647 



HERACLES. 



HERACLES. 



658 



The marriage of Zeus and Hera forms a prominent feature in the 

 worship of this goddess. As a truly married wife, and the wife of the 

 greatest of the gods, Hera became the goddess of marriage and the 

 married state. She was frequently represented veiled as a bride, and 

 carried in processions, like a bride, on a car. By Zeus she had three 

 children, Ares, Hephiestus, and Hebe. 



The two most celebrated temples of Hera were at Argos and Samos ; 

 the latter was the largest temple with which Herodotus was acquainted. 

 (' Herod.,' iii. 60.) The Samians themselves denied that their know- 

 ledge of this deity was derived from Argos, and asserted that she was 

 born in Samos. (' Paus.,' vii. 4.) In many places she was associated 

 in worship with Zeus. 



Juno was worshipped at Rome with the epithets Pronuba, as pre- 

 siding over marriage ; Lucina, as bringing children to the light ; Reyina, 

 as queen of heaven ; and Moneta, as the warner, to whom a temple 

 was erected on the spot where the house of Manlius Capitolinus stood. 

 (' Liv.,' vii. 28.) The origin of the name Xoneta is given by Cicero 

 in his 'De Divinatione,' (i. 45). She was also styled Virginal!* 

 and Matrona; and the general festival held on the 1st of March 

 in honour of her, and in which all women took part, was termed 

 Matronalia. 



The Greek artists, in accordance with the descriptions of the poets, 

 represented Hera as a fully developed matron, yet as one who bathes 

 in the fountain of virginity ; of a perfectly beautiful form and features, 

 but with pride and sternness as well aa majesty marked on the counte- 

 nance. The eyes are large (agreeing with Homer's frequent epithet, 

 " Hera large-eyed, majestic ") ; the forehead fair and open, and with 

 the braided hair brought down obliquely on either side. She is usually 

 represented with a diadem (stephane), and often wears a veil Her 

 dress consists of a chiton and himation, the former of which leaves 

 only her neck and arms bare. She often carries a sceptre, sometimes 

 surmounted with a cuckoo ; and is accompanied by her favourite bird 

 the peacock. The famous chryselephantine colossal seated statue of 

 Hera, in her temple at the foot of Mount Euboea, in Argos, of which 

 Polycletus was the sculptor, appears to have served as the type of 

 the goddess for subsequent artists. There are few Greek statues 

 remaining of the goddess of much importance ; busts are numerous; 



Bust of Hera from the British Museum. 



we give a cut of a very beautiful one from the British Museum (First 

 Grseco-Roman Saloon). Representations of her on vases, gems, &c., 

 are very numerous. The artistic idea of the Roman Juno followed 

 close that of the Greek Hera. 



HERACLES (in Latin, Herculet), the most celebrated hero of 

 Greek mythology, was the offspring of Zeus by Alcinene, daughter of 

 Klectryon, a son of Perseus, and king of Mycense. His reputed father 

 was Amphitryon (son of Alcseus, another of the children of Perseus), 

 who having accidentally killed his father-in-law Electryon, was com- 

 pelled to leave Mycenjc, and take refuge in Thebes. Here Hercules 

 was born and educated, and here his early feats of strength and valour 

 were done ; such as slaying the lion of Cithaeron, delivering Thebes 

 from the tribute to Erginus, king of Orchomenos, and taking in 

 marriage the daughter of Creon. Most of his adventures were either 

 immediately or remotely the result of the untiring hatred with which 

 he was pursued by Hera. Even his famous twelve labours were the 

 consequence of a sort of compromise entered into with Hera by Zeus, 

 his constant protector, that he should undertake twelve great tasks 

 which Eurystheus, as his master, should think fit to impose, the con- 

 iliti'm being that if he succeeded in them he should be raised to a place 

 among the immortals in Olympus. 



