22: Heracles Flashcards
1
Q
etymology of heracles and geographical associations
A
- heracles: ‘glory of hera’
- hera: implacable nemesis
- associated with mycenae, tiryns, argos (all in peloponnesus)
- also associated with boeotia (birth and some adventures) and trachis (final adventures and death)
2
Q
historical origins
A
- prince of tiryns: vassal of mycenaean King
- end of mycenaean age, he enters greece
- pan hellenic hero: particular locales but ranges throughout greek world
- italy: hercules and incorporated into state religion
3
Q
heracles the lion tamer
A
- ‘master of animals’
- association with eastern myth
- primitive qualities like brute strength –> wields club and wears lion skin
4
Q
conception of heracles
A
- zeus lusts after alcmena, the granddaugther of perseus
- amphitryon, the husband of alcmena
- zeus disguises as amphitryon and impregnates her.
- Heracles: son of Zeus
- Iphicles: son of Amphitryon
5
Q
other versuion of conception and from who
A
- Plautus’ Amphitruo
- Jupiter (zeus) comes disguised as Amphitruo’s servant, Sosia
- Alcmena gives birth to twins: Heracles and Iphicles
6
Q
hera on heracles’ birth
A
- zeus boasts that his descendant was born that day to rule over all
- hera delays heracles’ birth and speeds up Eurystheus’ birth: grandson of Zeus
- Heracles becomes Eurystheus’ slave
7
Q
suckling heracles
A
- zeus gives infant heracles to hera to suckle
- heracles bites down so hard hera pulls away
- ‘milky way’ created
- galaxy from G: Galakt-‘Milk’
- hera unleashes serpents and heracles kills them in the crib
8
Q
heracles anger
A
- he had mentors. He kills music teaacher, Linus, with lyre and is sent away to mt. cithaeron
- slept with 50 daughters of thespius, sleeps with 1 each night
9
Q
madness of heracles
A
- megara, daugther of creon, king of thebes
- megara is heracles’ first wife with whom he has 3 kids
- hera drives heracles mad and he murders his entire family and seeks purification at delphi
- pythia’s instructions: go to Tiryns to perform 12 labours for eurystheus. if he accomplishes all of this then he getes immortality
10
Q
labours and side deeds
A
- 12 Athloi: contests with prizes that are perormed while still being eurystheus’ slave
- sometimes alone and sometimes aided by athena and iolaus (newphew)
- side deeds: G. Parerga during and after labours
11
Q
12 labors
A
- nemean lion
- lernaean hydra
- cerynean hind
- erymanthian boar
- augean stables
- stymphalian birds
- cretan bull
- mares of diomedes
- girdle of hippolyta
- cattle of geryon
- apples of hesperides
- cerberus
12
Q
12 labors
A
- canonical 12 labours but some 10 are only counted and 2 are discounted as cheating
- the canonical 12 are on metopes of temple of zeus at olympia
- 1st 6: set in peloponnesus that is centred upon mycenae and man vs beast
13
Q
Nemean Lion
A
- nemea (new of Mycenae)
- task was to kill lion and bring back skin
- he kills liom with a club, other versions are with bow and arrows
- variant: he strangles lion and skins with own claws
- club and lion skin are iconic
14
Q
lernaean hydra
A
- lerna (SE of Mycenae)
- hydra: water serpent
- 9 heads: 8 mortal and 9th immortal. for every head cut off 2 more grow
- aided by iolaus: cauterizes stump and hera sends an enormous crab
- buries immortal head beneath boulder and dips arrows into hydra’s venomous blood. Hera transforms crab into constellation ‘cancer’
15
Q
cerynean hind
A
- Mt. Cerynea (in Arcadia)
- Hind (=Deer) sacred to Artemis who had golden antlers aka ‘golden hind’
- he tracks it for 1 year but must not harm it otherwise he will face artemis’ wrath
- variant: pindar’s 3rd olympain ode: heracles goes to land of hyperboreans to conquest over death
16
Q
Erymanthian boar
A
- mt. erymanthus in arcadia
- trapped with nets
- parergon ‘side deed’: pholus the centaur entertains heracles with wine. Other centaurs attack and are killed by heracles. Chiron wounded and exchanges immortality with Prometheus
17
Q
Augean stables
A
- Augeas, king of Elis (in Peloponnesus) owned vast herd of cattle and had never cleaned stables
- heracles cleans them by diverting 2 riveres. Negiotiated 1/10 of herd for himself. AUgeas takes back deal and is killed by heracles
- olympic games said to be instituted by heracles
18
Q
Stymphalian Birds
A
- Lake Stymphalus in Arcadia
