Heracles’ parents originally named him Alcides or Alcaeus, meaning “strength.” It served as a fitting moniker for the immortal half of a mortal pair of twins. You see, Zeus managed to bed Alcmene by appearing to her in the form of her husband, Amphitryon. Later that same night, the real Amphitryon came home in an amorous mood. Alcmene became pregnant with twins, Heracles by Zeus and Iphicles by her husband.
After seeing Hera’s murderous attempt against his unborn child, Zeus changed his son’s name to Heracles, meaning “glory of Hera.” In his obviously clueless mind, he thought this would appease Hera into accepting the baby. Wrong! How it must have goaded Hera to have her husband’s ill begotten son as a namesake. In that respect she is an evil stepmother extraordinaire. For years she continued to seek Heracles’ death every chance she got.
I love it that Alcide, based on Heracles’ original name, is also the name of a character in the television series True Blood. Loyal friend, hot blooded werewolf, and smoking specimen of a man, Alcide is a fan favorite on the show. He is portrayed by the talented actor Joe Manganiello. Alcide appears in the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris as well. Before she started the Sookie series, I loved her three mystery series featuring heroines Lily Bard, Harper Connelly, and Aurora Teagarden.
If Heracles’ claim to fame lay merely in being the strongest man in the world, his memory most likely would not have lasted for over three thousand years. In addition to physical power, however, he possessed strength of character. He had tremendous courage and an essential good heartedness about him. His bravery may not have been tested nearly as much if not for his angry stepmother Hera. As it is, stories and movies about him live on today, allowing us to participate in his exciting adventures.
For an alternative take on Hera’s relationship to Heracles, we turn to Barbara G. Walker’s The Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. Her discussion centers on Hera being much more instrumental in the birth, life, and death of Heracles than traditional myth would have us believe. In fact, Zeus was not even present at the time. Hera’s supremacy as Great Goddess predated her forced marriage to Zeus, which came about as the indigenous peoples were overtrodden by fierce invaders from the north. Walker relates how Heracles’ name meant “glory of Hera” and how he was nursed by the Great Goddess and served as the ritualistic divine king, to be killed and later resurrected in holy fashion. He now lives among the stars for all eternity, as befits such a noble being.
Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic with Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Fascinating post. Poor Hera did have a lot to put up with, swans and showers of rain and other such activities. Thanks for the post I enjoyed this.
You’re right, Daisy. Zeus was always raining on her parade;)
Well, this just goes to show that even mythical gods were totally clueless about their women, LOL. I never cared for Hera but I can completely see why she would be ticked at Zeus. And poor Hercules, caught in the center! Great post, Flossie, and fun reading with the movie out!
Thanks, Mae. When my son was little, we had a huge live oak tree that cascaded on all sides to the ground. We called it Hera Mother, thinking of her soft side, not the angry side she showed Hercules.
Fascinating history, Flossie! I didn’t know this. I love mythology but hadn’t delved into Hera much
Thanks, Ronnie. I find her interesting as a once supreme goddess whose reign was more or less overturned through invasions from more patriarchal peoples. Actually, Hera was not a name. It was a term meaning “Our Lady.”