Comparing Greek and Roman gods and heroes

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Hera was hostile because Heracles was the son of her husband Zeus by another woman, the mortal Alcmene, so he was a living reminder of Zeus' unfaithfulness. She made his life harder by sending a madness on him so that he killed his own wife and children, which led to his having to serve King Eurystheus and perform the labours.

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In Source A Pausanias describes Zeus sitting on a throne with a sceptre topped by an eagle. The throne and sceptre are royal symbols, showing that he rules as king over gods and men, and the eagle, the king of birds, was his sacred bird. He also holds a Victory in his right hand, which suggests he is the god who gives victory - fitting for Olympia, where athletes competed in his honour. The statue is made of gold and ivory, with a golden robe and sandals, so its splendour expresses divine glory and the awe of his worshippers.

Source B shows the Roman Jupiter in the same way, seated on a throne holding a sceptre, with an eagle at his feet, so the Romans used the same symbols of kingship. In addition he holds a thunderbolt, his weapon, which shows his control of the sky and his power to punish wrongdoers. His bare, muscular chest and bearded face suggest both strength and mature wisdom. The calm, seated pose in both sources shows a ruler whose power is so great that he does not need to move.

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Source A uses a simile to show Hercules' transformation into a god: just as a snake sheds its old skin and shines with fresh scales, Hercules 'put off his mortal body' and 'grew strong in his better part'. The fire has burned away only what was mortal, leaving the divine part he inherited from Jupiter, and he becomes 'awe-inspiring with majestic dignity'. His reward comes from his father himself: 'the almighty father' carries him up in a four-horse chariot and sets him 'among the shining stars', showing that his labours have earned him immortality. For Roman readers this also recalled the deification of Julius Caesar.

Source B shows the same reward in Greek terms. Athena, who had helped Heracles throughout his labours, now holds the reins of a chariot to take him up to Olympus, so his patron goddess personally escorts him to his reward. The other gods standing around, such as Apollo with his lyre and Hermes with his hat and winged boots, show that he is welcomed and accepted as one of the Olympians. In both sources a divine chariot carries the hero from earth to the gods.

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In both Greek and Roman myth the gods certainly gave heroes great help. On the metopes of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Athena appears again and again beside Heracles: she watches with Hermes as the exhausted young hero rests his foot on the Nemean Lion, she receives the Stymphalian birds, she lightly supports the sky while Atlas fetches the apples, and she directs him with her spear as he clears the Augean Stables. On Athenian vases she drives him in a chariot to Olympus. The Homeric Hymn ends with Heracles living happily on Olympus with Hebe, and Ovid's Jupiter reassures the anxious gods that Hercules' divine part cannot be burned, then carries him in a chariot to the stars. Roman myth shows similar help: in the Aeneid Venus persuades her husband Vulcan to make divine armour for her son Aeneas.

However, the gods also caused heroes enormous harm. Hera was Heracles' bitterest enemy because he was the son of Zeus by Alcmene. She sent snakes to his cradle, arranged that Eurystheus would be born first and become his master, and sent the madness in which Heracles killed his wife and children - the reason for the labours. Ovid makes this hostility vivid: the dying Hercules shouts at Juno, 'Feast, daughter of Saturn, on my disasters!' and complains that 'the cruel wife of Jupiter is tired of giving orders'. In Virgil's Aeneid, Juno's anger pursues Aeneas and the Trojans across the sea for years. In Ovid's story of Orpheus, the rulers of the underworld grant his request but set a condition that leads to Eurydice's second death.

When we weigh these, it is clear that hostile gods often drive the story: without Hera there would be no labours, and without Juno no wanderings of Aeneas. The harm is long and terrible. Yet the help is often decisive at key moments, and it usually brings the final outcome. Athena enables Heracles to complete the labours that Hera imposed; Zeus gives him immortality and even the hand of Hera's own daughter, Hebe; and in the Aeneid, Venus and Jupiter ensure that Rome will be founded despite Juno.

It is also important that the gods act for their own reasons. Hera harms Heracles out of jealousy of Zeus, Athena helps him partly out of loyalty to her father, and Venus helps Aeneas because he is her son and because Rome's destiny depends on him. Heroes are caught up in the gods' own quarrels, which suggests that Greeks and Romans saw divine favour as powerful but unpredictable. There is little difference between Greece and Rome here, because the Roman poets drew on the Greek myths; but the Roman sources tie divine help more closely to the destiny of Rome.

In conclusion, I agree with the statement to a large extent. The gods harmed heroes terribly, especially Hera and Juno, but their help was usually decisive and their final reward - immortality for Heracles, success for Aeneas - outweighed the suffering. The harm often even became the opportunity for the hero's greatest glory.