Cheyenne (Donna Kolody) 1 Cheyenne (Donna Kolody) Dr. Rene Faubion Mythology (ENG 305.

010) 10/10/2012 Parallels between the Death of Hercules and Christ's Last Days Hercules and Christ, both born of human women as a result of a union with a deity, paralleled each other in death, as they did in life. Each came into the world with the threat of destruction looming over their heads; Juno attempted to keep Hercules from being born, engaging the help of Ilithyia (Goddess of childbirth) to block his exit from Alcmena, while Herod sought to destroy the Christ child as an infant (Ovid 303). Directly before their deaths each undertook a pilgrimage to a temple and performed miraculous deeds, drawing the attention of those who possessed the power to destroy them. Hercules deeds "imbued his stepmother Juno with hatred;" Christ's miracles filled the priests and scribes with fear. The words of others, rumors, spread fear that ultimately led to the destruction of the human element of both Christ and Hercules. After Hercules conquered Oechalia, completing the last of his ten labours, as he was about to fulfill his vows at Jupiter's temple on Cape Cenaum, "Rumour whose joy it is to embroider the truth with falsehood" "hurried ahead and reached the ears of Deanira (Ovid, 298). This was the beginning of the end for Hercules. As Juno manipulated, and watched from above, the seeds of jealousy were sown in Deanira. Filled with fear and jealousy Deanira plotted to bind Hercules to her and kill his love for ole by sending the tunic Nessus gave her to excite the love of her husband (Ovid, 298). Ironically the choice she made, and had delivered by her servant Lichas,

Cheyenne (Donna Kolody) 2 became the weapon that destroyed Hercules. Unaware of the poison that permeated the tunic Hercules vested himself in the shirt and began his offerings (Ovid, 299). The poison coursed through Hercules body and as he realized the source of his agony he struggled at once to tear the lethal robe from his shoulders; but where it yielded, it tore at his skin, leaving him with bleeding flesh and exposed bones (Ovid, 299). Tortured by the pain Hercules raged and cried out to Juno for pity, asking her to relieve him of life. As he lay on a pyre awaiting death to claim him Jupiter spoke and announced his intention to reward Hercules with everlasting life in the heavens. Hercules mortal body was consumed by the flames and invested with majesty; Jupiter swept down from the heavens and carried him home to the glittering stars (Ovid, 303). In parallel Christ completed his journey to the temple at the Mount of Olives, where he taught every day. As Jesus traveled he performed miracles that freed his followers from their afflictions comparable to Hercules freeing the people from the Hydra that would rise up and terrorize the countryside (Crane). As he neared the top of the hill the people sang out loudly, and praised God in a loud voice for all the big works they had seen; the praise for Jesus reached the

chief priests, scribes and the leaders of the people who wanted to kill him (New Testament,
Luke 19.47). The devotion the people offered Jesus produced the same effect as the lies Rumour brought to Deaniras ears; fear replaced reason. The priests and scribes captured Christ and went before Pilate with their charges and allegations, they offered no proof and neither Pilate nor Herod could find fault with Christ. An allegation is defined as an assertion made with little or no proof while a rumor is defined as a story or statement without confirmation or certainty. The similarity between

Cheyenne (Donna Kolody) 3 the two definitions is undeniable and in each myth these allegations were the catalyst for the deaths. Analogous to Lichas delivering the poisoned tunic to Hercules was Judas, one of the twelve disciples, who talked things over with the chief priests and captains and told them how he could help them catch Jesus (New Testament, Luke 22.4). The apostles are often referred to as servants of God, in both cases the one who served delivered destruction. After Judas delivered Christ to the priests and scribes he was taken to Pilate and in due course sentenced to die. In the Old Testament, Book of Isaiah Chapter 53.5, it is noted that he was wounded and with his stripes we are healed (21st Century King James Version, Isaiah 53.5). "Stripes" describes the markings received by a beating with rods (Proverbs 10:13) or with leather straps (Exodus 21:25) ("Jesus Heals Me.."). Roman tradition decreed a victim would flogged before crucifixion this involved a whip with several leather thongs, 18-24 inches long, with bits of metal, bone or glass embedded in the leather which resulted in the skin and muscle being torn from the back; Christ most likely was left with bleeding flesh and exposed bones comparable to Hercules ordeal as he attempted to remove the poisoned tunic ("Frames of Reference"). The symbolism of flesh stripped from the earthly forms and revealing the bones, or interior structure, appears in both myths. By destroying the flesh, or human element, of Hercules and Christ each was freed to appear in their divine form and receive the gift of eternal life bestowed upon them by their divine fathers. As Christ hung on the cross tortured by the soldiers and the men who hung beside him, sure of the promise of everlasting life in Gods garden of paradise, he cried out Father, I put my spirit into your hands! and died (New Testament, Luke 23.46). The Death of Hercules contains

