Rare, Difficult to find, no longer made by Safari. Toy Figure “Hercules.” Mythical Realms Collection
Heracles (or Herakles) is the traditional Greek name for Hercules, but is more commonly known to us as the latter. There are infinite variations of the story of Hercules in both Greek and Roman versions and within each culture. This is but one re-telling of the legend of Hercules.
Hercules was born between the Greek god Zeus and human woman named Alcmene. In doing this Zeus had betrayed his wife Hera, who was furious, but could do little to a god as powerful as Zeus. Instead, she decided she would torment Hercules instead, and upon his birth she placed two snakes in his crib. However Hercules, although still just a baby, was powerful enough to grab the snakes before they could attack him. With his strength he was able to grow into a fierce warrior and when he won a war against the Minyans, Hercules was rewarded with King Creon’s eldest daughter Megara.
Hercules and Megara had several children, but Hera returned to cause more harm. There are many variations of what Hera did, yet the most well-known is that Hera cursed Hercules with insanity. In his crazed state, Hercules had killed Hera and all of his children. When he came out of his mental madness he was struck with such horror and grief at what he had done. He begged Apollo, the god of truth and prophecy, for a punishment for his crimes. Apollo told Hercules to go to the oracle at the town of Delphi to receive his punishment.
When he arrived at Delphi, the oracle told Hercules to seek out his cousin, King Eurystheus of Tiryns, who was known to be a cruel man. Hercules was to be given 10 impossible tasks to complete as a way to redeem himself of the blood he has spilt.
Hercules earned a reputation in Greek mythology as a mortal hero. He was stronger than many of the gods and eventually become a god on his own. He was the crucial warrior earning victory over the giants while fighting for the Olympians. He was Zeus’ last mortal son, being born by a mortal woman named Alcmene. Despite his strength, Hercules lacked intellectual strength. He was known for making foolish decisions and holding grudges. In one example, he threatened to shoot the sun with his bow and arrow because it was too hot. His emotions ran strong and he often found himself in trouble because of them. He had a strong appetite for gluttony, alcohol, and passionate nights spent with multitudes of women.