Zeus fell in love with a beautiful Greek woman named Alcmene. That meant Zeus could do anything he pleased, but it also meant that sometimes Zeus was not a very good husband to his wife, Hera, the queen of the gods. Zeus, Hercules' father, was the most powerful of the gods. Differences between the Disney movie version and other versions include the explanation of who Hercules' parents were, and why he had to perform the 12 Labors. There are as many different versions of Hercules' life story as there are storytellers. Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz: Antikensammlung Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Staatliche Walks with a procession of gods and goddesses to Olympus. Side B: Hercules, carrying his club and wearing his lion skin, Hercules was worshipped in many temples all over Greece and Rome.īerlin F 2278, Attic red figure kylix, c. More stories were told about him than any other hero. Hercules was both the most famous hero of ancient times and the most beloved.
Yet, his story is of a man who was so strong and courageous, whose deeds were so mighty, and who so endured all the hardships that were given to him, that when he died, Hercules was brought up to Mount Olympus to live with the gods. Was there a real Hercules, a man behind the stories? We will never know. Stories about the gods, called myths, were made up thousands of years ago.
