Greek Mythological Story of Hebe and Hercules
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Hercules is most known for being one of the most celebrated heroes in Ancient Greek mythology. He was the son of Zeus and his mortal lover, Alcmene. As a result of his parentage, Hera, Zeus’s wife, became jealous and seemed to have taken it out on Hercules. Despite that, Hercules seemed to thrive. One of his most famous tales is how he completed the Twelve Labors, but he was also associated with other stories. The tale of how he got together with his wife, Hebe, is worth telling even if it isn’t as popular. Here’s a look at a Greek mythological story of Hebe and Hercules:
Information About Hebe
Hebe was the Greek goddess of youth and there were several versions of the tale of how she was born. In one version of her story, she was the legitimate child of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Hera, the queen of the gods. In another version of her story, her mother, Hera, simply became pregnant with her while she was eating some lettuce leaves while she was having dinner with Apollo, a fellow Olympian. As she grew older, she became the “Cupbearer of the Gods”, which essentially means that she was responsible for serving the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus their drinks, particularly the nectar that they so loved. She also assisted Hera with various tasks, such as helping her onto her chariot.
Hercules Becomes Immortal
Because Hercules had a mortal mother, he wasn’t initially immortal. As a demigod, he did have certain powers and was particularly known for his strength. He was granted immortality at a special ceremony on Mount Olympus. However, there are conflicting accounts as to how he earned this immortality in the first place. Some indicated that he earned it through his heroic deeds and other accounts track it to a specific incident. Either way, the stories do agree that he was given immortality later on in life and that Hera, his longtime nemesis, wasn’t pleased.
Hebe and Hercules Get Married
Accounts of Hercules and Hebe show that the pair got married after he was given immortality. This marriage further displeased Hera because it took her daughter, Hebe, away from Mount Olympus and into the arms of a man that she detested. Not only that, but Hebe did a lot to assist Hera and because Hebe wasn’t around, she could no longer be there for Hera. To make matters worse for Hera, when Hercules and Hebe were married, Hercules was given the gift of eternal youth, which further sparked Hera’s contempt.
Despite the fact that Hera wasn’t pleased when the pair got together, Hebe and Hercules had a great marriage and the two had children together. Once Hebe left Mount Olympus, Zeus found someone else, the beautiful youth Gandymede, to be the Cupbearer of the Gods. Hebe went from being treated like a servant on Mount Olympus to being in a happy marriage with one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology.
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Categorized in: Greek Mythology
This post was written by Greek Boston
