Hercules is a hero with remarkable strength and a lion's heart. Defender of ordinary people, assistant to them. The son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alkmena, he was famous for his kindness. The legend of the twelve exploits of Hercules knows every student.
Heroes are not eternal, and this mighty warrior was no exception. How did Hercules die? Let's talk about it below.
The birth of a hero
Before turning to the question of why Hercules died, let us recall his life on earth.
The son of the Greek supreme god Zeus and an ordinary woman named Alkmena. Legend has it that the husband of the beautiful Alkmena was the brother of King Argoss. And this beautiful young man bore the name Amphitrion. As soon as he saw the girl, he was so overwhelmed by her beauty that he immediately forgot about everything in the world. And he went to the house of the beautiful woman, to her parents, to ask for the hands and hearts of a young person.
Alkmena's parents did not resist the desire of a young man of royal blood. And they gave their daughter for him. The newlyweds were happy. And only one circumstance overshadowed their lives. Amphitrion was an avid hunter and often left his young wife alone in their house.
On one such day, when Alkmena yearned for her husband while in the house, he drew attention to the beautiful Zeus. And then he wanted to make her his wife. He began to appear in dreams, persuading him to stop loving her hunter-husband. The young woman did not succumb to persuasion, for her heart belonged only to Amphitrion. And then Zeus drove all the forest animals into the forests, where the husband of the rebellious beauty so often hunted. Amphitrion, like a passionate hunter, rushed there, and Zeus, assuming his appearance, visited Alkmena.
After the allotted time, Heracles, the son of Zeus, was born.
Feats
How did Hercules die? On the next feat? Not at all. But we will return to this a little later. Now let's talk about the exploits committed by this mythical character.
Nemean lion. Spawn of the giant Typhon and the monster with the female head of Echidna. The lion was huge and very scary. However, Hercules was able to strangle the monster with his bare hands.
Lernean hydra. Sister of the Nemean lion, half-hearted. It was distinguished by the fact that it had several goals, including immortal. The son of Zeus chopped off a monster's head, burned wounds with fire. The victory was his.
Stimphalia birds. The birds differed in that they had bronze feathers and claws. If not for the help of Athena, the half-sister of Hercules, then the latter would have had to be tight. The goddess of wise and fair war supplied the hero with special weapons that made a fuss. After the birds soared into the air, the demigod successfully shot them.
Kerinoe doe. The favorite of Artemis, harmful to the fields. To no avail, Hercules drove the animal through forests and fields. Then the hero shot her, injuring his leg. What angered the Goddess - the patroness of hunting.
Erimanf Boar. The son of Alkmena and Zeus took the animal alive. Despite the size of the boar, he was able to tie and deliver to the palace of King Eurystheus. Which gave all these unthinkable instructions to the hero.
Augean stables. In order to fulfill this order of the king, Hercules had to break down the walls of the stables and send river beds there.
Cretan bull. According to myths, Poseidon was angry with the inhabitants of Crete for a poor offering. And he sent a huge, fierce bull to them. Hercules caught the bull of Poseidon and brought him to Eurystheus. After all, he really wanted to own a monster. However, the king was frightened of the ferocious animal, and the son of Zeus let the bull go free.
Coney Diomedes. Lovely animals. But only - from the view. These cute horses ate human meat. To get the animals, the hero had to engage in battle with their rightful owner. Hercules won, but the fate of the horses was sad. The cowardly king, who wanted to get them, did not dare to leave the cannibals in his herd. They were released and torn apart by forest animals.
We are all about exploits and deeds. And when we come to the answer to the question, how did Hercules die? Very soon this secret will be revealed. In the meantime, briefly about the 9th feat. Belt of Hippolyta - Queen of the Amazons. The beautiful Amazon parted with him voluntarily, giving him to Hercules.
Cows of Gerion. To get a herd, our hero had to fight a giant and a two-headed dog. Naturally, both of them were defeated. Hercules got the herd, but thanks to Hera then he collected animals for a long time in the fields. The evil stepmother of the hero tried and sent rabies to the cows.
The abduction of Cerberus. To accomplish this feat and whim of Tsar Eurystheus, Hercules had to overcome the three-headed dog. And with the permission of its owner - Aida. The latter did not believe that his nephew would defeat the dog. And in vain.
The golden fruits of the Hesperides. Apples giving immortality. And this order was fulfilled by a brave hero. But the tsar did not need apples, he longed to destroy the hero. And nothing came out of Eurystheus.
Interesting facts about Hercules
It would seem that the life of a hero is one continuous interesting fact. Undoubtedly. But there are others about which little is known. And this is not the death of Hercules, although it is also not particularly mentioned in mythology.
In all myths, the son of Zeus and Alkmena is glorified as a good hero. But there is an opinion that Hercules had an explosive character. And he was, speaking in modern language, attacks of schizophrenia. Therefore, he killed his whole family: a wife with three children.
According to myths, the hero was tall. With dark hair and a curly beard. According to other sources, Hercules is low and densely built.
Augean stables were a stable. Why? Because they contained a huge number of bulls, not horses.
One of the greatest heroes of Greece died at the age of 52. So we got to the main point - how Hercules died. The answer to this question is in the next subsection.
The death of the son of Zeus
The hero died at the hands of his own wife, no matter how wild it may sound. And myths narrate that this was the case. Hercules and Dejanira crossed the river, raging and dangerous. The centaur named Ness volunteered to transfer the woman. And then he desired her. Naturally, Hercules was indignant, and a fight ensued. The son of Zeus killed the insolent, but he lied to Dejanir before his death. He said his blood could be used as a love potion. Although she was poisoned. Dejanira collects the blood of a centaur, and this, it would seem, ends.
No matter how. The wife was jealous of the son of Zeus to the beautiful Iola. And she sent him clothes soaked in the blood of Ness. The hero put on a tunic, and the poison inflicted terrible torments on him. To avoid them, the man threw himself into the fire.
According to another version, his death occurred at 50. Hercules committed suicide by finding that he could not pull the bowstring of his bow. Therefore, why Hercules really died is not known.
Conclusion
Heroes die too. And sometimes a completely inglorious death. However, the memory of them lives thanks to perfect feats.