As the family returned to
calm states of conversation, Grandpa overheard his grandson John
talking about his new job. John was talking to his uncle and said,
“Well, I’ve got this new job, but I’ve got so much student-loan debt
that I am a little worried about how it will affect my career.”
Grandpa, once again, looked up and spoke, “Now Johnny, I was once a young man too. Sometimes things get pretty hard out there. Debt sometimes seems like it can swallow a young man’s dreams whole, but, it’s not the end of the world. Let me tell you a little story about a man who had a great debt, but an even greater legacy.”
With this, the family stopped talking and sat attentively. A once reluctant audience now could not get enough.
Grandpa began, “Now, Heracles, or Hercules, was the son of Zeus, and the mortal Alcmene. You see, Zeus’ wife Hera really hated when Zeus would sleep around, and liked to punish his illegitimate children, especially the ones had by mortals, and above all she hated Heracles.
“Now, some legends have it that young Heracles was visited by the nymphs of Pleasure and Virtue and was offered a choice. He could choose a life of ease and obscurity, or a life of suffering but glory and greatness. There’s a reason why many of the old heroes were offered this choice; that’s because it is a symbol of the choice that each of us must make, including you, Johnny. Do we take the easy route and forget our dreams, or do we choose the hard road, full of suffering and struggle, but with success at the end? Now listen closely, John, because success is not a guarantee. Great individuals choose that life, but many fail when they let their struggles conquer them,” Grandpa said as he looked his grandson in the eye.
“As you probably guessed, Heracles chose the life of glory through suffering. But before his suffering, he lived many years of ease and comfort, marrying Megara, the daughter of King Creon, and siring a few kids. But you see, this was not meant to last, for Hera had something in store for ol’ Heracles. One day as Heracles was returning home to his family, he felt a little funny. When he entered his home, he saw monsters and wild beasts and slew them all in a fit of rage… or so he thought. It turns out that Hera had put a spell of madness upon Heracles, and the monsters he was made to see were really his family. After being healed by the gods, Heracles sat and wept in sorrow for all he had done.
Never was there a greater sorrow put upon a man,
Than that of Heracles, who slew his wife and sons.”
With this, the family was shocked to silence. Grandpa could see their hearts drop... he had them right where he wanted.
“But what have I been telling you? Great individuals never lay down until they lay down in death. After a period of mourning, Heracles went to the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi –the holiest place for the Greeks– to seek advice and penance. At the oracle, the prophetess’ voice boomed out, “Wretched Heracles, only through service to your King and rival will the blood of your family be cleansed!” Reluctantly accepting the oracle, Heracles went to King Eurystheus, the archrival of his family. Heracles was made to complete ten great labors, which would take twelve years in all. Talk about debt!”
The family let out a small chuckle, but Grandpa kept right along.
“The first of these labors was the slaying of the ferocious Nemean lion. After traveling many miles, Heracles found the lion, and began fashioning arrows to slay it. When he came upon the lion, however, he soon discovered that the lion’s skin so strong that it was impervious to his arrows. So what did he do then?”
Grandpa paused and looked around, but no one risked an answer.
“Well, he thought on his feet! The measure of a great person is how they react when all seems lost. So Heracles cornered the lion in its cave. Can you just imagine it… the fear and adrenaline that must have been surging through his body? Then the lion began to come closer and closer, and Heracles' heart began to beat faster and faster, and WHOOSH the lion sprang towards Heracles, but just when things seemed darkest, Heracles grabbed a nearby club and, with all his might, he thumped the lion on the head right as it was coming down upon him. It had leapt with all its energy, but it landed cold and dead.”
The family was visibly excited after hearing this, and sat in anticipation.
Grandpa then went on, “This lion’s hide was so tough that Heracles could only skin it by using the lion’s own claws. Now, when Heracles returned to King Eurystheus with this hide, the king was amazed and granted it to Heracles as a gift, but also with the warning, “You have slain the lion, mighty Heracles, but this was the least of your labors. Many more will you see before you cleanse your impurity!”
