DO YOU VIEW VIOLENT ONES AS GOD DOES?

PEOPLE HAVE LONG ADMIRED AND HONORED MIGHTY MEN, THOSE DISPLAYING GREAT PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND BRAVERY. ONE SUCH WAS A MYTHOLOGICAL HERO OF ANCIENT GREECE, HERACLES, OR HERCULES, AS HE WAS KNOWN TO THE ROMANS.


HERACLES  was a superhero of great  fame, the mightiest of fighters. According to legend, he was a demigod, the child of the Greek god Zeus, and Alcmene, a human mother. His exploits began while he was yet a babe in the cradle. When a jealous goddess sent two huge serpents  to kill him, Heracles strangled them. In later life he fought battles, vanquished monsters, and struggled with death to save a friend. He also destroyed cities, raped women, flung a boy from a tower and killed his wife and children. 

Though not a real person, from remote times the mythical Heracles figured in stories of the ancient lands know to the Greeks.  the Romans worshiped him as a god; merchants and travelers prayed to him for prosperity and protection from danger. Stories about his exploits have fascinated people for thousands of years. 

Next time: The Origin of the Legend

From the Watchtower magazine, 2000