Being thus fated to serve Eurystheus, king of Mycenae, he performed 

 what are called his labours, in obedience to the commands of his 

 master. They are *p well known that we need only enumerate them : 

 the first was, to bring the skin of the Nemean lion ; the second, to 

 destroy the Hydra; the third, to catch the hind of Artemis; the 

 fourth, to bring to Eurystheus the Erymanthian boar alive ; the fifth, 

 to cleanse the stables of Augeas ; the sixth, to drive away the water- 

 fowl of lake Stymphalis ; the seventh, to fetch the Cretan bull ; the 



ARTS AND SCI. D1V, VOL. IV. 



eighth, to bring to Mycence the mares of Diomedes; the ninth, to 

 obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons ; the tenth, to 

 bring the oxen of Geryon from the island of Erytheia ; the eleventh, to 

 bring the apples of the Hesperides ; the twelfth, to conduct Cerberus 

 from the under world. Almost innumerable other exploits were per- 

 formed by him, such as the taking of Troy ; the wounding of Hera ; 

 the conquest of the gigantes, &c., which are all related by the mytho- 

 logists, Apollodorus, and others. But we cannot stay to relate them, 

 as our object is rather to point out the classes to which these traditions 

 belong, than to supply information which can be readily and much 

 more suitably obtained elsewhere. 



It will be enough to mention the manner of his death. Having to 

 cross the river Euenus, Heracles swam over, leaving his wife to be 

 ferried across by the centaur Nessus. But Nessus faithlessly attempted 

 to ravish Deianeira, and Heracles turning back shot an arrow through 

 his heart. The dying centaur bade Deianeira take some of his blood 

 as a means for preserving the love of her husband. Afterwards when 

 Heracles had been held long entranced with the charms of Omphale, 

 and then leaving her went in quest of lole, with whom he had become 

 enamoured, Deianeira, fearing the entire loss of his affections, sent him 

 a garment which she had steeped in the blood of Nessus. But the 

 poison from the arrow of Heracles had contaminated the blood, and 

 when the hero put on the garment he was seized with such terrible 

 pains in every part of his body that, unable to bear the agony or to rid 

 himself of the garment which clung to his flesh, he raised a lofty 

 pile of wood on the summit of Mount (Eta,, and having com- 

 manded the shepherd Prcas to set fire to it, he placed himself on 

 the top. Then Zeus caused a cloud to descend from heaven and 

 amidst the pealing thunder, and flashing lightning, the hero was 

 conveyed to Olympus. 



There are then three distinct kinds of tradition relating to Heracles ; 

 the first consisting of stories drawn from some eastern or other 

 religion, and applied to the Theban hero. Such are his wanderings 

 round the coasts of Greece, which exhibit in a mythical form the 

 establishment of the worship of a wandering god of the Phoenicians. 

 Such also is his voluntary death on Mount Qita ; and, according to 

 Muller (' Dorians,' i. 444), his murdering his children. Another, aud 

 the second class of traditions, are those which represent him performing 

 labours such as would naturally be those of a young community.. 

 (Pausan., viii. 14.) A third class exhibits him in the light of a con- 

 queror and destroyer of tyrants, and here the awkwardness of ascribing 

 the deeds of the Peloponnesian hero to the Theban Heracles is most 

 striking ; for while on the one hand he id serving Eurystheus as a 

 slave, on the other he appears as one who forms alliances and disposes 

 of kingdoms. 



The legends of Heracles perhaps afford a better instance than those 

 of any other hero or god, except Apollo, of the various sources from 

 which mythical accounts spring. 



Heracles was worshipped throughout Greece both as a god and a 

 hero. His special oracle was at Bura in Achaia, the seat of the oldest 

 of his temples. Bulls, boars, and rams were sacrificed, and hot springs 

 were sacred to him. Women were not allowed to participate in 

 his worship. At Rome there were two temples dedicated to 

 Hercules. 



Representations of Heracles are extremely numerous of almost 

 every period of Greek and Gncco-Roman art. In the archaic period 

 the hero was clothed, and armed with spear and buckler, bow or sword ; 

 later, his only covering is the skin of the Nemaean lion, his weapon the 

 huge club with which he killed the lion. Always he is figured as of 

 enormous strength, with broad shoulders, large limbs, and muscles 

 extremely developed. His person is noble, his countenance grave and 



Bust of Heracles from the British Museum. 



earnest. The famous Farnese Hercules is the most celebrated ancient 

 statue of the hero which has come down to us. It is inscribed with 



