Argonautica - Part II – Heroes’ Deeds, Not Words

When Jason and the Argonauts left Lemnos, they were feeling pretty good.

Who wouldn’t after spending time on a beautiful island making love to women who hadn’t seen in man in years? The young heroes would have been feeling pretty positive as the Argo cut through the sea once more.

But, for men, happiness can be fleeting.

The Argo plies the sea through the Chersonesus and along the Dardanian coast. Again, Apollonius shows his knowledge of geography by detailing the many places and peoples that the Argonauts pass on their way through the Hellespont.

There are so many episodes along the way to Colchis that are ignored by modern productions. Of course, one film or two-part series can’t hope to capture them all. But they are wonderful and, I think, would make for a fantastic HBO series.

Six Arms Are Not Better Than Two

One such episode is when the Argonauts encounter the Doliones and their king, Cyzicus. The Doliones, descendants of Poseidon, are friendly and welcome the Argonauts with feasting and supplies. 

Jason builds an altar to Apollo on the beach, in thanks. The gods must be given their due.

The Earthborn

However, the Doliones’ neighbours, a vicious race of six-armed men, known as the Earthborn, seek to block the Argonauts’ way. Jason and most of the men are not there when the attack comes, but Herakles and a few others hold the Earthborn off with bows and spears until the others arrive. They slaughter the Earthborn on the beach.

When the Argo leaves the Doliones, great winds rise up and take them back to the island of the Doliones without them knowing it. This is where the tragic reality of Greek tales hits.

The Doliones take the returned Argonauts for Macrian enemies and soon a huge battle takes place between the two armies in which Jason kills King Cyzicus, his former host. Many Doliones die.

Both sides realize their error and they mourn and hold games for three days. Cleite, Cyzicus’ new young bride, hangs herself in her grief.

The Argonauts are held there for twelve days because of high winds and it is only after Mopsus, the crew’s seer, tells Jason that he must propitiate the great goddess that they are able to calm the winds.

They set sail, less happy than the last time they left the Doliones. The journey continues, and there are more storms, until they come to the land of the Mysians who welcome them with provisions, sheep and wine.

Dangerous Beauty

At this point we come to an episode that, I admit, I did not know was a part of the Argonautica. I’d known it from famous paintings, even recreations in movies such as Sirens. So, when I read this passage, I was pleasantly surprised, despite the tragedy it entails. Here's what happens.

During the storms, Herakles had broken his mighty oar, and so during the feasting he heads into the forest to look for a tree that will serve as a new oar.

While he is gone, his friend Hylas goes into another part of the wood to fill a pitcher with water so that he can prepare a meal. Hylas comes to the spring of Pegae where the nymphs are beginning their dances in honour of Artemis. The nymphs…

“…who held the mountain peaks or glens, all they were ranged far off guarding the woods; but one, a water-nymph was just rising from the fair-flowing spring; and the boy she perceived close at hand with the rosy flush of his beauty and sweet grace. For the full moon beaming from the sky smote him. And Cypris [Aphrodite] made her heart faint, and in her confusion she could scarcely gather her spirit back to her. But as soon as he dipped the pitcher in the stream, leaning to one side, and the brimming water rang loud as it poured against the sounding bronze, straightway she laid her left arm above upon his neck yearning to kiss his tender mouth; and with her right hand she drew down his elbow, and plunged him into the midst of the eddy.” (Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica)

Hylas and the Nymphs

Hylas cries out, but he is gone. Some of his comrades think a wild beast is attacking him and they go searching for him. While searching, they find Herakles who is overcome with wrath when he hears what has happened to his friend. The hero refuses to continue on the journey with the rest of the Argonauts, opting instead to remain in Mysia and search for Hylas whom he never finds.

Herakles

Amidst much quarrelling, the Argo sails without its greatest hero.

This is certainly an interesting turn of events. In the Hallmark production, Herakles goes all the way to Colchis where he dies in battle, and in the Ray Harryhausen version, he stays to look for Hylas on the island of Thalos, who does not make an appearance in Argonautica until the homeward voyage.

