It was not Zeus who played the greatest role in his life, however. The entire legend of Hercules, from his birth through the events of his twelve famous labors, was directly shaped by the fact that Zeus was his father. While many inherited some measure of heroism or strength, Hercules was unique in the way his parentage played into his story. Zeus had been the father of many of the most famous names in legend including the great-grandfather of Hercules, Perseus.īut while Hercules was not alone in being the son of the king of the Olympians, this fact had much more of an impact on his life than it did for many of his half-siblings.
In fact, his father was the king of the gods himself – Zeus. Like many of the most renowned heroes of Greek mythology, Hercules was the son of a god.
