Civilization and duality in the Heracles myth

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of History to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

This thesis will discuss the character of the mythic hero Heracles within various, primarily Greek, texts between the Iliad (eighth or seventh century BCE) and the Bibliotheca (first or second century CE). Heracles is commonly depicted in these texts in two ways. First, as a civilizer, his action benefitting humanity and the gods by defeating dangerous creatures and people; and second as a brutish and uncivilized individual who frequently breaks social taboos, commits violent and impious acts. The thesis will argue not only this dichotomy in the depiction of Heracles, but also that these two sides to Heracles’ persona are strongly related to one another, as it is Heracles’ uncivilized nature that makes him so successful in fighting the uncivilized. To argue this case, the thesis will be structured into four chapters, each one addressing a common element of Heracles’ myth and discussing how it contributes to his persona as an uncivilized civilizer. The first chapter will address Heracles’ early life, including his conception, birth and youth. This chapter will deal with Heracles’ relation to the civilized and will show what a destructive force Heracles can be in a civilized setting. The second chapter will discuss Heracles’ practice of archery and how it represents his status as a social outcast. The third chapter will continue this theme, discussing Heracles’ empathetic connection to the animals that he fights, and is particularly focused around the Nemean Lion whose skin he wears as a cloak. The fourth and final chapter will discuss Heracles’ death and his apotheosis. Here it will be argued that Heracles’ death represents his ultimate redemption, in so far as his persona is divided between his uncivilized self, who appears as a ghost in Hades, and his civilizer self, who is rewarded with immortality and divinity on Olympus.