We discover that it is the will of Zeus that Herakles not accompany the Argonauts to Colchis since he has yet to finish his Labours. As soon as the heroes discover this, their quarrelling ends and they press on. The Gods’ will must be respected.

Boxing the Bebrycians

The next part of their adventure is another that is often ignored, but I think it is a great part of the story that speaks to the power of youth and the Argonauts’ sense of adventure and optimism.

Ancient Boxers

When the winds die down, the Argo is forced to beach itself in the lands of Amycus, king of the Bebrycians. Amycus is a violent, arrogant man, and where the Argonauts have been well-received before, they now get anything but a warm welcome.

Amycus, a monster of a man according to Apollonius, tells the heroes that they will never be allowed to leave until one of them faces him in a boxing match.

Amycus is no slouch when it comes to fighting – he has killed many men with his challenge.

Polydeuces, the twin brother of Castor, and son of Zeus, steps forward to accept the challenge. He is young and powerful and known for his skill in boxing.

Amycus stands by, still and confident, watching the young Polydeuces step forward. Polydeuces carefully removes an ornate cloak that was given to him by one of the Lemnian maidens. He folds it, and begins warming up his body before tying the rawhide gauntlets to his fists.

“The one seemed to be a monstrous son of baleful Typhoeus or of Earth herself, such as she brought forth aforetime, in her wrath against Zeus; but the other, the son of Tyndareus, was like a star of heaven, whose beams are fairest as it shines through the nightly sky at eventide. Such was the son of Zeus, the bloom of the first down still on his cheeks, still with the look of gladness in his eyes. But his might and fury waxed like a wild beast’s; and he poised his hands to see if they were pliant as before and were not altogether numbed by toil and rowing.” (Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica)

The two men begin to circle each other, Amycus taunting Polydeuces. But the latter does not give in to the taunts. Rather, he observes Amycus’ style, testing him, trading blow for blow.

Castor and Polydeuces

The youth is fast and gives as good as he gets before a break is called and the two step back. When they return to the ring, the fight is much more ferocious, and Polydeuces takes his chance to land a punishing blow on the side of Amycus’ head, crushing the side of the king’s skull and killing him instantly.

The Bebrycians rush to attack Polydeuces, but the Argonauts come to his aid, his brother Castor first, and they beat and kill many of the Bebrycians.

Another thing I noticed in this episode is that even though Argonautica is about Jason’s journey as a hero, to this point, he has not yet performed any great deeds. Though he has fought in battles and killed enemies, the king he did kill was his one-time friend and host, Cyzicus. It was a mistake. The glorious set pieces such as this fight with Amycus, are the deeds of others in his company.

Apollonius is building to something I think, by leaving Jason on the side. Perhaps the listener, or reader, is meant to begin doubting the youth as others do, the expectation built up?

But Jason’s time is coming.

Obeying the Gods

Another set piece that has received much attention in film and television is the Argonauts’ visit to Phineus, the blind prophet tormented by the Harpies. After leaving the land of the Bebrycians with spoils, the Argonauts come to the place where Phineus lives by the sea.

Jason and Phineus

Phineus was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo himself, but after he slighted Zeus by revealing too much to people, he was cursed with permanent old age and the loss of his eyes. He was also cursed with Harpies who would not let him eat anything.

When Jason arrives, we discover that Phineus is expecting him and knows of their mission for the Fleece. When they hear his tale, the young pity the old man and want to help him. In exchange, Phineus shares his wisdom.

When the Harpies come to attack, it is not Jason who attacks them, as in the Hallmark production, but rather fascinatingly, the sons of Boreas, Zetes and Calais, who take to the air to attack the Harpies. They come close to killing them, but Iris, a goddess of the sky and a messenger, as well as the Harpies’ sister, stops Boreas’ sons from carrying out the killings.

Iris swears on the waters of the Styx (the ‘water-tight’ oath feared even by the gods) that the Harpies will no longer bother Phineus. In the films, the Harpies are killed or caged.

The Boreads and the Harpies

The Argonauts make sacrifices to the gods and prepare a feast for the old man who devours enough food to sate his incredible hunger. Then it is time for him to tell Jason and his men what they can expect.

