I'm sure that you've all heard of
Heracles, right? Well, this storybook tells a few of the most
famous
stories about Heracles- stories so
great, in fact, that they have come to be represented in the stars as
constellations. Heracles is a well-known character in both
Greek and Roman mythology. You might
actually know Heracles better by his Roman name, which is
Hercules.
I am sticking with the Greek names here, so
for the sake of this storybook, he will remain Heracles.
So, about this
famous character. Heracles
was half-god and half-human, the son of the god
Zeus and a mortal woman named Alcmene.
Hera, Zeus’ wife, was extremely jealous that Zeus was having a
baby with
another woman. Hera’s anger about the
situation caused her to do everything she could to destroy the child of
Zeus and
Alcmene. Her actions, however, are
possibly what propelled Heracles to become one of the most legendary
heroes in
history.
The first
story I will be telling in my storybook is the story of Hera's hatred
for Heracles. To understand the other stories I will tell,
it is necessary to know what Hera tried to do to Heracles as a baby,
and what
revenge she got on him when he was an adult.
The second
story I will tell is the story of the Nemean Lion. Because of
Hera's hatred, Heracles ended up having to do some impossible tasks,
one of which included killing the Nemean Lion and getting the hide from
its body. Most people know what the Nemean Lion is
without
realizing it, because the creature is forever remembered as the
constellation
Leo.
The third
story I will tell is the story of the Lernean Hydra.
The slaying of this creature was the second labor of Heracles.
Two of the characters in this story are now constellations: the
Hydra
itself, and Cancer the crab.
The last
story I will tell is the story of Ladon, the guardian of the golden
apples. In one of his last labors,
Heracles needed to get past the dragon Ladon in order to retrieve the
apples. Ladon was laid to rest in the
sky as the constellation of Draco the dragon.
These
stories surrounding Heracles are going to be told mostly in an
interview
format, with the interviewer being the editor for the Mount Olympus
Times. Zeus wants to make sure everyone
remembers
the great things his son was able to accomplish, so he commissions the
editor
to do a story about the great Heracles.
The articles the editor publishes in the Mount Olympus Times
will
include interviews with Zeus, King Eurystheus, Hera, and possibly with
the
great hero himself, Heracles!
So, let's begin the tale...
September 25th
Letter from the Editor
Dear lovely readers,
As most of you know, I've been editing the MOT, the Mount Olympus
Times, for
about ten years now, and it has been the highlight of my career.
I
have spent my life dedicated to the word, reading it and writing
it.
Ever since I graduated from Olympus University, I have been writing for
various newspapers and magazines, dreaming of the day I could get a job
for the MOT. It honestly was the second best day of my life
when I was hired as a staff writer. The very best day of my life
was
the day I was promoted to editor-in-chief of the Mount Olympus Times,
the best magazine to hit the mountain in a millennium! I tell you
all
this, gods and goddesses, so you can understand what it means to me
when I say I have now redefined the best day of my life. The
official
best day of my life was a month ago, when the most Almighty himself,
Zeus, came and spoke with me. He approached me and asked that I
write
an article about his son, Heracles. As we all know, Zeus couldn't
be
any more of a proud papa to his famous son. I agreed to write a
piece
on Heracles, thinking it could be an interesting project. And
besides,
who can really say no to Zeus anyways?
When I really
began to
consider
the many different stories I could tell about Heracles' life, I
realized this project was worthy of more than one article. This
is why
the story of Heracles is now coming to all of you in a four-month
installment. Of course, most anyone who hasn't been living under
a
rock already knows many details about the hero in question,
Heracles.
After a little consideration, I decided the best way to bring up more
juicy details and emotions regarding Heracles was to interview those
who have played integral roles in his life. I took my first
meeting
with the wonderful and vengeful goddess Hera, which is what you'll be
reading in this month's issue. I hope all of my readers out there
enjoy hearing the story about Heracles as much as I've enjoyed writing
it.
Until next month,
Your Editor-in-Chief