The poster boy of Greek mythology and by far the most famous of all characters in it, Hercules was believed to be a Demi-god with great strength and endurance that transcended most Gods. Some claim that Hercules was a mortal who ascended into Godhood but which one is true?
The Greek Hero, Hercules, was indeed born a Demi-god as he was the son of Zeus, the King of the Gods, and the mortal, Alcmene. He grew up in the mortal world and was later brought into the Greek pantheon when his father decided that he was worthy of divinity.
None other than his own father, Zeus, was stronger than the Demi-god Hercules and his twelve labors have been immortalized in Greek mythology as a story of hardship. Though the Demi-god was born to the most powerful being in the world, he wasn’t always revered as a God.
Who Was Hercules?
The strongest among Zeus’ children and without a doubt the most well-known being in Greek mythology, Hercules was the Demi-god that endured twelve labors in his journey to Godhood and was a symbol of the human condition.
Born with the name Alcaeus and being the son of the King of the Gods, his life was far from prosperous as he had to endure hardships literally from birth. That was because he was chased down and tormented by Hera, Queen of the Gods, for his entire life for being a bastard.
Hera was very angry when she found out about Hercules’ birth and sent two witches to prevent his birth. Luckily for him, the witches were led to another but Hera sent two more snakes to kill the infant after he was born.
Hercules was born with incredible strength and endurance, enough to crush the snakes with his bare hands. Unfortunately for him, his hardships had only just begun and they would get worse and worse from then on.
His entire life would be dealing with nothing but hardships as one problem came to him after another. He even killed his own family by accident as Hera sent him in a blind fury to punish the Demi-god for his birth.
Hercules then went through twelve labors given by Eurystheus, the King of Tiryns and Mycenae, to repent for his sins and overcome his grief. He would then go by the name “Hercules” which meant “the Glory of Hera” to prove that he could go through the difficulties she gave him.
Hercules performed amazing feats and was a God among men. With his powers, he willingly went through hardships to tell the people that if someone as powerful as he was had difficulties, none should complain about the difficulties in their lives.
Did Hercules Eventually Become An Immortal?
Though Hercules was born to the most powerful God, Zeus, during his time, Hercules was only a Demi-god due to his mortal mother, Alcmene. The Demi-god was still mortal but he eventually ascended into Godhood for his deeds and sacrifices.
His entire life was nothing but hardships but he helped many along the way. He defeated monsters that threatened the world and even did normal deeds to help the common folk despite being as powerful as he was.
For his bravery and willingness to face difficulties, the King of the Gods eventually decided that he was worthy of joining him on Mount Olympus. With that, Hercules was immortalized as a God and even received a constellation of his name for his efforts.
How Did Hercules Become Immortal?
The Demi-god’s hands were stained with innocent blood due to a curse bestowed onto him by the Queen of the Gods, so he had to go through a Gauntlet of labors to cleanse himself of his sins.
Eventually, he finished the twelve labors given to him but he was cursed again with his marriage to the princess, Deianeira, who caused his eventual death.
This all began when the couple had to cross the river, Evenus, on their way back to the kingdom and ended with the apotheosis of Hercules into divinity.
Nessus’ Deception
The river could only be crossed by its ferryman, the Centaur Nessus, who carried his clients across the river on his back and shoulders. The centaur was fascinated by Deianera’s beauty and attempted to rape her during her crossing.
Hercules saw this and shot the centaur with an arrow coated in the poisonous blood of the Lernean Hydra. The centaur succumbed to the poison but not before tricking the princess one time before he went.
He gave the princess a dart and told her that if Hercules ever left her, she would need the help of the dart to bring him back. Unbeknownst to her, the dart was filled with his blood which was defiled with the Hydra’s poison.
The Move to Trachis
The couple then made a move to Tiryns where Hercules once served Eurytheus, the King of Tiryns, for 12 years during his labors. An argument broke out where Hercules ended up killing his son, Iphithos.
Due to this mistake, Hercules was once again forced to be on the move as punishment for his murder. The hero was to serve the Lydian Queen, Ompale, for another 15 months with another new set of labors given to him.
This caused Hercules to leave Deianeira as he could not bring her along for his atonement but promised to return to her after 15 months. Eventually, 15 months passed but Hercules never returned as he had fallen in love with Iole, the sister of Iphithos.
Fearing her loss of her beloved, Deianeira remembered Nessus’ words and decided to use the dart to get her lover back. She sent Hercules a clock that was soaked with the poison within the dart without knowing that it would kill the hero.
When the hero received and donned the cloak, it began to burn him with such intensity that his skin started to slowly melt off. It was so excruciating that Hercules saw no other way out other than death.
Hercules’ Ascension
He decided enough was enough and he asked to be burned with a funeral pyre by his friends. When the dreaded day came, everything was prepared but no one was willing to light the pyre for Hercules.
Hercules then begged for the Gods to end his life and his prayers were heard by the King of the Gods, Zeus. Zeus complied by smiting him into nothing, ending his life and leaving nothing behind.
When Hercule’s friend saw that his bones and ashes were missing, they knew that Hercules had left the world as a mortal but became something else. Zeus had actually destroyed his mortal body and brought him into Mount Olympus, welcoming him as a God.
From that moment onward, the deification of Hercules was done and he was known as the mortal who ascended into Godhood. The once Demi-god even fixed his relationship with Hera and married her daughter, Hebe, as his divine wife.
Conclusion
Hercules was a Demi-god due to his parentage of being the son of the King of the Gods, Zeus, and the mortal, Alcmene. He was born a Demi-god but eventually ascended to Godhood as he proved his worth to the Gods and earned his divinity.
Before his rise to Godhood was a painful one as well as he was killed due to the mistake of his then-wife, Deianira. Her naive thinking caused her to believe Nessus was a mistake that cost Hercules his life even though he’d overcome every obstacle that came to him.
Hercules had to suffer many hardships in his life to prove to the people that the circumstances of their birth didn’t matter. If someone as powerful as Hercules had to suffer hardships in life, so did everyone else who was nothing but mortal beings.
