With the image of Hercules, many of us met in childhood. We watched how this mythical character, on the pages of books or on the TV screen, gets into unusual adventures, risks his life, saves people, fights with terrible monsters and always emerges victorious from these fights.
In order to understand what the expression "Hercules feat" ("Hercules feat") means , you need to plunge into the story of Hercules himself. Who was he and why did he perform all these feats, on whose behalf, was it voluntary or forced, what gift was the hero awarded after accomplishing great things?
The divine design of Zeus
The story of Hercules is rooted in the ancient Roman religion, while in ancient Greece Hercules was called Hercules. The very first source in which the name of the hero is mentioned is the ancient Greek poem "Iliad." In it, the author Homer talks about a boy who was born to an unusual couple - Amphitrion (the married Theban queen) and Zeus - the supreme Olympic god married to the goddess Hera. Homer tells us that Zeus seduced Afitrion on purpose, he needed a mortal heir on earth, one who could defeat the giants. As a result of this sinful relationship, as Zeus wanted, the Queen was born half God, half man.
Sin of Hercules
According to mythology, the divine child became known from his very birth. The first Hercules feat occurred even in infancy: he strangled the snake that the jealous Hera sent to kill the baby she hated.
But the expression "Hercules feat" refers to the twelve orders that the hero carried out during the service of King Eurystheus, who led the ancient state of Tiryns.
Fulfillment of orders and service to the king was not patriotic, but forced, and was a punishment from the Olympic gods for the murder by the demigod of his wife and three children. The goddess Hera provoked a sin, she defeated Hercules with madness, during which the son of Zeus killed his whole family. Then the Olympic gods ordered Hercules to perform 12 feats during the service at Eurystheus, then his sin will be forgiven.
The exploits of Hercules
The list of Herculean exploits includes:
- victory over a huge lion in the city of Nemea;
- killing hydra (half snake, half dragon with 12 heads);
- the battle with the bloodthirsty Stemphalian birds, defeated by the goddess Athena;
- the capture of the Kerynean fallow deer, by order of Artemis, who ate the whole crop in the fields of Arcadia;
- cleaning a huge pile of manure from the numerous bulls of Avgius, which the hero made in one day, washing away the manure with the rivers Alfei and Penea;
- the capture of a bloodthirsty bull from Mount Erifman and others.
Only 12 of the greatest feats performed Hercules. Thanks to him, humanity was freed from terrible troubles and terrible monsters.
The expression "Hercules feat"
In the entire ancient world, except for the son of Zeus, no one could have accomplished at least one Hercules feat. The meaning of phraseologism can be briefly described based on the context of demigod myths.
The Hercules feat is overcoming a very difficult obstacle, solving a matter requiring inhuman efforts.