Hercules Essay Example. Is Hercules a Superhero?

Have you heard of the all-time Greek hero Hercules? The myth Hercules demonstrates many cultural values of the Greeks. Hercules is an important myth and has helped develop as well as influence other cultures and people. 

Zeus the god of all gods told his wife Hera he had a baby with a human woman named Hercules. This made Hera furious and jealous. She immediately wanted to kill the baby. When Hercules was born he was unusually strong and fearless. Even though Hercules had god-like characteristics she still wanted to kill him. She even went as far as putting snakes in his crib. But this backfired on her. Since Hercules was born unusually strong he was able to strangle them, before they could get to him. This made Hera even more furious. Now she put a curse on him causing him to murder his wife and kids. Even though Hercule could not control it he still felt guilty and went to Apollo, the God of truth and healing heartbroken, to be punished for his actions. Apollo gave him twelve labors to complete to revive him of his murderous actions. Since Hercules was half-god and half-human but also demonstrated great character through his lifetime he went to live with the gods on Mt. Olympus. 

Hercules demonstrated many characteristics that were admired and valued by Greeks. One of the traits he demonstrated was moral perseverance. According to the Encyclopedia of World Mythology, Hercules was popular because he kept going no matter the challenge and never gave up (Colin Blakemore and Shelia Jennett). This shows how Hercules demonstrated Greek values even in the mist like during the twelve labors. Hercules’ in this myth is teaching others no matter how hard the going gets we must keep going to achieve one’s goals. He also showed if you push yourself you can accomplish great things. Therefore, one reason why the myth Hercules is significant is that it shows the Greeks believed in moral perseverance and that all heroes and people should persevere in their goals and challenges.

Another one of the characteristics that Hercules demonstrates is his strength. Hercules’ strength is one of his most popular and important skills. Hercules’s strength has been used to create many different superheroes. According to Greek Gods and Goddess,  Hercules is represented as an enormously strong man. In Italy, they prayed to him for gifts of good luck and rescue from (Britannica Educational Publishing). This demonstrates how he is shown as a strong man who uses it for good instead of evil. He used his strength to help and rescue those around him. Since Hercules used his strength for good, the people in Italy felt they could pray to rescue them from danger. 

Hercules’s characteristics are also used to create superheroes. According to the Encyclopedia of World Mythology, Superheroes like superman share characteristics of unbelievable strength and unbelievable strength and strict code of honor. Batman defeats evil using trickery. Just like Hercules because the only way an enemy could defeat him was through trickery. Finally, Hulk is also similar to Hercules because he is driven by destructive anger and rage that can cause him to sometimes hurt those he loves. (Colin Blakemore and Shelia Jennett). Because Hercules’s strength is so greatly admired and valued by many, the creators decided to make characters such as superheroes after him. Therefore, one reason why the myth of Hercules is significant shows how his strength has impacted many different cultures but also impacted how some entertainment industries develop their characters.

As you can see, Hercules has impacted many cultures and sparked many creative ideas through the myth. Hercules myth has demonstrated many Greek values but has also influenced how different cultures are impacted and how they live their lives now. In conclusion, Hercules’s many characteristics have been used to create different characters but also demonstrated cultural values, which have impacted how people live.