But he cannot tell them everything, having learned his lesson in revealing too much. To get to Colchis, he tells them that they must pass through the Cyanean Rocks, and how they can use a dove to help them get through. When they pass into Pontus, they are to keep Bythinia on their right. They must stop in the land of the Mariandyni.

This is where Apollonius continues to show off his geographical knowledge. Phineus goes through all the peoples and places they will see on their way – the land of the iron-working people, Amazons along the River Thermodon etc.

The Cyanean Rocks

They are to travel until they come to the River Phasis which will lead them to Aeetes’ capital in Colchis, and the Grove of Ares where a terrible dragon watches over the Golden Fleece where it hangs on an oak tree.

This impending danger strikes fear into the Argonauts’ hearts.

Jason asks if they will see Hellas again, and Phineus replies that they will, but with the help of many guides.

He does give one striking piece of advice. Phineus tells Jason that he must heed Aphrodite’s aid most of all, since the success of their entire quest depends on her!

This is where the Argonautica stands apart from all other stories, indeed it breaks new ground.

The theme of Love, and the romantic treatment of Love, was new to epics when Apollonius of Rhodes composed the Argonautica.

As we shall see in Part III of this series, Love will play a major role in the development of Jason as a hero.

Thank you for reading.

Argonautica - Part I - Epic Storytelling in the Age of Heroes

Beginning with thee, O Phoebus, I will recount the famous deeds of men of old, who, at the behest of King Pelias, down through the mouth of Pontus and between the Cyanean rocks, sped well-benched Argo in quest of the golden fleece. (Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica)

Thus begins one of the most famous and influential stories to come out of ancient Greece. The story of Jason and the Argonauts has captured peoples’ imaginations for ages, and to this day it is held up as the supreme example of ancient epic.

Today, the story has been retold in cartoons, comics, movies, and television adaptations. Its grip on the popular psyche is firm, and its archetypes reverberate throughout western culture.

The Argonautica isn’t just another fanciful story, it’s a well thought-out tale, carefully crafted, enriched with geographic, ethnographic, and religious details that other ancient stories lack.

And to the ancient world, this WAS history! The lines of this tale are a who’s who of gods, goddesses and heroes whom the reader (or listener) meets in unusually candid moments.

Before I go any further, I have a confession to make.

Until just a few weeks ago, I had never read the text of the Argonautica.

Like most people, I suspect, my knowledge of the tale of Jason and the Argonauts came from popular movies, mainly the Ray Harryhausen and Hallmark productions of Jason and the Argonauts. Those two film and television movies were fantastically entertaining and I highly recommend them both.

However, they differ from the original text in many ways.

In this series of blog posts, I’m going to talk a bit about my experience reading the Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes, what elements stand out for me, and how it differs from the popular image of the story.

Before we get started, who was Apollonius of Rhodes?

A Hellenistic Bestseller

Apollonius was actually born in Ptolemaic Alexandria sometime between 296 and 260 B.C. He was a student of Callimachus, a famed poet and scholar at the Library of Alexandria.

Alexandria, during the Hellenistic age, was the centre of the world as far as education, research and the scholarly pursuits. Anyone who was anyone wanted to be there.

Apollonius composed and recited the Argonautica when he was a youth in Alexandria. Unfortunately, the poem was condemned on the Alexandrian scene, and some say that Callimachus was one of its slanderers, for he and his student, Apollonius, had a massive falling out.

Alexandria's Canopic Way

In Alexandria, it seemed that poetics was much more highly regarded than epics, which is what the Argonautica is. Kind of like the battle today between literary and genre fiction. Apollonius probably couldn’t stand his academic critics any longer, and so he moved to Rhodes where the Argonautica received much acclamation.

From then on, Apollonius considered himself a Rhodian.

Some other sources say that later in life, he returned to Alexandria where the poem received the credit it deserved, and that he even became head of the Alexandrian Library.

Like many writers, Apollonius had his own sources, oral and written, for his story. It seems that he may have drawn mainly on Pindar’s fourth Pythian Ode. But that is a much shorter work than the Argonautica.

