Hercules, also known as Heracles, was a famous hero in Greek mythology. There are many pieces of artwork of Hercules, and he has a significant part in the poems by Homer, the Iliad,and the Odyssey. Hercules has an incredible reputation for his strength, and for the sheer number of foes he defeated in his life. Even as a child, he showed great potential, and it was apparent to those around him that he would have his place in history.
Although Hercules was a demigod, he still had many teachers and role models who trained him. Through them, he became wiser and stronger, but no less arrogant.
Hercules Advantage
Hercules had two mortal parents, but according to Greek mythology, the person who actually impregnated his mother was Zeus. His human parents were Amphitryon and his mother, Alkmene. Everything was normal with Hercules’ birth, but as he grew older, his parents realized he had a level of strength that no ordinary human being could possess.
Hercules had a twin, who was Iphicles; they were twins, but also half-brothers born a day apart. At a very young age, Hercules protected Iphicles from a snake that was sent by the Goddess Hera, who was angry at Zeus for supposedly having a son with another woman.Whether Hercules really was a demigod or not, he still managed to earn his place among the gods.
Hercules Instruction from Chiron the Centaur
Hercules was one of the students of the wise centaur, Chiron. Chiron had many other pupils as well, such as Asclepius, Ajax, Achilles, Theseus, Jason, Peleus, Perseus, and Phoenix. Hercules met Chiron in the mountains when he was sent there to live with herdsmen.
His work with Heracles is the most memorable of all his students because Hercules is the one who accidentally killed Chiron. Chiron was immortal before Hercules’ arrow struck him, but the arrow hada poison tip, so it caused Chiron an extreme amount of painthat made him want to give up his immortality altogether. As a result, Chiron died and received a constellation in his honor, the Centaurus or Sagittarius, and Chiron took his place amongst the Olympians.
Chiron was the only centaur who taught any of the demigods; he was the only one wise enough. The other centaurs came from the union of Ixion and Nephele, but Chiron was the son of the Titan Cronus (Kronos) and Philyra, an Oceanid or sea nymph. Chiron was smarter than the rest.
He gained an abundantamount of knowledge of medicine and of life in general. He taught that knowledge to his students, who received the information with gratitude. Hercules was close to Chiron and was one of the demigods that were grateful; the death of Chiron was an accident, and Hercules was upset by his passing.
Hercules Music Teacher
Chiron was not Hercules’ only teacher. He also had a music teacher, who was Linus. Linus has a few different origin stories in Greek mythology. According to the accounts in Argos, he was the son of the god, Apollo, and Psamathe, the daughter of Crotopus.
However, the Argos’ written recordings state that Linus died soon after birth, so that story doesn’t coincide with him teaching Hercules music. However, when you read the Theban version, Linus was the son of Urania and the musician, Amphimarus, and he lived long enough to be one of Hercules’ teachers.
Linus taught Hercules music, but Hercules killed him after hearingLinus correct him on his music studies. Hercules had many moments like this in Greek mythology, where his ego and his arrogance got the best of the people around him. His pride, alone, caused many of his loved ones to die.
Hercules Training with Horses
Another teacher Hercules had growing up was his mortal father, Amphitryon. At a young age, Hercules learned how to ride chariots correctly and fast. He knew how to control a chariot in a race and how to tame the horses pulling them. Amphitryon was the first trainer Hercules had in his life, and if it weren’t for his father, he never would have met Chiron the centaur, who taught him how to be wise.
In a story in Greek mythology (although, it is not the only version of the story), Hercules’ horses were ones that he captured during the eighth task of his twelve labors. Hercules’ Twelve Labors were a set of dangerous tasks assigned to him by his cousin, Eurystheus. Hercules did these tasks in the advice of an oracle with whom he sought answers when he felt regret for killing his wife and children.
The twelve labors were hugely influenced by Hera herself, even though Hera was the reason that Hercules lost his mind in the first place and killed his family. Hera was the wife of Zeus, and very jealous of the demigods Zeus fathered with other women and Goddesses, including Hercules.
When Hercules went on his eighth quest to capture the mares of Diomedes, he was supposed to capture the horses and bring them to Eurystheus. However, some stories say that Hercules tamed the mares upon capturing them and attached them to his chariot for his own use. The same accounts also say that Hercules pacified the horses by feeding them the body of Diomedes.
One of the horses Hercules owned was Areion, an immortal horse born to the goddess Demeter after Poseidon raped her in the guise of a horse.
Who Trained Hercules
Hercules had several teachers and mentors that trained him. Some of those teachers are Chiron the centaur, Linus, and his father, Amphitryon. All of them contributed to Hercules’ strength and wisdom, but both Chiron and Linus died at the hand of Hercules, whether intentional or not. Chiron chose to give up his immortality, but he would not have had to make that choice if Hercules wasn’t to blame.
