| When we get to the god known as Herakles (Hercules) we have what appears to be a conglomeration of gods and heroes of the past. The name itself means “Glory of Hera.” Cicero attributes the name to at least six gods and heroes of the ancient world. (146) Herakles was known for his wooden oak club. The symbols of Hercules include the Acorn, the rock-dove, which nests in oaks, the mistletoe, the loranthus and the serpent. Mistletoe was viscus (Latin) ixias (Greek). Vis is Latin for “force” or “strength.” Ischus is Greek for “mighty,” “force,” or “strength.” One of Heracles aspects is that he is accompanied by twelve archer companions. His accompaniment by twelve archers brings us into direct affinity with the sun or solar deity. The “Twelve Labours of Hercules” were his accomplishments. This may be the first time this occurs in which a hero becomes a solar deity, however, some scholars may claim Gilgamesh went through the twelve passes of the zodiac as well. The role of Hercules as a mighty hunter who makes rain, is brought to life when he rattles his oak club inside a hollow oak tree, or he stirs a pool with an oak branch. He was also known to rattle pebbles inside a sacred gourd or to roll black meteoric stones inside a wooden chest, which would allow the attraction of thunderstorms by sympathetic magic. (147) Herakles is “self-born” like many other healing deities as well as a healer. In the Orphic Hymns to Hercules we read: “Self-born, with primogenial fires you shine, and various names and strength of heart are thine.” (148) Also: “The mitigations of disease convey, and drive disastrous maladies away. Come, shake the branch with thy almighty arm, dismiss thy darts and noxious fate disarm.” (149) Herakles was also the one who discovered water, according to Pausanius: “I remember, too, seeing the house of Hippolytus; before it is what is called the Fountain of Heracles, for Heracles, say the Troezenians, discovered the water.” (150) Herakles seems to have been more of an athletic hero than a healing savior, from the relatively few excerpts available from ancient texts which refer to his healing compared to the large number which refer to his skills in the games such as this next quote by Pausanius: “Heracles, being the eldest, matched his brothers, as a game, in a running-race, and crowned the winner with a branch of wild olive, of which they had such a copious supply that they slept on heaps of its leaves while still green. It is said to have been introduced into Greece by Heracles from the land of the Hyperboreans, men living beyond the home of the North Wind.” (151) We recall how the Hyperboreans were originally from the Himalayas. When paired alongside other gods, it was Apollo who was modeled the healer rather than Herakles and so it appears that in later Greece the healing divinities became less and less important while qualities like athletics took center stage since previously, all gods and goddesses were healing divinities. |
Speaking of the healing shrines, Pausanius writes: “The Oropians have both a temple and a white marble statue of Amphiaraus. The altar shows parts. One part is to Heracles, Zeus, and Apollo Healer.” (152) Herakles was first responsible for planting the sacred olive grove at Olympia. The olive must be cultivated properly before it can be used to produce olives in a practical manner. Carl Ruck is of the opinion that the pomegranate, which was an oak/Druidic symbol, originally used in the wreath, was later changed to the laurel and the olive branch. (153) One of Herakles poisoned arrows mistakenly hit Chiron and though immortal, chose to give his immortality to Prometheus. (154) Herakles is often pictured wrestling a bull or lion, similar to Mithra, who also went from being a mushroom to a solar deity. Heracles is supposed to have created the cornucopia from the bull’s horn when he wrestled with the river god Achelous and ripped off one of his horns. A Statues of Herakles sometimes depict him holding a cornucopia (46a). Herakles also battles the dragon Ladon and captures the Golden Fleece (46d). Other times he may be depicted having a mushroom head, as seen on a stele in the Mozia Museum (46b) or with a giant mushroom on his head, in the forehead of a jaguar mask c. 575-550 BC (46c). On coins from the Greek era c. 300-150 BC, we see a couple of similar clubs, the earlier of which belongs to Herakles, and the latter could belong to either Apollo or Herakles, but once again, we see mushroom characteristics included (50e, f). The Greeks in Bactria and in India identified Krishna with Hercules and Shiva with Dionysus. (155) In Old Testament Hebraic myth, Samson would take the role of Hercules, likely tracing back to Gilgamesh, the strong one. (146) White Goddess, p. 124 (147) ibid, p. 125 (148) Orphic Hymns xi, xi (149) ibid (150) Pausanius 2.32.4 (151) Pausanius, 5.7.7 (152) Pausanius 1.34.3 (153) Apples of Apollo, p. 30-32 (154) Ovid. Fast. v. 397; Hygin. Poet. Astr. ii. 38; http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentaurosKheiron.html (155) Occidental Mythology, p. 240 |