Here is a list of some of the Son of Zeus’ contradictions:
[G. S.] Kirk provides a useful summary list of some important contradictions:
humane [<–>] bestial
serious [<–>] burlesque
sane [<–>] mad
salutary [<–>] destructive
free [<–>] slave
human [<–>] divine
(to which Nicole Loraux adds
virile [<–>] feminine) (Lawson, 1993, 116-117)
Bibliography:
Lawson, Pamela Jane. “The Iconography of Herakles and the ‘Other’ in Archaic Greek Vase Painting.” PhD diss. Harvard University, 1993.
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Pérez, José Luis, Varela, Sergio González, & Souberville, J. Armando Hernández, eds. Hércules en el Mito, la Historia y el Arte Iberoamericano. Relatos de una figura de poder y dominación [Hercules in Ibero-American Myth, History, and Art: Tales of a Figure of Power and Domination]. Mexico: El Colegio de San Luis – Universidad Iberoamericana, 2015.
(Free PDF link above)
Note: My blog is not monetized. The media below has been posted for educational purposes only. If you enjoyed this version, please, please, please support the official release.
Uhlenbrock, Jaimee P., ed. Herakles: Passage of the Hero Through 1000 Years of Classical Art. New Rochelle, New York: Aristide D. Caratzas Publisher, 1986.
(Free PDF link above)
Last updated: 01-03-2026
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Galinsky, Karl. The Herakles Theme: The Adaptations of the Hero in Literature from Homer to the Twentieth Century. New Jersey: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 1972.
(Free PDF link above)
Blurb
Professor Galinsky’s “Herakles Theme” provides a survey both descriptive and analytical, of the most significant adaptations of Herakles in western literature, from Homer to present day, with particular emphasis upon the more original and creative portraits of the hero.
(Image from this listing)
Update: 01-03-26
I just started reading The Herakles Theme (1972), and the author mentions it was influenced by a previous book, so I figured I would add it here as well.
Stanford, W. B. The Ulysses Theme: A Study in the Adaptability of a Traditional Hero. 2nd ed. The University of Michigan Press, 1968.
(Free PDF link above)
(Image found here.)
While reading a PhD dissertation, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (“Iconographic Lexicon of Classical Mythology”; a.k.a. LIMC; 1981-2009). It is a 16-volume encyclopedia of ancient Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art showcasing historical examples for each deity. The books cover gods alphabetically, starting with “Atherion-Eros” and ending with “Thespiades-Zodiacus.”
(Image found here)
The tomes are presented in pairs of eight matched volumes, the first comprising articles describing the art and the second with pictures.
I would LOVE to get physical copies, but they are very expensive. Thankfully, there are options. First, black and white PDFs of the full series are available on Internet Archive. (See below for a screenshot of a couple of pages (of many) focusing on Heracles.)
And second, there is a searchable website.
https://app.dasch.swiss/project/BRwvcfLLT72IN-fXzQkrdQ/data
Admittedly, though, I would rather flip through pages of the physical books.
Hercules Omnibus 