Hercules

Hercules

Hercules, Heracles. Images of the Graeco-Roman hero become divinity survive in two modes in Celtic Europe. In many instances he is simply borrowed from Mediterranean iconography: bearded, muscular, wielding a mighty club. Elsewhere the colonized natives appear to have adapted him through interpretatio celtica (see GAUL) to suit their own religious needs. At Aix-les-Bains in southern Gaul the local god Borvo was venerated with bronze statuettes, apparently testifying to his power to combat illnesses. Names of several local Celtic deities, notably Segomo, are linked as epithets to Hercules. The figure of Smertrius, sometimes seen as an aspect of Mars, resembles Hercules. In a widely cited story from the Greek writer Lucian of Samosata (2nd cent. AD), Hercules is equated with a Gaulish god known only in this text, Ogmios. While travelling in southern Gaul, near the modern city of Marseille, Lucian encountered a drawing of a bald, ageing man pulling a band of smiling men attached to him by chains from their ears to his tongue. This was Ogmios, god of eloquence, he was told, identified with Hercules because of his great strength, supported visually with a distinctive bow and club. Many modern commentators see echoes of Hercules in the club-carrying Cerne Abbas giant, and there may be an echo of Hercules' name in the person of Ercol, who is dragged behind Cúchulainn's chariot in Fled Bricrenn [Briccriu's Feast]. Cúchulainn himself has been called the ‘Celtic Hercules’ since the mid-19th century, not only because of his prowess and strength but also because his taskmaster, Forgall Manach, bears some resemblance to the role of Eurystheus in the story of Hercules/ Heracles.

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JAMES MacKILLOP. "Hercules." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAMES MacKILLOP. "Hercules." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Hercules.html

JAMES MacKILLOP. "Hercules." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Hercules.html

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Hercules

Hercules ♂ Latin form of the name of the Greek mythological hero Hēraklēs, whose name means ‘glory of Hera’. He was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, by Alcmene, a mortal woman. In many versions of the legend, despite the meaning of the name, Hera, chief goddess in the Greek pantheon and wife of Zeus, is portrayed as the implacable enemy of Hercules, the child of her unfaithful husband. Hercules was noted for his exceptional physical strength; according to the myth, he was set a daunting series of twelve labours, and after successfully completing them he was made a god. The name has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world, under European influence. In the Highlands of Scotland it has been used as an Anglicized form of the rare Gaelic name Athairne.

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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Hercules." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Hercules." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Hercules.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Hercules." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Hercules.html

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Hercules

Hercules
1. C-130 a medium-range troop and cargo transport aircraft. It is designed for air-drop or air-land delivery into a combat zone as well as for conventional airlift. It has four turboprop engines and an integral ramp and cargo door. The D model is equipped with skis. The E model has an increased fuel capacity for extended range. The inflight tankers are designated as KC-130 and HC-130 (also used for aerial rescue missions). The gunship version is designated as AC-130.

2. M-88A1 a full-tracked armored medium recovery vehicle used to undertake rescue and recovery missions, including towing, hoisting, and winching, on the battlefield. Also called MRV. See also Combat Talon; recovery vehicle, medium.

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"Hercules." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Hercules

Hercules , in astronomy, northern constellation located between Lyra and Corona Borealis. It is traditionally depicted as the hero Hercules in a kneeling position. There are no very bright stars in Hercules and only three of third magnitude, the brightest of which, Ras Algethi (Alpha Herculis), is a red giant and possibly the largest visible star in the sky. The constellation contains the globular star cluster M13, barely visible to the naked eye but spectacular even in a small telescope. Hercules reaches its highest point in the evening sky in late July.

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"Hercules." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Hercules." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Hercules-ast.html

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Hercules

Hercules (abbr. Her, gen. Herculis) The fifth-largest constellation, lying in the northern sky, representing the strong man of Greek mythology. Its brightest star is Beta Herculis, magnitude 2.8. Zeta Herculis is a close binary, magnitudes 2.9 and 5.5, with an orbital period of 34.5 years. Alpha Herculis (Rasalgethi) is both a variable star and a double. M13 is a 6th-magnitude globular cluster 25 300 l.y. away, rated as the finest globular in northern skies. M92 is a globular cluster of magnitude 6.5.

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"Hercules." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Hercules." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-Hercules.html

"Hercules." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-Hercules.html

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Hercules

Hercules •Andes •Hades, Mercedes •Archimedes • Thucydides • aphides •Eumenides, ParmenidesMaimonides, Simonides •Euripides • cantharides • Hesperides •Hebrides •Aristides, bona fides •Culdees •Alcibiades, Hyades, Pleiades •Cyclades • antipodes • Sporades •Ganges • Apelles •tales, ThalesAchilles, Antilles •Los Angeles • Ramillies • Pericles •isosceles • Praxiteles • Hercules •Empedocles • Sophocles • Damocles •Androcles • Heracles • Themistocles •Hermes • Menes • testudines •Diogenes • Cleisthenes •Demosthenes •Aristophanes, Xenophanes •manganese • Holofernes • editiones principes • herpes •lares, primus inter pares •Antares, Ares, Aries, caries •antifreeze • Ceres • Buenos Aires

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"Hercules." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Hercules." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Hercules.html

"Hercules." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Hercules.html

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Hercules. Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)