“So Heracles went on completing his labors, until he reached his final one. For that, he had to go down into the Underworld and bring back Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound we met in the Orpheus tale. Now, one of the conditions was that Heracles could not use any weapons. So, from the start, Heracles grabbed Cerberus’ chain and pulled the hound close and began to punch it repeatedly, going back and forth between the three heads. Then the hound knocked him away, and leapt to ensnare him, but right as Cerberus lunged at Heracles with all its might, Heracles dove forward, and Cerberus hit head-first into the very column to which it was chained. After this victory, Heracles returned to King Eurystheus with the beast, and the King was so frightened that he agreed to absolve Heracles if he would only take that beast away. So it was that Heracles completed his twelve labors and not only cleansed his soul, but also won fame beyond Greece that would last forever.”
“Now Heracles was certainly the hero of heroes, but he only got that way through sheer will and determination. So, Johnny, this debt of yours may be great, but I know that, just like Heracles was, you are greater than it.”
The family was in a state of contented awe, but John felt better already.
On to Odysseus...
Back to Aeneas...
Back to Cover Page...
Back to Intro...
Author’s Note: There are many different stories of Heracles, so I had to really condense and combine to get a semi-coherent story but still keep it interesting and on point. I mainly used Wikipedia and a little bit from Bulfinch’s Mythology. In reality, all of Heracles labors are worth telling, but it would take a very long time to re-tell them properly.
Also, I left out some of the stories of Heracles’ birth. For example, Hera tricked the Goddess of Childbirth into having Heracles’ birth delayed so that his twin brother would be the first-born and thus his cousin and rival Eurystheus would claim the kingship. Another story of his childhood is one in which Hera sends serpents to kill baby Heracles. When the baby is discovered, however, he has strangled the snakes and is flinging them about like playthings. These are good stories, but they do not have much to do with my theme of success through suffering.
Furthermore, Heracles goes on many adventures in addition to his labors, including sailing with Jason and the Argonauts.
The story of Heracles death is also cool. It is said that upon his death, his immortal side built the funeral pyre for his mortal body to be burnt upon. Then, as the pyre was lit, Heracles’ immortal side went up into Olympus, and his mortal body went down into Hades. This simultaneous mortal/immortal state seemed to be a source of much confusion in the Greek world though.
Overall, I tried to make a story that focused on Heracles overcoming struggle, so there was quite a bit of interesting stuff that was left out but which is worth reading.
Bibliography:
Grandpa, once again, looked up and spoke, “Now Johnny, I was once a young man too. Sometimes things get pretty hard out there. Debt sometimes seems like it can swallow a young man’s dreams whole, but, it’s not the end of the world. Let me tell you a little story about a man who had a great debt, but an even greater legacy.”
With this, the family stopped talking and sat attentively. A once reluctant audience now could not get enough.
Grandpa began, “Now, Heracles, or Hercules, was the son of Zeus, and the mortal Alcmene. You see, Zeus’ wife Hera really hated when Zeus would sleep around, and liked to punish his illegitimate children, especially the ones had by mortals, and above all she hated Heracles.
“Now, some legends have it that young Heracles was visited by the nymphs of Pleasure and Virtue and was offered a choice. He could choose a life of ease and obscurity, or a life of suffering but glory and greatness. There’s a reason why many of the old heroes were offered this choice; that’s because it is a symbol of the choice that each of us must make, including you, Johnny. Do we take the easy route and forget our dreams, or do we choose the hard road, full of suffering and struggle, but with success at the end? Now listen closely, John, because success is not a guarantee. Great individuals choose that life, but many fail when they let their struggles conquer them,” Grandpa said as he looked his grandson in the eye.
“As you probably guessed, Heracles chose the life of glory through suffering. But before his suffering, he lived many years of ease and comfort, marrying Megara, the daughter of King Creon, and siring a few kids. But you see, this was not meant to last, for Hera had something in store for ol’ Heracles. One day as Heracles was returning home to his family, he felt a little funny. When he entered his home, he saw monsters and wild beasts and slew them all in a fit of rage… or so he thought. It turns out that Hera had put a spell of madness upon Heracles, and the monsters he was made to see were really his family. After being healed by the gods, Heracles sat and wept in sorrow for all he had done.
Never was there a greater sorrow put upon a man,
Than that of Heracles, who slew his wife and sons.”
With this, the family was shocked to silence. Grandpa could see their hearts drop... he had them right where he wanted.
