Heracles

Epic card · No. 11809

Heracles ( Ancient Greek: Ἡρακλῆς, lit. 'glory/fame of Hera'), born Alcaeus (Ἀλκαῖος) or Alcides (Ἀλκείδης), was the greatest of the Greek heroes. He was considered the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon. He was thought to be both a hero and a god, possessing superhuman strength. No tomb was ever identified as his, and at some festivals sacrifice was offered to him first as a hero and then as a god. He was widely worshipped as a patron of young men and gymnasia. Heracles appears in numerous myths, which often involve the enmity of Hera, the wife of Zeus. Driven mad by Hera, Heracles killed his wife Megara and their children. Heracles performed a series of labours, conventionally numbered twelve, on the orders of his cousin Eurystheus, the king of Argos. These tasks included the killing of the Nemean lion and the Lernaean Hydra, the theft of the golden apples of the Hesperides, and the capture of Cerberus. Episodes outside the cycle of labours have him sailing with...

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