More You Should Know about Hercules

More You Should Know about Hercules What You Should Know About Hercules | More You Should Know About Hercules | 12 Labors Hercules (Greek: Heracles/Herakles) Basics: Hercules was Apollo and Dionysus half-brother through their father Zeus. Disguised as Amphitryon, Zeus paid a conjugal visit to Amphitryons wife, Hercules mother, the Mycenaean princess Alcmene. Hercules and his twin, mortal, half-brother Iphicles, son of Alcmene and the real Amphitryon, were in their cradle when a pair of snakes visited them. Hercules happily strangled the snakes, possibly sent by Hera or Amphitryon. This inaugurated an extraordinary career that included the well-known 12 labors Hercules performed for his cousin Eurystheus. Here are more of Hercules feats with which you should be familiar. Education Hercules was talented in many areas. Castor of the Dioscuri taught him to fence, Autolycus taught him to wrestle, King Eurytus of Oechalia in Thessaly taught him archery, and Orpheus brother Linus, son of Apollo or Urania, taught him to play the lyre. [Apollodorus.] Cadmus is usually attributed with introducing letters into Greece, but Linus taught Hercules, and the not very academically inclined Hercules broke a chair over Linus head and killed him. Elsewhere, Cadmus is credited with killing Linus for the honor of introducing writing to Greece. [Source: Kerenyi, Heroes of the Greeks] Hercules and the Daughters of Thespius King Thespius had 50 daughters and wanted Hercules to impregnate them all. Hercules, who went hunting with King Thespius each day, was unaware that each nights woman was different (although he may not have cared), and so he impregnated 49 or 50 of them. The women gave birth to 51 sons who are said to have colonized Sardinia. Hercules and the Minyans or How He Acquired His First Wife The Minyans were exacting a heavy tribute from Thebes the usually cited birthplace of the hero while it was ruled by King Creon. Hercules encountered the Minyan ambassadors en route to Thebes and cut off their ears and noses, made them wear their bits as necklaces, and sent them back home. The Minyans sent retaliatory a military force, but Hercules defeated it and freed Thebes from the tribute. Creon rewarded him with his daughter, Megara, for his wife. The Augean Stables Reprised, With Dishonor King Augeas had refused to pay Hercules for cleaning his stables during the 12 Labors, so Hercules led a force against Augeas and his twin nephews. Hercules contracted a disease and asked for a truce, but the twins knew it was too good an opportunity to miss. They continued to try to annihilate Hercules forces. When the Isthmian Games were about to begin, the twins set out for them, but by this time, Hercules was on the mend. After dishonorably attacking and killing them, Hercules went to Elis where he installed Augeas son, Phyleus, on the throne in place of his treacherous father. More Hercules Dishonor Madness Euripides tragedy Hercules Furens is one of the sources for the madness of Hercules. The story, like most of those involving Hercules, has confusing and contradictory details, but in essence, Hercules, returning from the Underworld in some confusion, mistook his own sons, ones he had with Creons daughter Megara, for those of Eurystheus. Hercules killed them and would have continued his murderous rampage had Athena not lifted the (Hera-sent) madness or ate. Many consider the 12 Labors Hercules performed for Eurystheus his atonement. Hercules may have married Megara to his nephew Iolaus before leaving Thebes forever. Hercules Fight With Apollo Iphitus was the son of Apollos grandson Eurytus, who was the father of the beautiful Iole. In Book 21 of the Odyssey, Odysseus obtains the bow of Apollo when he helps in the hunt for Eurytus mares. Another part of the story is that when Iphitus came to Hercules looking for the missing dozen mares, Hercules welcomed him as a guest, but then hurled him to his death from a tower. This was another dishonorable murder for which Hercules needed to atone. The provocation may have been that Eurytus denied him the prize of his daughter, Iole, that Hercules had won in a bow-shooting contest. Possibly in search of atonement, Hercules arrived at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, where as a murderer he was denied sanctuary. Hercules took the opportunity to steal the tripod and cauldron of Apollos priestess. Apollo came after him and was joined by his sister, Artemis. On Hercules side, Athena joined the fight. It took Zeus and his thunderbolts to put an end to the fighting, but Hercules still hadnt made atonement for his act of murder. Apollo, Asclepius, and Admetus On a related note, Apollo and Hercules both confronted Laomedon, an early king of Troy who refused to pay either Apollo or Hercules. Hercules and Omphale For atonement, Hercules was to endure a similar term to the one Apollo had served with Admetus. Hermes sold Hercules as a slave to the Lydian queen Omphale. In addition to getting her pregnant and tales of transvestism, the story of the Cercopes and the Black-bottomed Hercules comes from this period. Omphale (or Hermes) also set Hercules to work for a treacherous robber named Syleus. With wanton vandalism, Hercules demolished the thiefs property, killed him, and married his daughter, Xenodike. Hercules Last Mortal Wife Deianeira The final phase of Hercules mortal life involves his wife Deianeira, daughter of Dionysus (or King Oineus) and Althaia. Exchange and the Maiden When Hercules was taking his bride home, the centaur Nessus was to ferry her across the Euenos River. The details are varied, but Hercules shot Nessus with poisoned arrows when he heard the screaming of his bride being ravaged by the centaur. The centaur persuaded Deianeira to fill her water jug with blood from his wound, assuring her it would be a potent love potion when next Hercules eye started to wander. Instead of being a love potion, it was a potent poison. When Deianeira thought Hercules was losing interest, preferring Iole to herself, she sent him a robe drenched in the centaurs blood. As soon as Hercules put it on his skin burned intolerably. Poisoned Clothing Hercules wanted to die  but was having trouble finding someone to set his funeral pyre alight so he could self-immolate. Finally, Philoctetes or his father agreed and received Hercules bow and arrows as a thanks offering. These turned out to be essential weapons required by the Greeks to win the Trojan War. As Hercules burned, he was taken to the gods and goddesses where he gained full immortality and Heras daughter Hebe for his final wife. Philoctetes - The Difficult PatientBulfinch: Hercules - Hebe and GanymedeDeath of Hercules