- flock of birds that have various attributes like arrow shooting wings
- heracles flushes them out with castanets given by athena and shoots them all
19
Q
labors 7-12
A
- labors 7-9 all outside of peloponnesus
7. S. to Crete
8. N. to Thrace
9. E. to Land of Amazons
10-12 all connected with conquest of death
20
Q
cretan bull
A
- island of crete there is a bully rampaging
- heracles overpoweres bull and rides it back to mainland
- bull escapes but is killed by Theseus, athenian hero. –> Theseus and bull of marathon
21
Q
mares of diomedes
A
- Mares of Diomedes, King of Thrace, son of ares
- Mares feeds on human flesh
- Parergon: Alcestis. heracles entertained by Admetus. Wife, Alcestis was recently deceased. Heracles wrestles Thanatos and brings Alcestis back from dead. From Euripdes’ Alcestis
22
Q
Girdle of Hippolyta
A
- Hippolyta: queen of amazons and ‘horse-tamer’
- girdle is the belt worn above hips
- hippolyta offers heracles girdle as a sign of sexual submissions
- hera interenes disguised as an amazon and announces heracles’ abduction of hippolyta. Amazons attack heracles and companions. Heracles strangles Hippolyta
23
Q
Cattle of Geryon
A
- 3 bodied monster, offspring of callirhoe and chysaor
- lives on island of erythia ‘red land’
- Eurytion: giant herdsman
- Ortho(r)us: 2 headed watch do
- helius aids heracles by giving him lift in golden cup along river ocean
- heracles kills them all and brings cattle back east
24
Q
pillars of heracles
A
- monument to 10th labor
- identified with rocks of gibraltar (europe) and Ceuta (africa)
- boundary between known and unkown: life and death
25
Q
apples of hesperides
A
- hesperides: daughters of evening
- 3 daugthers live in far west who guard tree bearing golden apples, originaly wedding gift from Ge to Hera. tree also protected by serpent named ladon
26
Q
apples of hesperides
A
- heracles and nereus. must first wrestly with nereus to find them
- variant: heracles kills ladon and gets apples on his own
- metopes of temple of zeus at olympia: aided by athena and atlas. heracles supports heavens and atlas fetches apples
27
Q
Cerberus
A
- cerebrus: 3 headed hell hound
- aided by both hermes and athena
- most difficult of al labours and most clearly conquest of death
- meets theseus and pirithous, rescues only theseus
- brings cerberus to eurystheus and returns cerberus to underworld
28
Q
heracles and cercopes
A
- pair of dwarfs attempt to rob heracles
- mother warned them ‘beware of the black bottomed man’
- suspends them upside down, make jokes about dicks. Lets them go and later turned into apes or stones by Zeus
29
Q
heracles second marriage
A
- heracles marries Deianera
- ‘man slayer’
- first wrestles achelous, river god, shape shifter, bull horned
- breaks off horn in fight and becomes horn of plenty. variant: exchanges achelous horn for amalthea
30
Q
heracles vs centaur
A
- heracles vs centaur nessus
- nessus helps deianera across river and attempts to rape her midstream
- heracles kills him with poisoned arrow
- before dying: convinces her that her blood is love potion to precent heracles from loving another
- blood later causes heracles’ death
31
Q
heracles and iole
A
- iole is daughter of eurytus who refuses to yield her
- heracles returns to tiryns and kills ioles brotherm iphitus and goes to delphi seeking urification
- pythia refuses to answer. heracles attempts to steal tripod and wrestles with apollo. heracles sold into slavery for 1 year
32
Q
trans heracles
A
- heracles in bondage and in drag
- bought by omphale, queen of lydians
- they become lovers and exchange clothes
- transvestism: connected with ‘rite of passage’
33
Q
death of heracles
A
- Deianera in love and learns heracles’ love for iole
- she dips robe in poisoned blood of nessus
- heracles is burned and cant remove robe
- funeral pyre prepared on mt. oeta. Deinera commits suicide and gives bow and arrows to philoctetes’ father
34
Q
deification of heracles
A
- heracles mortal flesh burned away and immortal spirit ascends to olympus
- reocnciliation with hera and he marries Hebe = ‘youth’
- in odyssey book 11, his ghost has ambiguity of status
35
Q
heracles moralized
A
- choice of heracles or heracles at the crossroads, parable told by prodicus of ceos
- choice between pleasure and duty: allegorized as two women. Heracles chooses duty
