Ep. 2. The 12 Labours of Herakles (Hercules)
05/16/22 • 39 min
Herakles (Hercules) was a demigod (half human, half god) within the mythological pantheon of ancient Greece (and later, Rome) and illegitimate son of Zeus.
Off to a bad start, he was the target of assassination attempts by Zeus's wife Hera, who was appalled at her husband's insatiable lusting after mortal women. But Heracles' sheer strength and naïve determination saw him evade these threats and roam the countryside, ridding the local kingdom of monsters to the great celebration of both kings and peasants. Outraged by his celebrity, Hera caused him to mistake his wife and children for monsters and slay them, before revealing their true identities to his great horror, and outrage of locals, who thought he had simply gone mad.
Distraught, and contemplating suicide, he was instead convinced to submit to servitude to his jealous cousin, in the traditional manner of expiating his sins; who, in league with Hera, contrived to humiliate Herakles, and have him killed, but time after time, Herakles completed the now famous 12 Herculean labours, frustrating all attempts to make him fail, and thus lose all possibility of seeing his family in the afterlife.
Throughout his life, Hercules demonstrated incredible commitment and tenacity in completing his assigned duties, demonstrating the super-human and awe-inspiring power of the divine half of his nature. But time after time, he lapsed into selfish, childish and ignorant behaviours that highlighted his all-too-human vulnerabilities, that caused him nothing but grief and despair for much of his time on Earth.
In typical Greek fashion, Herakles was a blended portrayal of both the vices and virtues of men and gods. His story highlights the often brutal and helpless nature of existence; yet the possibility of redemption from even the most despairing circumstances, through the exercise of patience, forbearance and tenacity, and so his story acts as instructive on the seductions of power, frailty of existence, and the virtues of fortitude in the face of overwhelming odds.
#hercules, #herakles, #greekmyths, #greekhero
Herakles (Hercules) was a demigod (half human, half god) within the mythological pantheon of ancient Greece (and later, Rome) and illegitimate son of Zeus.
Off to a bad start, he was the target of assassination attempts by Zeus's wife Hera, who was appalled at her husband's insatiable lusting after mortal women. But Heracles' sheer strength and naïve determination saw him evade these threats and roam the countryside, ridding the local kingdom of monsters to the great celebration of both kings and peasants. Outraged by his celebrity, Hera caused him to mistake his wife and children for monsters and slay them, before revealing their true identities to his great horror, and outrage of locals, who thought he had simply gone mad.
Distraught, and contemplating suicide, he was instead convinced to submit to servitude to his jealous cousin, in the traditional manner of expiating his sins; who, in league with Hera, contrived to humiliate Herakles, and have him killed, but time after time, Herakles completed the now famous 12 Herculean labours, frustrating all attempts to make him fail, and thus lose all possibility of seeing his family in the afterlife.
Throughout his life, Hercules demonstrated incredible commitment and tenacity in completing his assigned duties, demonstrating the super-human and awe-inspiring power of the divine half of his nature. But time after time, he lapsed into selfish, childish and ignorant behaviours that highlighted his all-too-human vulnerabilities, that caused him nothing but grief and despair for much of his time on Earth.
In typical Greek fashion, Herakles was a blended portrayal of both the vices and virtues of men and gods. His story highlights the often brutal and helpless nature of existence; yet the possibility of redemption from even the most despairing circumstances, through the exercise of patience, forbearance and tenacity, and so his story acts as instructive on the seductions of power, frailty of existence, and the virtues of fortitude in the face of overwhelming odds.
#hercules, #herakles, #greekmyths, #greekhero
Previous Episode
Ep. 1. The Knights Hospitaller and the Great Siege of Malta 1565
The siege of Malta, defended by the knights of St John, otherwise known as the Knights Hospitaller, or Knights of Malta, is one of the great military actions in history. They were a religious military order established prior to the crusades, in order to assist pilgrims on their journey to Christian holy sites across the levant. As the crusades began in earnest, they soon transformed into a military order, rivalling the knights Templar in their prowess and influence.
As the crusader kingdoms slowly began to collapse, the Knights retreated to other strongholds, such as Cyprus and Rhodes, till they eventually also fell to the Muslims.
Finally, entrenched in their last remaining stronghold of Malta, they made their final stand. This battle was to be either "the Alamo" for them, or for the Muslims- "Stalingrad".
#knightsofmalta, #knightsofstjohn, #knightshospitaller, #hospitallers, #maltahistory, #siegeofmalta, #malta, #history
Next Episode
Ep. 3. General Jose de San Martin: The Unknown Hero of South America. Part One
Jose de San Martin, champion of the "guerra de la independencia", was an Argentine General, provincial governor and innovative commander who played a key role in the liberation of the viceroyalties and colonies of Latin America from the Spanish Crown in their post-Napoleonic struggle for independence.
His youth was spent training as a professional soldier and his early career saw him first fighting with Napoleon's French forces against the Portuguese; then against them, as Napoleon revoked his alliance with the Spanish King and invaded the Iberian peninsula and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte on the throne in 1808. Years of bloodshed and horror during the Iberian campaign was the crucible in which he developed his social consciousness and military thinking, and as the war ground to a stalemate, the call to return to his native motherland in its struggle for self-determination became increasingly difficult to ignore. This led San Martin - the highest ranking criollo officer in the Iberian peninsula, to resign his commission and make his way back to Buenos Aires, where this quiet, reserved and politically moderate soldier was to embark on a military career that would see him become venerated as "el libertador" (the liberator).
#josedesanmartin, #sanmartin, #libertador, #argentina, #independencia
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