The Birth of Heracles
Zeus fathers Heracles with Alcmene, while Hera's hostility begins before the future hero has even been born.
The Story
Alcmene was the wife of Amphitryon and became the mother of Heracles.
Zeus desired her and approached her in the form of Amphitryon while her husband was away.
Alcmene later gave birth to Heracles.
Even before the child's birth, Hera's hostility toward Zeus' son shaped his fate.
A famous tradition tells how Hera delayed Heracles' birth so that another descendant of Perseus, Eurystheus, would be born first and gain the kingship that Zeus had intended for his own son.
Heracles therefore entered life already caught within divine rivalry.
His extraordinary strength soon became apparent.
Later stories describe the infant Heracles defeating serpents sent against him.
The child who survived Hera's hostility would grow into the greatest of the Greek heroes.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
The birth of Heracles establishes Alcmene's central place in the hero's genealogy and explains the hostility between Hera and Heracles.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient traditions vary in details of Zeus' deception, the timing of Heracles' birth and the episode involving the serpents.