Hercules in Mythology
Some
background:
Heracles
(Hercules) is probably the best known and most popular of all the mythological heroes. He was the son of Zeus (Jupiter)
and Alcmena. The wily Zeus had
chosen Alcmena, wisest and most beautiful of mortal women to bear his exceptional son.
To
this end, Zeus assumed the form of Alcmena’s husband Amphitryon returning from a hard-fought campaign and had his way with her.
Alcmena wouldn’t grant her husband
the privilege of her bed until he had punished the slayers of her brothers, killed in a cattle raid. When Amphitryon returned from
doing her bidding and his wife claimed
to have slept with him already that evening, he knew something unaccountable had occurred… Such began the life of a
hero. A twin brother, Iphicles was
conceived from the second union of that evening.
The
wife of Zeus, Hera (Juno) took a dim view of his countless affairs with mortal
women and was hostile to the
offspring of these unions. She declared war on Hercules at his birth and would be a constant source of
irritation throughout his life.
There are seven Ptolemaic constellations
associated with the story of Hercules. They
are in order of
appearance:
Hercules, Leo, Hydra, Cancer, Draco, Aries and Lyra