The Original of This Story Was Not Suitable for Modern Kids or Audiences
The Hera of Disney’s Hercules doted upon her son the famous Greek hero. By contrast, the original Hera of ancient Greek mythology could not stand Hercules. She tried to murder him before he was even born. In ancient Greek mythology, Hera grew livid when she learned that Zeus had impregnated Alcmene. So the chief Olympian’s wife forced Ilithya, the goddess of childbirth, to keep Hercules trapped in his mother’s womb. That plan was eventually foiled when a servant surprised Ilithya, and got her to lose her concentration long enough for Hercules to get born. Hera did not give up, however. A few months later, when Hercules was still a baby, she sent giant snakes to kill him. However, the supernaturally strong Hercules grabbed one in each hand and strangled them to death.
Throughout the life of Hercules, Hera continued to do all she could to harm him. At some point, she inflicted upon him a divine fit of madness, and in the grip of insanity, a raving Hercules grabbed a bow and killed his wife and children. When he regained his sanity and realized what he had done, Hercules fled to the Oracle of Delphi, to find out what he could do to wash away his sin. Unfortunately, Hera controlled the Oracle. She got it to saddle Hercules with a series of seemingly impossible tasks as a condition for cleansing him – what became the Twelve Labors of Hercules. In short, if Disney’s Hercules had adhered to ancient Greek mythology, Hera would not be a kind mother full of love, but the villain of the story.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Ambrose, Tom – The Nature of Despotism: From Caligula to Mugabe, the Making of Tyrants (2008)
Ancient Origins – The Search for El Dorado, the Lost City of Gold
Archaeology Archive, September 23rd, 1998 – King Arthur Was Real?
AV Club – Wikipedia Erected a Page to Explain Ancient Rome’s Fascination With the Phallus
BBC – El Dorado: The Truth Behind the Myth
Bulfinch, Thomas – Bulfinch’s Mythology (1998)
Casual Criminalist – Magdelina Solis: The High Priestess of Blood
Clements, Jonathan – The First Emperor of China (2006)
CrimeZZZ Net – Serial Killers Hernandez, Cayetano; Hernandez, Santos; and Solis, Magdalena
Encyclopedia Britannica – Eldorado, Legendary Country
Encyclopedia Britannica – Herodotus
Encyclopedia Britannica – Samu-ramat
English Heritage – Dragons and Their Origins
Evslin, Bernard – Gods, Demigods and Demons: A Handbook of Greek Mythology (2006)
Fry, Stephen – Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined (2018)
Fry, Stephen – Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece (2019)
Gonick, Larry – The Cartoon History of the Universe, Part II (1994)
Greek Mythology – Hercules: The Life of the Greek Hero
Hemming, John – The Search for El Dorado (1978)
Heritage Daily – The Origins of Dragon Mythology
Historic UK – Cottingly Fairies
History Collection – The Real Legend of Hua Mulan
Jones, David E. – An Instinct for Dragons (2000)
Lawrence Today Magazine, Fall, 2004 – European Travel Writings and the Patagonian Giants
Live Science – Dragons: A Brief History of the Mythical, Fire-Breathing Beasts
Messy Nessy Chic – When the Phallus Was Fashion
Museum of Hoaxes – Cottingley Fairies
Museum of Hoaxes – Patagonian Giants
National Geographic – El Dorado
Smithsonian Magazine, January 23rd, 2012 – Where Did Dragons Come From?
Snyder, Christopher A. – Age of Tyrants: Britain and the Britons, AD 400-600 (2010)
Telegraph, The, July 11th, 2010 – Historians Locate King Arthur’s Round Table