Echoes of Heracles can be detected in modern American heroes and superheroes. The comic book idol Superman, for instance, has nearly limitless strength and a strict code of honor, much like Heracles. Whereas other comic book heroes, such as Batman, defeat evil using cunning, Superman relies on sheer power. The Incredible Hulk also resembles Heracles. The Hulk can be driven into a destructive rage by anger, and can sometimes hurt those he cares about.
Conqueror of beasts instead of men, people of all regions can appreciate his feats; this is in direct contrast to some heroes who are popular only within a local area, due to their battles against a particular group generally viewed as enemies. He was worshipped in temples as far away as Egypt, and the Greeks honored his death with a festival known as the Herakleia. Heracles was also popular because he was a man who overcame the cruel whims of the gods to earn his place as an immortal.
After the time of Alexander the Great, when kingdoms developed out of the lands conquered by Alexander, Heracles came to represent the model king, a man who lived his life in service to the people. Overlooking the violent aspects of the life of Heracles, the focus was on his good deeds in ridding the Greek countryside of dangerous beasts. His deeds were so great that the gods elevated him to the level of a deity, although the Greeks worshipped him more as a hero than as a god. In similar fashion, kings began to claim that the deceased founders of their realm had become gods, and then the kings claimed that they were gods, too. Roman leaders adopted the idea of worshipping dead emperors, but stopped short of claiming that living rulers were also gods. The connection between gods and rulers would develop later as the “divine right” of European kings; although they did not claim to be gods, kings claimed that God deliberately appointed them to rule over the people, which meant that their rule could not be questioned or overthrown.
World History
