The Heroes Behind the Hero

     

                            
                                                              photo made with Canva

    Every hero was once a child, fragile and weak, subjected to the mercy of their guardians, who are also their first heroes. Even the mighty Hercules, whose strength is incomparable to any god or mortal, was once a newborn, defenseless of the ill intentions of Hades, the god of the underworld, who devised an evil plan to slay him but ultimately failed. Despite the tribulation that led to Hercules losing most of his godly powers, he chose to rise and redeem himself as one of the Olympian gods. This, of course, would not have been possible without the guidance of his life mentors: Zeus, Philoctetes, and Amphitryon and Alcmene. 

                     Aurora, P. (n.d.). Hercules 1997. https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/258534834843905198/                        

    Right from the very first step in Hercules’ journey towards heroism, he sought after Zeus’s mentorship. In solitary, Hercules climbed to his mighty father’s temple and called out to him for help in restoring his true form as a god and returning home to Olympus. Zeus presented Hercules’ quest that will enable him to achieve these, the one pursuit being for him to prove himself as a true hero. Still, even though Zeus was the father of Olympus himself and every god and mortal bowed to him, he did not intervene with Hercules’ journey towards heroism. Instead, he exercised his mentorship through his fatherly pieces of advice and support. These, of course, fueled the desire and drive in Hercules to arrive at his goals and prove himself a true hero. 

                                                                                    

  MORIA. (n.d.). Hercules (1997). https://www.moriareviews.com/fantasy/hercules-1997.htm 

    Yet, without the mentorship of the old, grouchy satyr named Philoctetes, Hercules would never have become the great Hercules who possesses unrivaled strength. Philoctetes, though reluctant at first, intensely trained Hercules and helped him grow from a scrawny teenager to a muscular young man with great fighting skills. Without the help of this particular mentor, Hercules would not have had a chance with the battles laid out in his future by the god of death Hades. Still, Philoctetes’ aid went beyond training Hercules. He extended his valuable pieces of advice, which saved Hercules many times from misfortune, and set Hercules’ mind towards achieving his quest of becoming a true hero. Without a doubt, the teacher-pupil relationship of these two defined the future of Hercules’s future as a true hero.

 Chronique Disney. (2020). Amphitryon. https://www.chroniquedisney.fr/perso/1997-amphitryon.htm

 

    Still, beyond the supernatural beings, there is always a spot in Hercules’ garden of gratitude for his childhood mentors—his mortal father and mother, Amphitryon and Alcmene. Other than being responsible for his chance of living a happy and loving childhood, the two mortal parents were also his first life mentors. They contributed to Hercules’s courageous, kind, and well-rounded characteristics and outlook in life. They served as the first parents that Hercules had ever known. The unconditional love and wisdom they shared helped shape Hercules into the hero that he needed to be. 

 

           Without the mentors and advisors, Hercules could have been a strong demi-god, but not a true hero. Zeus, Philoctetes, and Amphitryon and Alcmene are the heroes behind the hero of Hercules’ story. This proves that no matter how great a mortal or a Greek hero may be, there are always characters behind them that enabled them to become who they need to be. Hence, a hero will always have more heroes standing proudly behind them. To them, we should all be grateful.