Cheyenne (Donna Kolody) 4 corresponding imagery depicting Hercules smiling as if he were gently reclining, crowned with a garland as he calmly awaited his death. The image of the garland on Hercules evokes the image of Christ, as he is generally depicted wearing a crown of thorns while he hangs on the cross. Both Christ and Hercules were willing to put their fate into the hands of the divine and embraced death without fear. Jesus was taken down from the cross and laid to rest in a grave cut in a rock, in parallel to Hercules lying on a pyre awaiting death to take him (New Testament, Luke 23.53). On the third day, as had been prophesied, Christ arose from death and led his disciples out of Jerusalem; as he raised his hands in blessing he was taken up into heaven corresponding to Hercules being taken by Jupiter (New Testament, Luke 24.48). Textual evidence offers striking similarities between the two myths. Symbolism plays a strong role in mythology; in each myth corresponding symbols represent events. While there are differences in the way the symbols characterize the events leading to the deaths I attribute these differences to the conservative nature of Christianity versus the culture of the Greco-Roman empires. In addition to the textual evidence, which appears to provide clear parallels of the lives and deaths of Hercules and Christ, images exist to reinforce this perspective. Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrate Hercules and Christ after their deaths. Approximately 200 years separates their creation. Lemoyne was commissioned to paint The Apotheosis of Hercules in the style of an Italian ceiling painting; which may explain some, but not all, of the similarities between his work and Italian artist Jacopo Tintorettos The Resurrection of Christ.

Cheyenne (Donna Kolody) 5 Figure 1: The Apotheosis of Hercules Taken from http://commons.wikimedia.or g/wiki/File:Fran %C3%A7ois_Lemoyne__The_Apotheosis_of_Hercule s_-_WGA12654.jpg

"The Apotheosis of Hercules" by Francois Lemoyne depicts Hercules arrival in the heavens and his glorification. Billowing white clouds in a golden lit sky provide the bed he lies on. He is surrounded by heavenly creatures with wings that resemble angels, cherubs and what appear to be Gods and Goddesses reclining in the clouds. Hercules lies at top; above him angelic figures remove a cloth or veil, possibly symbolizing the uncovering of his new form. Jupiter appears on the right in his chariot. At the bottom of the painting an angel blows a trumpet, it appears as if he is announcing Hercules arrival.

Figure 2: The Resurrection of Christ by Jacopo Tintoretto Taken from http://www.wikipaintings.org /en/tintoretto/theresurrection-of-christ-

Cheyenne (Donna Kolody) 6 . The Resurrection of Christ by Jacopo Tintoretto depicts Christs ascension into Heaven. He is surrounded by angels and cherubs; the sky is filled with billowing clouds and Jesus glows with a halo of golden light. On a slab below the figure of Jesus ascending there is dark form covered with a cloth, possibly a representation of Christs human form after his death. The figure of the ascending Christ is uncovered, the cloth or veil appears at his side. At the bottom an angel plays what appears to be a pipe-organ in welcome

The two paintings display the same striking similarities as the text. Both images depict Heaven or the heavens as a light filled place with billowing clouds and welcoming figures resembling angels. The paintings are both darker towards the bottom which may symbolically represent the dark events that took place on earth in contrast to the lightness of Heaven or the heavens. The lightest area of each image surrounds the central figure of either Hercules or Christ, symbolically calling attention to their divinity. The slab depicted in The Resurrection of Christ does not have a corresponding image in "The Apotheosis of Hercules;" however the slab visually evokes the image of the pyre Hercules lay on as he died.

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References "Healing Stripes." Jesus Heals Me... N.p., 22 04 2008. Web. Web. 24 Sep. 2012. <http://jesushealsme.blogspot.com/2008/04/healing-stripes.html>. "The Death of Jesus." Frames of Reference. N.p., 1998-2012. Web. Web. 23 Sep. 2012. <http://www.dyeager.org/blog/book/skeptics/death-jesus.html>. 21st Century King James Version. SOON Educational Publications, 1994. Web. <http://www.biblegateway.com/>. Worldwide English (New Testament). SOON Educational Publications, 1996. Web. <http://www.biblegateway.com/>.

Crane, Gregory, ed. "The Lernean Hydra." Hercules Greece's Greatest Hero. Perseus Digital Library, 02 Sep 2008. Web. 23 Sep 2012. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/hydra.html>. Lemoyne, Francois. The Apotheosis of Hercules. 1736. Painting. Wikimedia Commons, Palace of Versailles. Web. 24 Sep 2012. Ovid, . Metamorphoses: A New Verse Translation . Penguin, 2004. eBook. <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XHNMKI/ref=docs-os-doi_0>.

Cheyenne (Donna Kolody) 8 Tintoretto, . The Resurrection of Christ. 1565. Painting. Wikipaintings, San Cassiano, Venice. Web. 24 Sep 2012. <http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/tintoretto/the-resurrection-of-christ1565