LP0002 - The Birth of Heracles - Diodorus Siculus' Library of History -

Legendary Passages #0002 - The Birth of Heracles - Diodorus Siculus' Library of History -

Last time we heard the story of baby Heracles strangling snakes in his crib. Now we shall hear of his unbelievable history, his lineage, his birth and his young adulthood.

He would have been king, had Hera not caused his cousin Eurystheus to be born first. Heracles' mother actually exposed the baby, fearful of the goddess, but Athena rescued him, and somehow persuaded Hera to suckle him. Well, we know how strong he his. Our galaxy is called Milky Way thanks to the incident.

After his encounter with the snakes, the story moves on to Heracles as a young man. His city was required to give a tribute, an annual tax of sorts, to to a rival city ruled by the Minyans. Instead of paying, Heracles sent the collectors back home, maimed and empty handed.

Erginus, King of Minyans, was outraged, and demanded the one responsible. Instead, Heracles organized the other youths in rebellion. Erginus had disarmed the city, but there were stockpiles of weapons and armor that had been placed in the temples as offerings. So Heracles, against all tradition, used those. Eventually he slew King Erginus, and burned the Minyan city of Orchomenus to the ground.

Creon, ruler of Thebes, was so grateful he gave Heracles his daughter Megara in marriage. They had several children and lived happily ever after, for a time.

Fearing his growing fame and power, his cousin Eurystheus summoned him to perform Labors in his service. Heracles ignored the summons, but even Zeus and the Oracle of Delphi both told him to go.

Then one day, Heracles went mad. He tried to kill his brother's son Iolaus, but he escaped. His own children were not so lucky. When the madness passed, grief nearly consumed him. In the end, he entered the service of Eurystheus.

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The Birth of Heracles,
a Legendary Passage
from Diodorus Siculus' Library of History,
trans by C. H. Oldfather.

[4.8.1] - [4.11.2]

I am not unaware that many difficulties beset those who undertake to give an account of the ancient myths, and especially is this true with respect to the myths about Heracles.

For as regards that magnitude of the deeds which he accomplished, it is generally agreed that Heracles has been handed down as one who surpassed all men of whom memory from the beginning of time has brought down an account; consequently it is a difficult attainment to report each one of his deeds in a worthy manner and to present a record which shall be on a level with labours so great, the magnitude of which won for him the prize of immortality.

Furthermore, since in the eyes of many men, the very early age and astonishing nature of the facts which are related make the myths incredible, a writer is under the necessity either of omitting the greatest deeds and so detracting somewhat from the fame of the god, or of recounting them all and in so doing making the history of them incredible.

For some readers set up an unfair standard and require in the accounts of the ancient myths the same exactness as in the events of our own time, and using their own life as a standard, they pass judgment on those deeds the magnitude of which throw them open to doubt, and estimate the might of Heracles by the weakness of the men of our day, with the result that the exceeding magnitude of his deeds makes the account of them incredible.

For, speaking generally, when the histories of myths are concerned, a man should by no means scrutinize the truth with so sharp an eye.

In the theatres, for instance, though we are persuaded there have existed no Centaurs who are composed of two different kinds of bodies, nor any Geryones with three bodies, we yet look with favour upon such products of the myths as these, and by our applause we enhance the honour of the god.

And strange it would be indeed that Heracles, while yet among mortal men, should by his own labours have brought under cultivation the inhabited world, and that human beings should nevertheless forget the benefactions which rendered them, generally, and slander the commendation he received for the noblest deeds, and strange that our ancestors should have unanimously accorded immortality to him because of his exceedingly great attainments, and that we should nevertheless fail to cherish and maintain for the god the pious devotion which has been handed down to us from our fathers.

However, we shall leave such considerations and relate his deeds from the beginning, basing our account on those of the most ancient poets and writers of myth.

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This, then, is the story as it has been given us: Perseus was the son of Danae, the daughter of Acrisius, and Zeus. Now Andromeda, the daughter of Cepheus, lay with him and bore Electryon, and then Eurydice, the daughter of Pelops, married him and gave birth to Alcmene, who in turn was wooed by Zeus, who deceived her, and bore Heracles.

Consequently the sources of this descent, in their entirety, lead back, as is claimed, through both his parents to the greatest of the gods, in the manner we have shown.

The prowess which was found in him was not only to be seen in his deeds, but was also recognized even before his birth. For when Zeus lay with Alcmene he made the night three times its normal length and by the magnitude of the time expended on the procreation, he presaged the exceptional might of the child which would be begotten.

And, in general, he did not effect this union from the desire of love, as he did in the case of other women, but rather only for the sake of procreation.

Consequently, desiring to give legality to his embraces, he did not choose to offer violence to Alcmene, and yet he could not hope to persuade her because of her chastity; and so, deciding to use deception, he deceived Alcmene by assuming in every respect the shape of Amphitryon.

When the natural time of pregnancy had passed, Zeus, whose mind was fixed upon the birth of Heracles, announced in advance in the presence of all the gods that it was his intention to make the child who should be born that day king over the descendants of Perseus; whereupon Hera, who was filled with jealousy, using as her helper Eileithyia her daughter, checked the birth-pains of Alcmene and brought Eurystheus forth to the light before his full time.

Zeus, however, though he had been outgeneralled, wished both to fulfill his promise and to take thought for the future fame of Heracles; consequently, they say, he persuaded Hera to agree that Eurystheus should be king as he had promised, but that Heracles should serve Eurystheus and perform twelve Labours, these to be whatever Eursytheus should prescribe, and that after he had done so he should receive the gift of immortality.

After Alcmene had brought forth the babe, fearful of Hera's jealousy, she exposed it at a place which to this time, is called after him the Field of Heracles.

Now at this very time Athena, approaching the spot in the company of Hera and being amazed at the natural vigour of the child, persuaded Hera to offer it the breast. But when the boy tugged upon her breast with greater violence than would be expected at his age, Hera was unable to endure the pain and cast the babe from her, whereupon Athena took it to its mother and urged her to rear it.

And anyone may well be surprised at the unexpected turn of the affair; for the mother whose duty it was to love her own offspring was trying to destroy it, while she who cherished towards it a stepmother's hatred, in ignorance saved the life of one who was her natural enemy.

After this Hera sent two serpents to destroy the babe, but the boy, instead of being terrified, gripped the neck of a serpent in each hand and strangled them both.
Consequently the inhabitants of Argos, on learning of what had taken place, gave him the name Heracles because he had gained glory by the aid of Hera, although he had formerly been called Alcaeus. Other children are given their names by their parents, this one alone gained his name by his valour.

After this time Amphitryon was banished from Tiryns and changed his residence to Thebes; and Heracles, in his rearing and education and especially in the thorough instruction which he received in physical exercises, came to be the first by far in bodily strength among all the rest and famed for his nobility of spirit. Indeed, while he was still a youth in age he first of all restored the freedom of Thebes, returning in this way to the city, as though it were the place of his birth, the gratitude which he owed it.

For though the Thebans had been made subject to Erginus, the king of the Minyans, and were paying him a fixed yearly tribute, Heracles was not dismayed at the superior power of these overlords but had the courage to accomplish a deed of fame. Indeed, when the agents of the Minyans appeared to require the tribute and were insolent in their exactions, Heracles mutilated them and then expelled them from the city.

Erginus then demanded that the guilty party be handed over to him, and Creon, the king of the Thebans, dismayed at the great power of Erginus, was prepared to deliver the man who was responsible for the crime complained of.

Heracles, however, persuading the young men of his age to strike for the freedom of their fatherland, took out of the temples the suits of armour which had been affixed to their walls, dedicated to the gods by their forefathers as spoil from their wars; for there was not to be found in the city any arms in the hands of a private citizen, the Minyans having stripped the city of its arms in order that the inhabitants of Thebes might not entertain any thought of revolting from them.

And when Heracles learned that Erginus, the king of the Minyans, was advancing with troops against the city he went out to meet him in a certain narrow place, whereby he rendered the multitude of the hostile force of no avail, killed Erginus himself, and slew practically all the men who had accompanied him.

Then appearing unawares before the city of the Orchomenians and slipping in at their gates he burned the palace of the Minyans and razed the city to the ground.

After this deed had been noised about throughout the whole of Greece and all men were filled with wonder at the unexpected happening, Creon the king, admiring the high achievement of the young man, united his daughter Megara in marriage to him and entrusted him with the affairs of the city as though he were his lawful son; but Eursytheus, who was ruler of Argolis, viewing with suspicion the growing power of Heracles, summoned him to his side and commanded him to perform Labours.

And when Heracles ignored the summons, Zeus dispatched word to him to enter the service of Eurystheus; whereupon Heracles journeyed to Delphi, and on inquiring of the god regarding the matter, he received a reply which stated that the gods had decided that he should perform twelve Labours at the command of Eurystheus and that upon their conclusion he should receive the gift of immortality.

At such a turn of affairs Heracles fell into despondency of no ordinary kind; for he felt that servitude to an inferior was a thing which his high achievements did not deserve, and yet he saw that it would be hurtful to himself and impossible not to obey Zeus, who was his father as well.

While he was thus greatly at a loss, Hera sent upon him a frenzy, and in his vexation of soul he fell into a madness.

As the affliction grew on him he lost his mind and tried to slay Iolaus, and when Iolaus made his escape but his own children by Megara were near by, he shot his bow and killed them under the impression that they were enemies of his.

When he finally recovered from his madness and recognized the mistake he had made through a misapprehension, he was plunged in grief over the magnitude of the calamity.

And while all extended him sympathy and joined in his grief, for a long while he stayed inactive at home, avoiding any association or meeting with men; at last, however, time assuaged his grief, and making up his mind to undergo the dangers he made his appearance at the court of Eurystheus.

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