“But what have I been telling you? Great individuals never lay down until they lay down in death. After a period of mourning, Heracles went to the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi –the holiest place for the Greeks– to seek advice and penance. At the oracle, the prophetess’ voice boomed out, “Wretched Heracles, only through service to your King and rival will the blood of your family be cleansed!” Reluctantly accepting the oracle, Heracles went to King Eurystheus, the archrival of his family. Heracles was made to complete ten great labors, which would take twelve years in all. Talk about debt!”
The family let out a small chuckle, but Grandpa kept right along.
“The first of these labors was the slaying of the ferocious Nemean lion. After traveling many miles, Heracles found the lion, and began fashioning arrows to slay it. When he came upon the lion, however, he soon discovered that the lion’s skin so strong that it was impervious to his arrows. So what did he do then?”
Grandpa paused and looked around, but no one risked an answer.
“Well, he thought on his feet! The measure of a great person is how they react when all seems lost. So Heracles cornered the lion in its cave. Can you just imagine it… the fear and adrenaline that must have been surging through his body? Then the lion began to come closer and closer, and Heracles' heart began to beat faster and faster, and WHOOSH the lion sprang towards Heracles, but just when things seemed darkest, Heracles grabbed a nearby club and, with all his might, he thumped the lion on the head right as it was coming down upon him. It had leapt with all its energy, but it landed cold and dead.”
The family was visibly excited after hearing this, and sat in anticipation.
Grandpa then went on, “This lion’s hide was so tough that Heracles could only skin it by using the lion’s own claws. Now, when Heracles returned to King Eurystheus with this hide, the king was amazed and granted it to Heracles as a gift, but also with the warning, “You have slain the lion, mighty Heracles, but this was the least of your labors. Many more will you see before you cleanse your impurity!”
“So Heracles went on completing his labors, until he reached his final one. For that, he had to go down into the Underworld and bring back Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound we met in the Orpheus tale. Now, one of the conditions was that Heracles could not use any weapons. So, from the start, Heracles grabbed Cerberus’ chain and pulled the hound close and began to punch it repeatedly, going back and forth between the three heads. Then the hound knocked him away, and leapt to ensnare him, but right as Cerberus lunged at Heracles with all its might, Heracles dove forward, and Cerberus hit head-first into the very column to which it was chained. After this victory, Heracles returned to King Eurystheus with the beast, and the King was so frightened that he agreed to absolve Heracles if he would only take that beast away. So it was that Heracles completed his twelve labors and not only cleansed his soul, but also won fame beyond Greece that would last forever.”
“Now Heracles was certainly the hero of heroes, but he only got that way through sheer will and determination. So, Johnny, this debt of yours may be great, but I know that, just like Heracles was, you are greater than it.”
The family was in a state of contented awe, but John felt better already.
On to Odysseus...
Back to Aeneas...
Back to Cover Page...
Back to Intro...
Author’s Note: There are many different stories of Heracles, so I had to really condense and combine to get a semi-coherent story but still keep it interesting and on point. I mainly used Wikipedia and a little bit from Bulfinch’s Mythology. In reality, all of Heracles labors are worth telling, but it would take a very long time to re-tell them properly.
Also, I left out some of the stories of Heracles’ birth. For example, Hera tricked the Goddess of Childbirth into having Heracles’ birth delayed so that his twin brother would be the first-born and thus his cousin and rival Eurystheus would claim the kingship. Another story of his childhood is one in which Hera sends serpents to kill baby Heracles. When the baby is discovered, however, he has strangled the snakes and is flinging them about like playthings. These are good stories, but they do not have much to do with my theme of success through suffering.
Furthermore, Heracles goes on many adventures in addition to his labors, including sailing with Jason and the Argonauts.
The story of Heracles death is also cool. It is said that upon his death, his immortal side built the funeral pyre for his mortal body to be burnt upon. Then, as the pyre was lit, Heracles’ immortal side went up into Olympus, and his mortal body went down into Hades. This simultaneous mortal/immortal state seemed to be a source of much confusion in the Greek world though.
Overall, I tried to make a story that focused on Heracles overcoming struggle, so there was quite a bit of interesting stuff that was left out but which is worth reading.
Bibliography:
"Heracles." Wikipedia. Accessed: 30 Oct. 2008
"Hercules" Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes. 1855. Sacred Texts
Image Information:
Hercules and Cerberus. Picasa Web Albums: David. April 17, 2008