The constellation Hercules

The constellation Hercules

Hercules is a constellation of the northern hemisphere. Its brightest star is β Herculis, historically known as Kornephoros (club bearer). In antiquity the constellation was called Engonasin, “the kneeling one”; only later was it seen as Heracles. The Arabic name of α Herculis, Ras Algethi (“head of the kneeling one”), still recalls this. The star ι Herculis forms his left foot, which stands triumphantly on the head of Draco. Here lies M 13, the most beautiful globular cluster of the northern sky. It is about 25,000 light years away, consists of about 300,000 stars and can already be seen as a misty patch with binoculars, in the first third of the line from η to ζ Herculis.

Mythology

Hercules was an illegitimate son of Zeus and Alcmene, the most beautiful and most intelligent woman on Earth. Zeus's deceived wife Hera wanted to get rid of him out of jealousy, his cousin King Eurystheus out of fear for his throne. When Hercules, as a grown man, refused to serve Eurystheus, Hera drove him mad, and he killed his wife and his three children. To obtain forgiveness, he followed the advice of the oracle of Delphi and reluctantly served King Eurystheus for twelve years.

Eurystheus gave him twelve tasks that were meant to kill him: (1) killing the Nemean lion (constellation Leo); (2) killing the nine-headed Hydra (constellation Hydra) and its ally, the crab (constellation Cancer); (3) capturing the Ceryneian hind and (4) the Erymanthian boar; (5) cleaning out the cattle stables of Augeas; (6) driving away the Stymphalian birds; (7) capturing the Cretan bull; (8) taming the man-eating horses of Diomedes; (9) fetching the belt of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons; (10) stealing the cattle of the giant Geryon; (11) picking the golden apples of the Hesperides, which were guarded by the dragon Ladon (constellation Draco); (12) bringing up Cerberus, the hound of the underworld. On his way to the eleventh task, he freed Prometheus, whom Zeus had chained to a rock for his betrayal of the gods, where an eagle (constellation Aquila) ate from his liver. Hercules killed the eagle with a poisoned arrow (constellation Sagitta). Released from service, he married Deianira. When the centaur Nessus tried to assault her, Hercules killed him too with a poisoned arrow. As he was dying, Nessus gave Deianira some of his blood, claiming it was a love charm. When she later suspected Hercules of being unfaithful, she accidentally poisoned him with it.