Being from a more academic school, Apollonius did a lot of research and indeed he had access to a lot of sources in Alexandria.

When I set out to read the Argonautica, my main question was this: How does it differ from the modern film and television interpretations that had captivated me so?

I had my answer almost right away. It’s quite different.

Pelias in the Wings

Pelias

The movies (film and TV) make much of the murder of Jason’s father, his fostering with Chiron the centaur, and of his return to Thessalian Iolclus to reclaim his birthright from his treacherous uncle, Pelias. He shows up at Pelias’ court wearing one sandal, fulfilling the prophecy Pelias so fears.

Argonautica makes very little of these things. There is only passing reference. The same is true of Pelias’ obsession with the Golden Fleece; in the Argonautica the search for the Fleece is more of an impossible task that Pelias hopes will end in Jason’s death, so that he never comes back to Iolclus.

Pelias’ real motive is to destroy Jason, not to obtain the Golden Fleece.

A Ship Full of Heroes

As with most ancient and medieval heroic epics, there is a list of the men involved at the beginning of the Argonautica. But this is no ordinary list of heroes, and Apollonius gives not just the names of the men, but also their lineage and deeds.

Some of the Argonauts

I won’t go through all fifty-odd names but there are some you might recognize…

First mentioned is Orpheus, the son of the Muse, Calliope. There is Polyphemus who had fought bravely in the war between the Lapiths and Centaurs, and Erytus and Echion the sons of Hermes. Mopsus is there to play a role, as he learned augury from Apollo himself.

Peleus, the father of Achilles, is a part of the crew, as well as Telamon and Argus, the ship builder whom the Argo is named after and who received help from the goddess Athena in building it.

Phlias the son of Dionysus is there, and Nauplius, Erginus, and Ancaeus, all three the sons of Poseidon.

Brian Thompson as Hercules
Hallmark production

Most famously of all perhaps, is that Herakles is a part of the crew. He is accompanied by his good friend and bow-carrier, Hylas. Other sons of Zeus that are there include Polydeuces and Castor from Sparta; they are the Dioscouri, or the Gemini, who were later remembered in the stars. Their mother is Leda.

Augeias, the son of Helios, Lernus, the son of Hephaestus, and Zetes and Calais, the sons of the wind Boreas, are all a part of the crew too. Jason is also joined by Acastus, the son of Pelias. Much is made of the latter in the movies, but in the Argonautica he is one of the lesser characters.

These are just a few of the heroes who make up the crew of the Argo. You can see that their lineage is nothing to spit at, and it’s no wonder the people of Iolclus (modern-day Volos) are in awe of them as they assemble on the strand beside Argo where they “shone like gleaming stars among the clouds”.

Iolclus - modern Volos, Greece

This is a story of the glory of youth, and of valour. When these heroes are setting out, there is a sense of excitement, anticipation, and of danger. The men are keen, but the women of Iolclus are weeping and praying to the gods, foreshadowing the potential doom.

The thing that really strikes me, and perhaps this is the genius of it, is that among all these heroes who are proven in battle and skill, divine descendants or not, Jason seems to be the only one (apart from Acastus) with no deeds to his name.

Jason is youth. Though he is surrounded by proven men, Argonautica, to my mind, is mainly about his own personal hero’s journey.

When all the supplies are loaded and the expedition is ready to sail, Jason turns to the men and says that all that remains is to choose a leader:

…and the young heroes turned their eyes towards bold Herakles sitting in their midst, and with one shout they all enjoined upon him to be their leader; but he, from the place where he sat, stretched forth his right hand and said: “Let no one offer this honour to me. For I will not consent, and I will forbid any other to stand up. Let the hero who brought us together, himself be the leader of the host.” Thus he spake with high thoughts, and they assented, as Herakles bade; and warlike Jason himself rose up, glad at heart… (Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica)

As is common throughout the tale, the heroes pay their respects to the gods, in this case Apollo, by sacrificing and building an altar before finally leaving the land of Hellas behind.

