Birth of Heracles by Jean Jacques Francois Le Barbier

In Greek mythology, Alcmene or Alcmena (Greek: Aλκμήνη) was the mother of Heracles. In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles ("glory of Hera " or Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly

Background

Alcmene was born to Electryon, king of Mycenae and a son of Perseus. In Greek mythology, Electryon was the son of Perseus and Andromeda, and king of Mycenae. "Lion Gate" redirects here For other uses see Lions' Gate (disambiguation. Perseus, Perseos, or Perseas ( Greek: Περσεύς, Περσέως, Περσέας) the Legendary founder ^[1] Her mother was either Anaxo, daughter of Alcaeus and Astydamia,^[1] or Lysidice, daughter of Pelops and Hippodameia. In Greek mythology, Anaxo, daughter of Alcaeus and either Astydamia, daughter of Pelops or Laonome, daughter of Guneus, In Greek mythology, Astydameia (or Astydamea, Astydamia) is a name attributed to three individuals Lysidice is the name of two women in Greek mythology. 1 Lysidice, daughter of Thespius and Megamede In Greek mythology, Pelops ( Greek Πέλοψ, from pelios: dark and ops: face eye king of Pisa in the Peloponnesus was venerated Hippodamia (also Hippodamea) was a daughter of King Oenomaus and wife of Pelops with whom her offspring were Thyestes, Atreus ^[2] Hesiod describes Alcmene as the tallest, most beautiful woman with wisdom surpassed by no person born of mortal parents. Hesiod ( Greek: Hesiodos) was an early Greek Poet and Rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BCE It is said that her face and dark eyes were as charming as Aphrodite's, and that she honoured her husband like no woman before her. ^[3]

Exile to Thebes

According to Apollodorus, Alcmene went with Amphitryon to Thebes, where he was purified by Creon for accidentally killing Electryon. Amphitryon, or Amphitrion, in Greek mythology, was a son of Alcaeus, king of Tiryns in Argolis. Thebes may refer to one of the following places Thebes Greece, Boeotia Prefecture Ancient Thebes (Boeotia (gmy 𐀳𐀣 Creon ( Attic Greek: Κρέων - Kreōn, meaning "ruler" is the name of two mythological Greek kings a mythological son of Alcmene refused to marry Amphitryon until he had avenged the death of her brothers. ^[4] However, during Amphitryon's expedition against the Taphians and Teleboans,^[5] Zeus visited Alcmene disguised as Amphitryon. In Homeric Greece, the islands of Taphos (Τάφος lay in the Ionian Sea off the coast of Acarnania in northwestern Greece home of sea-going and Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology Extending one night into three, Zeus slept with Alcmene (thereby conceiving Heracles) and recounted Amphitryon's victories against the Teleboans. In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles ("glory of Hera " or When Amphitryon finally returned to Thebes, Alcmene told him that he had come the night before and slept with her; he learned from Tiresias what Zeus had done. Everes redirects here For the Butterfly Genus, see Everes (genus. ^[6]

Birth of Heracles

In Homer's Iliad, when Alcmene was about to give birth to Heracles, Zeus announced to all the gods that on that day a child, descended from Zeus himself, would be born who would rule all those around him. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient Hera, after requesting Zeus to swear an oath to that effect, descended from Olympus to Argos and made the wife of Sthenelus (a son of Perseus) give birth to Eurystheus after only seven months, while at the same time preventing Alcmene from delivering Heracles. In the Olympian pantheon of classical Greek Mythology, Hera (ˈhɪərə or /ˈhɛrə/ Greek) or Here ( in Ionic and Homer Mount Olympus (Όλυμπος also transliterated as Ólympos, and on Greek maps Óros Ólimbos) is the highest Mountain in Greece Argos ( Greek: Ἄργος, Árgos ˈaɾɣos is a city in Greece in the Peloponnese near Nafplio, which was its historic harbor Sthenelus was the son of Perseus and Andromeda and a King of Mycenae. In Greek mythology, Eurystheus was king of Tiryns, one of three Mycenaean strongholds in the Argolid: Sthenelus was his father This resulted in the fulfillment of Zeus's oath by Eurystheus rather than Heracles. ^[7]

