By Unzala Ali & Lolita Gomez
Hercules or Heracles
 Lineage- Real Parents: Zeus & Alcmena
Human Parents: Amphitryon & Alcmena Sibling(s):Iphides
Spouse(s): Princess Megara, Princess Deianira, Hebe
Children: 3 sons from his first wife, Princess Megara
2 boys; Alexiares & Anicetus from Hebe
 Symbol(s)- Twin pillars
 Power(s)- Incredible Strength
 Weaknesses- Had constant extreme temper tantrums while
unaware of his actions -would kill and afterwards would feel an
overbearing guilt
-lack of intelligence & wisdom
 Description- moon shaped face –long, wavy, light brown hair
–blue eyes –tall frame –muscular arms & shoulders
-twice as strong as a human
Hercules or Heracles
 Important Events- Before Hercules was even born, when
Amphitryon was away fighting, Zeus visited Alcmena In the shape
of him. Alcmena became pregnant with two kids; one who was
Zeus’ and, the other was Amphitryon’s.
-One night when Hercules and Iphides were sleeping in their crib,
two snakes came crawling into the nursery. Iphides screamed
while Hercules grabbed each snake in one hand and strangled
them to death.
-Killed his wife Magara and three sons
-To purify himself, he went to his cousin Eurystheus, King of
Mycenae, and endured what is known as the ‘12 Labors of
Hercules’
Hercules or Heracles
 12 Labors of Hercules-
1.Kill lion of Nemea
2.Kill a 9-headed creature, Hydra, in Lerna
3.Bring back alive a stag, which lived in the forests of Cerynitia
4.Capture a great boar on Mt. Erymanthus
5.Clean the Augean stables in one day
6.Drive away the Stymphalian birds
7.Go to Crete and fetch from there the bull that Poseidon had given
8.Get the man-eating mares of King Diomedes of Thrace
9.Bring back the girdle of Hippolyta
10.Bring back the cattle of Geryon
11.Bring back the golden apple of Hesperides
12.Bring back Cerberus, 3-headed dog, up from Hades
Hercules or Heracles
 Important Events (cont.)- Conquest of Antaeus, the giant wrestler
- Fought river god, Achelous, over a woman
-Won the fight with Achelous and the hand of his next wife Princess Deianira
-Rescued King Laonedon’s daughter of Troy
-Freed Promtheus
-Zeus punished him after slaying a good friend, and became a slave of Queen
Omphale in Lydia for 1-3 years
-His wife, Deianira, sent him a robe that tortured him and when she found out she
killed herself
-Hercules soon after killed himself and was sent to heaven where he was
reconciled to Hera and married her daughter Hebe (his 3rd wife)
 Allusions- “My father’s brother – but no more like my father/ than I to
Hercules”- Hamlet
- “My fate cries out/ and makes each petty attire in this body/ as hardly as the
Nemean lion’s nerve”- Hamlet
Hercules or Heracles
 Allusions- “My father’s brother – but no more like my
father/ than I to Hercules.”- Hamlet
-“My fate cries out/ and makes each petty attire in this
body/ as hardly as the Nemean lion’s nerve.”- Hamlet
-“Ay that they do, my lord, Hercules and his load too.”Hamlet
- “Let Hercules Himself do what he may,/ the cat will mew
and the dog will have his day”- Hamlet
Apollo
• Lineage- Parents: Zeus and Leto (Latona)
-Spouse: never really wedded anyone but had a lot of love affairs
such as Daphne
-Siblings: one twin sister named, Artemis
-Children: 5 sons- Aristaeus, Asuepius, Janus, Linus, Trioilus, and
Philammon all from various mortal women
 Symbol: A silver bow and arrow, the golden lyre, and the raven
 Powers: ability to see the future, his ability to hypnotize people,
and his ability to rapidly heal injuries
 Strengths: his creativeness, his good looks, and his support for
arts
 Weaknesses: Love of nymphs and young women– these
relationships often distracted him or got him in trouble
Apollo
 Description: height is 6ft. , weighed 525 lbs., blue eyes and blond
hair.
 Important Events:
-His birth on the island of Delos
-The slaying of the serpent Python
-The slaying of the giant Tityos
-The destruction of the Niobedes
-His music contest with the satyr Marsyas
-The murder of the Kyklopes
-His service as bondsman to the mortal Admetos
-His struggle with Herakles for the Delphic tripod
-The Trojan War in which he brought a plague to the Greeks and
helped Paris slay Achilles
Apollo
 Allusions -Daphne and Apollo’s love story are Romeo
and Juliet because both are about forbidden love
-Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night Dream because Helena
is madly in love with Demetrius , yet he is in love Hermia
but there is no hope for them to be together
Lernaean Hydra
 Lineage- Parents: Typhon & Echidna Spouse(s): none
Sibling(s): Nemean Lion, Cerberus, Chimera, and Ladon
Children: none
 Symbol- The constellation of the great monster
 Powers- The ability to grow 2 heads when 1 was cut off
-Poisonous breath, blood, footsteps, and bite
 Strengths- Hera was his ally
 Weaknesses- Only 1 of her heads were immortal
 Description- Gigantic serpent-like water monster
- 9 heads – Reptilian skin
Lernaean Hydra
 Important Events- Her battle with Hercules in which she
was killed and became a constellation
 Allusions- HYDRA; an organization in the Marvel Comics
- Their motto is “if a head is cut off, two more will take its
place”
- HYDRA agents often wear green garb featuring a serpent
motif
- The expression “hydra-headed” refers to a weed or trouble
that is difficult to get rid of
Hebe
 Lineage- Parents: Daughter of Zeus and Hera
Spouse: Hercules
Siblings: Ares, Hepaustus, Typhaon, Eileithyia, and Enyo
(Eris)
Children: Alexiares and Anicetus, who remained eternally
children
 Symbol: A cup or pitcher to serve the god
 Powers: Can restore youth
 Strengths: youthful
 Weaknesses: Clumsy and has less charisma than many of
the Greek goddesses, relying on her gift to get attention.
Hebe
 Description: youthful women, usually wearing a golden
wreath on her head
 Important Events- Marrying Hercules
- Having two boys and worst part of her life was to find out
that her two sons would eternally stay children
 Allusions-The Beauty and the Beast
Citations
 Atsma, Aaron J.. "THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY & THE GODS." THEOI GREEK
MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature &
Art. Version 2.19. Aaron J. Atsma , n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.theoi.com/>.
 Focus, Koreo. "GREEK MYTHOLOGY POLLS." Greek-Gods.Info- Greek Gods
and Goddesses of Ancient Greece. Version 3. Korea Focus , 3 Apr. 2007. Web. 7
Dec. 2013. <http://www.greek-gods.info/>.
 Mythology, Greek. "Greek Gods." Greek Mythology. Version 1. Greek Mythology,
1 Oct. 2000. Web. 7 Dec. 2013. <http://greekmythology.com/>.
 History, Classical. "Ancient / Classical History." About.com. Version 1. About ,
n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2013. <http://ancienthistory.about.com/>.