Heracles - The Man Who Became a God | The Great Greek Myths, Episode 18

Summary

In Episode 18 of 'The Great Greek Myths,' the story of Heracles unfolds, highlighting his extraordinary journey from mortal to god. Zeus devises a cunning plan that leads to Heracles' supernatural birth, angering Hera, Zeus's wife, who ensures Heracles' life is filled with challenges. Heracles demonstrates exceptional strength, overcoming deadly tasks known as the Twelve Labors, set by his cousin Eurystheus. These labors, inspired by Hera's jealousy, test his might and resolve. Despite tragedy and betrayal, including an unwitting murder of his family and a fatal deception by centaur Nessus, Heracles' heroic actions earn him immortality among the gods. This episode captures the trials, triumphs, and ultimate ascent of Heracles, as divine forces, human flaws, and timeless myths intertwine in an epic narrative.

Highlights

• Zeus disguises himself as Amphitron to beget Heracles with Alcmene, setting the stage for divine drama. 🎭
• Hera's jealousy prompts numerous challenges for Heracles, including the Twelve Labors. 👿
• Each labor highlights Heracles' incredible strength, from wrestling the Nemean lion to capturing Cerberus. 🦁
• Heracles' tragic flaw leads to the accidental murder of his children, showcasing the duality of his character. 😢
• Heracles' ascension to godhood is marked by Zeus's intervention and is a testament to his enduring legacy. 🌟

Key Takeaways

• Heracles' origin story is a mix of divine intrigue and mortal deception led by Zeus. ⚡
• Hera's vengeful nature adds layers of complexity to Heracles' life, constantly challenging him. 👑
• The Twelve Labors form the crux of Heracles' tale, showcasing his unwavering strength and courage. 💪
• Despite his might, Heracles faces betrayal and tragedy, adding depth to his heroic narrative. 💔
• Heracles finally ascends to Olympus, turning his mortal struggles into eternal glory. 🌌

Overview

In a tale of divine plots and mortal tribulations, Heracles' story, as told in 'The Great Greek Myths,' offers a captivating glimpse into ancient Greek lore. The narrative begins with Zeus's elaborate deception to produce a son who would become a hero for the ages. This act sets off a chain of events filled with jealousy, challenges, and godly interventions organized by Hera, Zeus's wife, who remains a constant adversary through the story.

Central to Heracles' myth is the series of daunting tasks known as the Twelve Labors, which not only test his physical and mental limits but also reveal the cunning and cruelty of the gods involved, particularly Eurystheus and Hera. From slaying the Nemean lion to capturing the three-headed Cerberus, each labor is a testament to Heracles' might and determination. However, his narrative is not without tragedy, as his fits of madness lead to familial betrayal and remorse.

Ultimately, Heracles' journey is one of redemption and transformation. Through his heroic feats and trials, Heracles ascends to Olympus, earning a place among the gods. This transformation from flawed hero to divine immortal is a powerful reminder of the timeless appeal of Greek mythology, illustrating humanity's eternal struggle with fate, virtue, and hubris. Heracles' story is not just one of personal glory but also a profound reflection on the human condition, where divine influence and mortal limitations collide.

Chapters

• 00:30 - 03:30: A Divine Deception The chapter titled 'A Divine Deception' begins with an intriguing ambiance as indicated by the music. While the specific events or dialogues are not detailed in the transcript, the title suggests themes of deceit, perhaps involving a divine or sacred aspect. Readers can expect elements of manipulation, where appearances might be deceiving within a potentially spiritual or holy context. This chapter sets the stage for unraveling truths that challenge the perceptions of divinity or righteousness, inviting readers to question what is genuine versus what is illusionary.
• 03:30 - 06:30: Zeus' Oath and Hera's Trickery In this chapter, Zeus devises a cunning plan. He instructs Helios, the god of the sun, to extinguish his fires, orders his son Hermes to slow down the moon's course, and asks the god of sleep to put all of mankind to sleep. With everything set, Zeus disguises himself as a mortal named Amphitron to proceed with his mysterious plan.
• 06:30 - 09:00: Infant's Strength and Tutor's Death In this chapter, there is a scene involving alchemy, Amphitrion's wife, who is visited in her bedroom by someone she mistakes for Amphitrion. Notably, alchemy is described as very beautiful and the granddaughter of the great Perseus. Upon seeing the visitor, she immediately and passionately welcomes him, not realizing her misunderstanding.
• 09:00 - 14:00: A Life of Love and Madness The chapter titled 'A Life of Love and Madness' revolves around a young woman who finds herself in the presence of an imposter, who is actually Zeus, the king of the gods, rather than her real husband. The imposter shares tales of his exploits, including avenging her brother's death. Finally achieving the revenge she so desired, the woman fulfills a promise made on her wedding day—she completely gives herself to what she believes is her husband, though in reality, she spends the night with Zeus himself. The night is notably long, which Zeus possibly lengthens himself due to his divine powers. The chapter explores themes of deception, revenge, and unintended union with the divine.
• 14:00 - 22:00: Heracles' 12 Labors As the new day dawned, Helios resumed his journey across the heavens. Meanwhile, the king of Olympus made his return to the magnificent palace nestled among the clouds, signaling the time of resolution. With the true Amphitryon back in his rightful place, the narrative of Heracles' epic struggles and feats remains critical in the backdrop of divine interventions and human endeavor.
• 22:00 - 26:00: The Final Blow and Ascension In this chapter, the protagonist, filled with the excitement of victory, eagerly seeks the fulfillment of promises made by his wife. Upon entering her room, he finds her in a state of exhaustion and barely responsive. After an intimate moment, she questions the source of his newfound vigor and pleads with him for further explanation.