Lemnian Women are Lovely

Hypsipyle

Apollonius displays his knowledge of geography, detailing the sights that the crew sees as they sail east, past the peninsula of Athos and the Thracian coast on the way to their first port – Lemnos. 

The episode on Lemnos is one that popular retellings often include. It is the island of Queen Hypsipyle who, along with all her female subjects, has killed all the men. But that is where the commonalities between the Argonautica and Hollywood end.

In popular culture, Hypsipyle and her women are demonized, portrayed as savage man-haters who seek to trick and kill the Argonauts.

However, Apollonius portrays the Lemnian women as more sympathetic. Turns out they killed their war-mongering husbands who shunned them all in favour of the slaves they had taken on raids. The Lemnian women live in fear of retribution if word should get out as to what happened to their men – they do all the work required to live, including ploughing the fields.

When the Argonauts arrive, Hypsipyle welcomes them, offering food and supplies so that they can leave the island. They have no wish to kill the Argonauts. Hypsipyle falls in love with Jason and wonders if she could get him and his crew to stay so that they could have children again, and be protected against the Thracians.

The Argonauts linger for a time until Herakles chides them for hanging about with women instead of pursuing their quest. Jason decides they should leave and tells Hypsipyle that should she have a son by him, she should send him to Iolclus to be raised by his own parents, both of whom are still alive.

It’s actually a touching parting, without animosity, and the Argonauts set sail once more.

Stay tuned for the next post as we continue our epic journey through the Argonautica.

Thank you for reading. 

The Triumph of Herakles

Some of the most timeless stories in western literature are about the heroes of ancient Greece.

For millennia people have been inspired by Perseus, Jason and the Argonauts, Theseus, Achilles and Odysseus. Many an ancient king and warrior has tried to emulate the actions and personae of these heroes, and even claimed descent from them.

Far and away, the greatest hero of all was Herakles.

There are so many stories related to Herakles (‘Hercules’ of you were Roman) in mythology that it’s impossible to cover all of them in a simple blog post. A book would be required for that.

So, this post is going to be the first in a two-part series on the hero. There are countless triumphant deeds associated with Herakles, but for our purposes here I’m going to cover the most famous of all – The Twelve Labours.

The Twelve Labours of Herakles have been the subject of art, sculpture and song for ages. Their portrayal decorated the ancient world from the images on vases to the metopes on the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. In our modern age, we’ve seen him in comics, television shows, and movies, two of which are coming out this year!

Tyrins

But who was Herakles? Where did he come from?

Herakles was born in the city of Thebes. He was the son of Zeus who begat him on Alcmene, a granddaughter of Perseus and Andromeda. Zeus came to her in the guise of her mortal husband, Amphitryon, and so Herakles was born.

From the beginning, Herakles showed that he was not a ‘normal’ person. Out of jealousy, Hera, Queen of the Gods and wife of Zeus, sent two snakes to kill the baby Herakles in his cot. Herakles strangled the snakes with his bare baby hands.

When he was 18 years of age, Herakles began to really make a name for himself by slaying a lion on the slopes of Mount Cithaeron after hunting it for fifty days. During that time, he stayed with the king of Thespiae who was so impressed with the youth that he had him beget children on all fifty of his daughters.

Herakles was a man of extreme prowess, deeds, emotion and appetites.

King Creon of Thebes rewarded Herakles for helping him against his enemy, Erginus, king of the Minyans by giving him the hand of his daughter Megara with whom the hero had several children.

This is where things sour for the young hero. After all, this is a Greek story, and tragedy is never far behind to bring even the mightiest of heroes back to Earth.

Temple of Apollo - Delphi

Hera stepped in to afflict Herakles with madness, causing him to kill his wife and children. When his sanity returned, he was overcome with grief and went to the Oracle at Delphi for advice.

The Oracle told him to go to Tyrins and serve its king, Eurystheus, for twelve years as punishment for his brutal crime. He had to complete all tasks set for him by the king, and this is the origin of The Twelve Labours.

It’s curious that the name ‘Herakles’ means ‘Glory of Hera’, since she persecuted him so much throughout his life. Then again, perhaps as Hera is the root cause of his Labours, his triumphs reflect on her?

