November 9 - 15

I'm having writer's block, and I had writer's block writing this essay, so read my essay on Hercules. Enjoy!

Hercules: Just Another Hero

Have you ever heard of the hero Perseus? If you have, you probably don't know much. However, Perseus was a lot like Hercules. Why didn’t he have a Disney classic made about him? Hera tried to get rid of Hercules at birth, and Perseus was thrown out to sea in a chest as an infant by his grandfather. Hercules killed many monsters, as did Perseus and many other Greek heroes. These things may have not happened if it hadn’t been for assistance from others, as both Hercules and Perseus received. Perseus is just one example that there are many heroes just like Hercules (Skidmore).

True, Hercules had a hard life, and never got a break. His stepmother Hera sent serpents to kill him while he was still an infant. Jason, Perseus, and Hephaestus know exactly how he feels. Jason’s mother sent him to live with Chiron to avoid death from his uncle, who had taken over the throne from Jason's father. Perseus was locked in a chest with his mother and thrown out to sea by his grandfather, trying to prevent a prophecy from coming true. Hephaestus was thrown off Mount Olympus by his very own parents for being crippled. Every one of these examples faced troubles from the start, some of their stories starting more tragic than even Hercules. However, their troubles did not stop there (Skidmore).

Hercules faced ferocious monsters again and again, but there are others who did the same. There are many famous and not so famous Greek heroes who killed many monsters that were also classified as "impossible to kill". Theseus faced quite a few monsters and immortals reeking havoc himself: the minotaur, Periphetes, Sinis, Sciron,, and Procrustes. Theseus also got creative, as Hercules often had to do in his twelve tasks. Hercules could not have cleaned out the Augean stables or killed the hydra without using his brain and brawn together. Theseus just wanted to get back at the evildoers and killed them as they had unrightfully killed so many others. Perseus too killed a horrible monster, known as Medusa, the snake headed woman. He had to use his brain to not be turned to stone by her gaze. Joining the ranks of heroes was Bellerophon, who killed the Chimaera. True, these heroes did a lot of difficult things, but they also had a lot of help (Skidmore).

Many heroes have been helped in their quests. Hercules was helped by his nephew Iolaus in killing the Hydra. When Hercules cut off a head, Iolaus would burn the wound to prevent more heads from growing back. On the other hand, many heroes were aided by gods and mortals. Theseus gained the support of Poseidon, Ariadne, Peirithous, and Hercules. When King Minos challenged Theseus to dive into the ocean, Theseus was protected by Poseidon. Ariadne gave him the ball of thread, later proving invaluable in finding his way back out of the Labyrinth. Peirithous helped in a not so heroic feat: kidnapping Helen of Troy. When Theseus was stuck to a bench in the Underworld, it was none other than Hercules who pulled him off. Jason was helped by Hera, Aphrodite, and Medea. Hera was in support of Jason, and persuaded Aphrodite to cause Medea, the king's daughter, to fall in love with Jason. It was later Medea who told Jason how to defeat the Fire-Breathing-Bulls and the Seed Men. Perseus was also lent a hand by a few people: Dictys, Athena, and Hermes. Dictys took Perseus in when he found him floating in the sea and treated him as his son. Athena told Perseus where to start his quest and where to go from there. Hermes gave him a sword of adamant and some say a pair of winged sandals. These are just a few examples that heroes did not always do it alone (Skidmore).

Hercules was just another hero who went through the same things as many other champions. His troubles began quickly, they did not stop while he faced ferocious creatures, and he received help just like everyone else. Hercules is very similar to many Greek characters, even if they haven't been turned into a beloved animated tale (Skidmore).