Heracles - The Man Who Became a God | The Great Greek Myths, Episode 18 Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] [Music]
• 00:30 - 01:00 zeus put together a devilish plan he ordered the god of the sun helios to put out his fires then he commanded his son the god hermes to slow down the course of the moon and ask the god of sleep to send all of mankind to sleep so that no one could see what was about to happen everything was ready zeus disguised himself as a mere mortal a certain amphitron
• 01:00 - 01:30 then visited alchemy amphitrion's wife in her bedroom that night not only was alchemy very beautiful he was also the granddaughter of the great perseus amphitrion he's here the moment she saw him she flung herself at him not for an instant did she suspect that the man she was showering with kisses
• 01:30 - 02:00 was not her husband but the king of the gods she listened to the imposter tell of his exploits and of how he had killed her brother's murderers the revenge he had craved for was finally hers so as she had promised on the day of their marriage the young woman gave herself to her husband all night a night to which zeus attributed the length of
• 02:00 - 02:30 three nights dawn finally came helios had reignited his fires the king of olympus returned to his palace high up in the clouds it was time for the true amphitrian had returned home
• 02:30 - 03:00 flushed with victory he was impatient to taste the rewards of his wife's promise he entered her bedroom he found her drowsy as if she were exhausted she barely reacted when he slipped into the bed beside her once their lovemaking was over alchemy gently pushed him aside she asked him where he had suddenly found this new energy and begged him to
• 03:00 - 03:30 tell her once more of his warrior feats amphitrian was confused what was she talking about his mind was overcome with doubts he wanted to know the truth he hurried to see the famed diviner tiresias tiresias listened a smile suddenly lit up the old blind
• 03:30 - 04:00 man's face and he declared you have been cheated on my friend amphitrion felt his knees begin to buckle yes added tyresius and the guilty party is zeus himself nine months went by alchemy was ready to give birth on olympus zeus was finding it hard to
• 04:00 - 04:30 disguise his impatience he had already found a name for the child a descendant of the great perseus he would be called heracles meaning glory of hera hera was the name of zeus's legitimate wife by choosing to name the newborn after her zeus who knew how irascible and jealous his wife could be hoped to please her and receive her good grace
• 04:30 - 05:00 curiously hera's reaction wasn't the one zeus had expected unmoved she declared to her husband swear to me that the first child to be born the direct descendant of the great perseus will one day be king zeus frowned he feared trickery he knew his wife well and knew how
• 05:00 - 05:30 vengeful she could be hadn't she one day tried to kindle a revolt against him and yet so excited was he by the forthcoming birth of his son whom he knew would possess extraordinary strengths he made the oath to his wife [Music] so hera left mount olympus and hurried to argos there alcamini's cousin was also with
• 05:30 - 06:00 child with one of her secret spells hera provoked a premature birth she had trapped zeus if he kept his word and upheld his oath to take as his rightful heir the first descendant of perseus to be born then it wouldn't be heracles but his cousin
• 06:00 - 06:30 eurystheus who had just been born zeus was distraught and furious his head became filled with the blackest thoughts hero howled with laughter at the dirty trick she had played on her husband but still she wanted further revenge barely had heracles come into the world
• 06:30 - 07:00 when she sent two evil snakes to the infant's bed chamber [Music] she counted on doing away with the child during his sleep that day heracles would discover his incredible strength woken by the hissing of the two snakes he leapt from his cradle grabbed the two reptiles with his bare hands and strangled them to death
• 07:00 - 07:30 it was the first of a long line of extraordinary feats heracles grew up
• 07:30 - 08:00 he was exceptionally tall he was doted with a muscular strength the likes of which had never been seen on earth zeus had given him one of the best tutors but the pupil was far from compliant one day his music teacher decided to punish him for being insolent heracles lost his temper he grabbed his lyre and hit his teacher so hard with it he killed him
• 08:00 - 08:30 this quick-tempered nature concerned alchemy and amphitrion to whom zeus had finally revealed the truth about the child's origins and who agreed to raise him as their own son [Music] fearing that heracles might give in to other bouts of violence amphitrion sent him into the countryside to tend his flocks from the wood of an old olive tree heracles fashioned himself a club it
