Hercules: Encyclopedia II - Hercules - Origin of the legend

Hercules - Origin of the legend

The cult of Hercules may have been the first foreign one to be adopted in Rome; his most important shrine, the Ara Maxima, was in the original Palatine settlement. He became popular with merchants, who customarily paid him a tithe of their profits.

Hercules is said to have founded an altar where the Forum Boarium, the cattle market, was later held. One possible origin for the myth of the Cattle of Geryon, one of The Twelve Labours of Herakles, has been attributed to an older Milky Way myth which associates the Milky Way constellation with a herd of dairy cattle, where each cow is represented by a star.

A mosaic discovered in the ruins of Pompeii vividly depicts Hercules as a black man ([1], [2]).

There is also an ancient tradition of killing a lion to earn entry into manhood among the Maasai, who are further known for their deeply-rooted tradition of cattle-grazing. But no firm connection between the Maasai and the legend of Hercules has ever been established.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Origin of the legend", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki