Heracles or Hercules is a mythical hero from Hellenistic Greek and Roman mythology. A spiritual depiction of him appears in the attraction Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland.
Origins[]
Mythical Figure[]
Heracles (or Hercules in Roman) is the half-human/half-god son of Zeus and of the mortal Alcmene who was a descendant of the legendary hero Perseus, slayer of Medusa. Due to having been born from an extra-marital affair, the baby was despised by Zeus' wife Hera which lead to Alcmene naming him Heracles (The Pride of Hera) as a means of appeasing her. This did lead to Hera taking pity on the child and trying to breast-feed him, only for Heracles to bite at her chest which lead to Hera being obsessed with destroying the demigod.
Due to his godly heritage and/or having drank the milk of the goddess Hera, Heracles had the power of super-strength which allowed him to survive Hera's frequent attempts at assassinating him while also developing great renown as a hero. Eventually Heracles married a woman named Megara only for Hera to possess him and kill Megara on their wedding day before making Heracles believe he was responsible for the crime.
Following this, Heracles sought atonement by performing ten labours for his cousin King Eurysthius over the course of a decade, with the king secretly being in-league with Hera and wanting the demi-god killed. Due to loop-holes, the King exploited ten labours out of Heracles before he was frightened into freeing Heracles from his contract, allowing him to be granted forgiveness for his perceived sins.
After many great adventures, Heracles would die following his killing of the centaur Nessus who tried to kidnap his wife Deianira only to be shot with Heracles' poison-dipped arrows. With his dying breath Nessus tricked Deianira by telling her that his blood could be used as a love-potion if she ever feared Heracles lost interest in her, not telling her it was laced with the hero's own poison. This lead to Deianira coating Heracles' shirt in the blood and giving it to him, causing him to feel as-if he was burning to death.
In a final act of might, Heracles tore town trees with his bare hands and lit a funeral pyre which he burned himself alive in. After this he was granted immortality and became one of the Olympian gods.
Notable Disney Appearances[]
- Hercules (1997): Hercules appears as the protagonist of this 1997 Disney animated musical in-which his story is made more in-line with that of DC comics' Superman (who was in-part inspired by the figure of myth). The film revolves around Hercules training to become a hero, fighting the god of the underworld Hades, and falling in-love with Megara.
- This incarnation would also appear in Disney parks and spin-off works.
Appearances[]
Mystic Manor[]
In the Mediterranean Antiquities chamber of Mystic Manor we see that the manor's owner, Lord Henry Mystic has an ancient amphora on display which depicts Heracles fighting the Nemean Lion as the first of his twelve labours.
When Lord Henry's pet monkey Albert opens up the enchanted Balinese Music-Box, the figures within the amphora come to life with Heracles engaging in combat with the Nemean Lion. As guests in their Magneto-Carriages pass by, the figures on the amphora cause the artifact to rock back and forth.
Trivia[]
- The 1997 Disney film Hercules features an homage to the Haunted Mansion in a musical-sequence where the five muses personify themselves as the Singing Busts from the original ride.