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Nick Kopaloff

Mrs. Smith

English IV

13 September 2018

Hercules Mythology Report

Hercules was an ancient greek legend. The word, Hercules, is derived from, Herculean,

which translates to great strength and tremendous effort. Hercules was one of many legends that

people believed in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Hercules was the son of Zeus, the King of

all Gods, and the son of Alcmene, a mortal woman. Hercules was born a demigod, and was

originally given the name of Alcaeus. He eventually received the name of Hercules because of

his great strength. Hercules became famous because the difficulties he went through in his life,

and how strong they made him.

The son of Zeus and Alcmene, Hercules was born mortal because his mother, Alcmene

was mortal. Hercules had a normal childhood, but it really could not be so normal since his

father was so famous, as he was the King of Gods. Hercules, born a demigod, was destined to

become someone big, not only in his society, but also for several thousand years to come. When

he was just a baby, his father’s wife, the wife after Alcmene, tried to send serpents to strangle

him while he was in his cradle. Hera, Zeus’ new wife, really did not like Hercules. When the

serpents arrived at the cradle to strangle Hercules, he actually used his power to strangle them,

and they died on the spot. At that moment, Zeus realized his son had some actual demigod

power. Hercules travelled to the underworld twice, and he wrestled death many times just to save

his own life. He had trouble communicating with other people and legends, which did cause
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others not to like him and he had tough relationships with many people. In the middle of his life,

he really wanted to become immortal, so to become immortal, he had accomplish all of the “12

Labors”, some of which consisted of killing monsters and animals, cleaning, and to bring back

some mythical things, all of which society needed. After Hercules accomplished all of these

labors, he officially became an immortal. (Josh Mark, ​The Life of Hercules in Myth & Legend)​

Hercules is still very relevant in today’s society because he had a movie created about

him. Disney created a movie about all of his accomplishments, struggles, and his whole life. In

Rome and in Greece, he is still very popular because his stories have been passed down from all

the generations. His stories have changed a lot, but everyone still understands the basics of his

life, and how he was important to society. People use his tales for many life lessons, and he is a

symbol of strength in all societies. (​Hercules, ​Greekmythology.com)

When most people think of strength, and a big guy with muscles, they think of the

legend, Hercules. Hercules is easily one of the most powerful legends out there, and he is still

very relevant in today’s society. When someone has a movie created after him, he must be very

important.
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Works Cited

Mark, Joshua J. “The Life of Hercules in Myth & Legend.” ​Ancient History Encyclopedia​,

Ancient History Encyclopedia, 8 Sept. 2018,

www.ancient.eu/article/733/the-life-of-hercules-in-myth--legend/.

“Hercules | Heracles.” ​Greek Mythology,​ 2009,

www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Heroes/Heracles/heracles.html.