Madness and the Death of Megara While still a young man, Heracles went to fight the Minyans, a group that had been forcing the people of Thebes to pay money to them. Heracles became frustrated, flew into a rage, and banged the lyre down on Linus's head. One day Linus (pronounced LYE-nuhs), his music master, was teaching Heracles to play the lyre. Like most Greek youths, he took music lessons. Heracles' Lesson As a young boy, Heracles became aware of his extraordinary strength-and his temper. Though Hera failed to kill Heracles, she persecuted him throughout his life, causing many of the events that led to his great suffering and punishments. However, the infant grabbed the snakes and strangled them. She tried to kill the infant Heracles by having two poisonous snakes placed in his crib one night. Hera was fiercely jealous of Zeus's lovers and children and pursued them mercilessly. When the goddess Hera (pronounced HAIR-uh) discovered that Zeus had seduced Alcmena and fathered Heracles, she was furious. He told them that Zeus had slept with Alcmena the first night and predicted that she would bear a child who would become a great hero.Īlcmena bore twin boys-Heracles, the son of Zeus, and Iphicles (pronounced IF-i-kleez), the son of Amphitryon. Concerned that Amphitryon did not remember being with Alcmena on both nights, the couple consulted the blind prophet Tiresias (pronounced ty-REE-see-uhs), who could see the workings of the gods. The next day, the real Amphitryon returned and slept with his wife.

One night while Amphitryon was away, Zeus came to Alcmena disguised as her husband.

Heracles was the son of Zeus (pronounced ZOOS) and Alcmena (pronounced alk-MEE-nuh), the wife of Amphitryon (pronounced am-FI-tree-uhn), a distinguished Greek warrior and heir to the throne of Tiryns (pronounced TEER-ins). In Greek mythology, only two figures with half-mortal, half-god parentage-Heracles and Dionysus (pronounced dye-uh-NYE-suhs)-became fully immortal (able to live forever) and were worshipped as gods. Only supernatural forces could defeat him, and it was magic that ended his mortal life. When the fury passed, though, Heracles was full of sorrow and guilt for what he had done and ready to accept any punishment for his misdeeds. Easily angered, his sudden outbursts of rage often harmed innocent bystanders. Heracles (called Hercules by the Romans) was not blessed with great intelligence, but his bravery made up for any lack of cunning.

Besides tremendous physical strength, he had great self-confidence and considered himself equal to the gods. The greatest of all heroes in Greek mythology, Heracles was the strongest man on earth. Son of Zeus and Alcmena Character Overview Hesiod's Theogony, Apol-lodorus's Bibliotheca

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