Upon her death, varying traditions claimed she was either buried at Megara or was turned into a stone near Thebes. The story of Alcmene and the birth of Hercules was not the only one in which a god used deception to seduce a human woman. It was not the first time Zeus had been involved in the family line, however. In fact, Alcmene was his own great-granddaughter. She was the daughter of Electryon, who had inherited the throne of Mycenae from his own father. Because of both their political power and their connections to the gods the family tree of the ruling family of Tiryns and Mycenae, called the Argive genealogy, was often referenced in Greek legend.
Zeus appeared on several times, as did other gods. In fact, the birth had been prophesied to Io many generations before when she herself was being pursued by Zeus.
Several generations later, one of his descendents returned to Greece to found Tiryns. The family tree of Hercules was not just populated by gods and heroes.
The ruling families of Greece typically intermarried, while junior branches founded new dynasties and colonies, so the Argive genealogy was connected to virtually every major kingdom and city in the known world. This family tree continued to be important long after the Age of Heroes.
Important figures in historical Greece and Rome continued to trace their ancestry back to figures in the Argive genealogy. For rulers, this gave them additional authority and legitimacy. As descendents of gods their power was ordained by birth and less open to scrutiny. The genealogy also formed a basis for the often fleeting partnerships between the various city-states of Greece. Ancient shared ancestry, even legendary, formed bonds between rival kings and their neighbors.
When King Electryon died, legend had it that his throne was claimed by his brother. His nephew Eurystheus was the king who sent Hercules, his cousin, on his famous twelve labors. While Hercules never ruled the lands of Argos, the line of succession continued through him.
His many descendents eventually established dynasties in both Corinth and Sparta. The kings of Greece in the time of Homer and Hesiod traced their ancestry to Hercules and, through him, to Zeus. As the granddaughter of Perseus, she had a strong connection to the heroes and gods of legend. While her husband was away at war, Zeus took his form to trick Alcmene into sleeping with him. Alcmene gave birth to twin sons, one of which was confirmed to be the son of Zeus when he exhibited exceptional strength and courage in infancy.
Alcmene outlived her husband and married into the royal family of Crete. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.
Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Ancient History and Latin Expert. Gill is a Latinist, writer, and teacher of ancient history and Latin. Updated November 27, Key Takeaways: Hercules' Parents Hercules or more properly Heracles was the son of Alcmene, a beautiful and virtuous Theban woman, her husband Amphitryon, and the god Zeus.
Zeus seduced Alcmene by taking the form of her absent husband. Alcmene had twin sons, one credited to Amphitryon Iphicles and one credited to Zeus Hercules. The oldest version of the story was written by the Archaic Greek writer Hesiod in the "Shield of Heracles" in the 6th century BCE, but many others have followed.
Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Gill, N. The 10 Greatest Heroes of Greek Mythology. As part of his sentence, Hercules had to perform twelve Labors, feats so difficult that they seemed impossible. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Architecture Was Hercules mother a human? Ben Davis January 25, Was Hercules mother a human?
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