The best references to give on a job application

The best references to give on a job application Your job references aren’t just warm bodies who can verify that you’re â€Å"the best employee ever, and a totally great fit for [insert job here].† If done thoughtfully, your references can help you create a specific â€Å"hire me because I have these skills† narrative, or support the one you’ve set up in your cover letter, resume, and interview. The groundwork for these references should be done ahead of time, before you even think about applying for a job. That way, they’re ready to go when you need them- and won’t be taken by surprise when someone calls them for a reference. So who should be included on your list of professional references?Your current bossThis is complicated if you’re looking for jobs on the down-low, but if it’s an open concept that you’re leaving your current job and looking for a new one, your current manager is the best bet. He or she knows you as you are right now and can speak to recent accomplishments. Before you offer up your current boss, though, it’s important to know roughly what they’ll say. If there are any concerns or uneasiness about that, then leave them off the list.Your current colleaguesThis can be a great alternative if you don’t want your current boss to know you’re actively seeking another job. A trusted colleague (one who can keep a secret) who works closely with you can be an excellent reference to have, since they know you in a day-to-day professional capacity. Ask him or her to talk about specific projects and what you’re like as a team member.Your former supervisorAn old boss can be useful because they can give the hiring manager a sense of what you’re like as an employee, but the risk here is that their professional information about you may be a little out of date. And as with referring your current boss, it’s important to know roughly what they’re going to say. If you think they might w ant to talk about some of your less-than-stellar moments, then think twice about including them.Your teachers or advisorsThis isn’t all that helpful if you’ve been in the workforce for a while, but if you’re a recent grad or just starting out, professors or advisors can tell the company about your skills and personality.Once you’ve decided who your go-to references are for this job application, be sure to give them a heads-up that they may be contacted. Also give them information about the job itself and what you’re hoping they’ll emphasize in their chat with the new company. There’s only so much you can stage-manage what this person will say, but giving them a template of sorts helps them prepare and find the most useful information to share about you. It takes some of the onus off of them to figure out what they’re supposed to talk about.It’s also important to make sure your references are targeted to the job you want. If you’re applying for a marketing job, your old boss at your summer restaurant job might not be the most useful person to help you get this new gig. The more thought and preparation you put into your reference list, the better and more focused information they’ll be able to provide.