I – The Nemean Lion

This first labour is probably his most famous, and takes us to the ancient land of the Argolid peninsula. The lion that was terrorizing the hills about Nemea had skin that was impenetrable to weapons and so Herakles, when he faced it, choked it to death with his brute strength and then used the claws to skin it. It’s this skin, which he used as a hooded pelt, that the hero became known for in art. If you see someone with a lion’s head on their own, it’s likely Herakles, or someone trying to emulate him.

Valley of Nemea

As a side note, Nemea was thereafter the site of the Nemean Games, one of the four sacred games of the ancient world, which also included the Isthmian Games, the Pythian Games, and the Olympic Games.

II – The Lernean Hydra

When he faced the Hydra in the Peloponnesian swamps of Lerna, it’s a good thing that Herakles brought along his nephew and companion, Iolaus. Facing the monster, he discovered that when he cut one head off, two more grew back in its place. And so, after each head was cut, Iolaus would cauterize the stump before it could grow again. When the Hydra was dead, Herakles dipped his arrows in the blood which was poison, even to Immortals. These arrows would come in useful in later episodes of the hero’s life.

Lerna, Greece

III – The Ceryneian Hind

Eurystheus, this time, thought he would set Herakles against Artemis with this third labour by telling him to capture a deer with golden horns that was sacred to the goddess. But Herakles pursued the hind for a whole year until he finally captured it and brought it before Eurystheus who, by this time, was always hiding in a jar whenever his cousin would return. The hind was allowed to go once it was brought before the king and so Herakles was able to avoid Artemis’ wrath.

Giving the Boar to Eurystheus

IV – The Erymanthian Boar

Around Psophis, in the Arcadian region of the Peloponnese, a massive boar had been giving the locals trouble and so Herakles was sent to capture it. He did so by pursuing it through deep snow in the mountains until it was so exhausted that he was able to capture it. Such a massive specimen would have made quite a sacrificial feast!

V – The Stables of Augeas

Athena helping Herakles to
clean the stables

Augeas was the King of Elis, and he had a cattle stable that had never been mucked out, EVER! In this case, it was not a monster that terrorized the locals, but rather the monumental stench. In this very different  labour, Herakles was told he had to clean out the stables. So, what did he do? What all heroes would do, he diverted the rivers Alpheius and Peneius so that they flowed through the stables and washed the titanic stink away. It’s no wonder the land thereabouts is so fertile.

VI – The Stymphalian Birds

In Stymphalia, there were flocks of man-eating birds with bronze beaks that infested the woods around the Lake of Stymphalus, again in Arcadia. Herakles was told he had to get them out. So, he scared them all from their hiding places and then shot them down with his great bow. No more birds.

Lake Stymphalos, Greece

VII – The Cretan Bull

For his seventh labour, Herakles had to leave the Peloponnese for the Island of Crete to capture and bring back the Cretan Bull. This was no ordinary bull. This was the bull that Poseidon sent to Crete for King Minos to sacrifice. When Minos refused, Poseidon made his wife, Pasiphae fall in love with it and from that union was born the terror that was to become the Minotaur. The Cretan Bull rampaged all over Crete until Herakles arrived, wrestled it to the ground, and brought it back to Greece. The hero’s friend, Theseus, would come back to Crete years later to take care of the Minotaur.

VIII – The Mares of Diomedes

Once more, Herakles was forced to deal with another group of man-eating animals. But this time they were not birds, but rather horses! The mares of Diomedes were in Thrace and so Herakles travelled there. He had a run-in with Diomedes himself and so, to tame the horses, Herakles fed them their own master. After that, the mares followed him back to Eurystheus.

IX – The Girdle of Hippolyte

Near the River Thermodon, just off the Black Sea, Herakles and his followers, including Theseus, went to the Amazons and their Queen, Hippolyte. The story goes that Herakles just asked this lovely daughter of Ares for her girdle, or belt, and she said ‘Yes’. Hera decided to step in and whispered to the rest of the Amazons that their queen was being abducted.

The Amazons attacked Herakles and his men who fought back, and in the bloody engagement, Hippolyte herself was killed. Herakles managed to get the girdle, but the cost of this labour was indeed heavy.

