Achilles V Hercules

Mount Olympus is the tallest mountain in Greece and one of the tallest in Europe. According to Greek Mythology, it is believed to be the home of the Gods. A paradise where the Gods gather to enjoy Ambrosia and Nectar while having perfect weather, which is said to be all the time. A kingdom above the clouds where no humans can enter or even reach. While in today’s world, Mount Olympus is a place where you can see all of Greece as the view. The top is reachable but not without a challenging climb since it is one thousand feet above sea level. It has a very vast diversity and plenty of wild animals and has been declared the first national park in Greece since 1938.

But how did Mount Olympus come to be? There is actually an interesting story behind it. And yes it is a war story. The Titan Wars or Titanomachy they called it. It was just one of the names used for it, but let’s just go with that one. It was a war between the titan Cronus against his children Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. Alongside them were also some monsters including three Cyclopes and three Hecatonchires.

Cronus was a tyrant who was cursed by his own father, Uranus, that he had overthrown. The curse was that Cronus’ own children would one day overthrow him just like how he overthrew his father. Paranoid from his father’s curse, Cronus started to swallow his own children to prevent them from ever rising up against him. Except one. His youngest newborn, Zeus, managed to escape that fate with the help of his mother, Rhea, who also happens to be the sister-wife of Cronus. They escaped and hid away from Cronus until Zeus was old enough to be masqueraded as Cronus’ cupbearer. Not knowing of Zeus’ true identity, Cronus then considered him as his servant. After gaining the trust of Cronus, Zeus managed to make Cronus vomit out all of his siblings. They are all grown up and ready to take on their father alongside their liberator and brother, Zeus. He also managed to free the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires who were imprisoned by Cronus and allied themselves in the rebellion. This was the greatest, if not most important, war of all time. The war was to decide who would take over the universe. After a series of a ten year battle, the younger Gods came out victorious.

Zeus and his siblings were then called Gods and they created Mount Olympus where they resided and ruled over the universe. Zeus also came to be the leader of the Gods as he was the one leading them during the rebellion. He and his brothers, Poseidon and Hades, divided the world amongst themselves. Zeus was to be the God of the sky and air, Poseidon to be the God of the sea, and Hades to be the God of the underworld. Each of them had their own duties over their own dominions and left the earth to the humans. They will not meddle with the affairs of humans unless they are called to intervene. Which evidently, they did eventually.

The Twelve Olympians

After the Titanomachy, the victorious Gods resided on Mount Olympus. There were twelve Gods who were considered the highest ranking in the roster.

Zeus : The king of the Gods and the God of the sky and air

Hera : The queen of the Gods and the Goddess of women and marriage

Aphrodite : the Goddess of beauty and love

Apollo : the God of knowledge and prophecy

Ares : the God of war

Artemis : the Goddess of hunting

Athena : the Goddess of wisdom and defense

Demeter : the Goddess of agriculture

Dionysus : the God of wine and pleasure

Hephaestus : the God of fire and metalworking

Hermes : the God of travel

Poseidon : the God of the sea

But what about Hades? Why is he not on the roster? Wasn’t he also with Zeus and the other Gods in the battle to defeat Cronus? Yes , he was. He was not in the roster because Hades is the God of the underworld, where he resided. The roster was for the Gods who lived above ground on Mount Olympus.

But living on Mount Olympus or the underworld does not stop the Gods to interact with humans. Some appeared to humans in dreams, some in the form of animals, and even some actually lay in bed with humans which then sired children. As a result, the term Demigod was introduced. Half human and half God.

Demigods

A Demigod is the offspring of a mortal parent and a divine parent. It is not an uncommon thing for a God to have relationships with humans. From the 12 Olympians to the lower level Gods have been known to have physical relationships with humans which resulted in the birth of Demigods. Those who are born a Demigod will have powers. They are capable of things a normal human can not. That is one of the reasons why most Greek Mythology heroes are known. They have what it takes to beat the odds and win battles.

There were a few famous names of Demigods such as Perseus, Achilles, Helen, Thesseus, Orion, Hercules, and Aeneas. But two of the greatest Demigods known to man must be Achilles and Hercules. They are both sired by a God and have superhuman strength. They both overcame great challenges to earn the status of legends. Achilles with the Trojan War and Hercules with his twelve labours. But since they also have their human part, they both have their weaknesses. Achilles with his heel —which is then known as Achilles heel— and Hercules with his temper and intelligence.

Despite their mortal weaknesses, they are both still considered the greatest of all time. Poems, movies, books, paintings, statues and even plays have been made to honour their story. However, the question remains, who of the two would win in a fight? The remaining chapters will help you reach your own conclusion apart from mine. So let’s get going.