Hercules was the Roman counterpart of Heracles, the Greek heavenly hero. He is the mortal Alcmene's son and Zeus' son. ¹⁾

Hercules is a Greek demigod. A demi-god is a person who is the offspring of a deity and a human. ²⁾

Hercules was assigned a series of difficult tasks known as the “Twelve Labors.” If he completed all of these Labors, he would be cleansed of his sins and granted immortality. Slaying the Stymphalian birds, capturing the Cretan Bull, and seizing the Mares of Diomedes were among the 12 labor duties.³⁾

Mark Antony, as well as Emperor Commodus, regarded him as a personal patron deity. Hercules was worshiped in a variety of ways, notably as a deity concerned with children and childbirth, due in part to tales about his precocious childhood and in part because he fathered innumerable offspring.⁴⁾

The “knot of Hercules” was wrapped around the waist of Roman brides. The spouse was expected to struggle to untie the knot. ⁵⁾

Steve Reeves was a professional bodybuilder who went to acting and played Hercules in the 1958 film 'Hercules.' In his bodybuilding career, Reeves won Mr. America, Mr. World, and Mr. Universe. ⁶⁾

In medieval mythology, Hercules was seen as a powerful role model since he exemplified both courage and wisdom. The monsters he fought, on the other hand, were considered as moral impediments. ⁷⁾

Hercules is frequently shown in ancient Greek Archaic and Classical art with a knotted stick, a quiver full of arrows, and wearing a lion's skin with a lion's head helmet. ⁸⁾

Hercules was seen as a masculine icon. He spawned a lengthy line of royal clans and was the Olympian order's champion against dreadful beasts. ⁹⁾

Hercules, together with Hermes, was the patron and defender of gymnasia. The demigod was a fun-loving person who enjoyed playing games and entertaining youngsters. He is frequently seen wearing lion skin and wielding a club. ¹⁰⁾

Zeus' unlawful affairs were demonstrated by the existence of Hercules. His birth infuriated Zeus' wife, Hera, who has made numerous attempts to end Hercules' life. ¹¹⁾

Iphicles, Hercules' mortal twin, was the genuine Amphitryon's father. Fearing Hera's wrath, Alcmene abandoned Hercules in the woods, only to be discovered by Athena, who took the infant Hercules to Hera. Hera did not recognize him and nursed him out of compassion. ¹²⁾

Hercules obtained superpower abilities after drinking Hera's holy milk. Athena returned him to his parents, who nurtured him as Alcides. ¹³⁾

Hera brought two huge snakes to Hercules and Iphicles' chambers when they were eight months old. This was in vain because Hercules was able to seize and strangle the snakes in order to defend himself and his brother. ¹⁴⁾

Heracles married King Creon's daughter Megara in Thebes. Hera, still enraged, instilled in Hercules a fit of insanity, prompting him to murder his family. ¹⁵⁾

Hercules later joined the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. The Argonauts were a group of Greek mythological heroes who accompanied Jason to Colchis on his mission to obtain the Golden Fleece before to the events of the Trojan War. ¹⁶⁾

Hercules desired to commit suicide. The anguish of killing his family was too much for the demi-god, who was ready to die at that point. But his cousin, Theseus, persuaded him that doing so would be cowardly, and that he needed to find a means to atone for his faults. ¹⁷⁾

Hera drove Hercules insane once more, causing him to throw his best buddy over the city wall to his death. To cleanse himself of this guilt, Hercules spent three years serving Queen Omphale of Lydia, dressing in women's clothing and doing the ladies' chores. ¹⁸⁾

Hercules was killed after he wedded Deianira. Deianira was duped by a former Heracles opponent and accidently poisoned her husband with a venom-dipped garment.¹⁹⁾

The demigod died slowly and painfully. He scaled Mt. Etna and erected his own death pyre. He then lay down, his head resting on his club and the pelt of a Nemean lion covering him. ²⁰⁾

Zeus summoned lightning to consume Hercules' mortal body and transport him to Mount Olympus on his deathbed. This was Hercules' apotheosis, his metamorphosis into a god. ²¹⁾

Hercules killed the eagle that tortured Prometheus by shooting it. Prometheus, in turn, gave prophesies about Hercules' future heroic actions. ²²⁾

Hercules was the only hero in Greek mythology who had cults dedicated to him all around Greece. His extraordinary feats in defeating monsters earned him the title of defender of countless cities. ²³⁾

Hercule's name, ironically, means “Hera's Glory”. Despite the fact that Hera was his sworn adversary, Hercules was named after her. ²⁴⁾

Hercules killed the Nemean Lion on his first of the 12 Labors by catching it in its cave and strangling it. For the remainder of his life, he wore the lion's fur as a cloak. ²⁵⁾

Hercules' second mission was to destroy a deadly, snake-like beast that dwelt underwater and guarded the Underworld's entrance. Hercules enlisted the assistance of his nephew Iolaus for this mission. He severed the heads of the monsters as Iolaus burnt each wound with a fire. ²⁶⁾

He used a large snare to intimidate the Erymanthean Boar before killing it. The boar was notorious for terrorizing Mt. Erymanthus and murdering the residents. ²⁷⁾

Hercules assisted in the battle of the Titans, saving the world from chaos and the gods from jail. He then sailed back to Greece to exact his vengeance on Augeius for not honoring his agreement when he cleared out the stables. ²⁸⁾

In the Disney film “Hercules”, Hades frees the Titans from the depths of the ocean. However, in the original narrative, they were sent to Tartarus, the darkest and harshest portion of the Underworld. ²⁹⁾

Perseus is his great grandfather. Hercules' mother, Alcmene, was the granddaughter of Perseus, possibly Greece's greatest hero before Hercules. ³⁰⁾