Las columns 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 do some special jobs as he had enormous strength. There are different versions from the point of view of the most studious of mythology. According to some aspects, Hercules went mad for some reason that is not specified and he killed his children. When he regained his reason, he sought forgiveness from the Oracle of Delphi and he demanded that 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 version of the story, much smaller, that Hercules was Eurystheus' slave from birth. It is said that the jobs that any human could not do were to achieve their freedom. The reasons why Hercules was Eurystheus's slave was because of certain muddles that existed between the relationship of 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 Alcmena. To take revenge on her, he anticipated the delivery of King Stenelo's wife, son of Perseus, so that her son Euristeo was born before Heracles. This is the reason why he became his servant according to this aspect of mythology.
Origin of the columns of Hercules
Once entered into context, we will analyze what were the origins of the columns of Hercules. Eurystheus had no intention of freeing Hercules as he wanted him to continue doing those jobs that no human could do. He entrusted him to tasks considered impossible and sent him to increasingly distant places. The main objective of Euristeo was 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 fond of mythology ask what where are the columns of Hercules. Back then it was the limit of the known world during the development of the ancient Greek culture. Since it is part of mythology, its exact geographical position is subject to various interpretations. One of the most accurate interpretations is the one that says it is found 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.
We are going to analyze in greater detail that of the Rock of Gibraltar, considered as the north column. It is a limestone massif that comes from the Jurassic period. It has an area of approximately 6 square kilometers and almost vertical walls. These walls can be seen as they enter the sea and come to separate 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 limit of the atlas chain and from the Atlantic coast of Portugal and Morocco to Tunisia and is affected by the contact zone of the Euro-Asian and African plates between 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.