3. HERCULES Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles , son of Zeus (the Greek equivalent of the Roman god Jupiter ), and the mortal Alcmene . Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italic shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength who dedicated the Ara Maxima that became associated with the earliest Roman cult of Hercules. [2] While adopting much of the Greek Heracles' iconography and mythology as his own, Hercules adopted a number of myths and characteristics that were distinctly Roman. With the spread of Roman hegemony, Hercules was worshiped locally from Hispania through Gaul Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles , son of Zeus (the Greek equivalent of the Roman god Jupiter ), and the mortal Alcmene . Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italic shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength who dedicated the Ara Maxima that became associated with the earliest Roman cult of Hercules. [2] While adopting much of the Greek Heracles' iconography and mythology as his own, Hercules adopted a number of myths and characteristics that were distinctly Roman. With the spread of Roman hegemony, Hercules was worshiped locally from Hispania through Gaul Hercules was married to Deianeira . One day, long after Hercules' marriage to Deianira, the centaur Nessus offered to ferry them across a wide river that they had to cross. Nessus set off with Deianeira first, but tried to abduct her. When Hercules realized the centaur's real intention, Hercules chased after him and shot him with an arrow which was poisoned with Hydra's blood. Before he died, Nessus told Deianeira to take some of his blood and treasure it, since it was a very powerful medicine and: if she ever thought Hercules was being unfaithful, the centaur told her, the blood would restore his love. Deianeira kept the vial of blood. Many years after that incident she heard rumours that Hercules had fallen in love with another woman. She smeared some of the blood on a robe and sent it to Hercules by a servant named Lichas . Lichas spilled some blood on the floor and when the sun's rays fell on it the blood begun to burn. Because of this Deianeira began to suspect Nessus's advice and decided to send another servant to fetch Lichas back before he could hand over the blood soaked robe to Hercules. She was too late. Hercules had already put on the robe and when he did so the blood still poisoned from the same arrow used by Hercules, burnt into his flesh. When he jumped into a nearby river in hope of extinguishing the fire, it only made it worse. When he tried to rip off the robe from his body his organs were also ripped off with it. Furiously, Hercules caught Lichas and tossed him into the sea. After that he told his friend Philoctetes to build him a pyre on the mountain Oata. He was burnt to death on the pyre. Before dying, Hercules offered his bow and arrows as a token of gratitude to Philoctetes. His father Zeus then turned him into a god. Deianeira, after hearing what she had caused, committed suicide.
4. THE 12 FEATS OF HERCULES Slay the Nemean Lion . Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra . Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis . Capture the Erymanthian Boar . Clean the Augean stables in a single day Slay the Stymphalian Birds . Capture the Cretan Bull . Steal the Mares of Diomedes . Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta , Queen of the Amazons . Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon . Steal the apples of the Hesperides .(With the help of Atlas). Capture and bring back Cerberus . As a reward for finishing these twelve treacherous tasks, he was given the gift of immortality after his death by Zeus, his father. Hera forgave him and gave him her daughter Hebe for his bride.
7. In August 480 BC, Leonidas went to Thermopylae with 300 of his personal bodyguards. Other Greek forces joined him there and formed an army of 4,200 soldiers. This army would try to hold the pass of Thermopylae against the great army of Xerxes I, who was the king of Persia.
9. Leonidas and his men held Thermopylae for 3 days. On the 3rd day a Greek traitor named Ephialtes led the Persian army behind the Spartans. It was then that Leonidas sent away all the Greek troops except 700 Thespians, who refused to leave the battlefield. The small Greek force was attacked from both sides. They fought hard but finally they were all killed. Xerxes told his men to cut Leonidas' head, put it on a stake and crucify his body. Now the only thing that reminds Leonidas is a monument near Leonidas’ death site, which carries the following inscription:
10. Go, stranger, and in Lacedaemon tell that here, obeying her behests, we fell, that we died here obeying what they told us to do
12. Only 2 Spartans survived. One was Kirtanian, who was injured and was sent behind the lines. The other one was Pantites, who was sent by Leonidas to raise support in Thessaly, but returned to Thermopylae only after the battle was finished. At the end, he hanged himself because he was called a coward.