• 08:30 - 09:00 would become his favorite weapon apollo the protector of shepherds and goat herds was also a warrior god and he presented heracles with a bow and a quiver of arrows on the day that heracles turned 18 he left the countryside at amphitran's flocks and set off to discover the world
• 09:00 - 09:30 soon heracles would also discover love in the shape of the daughter of the king of thebes her name was megara to win her heart he rid the city of all the bandits and brigands and restored the authority of the king heracles and megara married she gave him no fewer than eight children [Music]
• 09:30 - 10:00 heracles felt fulfilled and settled here he was a father the husband of a princess and heir to the throne of thebes not for an instant did he imagine that on high up in the clouds hera had not abandoned her plan the whole time she had waited for the perfect moment to take her revenge on zeus
• 10:00 - 10:30 she saw heracles playing tenderly with his sons it was on these unfortunate innocents that she would unleash her wrath hera inflicted madness on heracles the effect was terrifying in a fit of madness his head filled with dreadful hallucinations the hero then committed the worst of all crimes
• 10:30 - 11:00 infanticide confusing his children with wild beasts he leapt on them and killed them all one after the other when he came to his senses heracles realized the full horror of his deed he fell into deep despair
• 11:00 - 11:30 he had to pay for his crime he had no choice now a pale phantom amongst mortals he went in penitence to delphi to consult the oracle your crime is the worst crime of all you are not worthy to be called the son of zeus nor even to be called a man
• 11:30 - 12:00 there is only one way for you to be purified go to he who by an oath sworn by zeus has become the uncontested ruler of greece your cousin eurystheus who was born but a few hours before you obey him in all things whatever his orders may be only then can you hope to earn your pardon heracles was a broken man the prospect of entering into the service of a man as tyrannical as eurystheus was terrible
• 12:00 - 12:30 but he had no choice [Music] when he came before his cousin eurystheus looked him up and down eyes full of contempt overjoyed at having heracles kneel before him like a slave he told him the price he must pay to obtain purification he was to carry out 12 labors all of them deemed impossible
• 12:30 - 13:00 [Music] and when he spelled out the list inspired by the unyielding hera even the old stones of the palace shook with fear and thus the curtain was raised for the most fabulous feats ever accomplished by mortal man
• 13:00 - 13:30 the first of the twelve labors could be fatal for heracles it consisted in slaying a monstrous beast the fruit of love between infernal creatures a lion with a magic hide similar to a carapace the lion of nemia [Music] when heracles saw that not even the arrows gifted to him by apollo could slay the beast he decided to wrestle it
• 13:30 - 14:00 he grabbed the creature by the neck and broke it then he carefully skinned it and with leather harder than iron made himself a helmet and impenetrable armor attired in this he returned to the court of eurystheus
• 14:00 - 14:30 then dispatched him to slay another monstrous beast the hydra of lerner a gigantic serpent with nine heads heracles attacked with his sword but every time he chopped off a head two others grew back each blow brought to the hydra regenerated it
• 14:30 - 15:00 heracles attacked from all sides thought his days were over [Music] but just then an idea came to him inspired by the goddess athena every time he chopped off a head he cauterized the wound with a flaming torch thus preventing two heads from growing back when there was only one head remaining heracles raised his golden sword and decapitated the monster before burning it
• 15:00 - 15:30 then he dipped each of his arrows in the hydra's black blood impregnating them with a poison lethal to any living being [Music] heracles labors were far from over having tracked down the golden hind a deer with horns of gold on mount serinia captured a wild boar which had been terrorizing the region of erimanthia and cleaning the orgy and stables he was
• 15:30 - 16:00 sent off to perform his sixth labor on the shores of lake stimphalia there a huge flock of birds haunted the swamps their heads beaks and wings were made of bronze and they could shoot their feathers like arrows to kill humans which they would then devour once again athena came to the rescue of the mortal she had made her protege
• 16:00 - 16:30 she gave him a musical instrument until then unknown a crotala which when rattled produced a strange sound which terrified the birds causing them to fly off and allowing our giant hero to pick them off one by one with his poisoned arrows [Music]
• 16:30 - 17:00 [Music] [Music] barely had he returned then eurystheus sent him on a new mission to capture the cattle of garion
