Heracles as a Quest Hero

Abstract

It is worth asking in the first instance what we mean by tasks and quests. When that is done, Heracles can be regarded as an untypical and unusual quest-hero, on a grander scale than any other Greek example; but this is unlikely to do justice to his true function. He is just too complex, and too many details of his legend are still unexplained. Useful comparisons can be drawn with aspects of the Argonautic legend; the Allegory of Prodicus and other philosophical developments point to a different stratum again. Comparisons with the Sumerian Ninurta-legend are a frustrating reminder that we are very far from establishing the early history of this multifaceted hero.