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Origins of Heracles/Hercules

Heracles is one of many myths from Greek and Roman times that were first told orally and passed down through generations until it was written on stone, clay or paper (Saxby 1989: 6). For this reason there is no evidence of one true story of Heracles.

Through time, traditional and modern day tellers of this epic adventure have selected, omitted and altered events and characters this has lead to the many recreated versions that we experience today.

Selected Texts

This website discusses three different versions of Heracles. The texts were selected as they are a representation of the various ways that Heracles and his story have been portrayed. Saxby’s telling relies heavily on the Greek and Roman versions, which caters for an adult audience while Williams’ comical depiction still relies heavily on these versions though it caters for a younger audience. The Disney adaptation, Hercules, borrows largely from a range of sources (both mythology and pop culture) to give a child friendly account of the Heracles story, perhaps so much so that this could be a story about any Greek or Roman hero.

Created by Sandie Penn and Natalie Shearer

History of Children’s Literature 2006

La Trobe University

Bendigo