• 17:00 - 17:30 garion was a giant with three bodies and considered to be the strongest man on earth he dwelt at the far end of the world where two islands faced each other separated only by a narrow strait [Music] after a fierce combat heracles brought down the giant and made off with his cattle [Music]
• 17:30 - 18:00 in this place now become legendary heracles built on either side of the strait two stone columns [Music] these would later be named by the romans the pillars of hercules but the most astonishing of his labors
• 18:00 - 18:30 was undoubtedly the cleaning of the orgy and stables orgias was a king as rich as he was idle he owned a huge herd of white bulls these sacred animals lived in stables up to their knees in the foulest smelling dung their stables hadn't been cleaned for 30 years to make the task even harder eurystheus ordered heracles to accomplish it in a single day
• 18:30 - 19:00 however would he manage the hero made a vast breach in the stable walls then he re-routed the two rivers which flowed nearby their waters rushed through the breach in the walls washing out the filth and sweeping it away to the sea
• 19:00 - 19:30 [Music] there was also the capture of the cretan bull and stealing the mares of diomedes after which he had gone to the land of the amazons where he obtained the girdle of hippolyta their queen and the long quest which took him to the fabulous garden of the hesperides from where he returned with the golden apples which the earth goddess gaia had given to hera as a wedding gift
• 19:30 - 20:00 [Music] but the most terrifying labor was undoubtedly the last heracles now had to venture into the kingdom of the dead to the depths of the underworld to capture and bring back
• 20:00 - 20:30 cerberus the three-headed hound that guarded the gates of hell having received advice from athena and then hermes heracles penetrated the darkness he crossed the river sticks and arrived before hades ruler of the underworld
• 20:30 - 21:00 heracles demanded that he hand over cerberus hades agreed but on one condition that heracles managed to overcome the animal without using his club or his poisoned arrows no one knows the exact outcome of that day on the banks of the river sticks no soul has ever returned to tell the tale and the two opponents themselves kept
• 21:00 - 21:30 their silence was cerberus tamed by heracles strength or did he simply bow down before the bravery and abnegation with which this mere mortal had paid for his terrible crime the cousin of heracles the perfidious eurystheus who since the beginning had orchestrated the twelve labors was terrified by the sight before his eyes
• 21:30 - 22:00 there still alive stood to the valiant heracles and at his feet the three-headed dog cerberus the nightmare of mortals his neck leashed and with searing eyes thus heracles had triumphed by accomplishing his 12 labors he was at last purified
• 22:00 - 22:30 but then came the day that hera would finally apply the fatal blow to her enemy [Music] heracles had just weared the beautiful de anira as the couple were crossing a river a sudden flood blocked their way heracles was a good swimmer but even he could not defy the swirling waters and carry his bride on his shoulders just then a creature plunged into the
• 22:30 - 23:00 river the centaur nesus he offered to ferry the young woman to the riverbank on his back while heracles should make it on his own to the other bank heracles agreed the centaur was first to reach safety when heracles set foot on the opposite bank he heard the screams of de anira nesus was attempting to rape the young woman
• 23:00 - 23:30 heracles grabbed his bow and fired one of his poisoned arrows it flew towards the creature and hit it full on realizing he was dying nessus took off his tunic gave it to de anira and with his dying breath said i have been punished
• 23:30 - 24:00 now let my death profit you accept my tunic soak it in my blood and give it to your husband it will forever keep his love for you alight de anira did exactly what the centaur had told her then she presented heracles with the tunic [Music] at first heracles merely felt a slight
• 24:00 - 24:30 tingling then unbearable itching and finally a burning fire devouring him from the inside struck down by the pain he tried to rip off the tunic but it was his skin stuck fast to the cloth which was ripped to shreds he realized that de anira had been tricked
• 24:30 - 25:00 up on mount olympus zeus was unable to intervene such are the laws of fate hera told him as a powerless witness all the almighty king of the gods could do was look on waiting for death to finish its work [Music] when heracles finally let out his death rattle zeus sent down a thunderbolt
• 25:00 - 25:30 a cloud appeared and amid thunder and lightning lifted the hero into the sky to the gates of olympus he had finally entered his father's realm immortality awaited him heracles had joined the gods
• 25:30 - 26:00 [Music]
• 26:00 - 26:30 you