The River Thermodon

X – The Cattle of Geryon

The tenth labour is a sort of epic cattle raid. Herakles was told he had to bring back the red cattle of the three-bodied giant, Geryon, from the Island of Erytheia which was far, far to the west. This took the hero on a long journey into the Atlantic. On his way, he set up the Pillars of Hercules to mark his way.

But Herakles began to grow weary with the heat, and so Helios, God of the Sun, lent Herakles his great golden bowl or boat so that he could sail the rest of the way to Erytheia. Herakles succeeded in raiding the cattle and sailed in Helios’ boat back to Spain. From Spain he travelled to Greece and had many adventures on this mythic cattle drive.

There is a whole list of adventures he had on his way home, but the one I would like to highlight brings him in touch with the Romans. When Herakles arrived in Rome he came into conflict with a monster named Cacus after the beast killed some of the cattle. Herakles killed Cacus in what must have been a great battle of strength.

The Temple of Hercules in
the Forum Boarium in Rome

It’s interesting that in Rome, there are some steps leading off of the Palatine Hill called the Steps of Cacus which is where the monster is said to have lain in wait for passers-by. In the Forum Boarium, or cattle market, near the banks of the Tiber, there is a round Tholos temple dedicated to Hercules, commemorating the hero’s time in Rome.

XI – The Golden Apples of Hesperides

Hesperia was the garden of the gods and Herakles must have been exhausted when he discovered that he had to go back to the Atlantic. Some believe Hesperia was located on the Atlantic side of the North African coast. The garden was said to be beyond the sunset, where Atlas, the Titan, was holding up the sky.

Holding the Heavens for Atlas

The labour was to pick the golden apples that were guarded by a giant snake. In some stories, Herakles asks Atlas to pick the apples for him while he holds the heavens in his stead. In others, Herakles picks the apples himself and kills the serpent.

XII – Cerberus

There is one archetype that is common to most hero stories, and that is the journey to the Underworld.  And this is where Herakles must go in his final labour to bring the three-headed hound of Hades back to Eurystheus.

To get to the Underworld, Herakles gets help from the god Hermes, who travelled there regularly. Supposedly, they entered through the gate at Taenarum, in the southern Peloponnese.

There is a fascinating episode when they arrive in Hades’ realm. The shades of the dead flee from Herakles who wounds Hades himself with one of his poison arrows. The only shades who do not flee are Meleager, famed for bringing down the great Calydonian Boar, and Medusa, the Gorgon slain by Perseus.

The Gate to Hades
at Taenarum

Herakles drew his sword against Medusa but Hermes told him to leave her be. But Meleager told the hero his sad tale. Herakles, inspired by Meleager, said that he would marry the sister of such a noble man. And so, the shade of Meleager named his sister, Deianaira, to be Herakles’ wife. This at the end of his long penance for killing his family. Was it a new beginning?

Hades told Herakles that he could take Cerberus if he could bring him to heel without using his weapons. In true Heraclean fashion, he wrestled the hell hound and then brought it to Eurystheus. Afterward, Hades got his dog back.

The Labours of Herakles are not just adventure stories. They are stories of atonement, of courage, of strength of mind and body. Over and over, the hero is taken to extremes until he attains his final triumph, and his debt is paid.

But this is a Greek story. There is no celebration. For laurels dry out on the brow of even the greatest of heroes.

Herakles - older and tired
after his Labours

There is much more to Herakles’ story, and I for one have a lot more reading to do. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of these tales.

In the coming months, I’ll post the second part of this series – The Tragedy of Herakles.

Until then, I’m looking forward to the two movies that are coming out this year.

Sure, they’ll be the usual Hollywood interpretations of the legends. And that’s ok!

The legends of Herakles’ triumphs should live on in any form, so long as they are remembered…



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If you are interested in the upcoming movies, here are the trailers for both. I especially like the first one which seems to focus on the actual Labours. Looking forward to these!

Hercules (with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson looking the part!)

Hercules: The Legend Begins (with Kellan Lutz)