Achilles V Hercules

For many, history lessons have been avoided because they found it boring and not fun. Sometimes, that is not the case. Especially when it comes to heroes. Who doesn’t like heroes? They are the good guys who do all of these good things including beating evil to a pulp. When that happens, it’s always a good day for everybody. Heroes are one of the reasons why history is actually a fun topic. And somehow people know and remember the names of the heroes easier than the names of other characters in history. I bet a lot more people are familiar with the name Achilles or Hercules than Agamemnon or Menelaus. It’s because they are heroes that their names are known more. Or maybe even the names of the villains or the monsters. Hades, Hydra, Medussa, and so on.

My point is, history is actually a fun lesson. Not to mention history being educative and informative. They made movies and games from it. And usually it became a huge hit in the market. God of War, Clash of The Titans, Wrath of The Titans, Hercules, Troy, etc. They may have changed a few details or timeline of it but it still is entertaining to watch and play. But in this book, I am only going to talk about 2 names. Arguably the two biggest names in Greek Mythology, Achilles and Hercules. But why them?

Achilles and Hercules

Who are Achilles and Hercules? Everyone would answer heroes when they hear that question. And yes, they are 2 of the biggest names in Greek Mythology. One is a demigod (sired by a god), and the other is human but was raised to be a god. They both have superhuman strength, skilled in the art of war, and have been considered a symbol for strength and bravery. Their stories are even made into movies. Of course with a few minor details altered so that the movies look good and enjoyable. But the main plot is still intact.

One day I was visiting my cousin and his kid was watching the movie Hercules. He was so fascinated by the story that he said he wanted to grow up looking like Hercules. I told him “Dev, you can try, but i don’t think your parents would like to see you fight monsters. And those monsters don’t even exist anymore”. He then decided to at least try to look like Hercules. A more possible dream for a 5 year old kid, but again I replied, “You can try but I don’t think you can reach his height, have you seen how tall your parents are?” He then kept saying that he could and so I gave up and nodded. Goodluck, kid.

When I got home, I opened Netflix, and surprise surprise, the movie Troy came up. It’s a movie about the Trojan War and of course, Achilles. I’ve seen it before but I thought why not see it again, so I went and watched it. When the movie was over, I only had one thought. Who would win in a fight, Achilles or Hercules? At first I didn’t give it much thought, but it kept popping in my head. Like an itch I couldn’t scratch. So I started googling about them and tried to scratch that itch in my mind. After a few hours of research, I came to a conclusion. There was a lot of information about the two. But still, that itch in my head was there.

Who would win in a fight?

This is a question that has been in the minds of a lot of people. And I am sure the answer will also vary. The facts are there but people are different. They are entitled to their own opinions. This book is all about the facts of each hero. Who are they? Where do they come from? What did they do to earn the hero status? And most importantly, who would win if they ever faced each other in battle?

Everything will be talked about throughout this book. From their birth to their legends. And at the conclusion, after reading this book, I am sure that the debate will still happen. But at least the itch in my brain has been scratched.