Disney’s retelling of the myth of Hercules became one of the franchise’s biggest box office hits. With a kicking soundtrack, beautiful 2D animation and the inclusion of Danny DeVito in the cast, the movie has gone down in Disney history. But the original Hercules myth differs immensely from the watered-down kids friendly version… and with reason.
To start off, Hercules is the name the Romans gave the classical macho hero. The Greek name is in fact Heracles. And that is just the start. Herakles was not born to two loving god parents. Heracles was born when the king of the gods Zeus had an affair with mortal woman Alcmene.
Zeus’ infidelity to his wife Hera prompted the queen of the gods to despise the hero. The Disney villain Hades would have to move over as the queen goddess hates the demigod’s very existence. Alcmene also happened to be pregnant with another child from her human husband, making Heracles the brother of a sibling from a mortal father.
The snake scene in the film takes place in a baby cot where Heracles strangles two serpents sent to kill him by Hera. However, Hera’s hatred goes way too far when she drives the hero mad, forcing Heracles to murder his own wife Megara and children. To make up for his deed, Heracles is given the infamous 12 labours.
Heracles is given 12 impossible tasks to complete – many of which are either quick shots in the film or full on scenes. Heracles battles the hydra in his second labour and even wrestles the three-headed dog Cerberus out of the underworld. Hades, the lord of the dead, actually agrees to this as long as the dog is not harmed.
There is no cosmic battle against Titans however. He also never had Pegasus, the winged-horse. That belonged to another Greek hero. And as for a mentor, Heracles was taught by Chiron, an immortal centaur (half-man, half-horse) who ended up being killed accidentally by Heracles himself. At least Danny DeVito’s satyr Phil got lucky with this one.
Following his 12 labours, Heracles embarked on many monster-slaying godly adventures. However, his story comes to an end when a centaur attempts to steal his new wife away. The centaur tricks Heracles’ wife into giving the hero a tunic doused in poison.
Building a pyre, Heracles jumped onto the burning wood to end his suffering after the clothes charred and tore his skin. Zeus eventually elevated him to the status of deity. Upon ascending to Olympus, Heracles weds Hebe, the goddess of youth.
This barely scratches the surface of the hero’s mythology. One thing is for sure however – Disney’s adaptation brings such an ancient figure to life whilst also potentially attracting people interested in classical mythology to study it. They might be shocked at the differences, but no one is stopping them from enjoying ‘Zero to Hero’ anytime soon.
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