half-human and Typhon, a beast that breathed fire and was covered all through with serpents and dragons, were the parents of Cerberus. Typhon was a force that was feared even by the Olympus gods.  Other children from these two monsters were the Lernaean Hydra and Chimaera. Herakles was fond of killing this awful family.

Capturing Cerberus from the underworld and bringing him to King Eurystheus was Herakle’s last labor. This labor was Herakles’ most challenging one yet, and the king was certain that Herakles will not make the return trip.

At the time, Cerberus was guarding the entrance to the underworld, the residence of a spirituous god, Hades.the ancient Greeks believed that hell was the place where souls of dead people dwelled. People thought the spirits lived there for eternity. All soul’s destiny was for the world below. However, how the minds experienced the world below depended on how the person had led his life.

What’s more, descending to the underworld was an adventure that no mortal had ever managed to return. He was not sure of what could happen to him once he embarks on the journey. Therefore, Herakles had to take some extra cautions before descending to the underworld.

Herakles being uncertain of his future, he visited popular priest known for Eleusinian Mysteries. The Eleusinian mysteries were religious celebrations of the legend Demeter and Persephone, his daughter. It believed that the people taught these sacred mysteries ended up for a comfortable dwelling in the underworld. Herakles met the necessary standards, and he was let in on the secrets of the religious mysteries.

After learning the Eleusinian mysteries, Herakles made his way to the rocky and deep caves of Taenarum in Laconia. He followed his way to the world below.  Before he could reach to Hades, Herakles conquered several ghosts and monsters. Even more, he had to fight a wrestling match, lucky enough he won. He finally met the god of the underworld, Hades, and asked for Cerberus. The god did not refuse his request, but only under one condition, he had to overcome the beast with his bare hands.

Herakles accepted the challenge, and he set out to conquer Cerberus. Herakles found Cerberus near the gates of Acheron, in one of the rivers of the underworld. Without any fear, Herakles reached out to the beast with his brute strength and held his three heads in a grasp. He wrestled the creature until it was down. One of the dragons at the tail of the massive monster bite Herakles, but this did not deter him. The beast got conquered, and Herakles returned with it to King Eurystheus.

The king was afraid of the beast, and the cowardly hides from it. In a unique case among the twelve encounters with creatures, Herakles safely returns Cerebus to the world below. The beast continues to guard the entryways to Hades. The monsters did not suffer any significant physical injury, but their pride was injured.

Slaying the water serpent, Hydra was Herakle’s second labor. The monstrous serpent dwelled in the wetlands near the city of Lerna. The Lernean Hydra was dangerous to the locals. The snake would sometimes come out to the drylands and attack people and their livestock. Some myths have traced relationships between this serpent and the Cerberus.

Further, just like Cerberus, the monstrous serpent was also guarding the gates of the underworld. However, Hydra was responsible for the gates beneath the water situated in a gaping cave in Amymone. Some claims suggest that Lernean serpent had up to 500 heads, but the most popular one was that it had nine. It got believed that the middle of the snake was immortal. Hydra’s breathe, and blood was very toxic and could kill any animal or human that came close or even followed its tracks.

On this journey to slay the nine-headed beast, Herakles did not go alone. Instead, he brought his loyal nephew, Iolaus, in his chariot. Herakles tricked the treacherous Hydra by aiming flaming arrows towards its direction. To protect himself from the toxic breath of the Hydra, Herakles covered his mouth and nose with some cloth as he clubbed the serpent.

The two Greek Vase paintings have more similarities than differences. The two painters utilize the same technique to bring a clear depiction of the labors of Herakles. The similarity in the material and ware used could be attributed to the archaic period in which they were both made.

Figure 1.Photograph of a Greek Vase Painting by Maria Daniels. Art is found in the Musee du Louvre, Paris. The Main Part of the photo is Hercules and Cerberus. The artwork dates back to530 B.C and is from the Archaic Period.[1]

Figure 2.  A Greek Vase painting collection from the J Paul Getty Museum in Malibu. The artwork is made from Caeretan Black-Figure ware. The shape of the art is Hydria. The artwork has been attributed to the Eagle Painter.[2]

Bibliography

“Hydra & Heracles- Ancient Greek Vase Painting”. Theoi.Com, 2019, https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/M13.1.html.

“Heracles & Cerberus – Ancient Greek Vase Painting”. Theoi.Com, 2019, https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/M12.1.html.

Utz, Hildegard. “The Labors of Hercules and other works by Vincenzo de’Rossi.” The Art Bulletin 53.3 (1971): 344-366.

[1] “Heracles & Cerberus – Ancient Greek Vase Painting.” Theoi.Com, 2019, https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/M12.1.html. Herakles delivering the monster Cerberus to King Eurysthues (far left). The beast is of the size of a line and has three heads. Herakles is wearing a cape made from a lion skin and has a club in his hand

[2] “Hydra & Heracles- Ancient Greek Vase Painting”. Theoi.Com, 2019, https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/M13.1.html.