A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

394 HERACLES. HERACLES.
up at Thebes, but the detail of his ~infant -life is manner in which Heracles had delivered his country
again related with various modifications in the procured him immortal fame among the Thebans,
different traditions. It is said that Alcmene, from and Creon rewarded him with the hand of his
fear of Hera, exposed her son in a field near eldest daughter, Megara, by whom he became the
Thebes, hence called the field of Heracles; here father of several children, the number and names
he was found by Hera and Athena, and the former of whom are stated differently by the different
was prevailed upon by the latter to put him to her writers. (Apollod. ii. 4. ~ 11. 7. ~ 8; Hygin. Fab.
breast, and she then carried him back to his mother. 3'2; Eurip. Here. Fur. 995; Tzetz. ad Lymcoph.
(Diod. iv. 9; Paus. ix. 25. ~ 2.) Others said that 38; Schol. ad Pind. Ist/hm. iii. 104.) The gods, on
Hermes carried the newly-born child to Olympus, the other hand, made him presents of arms: Herand put him to the breast of Hera while she was mes gave him a sword, Apollo a bow and arrows,
asleep, but as she awoke, she pushed him away, Hephaestus a golden coat of mail, and Athena a
and the milk thus spilled produced the Milky peplus, and he cut for himself a club in the neighWay. (Eratosth. Catast. 44; Hygin, Poet. Asir. bourhood of Nemea, while, according to others, the
ii. in fin.) As the hero grew up, he was instructed club was of brass, and the gift of Hephaestus,
by Amphitryon in riding in a chariot, by Autolycus (Apollon. Rhod. i. 1196; Diod. iv. 14.) After the
in wrestling, by Eurytus in archery, by Castor in battle with the Minyans, Hera visited Heracles
fighting with heavy armour, and by Linus in sing- with madness, in which he killed his own children
ing and playing the lyre. (See the different state- by Megara and two of Iphicles. In his grief he
ments in Theocrit. xxiv. 114, 103, 108; Schol. sentenced himself to exile, and went to Thestius%
ad T]ieocrit. xiii. 9, b6; Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 49.) who purified him, (Apollod. ii, 4. ~ 12.) Other
Linus was killed by his pupil with the lyre, because traditions place this madness at a later time, and
he had censured him. (Apollod. ii. 4. ~ 9; Diod. relate the circumstances differently. (Eurip. Here.
iii. 66; Aelian, V. H. iii. 32.) Being charged Fur. 1000, &c..; Paus. ix. 11. ~ 1; Hygin. Fab,
with murder, Heracles exculpated himself by say- 32; Schol. ad Pind. Ist/nm. iii. 104.) He then
ing that the deed was done in self-defence;- and consulted the oracle of Delphi as to where he
Amphitryon, in order to prevent similar occur- should settle. The Pythia first called him by the
rences, sent him to attend to his cattle. In this name of Heracles -for hitherto his name had
manner he spent his life till his eighteenth year. been Alcides or Alcaeus, —and ordered him to live
His height was four cubits, fire beamed from his at Tiryns, to serve Eurystheus for the space of
eyes, and he never wearied in practising shooting twelve years, after which he should become imand hurling his javelin. To this period of his life mortal. Heracles accordingly went to Tiryns, and
belongs the beautiful fable about Heracles before did as he was bid by Eurystheus.
two roads, invented by the sophist Prodicus, which The accounts of the twelve labours of Heracles
may be read inXenoph. Memr. ii. l, and Cic de 02f. i. are found only in the later writers, for Homer and
32. Pindar ([sth. iv. 53) calls him small of stature, Hesiod do not mention them. Homer only knows
but of indomitable courage. His first great adven- that Heracles during his life on earth was exposed
ture, which happened while he was still watching to infinite dangers and sufferings through the hatred
the oxen of his father, is his fight against and of Hera, that he was subject to Eurystheus, who
victoryover the lion of Cythaeron. This animal made imposed upon him many and difficult tasks, but
great havoc among the flocks of Amphitryon and Homer mentions only one, viz. that he was orThespius (or Thestius), king of Thespiae, and He- dered to bring Cerberus from the lower world.
racles promised to deliver the country of the (I1. viii. 363, &c. xv. 639, &c., Od. xi. 617, &c.)
monster. Thespius, who had fifty daughters, re- The Iliad further alludes to his fight with a seawarded Heracles by making him his guest so long monster, and his expedition to Troy, to fetch the
as the chase lasted, and gave up his daughters to horses which Laomedon had refused him. (v. 638,
him, each for one night. (Apollod. ii. 4. ~ 10; &c., xx. 145, &c.) On his return from Troy, he
comp. Hygin. Fab. 162; Diod. iv. 29; Athen. xiii. was cast, through the influence of Hera, on the
p. 556.) Heracles slew the lion, and henceforth coast of Cos, but Zeus punished Hera, and carried
wore its skin as his ordinary garment, and its Heracles safely to Argos. (xiv. 249, &c., xv. 18,
mouth and head as his helmet; others related that &c.) Afterwards Heracles made war against
the. lion's skin of Heracles was taken from the the Pylians, and destroyed the whole family of
Nemean lion. On his return to Thebes, he met their king Neleus, with the exception of Nestor.
the envoys of king Erginus of Orchomenos, who He destroyed many towns, and carried off Astywere going to fetch the annual tribute of one hun- oche from Ephyra, by whom he became the father
dred oxen, which they had compelled the Thebans of Tlepolemus. (v. 395, &c., ii. 657, &c.; comp.
to pay. Heracles, in his patriotic indignation, cut Od xxi. 14, &c.; Soph. Trach. 239, &c.) Hesiod
off the noses and ears of the envoys, and thus sent mentions several of the feats of Heracles distinctly,
them back to Erginus. The latter thereupon but knows nothing of their number twelve. The
marched against Thebes; but Heracles, who re- selection of these twelve from the great number of
ceived a suit of armour from Athena, defeated and feats ascribed to Heracles is probably the work of
killed the enemy, and compelled the Orchome- the Alexandrines. They are enumerated in Eurinians to pay double the tribute which they had pides (Here. FIr.), Apollodorus, Diodorus Sicuformerly received from the Thebans. In this lus, and the Greek Anthology (ii. 651), though
battle against Erginus Heracles lost his father none of them can be considered to have arranged
Amphitryon, though the tragedians make him snr- them in any thing like a chronological order.
vive the campaign. (Apollod. ii. 4. ~ 11; Diod. 1. Tlhe fiht wit/h the Nemeean lion. The mnouniv. 10, &c.; Paus. ix. 37. ~ 2; Theocrit. xvi. 105; tain valley of'Nemea, between Cleonae and Phlius,
Eurip. Here. Fur. 41.) According to some ac- was inhabited by a lion, the offspring of Typhon
counts, Erginus did not fall in the b:ttle, but con- (or Orthrus) and Echidna. (Hes. Thleog. 327
cluded peace with Ieracles. But the glorious Apollod. ii. 5. ~ 1; comp. Aelian, H. A. xii. 7,