According to Ovid's Metamorphoses, while in labour, Alcmene was having difficulty giving birth to such a large child. Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including The Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid is a narrative poem After seven days and nights in agony, Alcmene stretched out her arms and called upon Lucina, the goddess of childbirth (the Roman equivalent of Eileithyia). Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its Eileithyia (Εἰλείθυια was the Cretan goddess whom Greek mythology adapted as the goddess of childbirth and midwifery However, while Lucina did go to Alcmene, she was instructed by Juno (Hera) to stop the delivery. Juno was the protector and special counselor of the Roman state With her hands clasped and legs crossed, Lucina muttered charms, thereby preventing Alcmene from giving birth. Alcmene struggled in pain, cursed the heavens, and became close to death. Galanthis, a maid of Alcmene who was nearby, observed Lucina's actions and quickly deduced Juno's plans. In Greek mythology, Galanthis (or Galinthias) was the red-gold haired servant of Alcmene, who assisted her during the birth of Heracles. She announced that Alcmene had safely delivered her child, and this surprised Lucina so much that she immediately jumped up and unclenched her hands. As soon as Lucina leapt up, Alcmene was released from her spell and gave birth to Heracles. As punishment for deceiving Lucina, Galanthis was transformed into a weasel; she continued to live with Alcmene. Weasels are Mammals in the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. ^[8]

In Pausanias' recounting, Hera sent witches (as they were called by the Thebans) to hinder Alcmene's delivery of Heracles. Pausanias ( Greek:) was a Greek traveller and Geographer of the 2nd century CE, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus The witches were successful in preventing the birth until Historis, daughter of Tiresias, thought of a trick to deceive the witches. Like Galanthis, Historis announced that Alcmene had delivered her child; having been deceived, the witches went away, allowing Alcmene to give birth. ^[9]

Death

After the death of Amphitryon, Alcmene married Rhadamanthys, son of Zeus, and lived with him in exile at Ocaleae in Boeotia. In Greek myths, Rhadamanthus ( also transliterated as Rhadamanthys or Rhadamanthos) was a wise king the son of Zeus and Ocalea ( Greek:, Ōkalea, rarely; later) was a town in antiquity in Boeotia, Greece, on the south shore of Lake Copais. Boeotia, Beotia, or Bœotia ( Greek: Βοιωτία - English biːˈoʊʃiə formerly Cadmeis was a region of Ancient Greece, north of the ^[10] It is said that after Heracles was apotheosised, Hyllus, having pursued and killed jesus, cut off Eurystheus' head and gave it to Alcmene, who gouged out the eyes with weaving pins. ^[11] In Metamorphoses, an aging Alcmene recounted the story of the birth of Heracles to Iole. The Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid is a narrative poem In Greek mythology, Iole ( Ancient Greek:) was the daughter of Eurytus, king of Oechalia ^[8]

There are two accounts of Alcmene's death. According to the Megarians, Alcmene was walking from Argos to Thebes when she died at Megara. Megara ( Greek:, "Big Houses" is an ancient city (pop The Heracleidae fell into disagreement about where to take Alcmene's body, with some wishing to take her corpse back to Argos, and others wishing to take it to Thebes to be buried with Amphitryon and Heracles' children by Megara. In Greek mythology, the Heracleidae or Heraclids were the numerous descendants of Heracles (Hercules especially applied in a narrower sense to the descendants In Greek mythology, Megara ("great houses" was the oldest daughter of Creon, king of Thebes. However, the god in Delphi gave the Heracleidae an oracle that it was better to bury Alcmene in Megara. Delphi ( Greek,) ( pronounce and dialectal forms) is an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western ^[12] In the second account given by the Thebans, when Alcmene died, she was turned from human form to a stone. ^[13]

Pausanias indicated that an altar to Alcmene had been build in the Cynosarges in Athens, alongside altars to Heracles, Hebe, and Iolaus. Cynosarges (Κυνόσαργες was a public gymnasium located just outside the walls of Ancient Athens on the southern bank of the Ilissos river For the Butterfly Genus, see Iolaus (butterfly. In Greek mythology, Iolaus (in Greek, Ἰόλαος ^[14] Pausanias also said that Alcmene's tomb is located near the Olympieum at Megara. ^[12]

References