Heracles and the Erymanthian Boar

Heracles was one of the most popular heroes in ancient Greece. The Romans liked him too – they called him Hercules, and in India he was called Vajrapāṇi. He was the son of the king of the gods, Zeus, and of a human woman called Alcmene. His great-grandmother was a princess of Ethiopia called Andromeda. The myths say that the gods ordered Heracles to carry out 12 near-impossible tasks, or 'labours'. The horrible king, Eurystheus, chose the labours for him. Many of them involved killing terrifying monsters or capturing ferocious wild animals. Once Heracles had defeated the terrible Hydra monster, the king set him the next challenge – to capture a huge boar that has been terrorising people: the Erymanthian Boar. It was called the 'Erymanthian Boar' because it lived around Erymanthia in the Peloponnese, in Greece. Capturing it brought Heracles one step closer to completing the 12 Labours. Some say that he was made a god once he had completed them all!

This vase was made in Athens in the sixth century BCE. Its shape is a type called an amphora - a two-handled vase used for carrying or storing things like oil, grain, or wine. The vase has been decorated in a style known as 'black figure'. It shows the moment that Heracles has arrived back at the king's palace with the Erymanthian Boar. The king is so frightened that he has jumped into a big storage pot in the ground to hide!

Heracles is nude, because the ancient Greeks thought that looked very heroic. He has a bow with him and a quiver that he can keep his arrows in. Round his chest he has a sword on a strap. There are other figures there too. On the far left we have the god Hermes – the messenger god. We can tell it's him because of his traveller's hat and cloak; his special messenger's staff; and his magic flying boots. Having him in the scene means that he can act as a witness to Heracles's great deeds! It shows that the gods are interested in what heroes and other humans get up to. On the far right there's a woman standing with the king. She is probably supposed to be the queen, Admete. She acts as a second witness; her arms are up in alarm.

The vase can be seen in the National Museum in Warsaw, in Poland (number 198042).

This is the reverse of the Heracles vase, showing two hoplite soldiers and a light armed soldier on a mission.

This vase scene shows a funny version of the end of this labour, so instead of showing what-happened-next, we went back to an earlier stage in the story. The animation begins with Heracles returning from slaying the Hydra. We then see him set the task of capturing the Erymanthian Boar. This instruction is shown by a Wanted-style poster. This was a little bit tongue-in-cheek, to go with the tone of the rest of the animation; it was also a practical way of conveying an instruction without words. Heracles' hunting method of chasing the boar into a pre-arranged net is based on the advice in On Hunting, by the ancient writer Xenophon.

King Eurystheus' gown and stool were based on other images of powerful men on late sixth century vases. You can find out more about the vase in the About Heracles and the Erymanthian Boar video.

This animation was created as part of the European Research Council (ERC) funded project: Our Mythical Childhood... The Reception of Children's and Young Adults' Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges (Grant Agreement 681202; ERC Consolidator Grant led by Prof Katarzyna Marciniak). www.omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/

This PowerPoint file and activity sheet are designed to make it easier to integrate the Heracles videos into your teaching. Feel free to use or adapt them with your class, or if you'd like to do more by yourself :)

• Heracles PowerPoint
• Heracles Activity Sheet