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Hercules and Sampson: A Comparison

lent to Samson the Danite (Graves, White 126), he makes the point that the word Hercules has many different meanings and that the figure of Hercules is "a composite deity consisting of a great many oracular heroes of different nations at different stages of religious development; some of whom became real gods while some remained heroes" (Graves 124). This helps explain why at his death Hercules becomes a god but Samson does not, or alternatively, how a Hercules figure could be represented in the Hebrew Bible and monotheistic Hebrew tradition.

The fact that Hercules is represented in conjunction with the sun (Graves 126) connects him as well with the 12 signs of the zodiac, expressed as Hercules's leadership of 12 chieftains "pledged to respect his authority" (126) and in the 12 labors. In the Samson story, this idea finds expression in Samson's status as a Judge of the twelve tribes of Israel, and in an ironic sense, in the fact that when Samson is blinded by the Philistines (Judges 16:21) he receives no benefit of the light of the sun. Graves (140) refers to "the blinded Sun-hero Samson when he was harnessed to the corn-mill of Gaza.

Strong religious content informs the Heracles and Samson stories, the former coming out of the polytheistic tradition that flourished in the West until the transition into the so-called Common Era, and the latter coming out of the monotheistic tradition of Judeo-Christian culture that supplanted it. It could be said that both Samson and Hercules, who begin life as demigods, failed to behave in a manner befitting godhead. Both grew into a higher status. Hercules (son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmena) became a god after death, and Samson (unable to become a god in the monotheistic culture of Israel) reached moral stature completely consistent with the stature of his great physical strength. This happens in contexts that are distinct in culture and ethos in ways not unrelated to the respective theo...

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Hercules and Sampson: A Comparison. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 15:28, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1709597.html