Death of one of the most famous heroes of Ancient Greek myths – Heracles, is an example of cruelty of customs of Ancient Greece. At the same time at myths about Heracles there is also a peculiar justice, let and other than habitual representations.
Myths about Heracles
As well as many other heroes of Hellas, Heracles was a son of god Zeus and the woman Alkmena. To achieve Alkmena, Zeus accepted shape of her husband. Zeus's spouse Hera took a promise from the husband that the one who will be born in certain time will become the great tsar. To be born in the appointed hour Heracles had to, Hera interfered with process therefore Heracles's cousin by the name of Eurystheus was born earlier. Nevertheless Zeus agreed with Hera that Heracles will not submit to the cousin eternally, and will execute only twelve of his instructions. These acts also became the well-known 12 The Labours of Hercules subsequently.
Ancient Greek myths attribute to Heracles a set of acts: from a campaign with Argonauts before construction of the city of Gitiona together with god Apollo.
Hera could not forgive to Zeus of treason, however it broke the anger on Heracles. For example, it sent on it madness, and Heracles in an attack killed the children born by the daughter of the tsar of Thebes Megara. The prophetess from Apollo's temple in Delphi said that for atonement of the awful act Heracles has to execute orders of Eurystheus who envied Heracles's strength and thought out very difficult tests.
Painful death of the hero
In twelve years Heracles coped with all tasks of the cousin, having received freedom. Further life of the hero was full too of feats which maintenance and quantity depends on authors of concrete myths as there is a lot of monuments of Ancient Greek mythology. Most of authors agrees that, having gained a victory over river god Akheloyem, Heracles achieved Deyanira's hand – Dionysus's daughters. Once Deyanira was kidnapped by Ness's centaur delighted with her beauty. Ness transported travelers across the rough river on the back and when Heracles with Deyanira approached the river, the hero put the wife on a centaur, and itself went by swimming. Ness tried to disappear with Deyanira on a back, but Heracles wounded him the arrow poisoned with the strongest poison in the world – bile of a lerneysky hydra which killed during performance of the second order of Eurystheus. Ness, dying, Deyanire advised to collect his blood, having lain that it can be used as a love potion.
Earlier the arrow poisoned with hydra bile, Heracles mortally wounded the teacher and the friend of a centaur Chiron.
After a while Deyanira learned that Heracles wants to take one of the captives in the wife. Having impregnated with blood Nessa a raincoat, she sent it as a gift to the husband to return his love. As soon as Heracles put on a raincoat, poison got into his body, having caused terrible tortures. To get rid of sufferings, Heracles uproots trees, putting from them a huge fire, and lays down on firewood. On a legend, the best friend of the hero of Filoktet agreed to set fire to a funeral fire for what Heracles promised it the onions and the poisoned arrows. It is considered that Heracles died at the age of fifty years, after death it was accepted in number of immortal and it is uplifted on Olympe where, at last, reconciled with Hera and even married her daughter.