The pillars of Hercules They were a legendary element that has existed since ancient times and that has mythological origin, as is the case with constellations. These columns were the limit of the world known to the Greeks, until a Greek historian known as Herodotus was able to traverse them in the XNUMXth century BC and proved that it was not the end of the world.
In this article we are going to tell you all the history and mythology of the columns of Hercules.
Hercules and the 12 special labors
Heracles is nothing more than a hero from Greek mythology who was not originally called that. His name at the beginning was Alceo or Alcides. He was the son of the God Zeus and Alcmena, a mortal queen. From the birth of a God and a mortal born a demigod who is known as Heracles.
When it reaches maturity and adulthood it was when its name was changed since it was known in Greece and it was in homage to the goddess Hera. It is already in his passage in the mythology of Rome when he begins to name Hercules. This name became much more popular and is why it is mostly known today.
Hercules had to perform some special tasks because he had tremendous strength. There are various versions from the point of view of those most knowledgeable about mythology. According to some versions, Hercules went mad for some unspecified reason and killed his children. When he regained his senses, he went to the Oracle of Delphi to seek forgiveness, and the Oracle demanded that he put himself at the service of King Tiryns to be able to purge his crime. King Tiryns was Eurystheus and he was in charge of sending Hercules to do jobs that no other human could do.
There is another, much shorter version of the story that states that Hercules was Eurystheus's slave from birth. It is said that the labors that no human could perform were performed in order to achieve his freedom. The reasons Hercules was Eurystheus's slave were due to certain entanglements between the gods and humans.
Alcmena, the Mother of Hercules, came from the line of Perseus. Hera, who was the sister and wife of Zeus, was jealous of Alcmene. To take revenge on her, he brought forward the birth of the wife of King Sthenelus, son of Perseus, so that her son, Eurystheus, was born before Heracles. This is the reason why he became her servant, according to this branch of mythology.
Origin of the columns of Hercules
Now that we've got some context, let's analyze the origins of the Pillars of Hercules. Eurystheus had no intention of freeing Hercules, as he wanted him to continue performing those tasks that no human could do. He entrusted him with tasks considered impossible and sent him to increasingly distant places. Eurystheus's main objective was to that Hercules' journey will be complicated enough that he will die trying and will never return.
His tenth job was to search for Geryon's cattle. During this trip he was able to reach the western confines of the entire world at that time known as the end of the world. It was located on the island of Eritrea, a place where Hercules had to face the famous two-headed dog related to Cerberus, the guardian of the underworld. He also faced the Hydra, who looked after the oxen.
One confrontation he had was that of Gerión himself, this being the grandson of the legendary Medusa. According to legend, he had only two legs, but waist up it had 3 trunks, 6 arms and 3 heads. Throughout this work that Hercules had to carry out is where the columns of Hercules originate.
There are several versions about it. According to the first version, Hercules placed two columns that frame the point of his crossing to the island of Eritrea, as a reminder of his feat for his great work. These two columns were placed by Hercules himself. There is another more exaggerated version in which he says that Hercules manually separated the two mountains that were linked together. These mountains were Abila and Calpe and it could give them the entrance to the sea that flooded all the new space created.
Where are the columns of Hercules
Many people who are fond of mythology ask where the Pillars of Hercules are. At that time it was the edge of the known world during the development of ancient Greek cultureSince it is part of mythology, its exact geographical position is subject to various interpretations. One of the most accurate interpretations is that it is located in the Mediterranean basin.
The Greek name for the columns of Hercules was Stelae of Heracles and was changed by the Romans to the columns of Hercules. The North Column which is almost certainly identified as the Rock of Gibraltar. The southern column could be both Mount Hacho, located in Ceuta, and Mount Musa, located in Morocco.
Let's take a closer look at the Rock of Gibraltar, considered the northern column.. It is a limestone massif that comes from the Jurassic period. It covers an area of approximately 6 square kilometers and has nearly vertical walls. These walls can be seen jutting into the sea, separating the Mediterranean from the Atlantic Ocean. This allows Africa and Europe to be almost in contact. This entire region extends from the Iberian Massif to the southern edge of the Atlas Mountains and from the Atlantic coast of Portugal and Morocco to Tunisia. It is affected by the contact zone of the Eurasian and African plates between the Azores and Tunisia.
This entire site has a geological complexity that is manifested thanks to the dextral transient faults.
As you can see in geology there are also mythological stories. I hope that with this information you can learn more about the columns of Hercules.