ABSTRACT
The most abiding image of Herakles is that of the strong man fighting a monster. This is how he appears in his earliest visual representations in archaic Greece, and how he is portrayed in film right up to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Monster-slaying is indeed a common occupation for Greek heroes – Theseus kills the Minotaur, Perseus beheads the Gorgon Medusa and rescues Andromeda from a sea-monster, Bellerophon frees the land of Lykia from the ravages of the Chimaira, Jason kills the dragon which guards the golden fleece, Kadmos has to kill a dragon before he can found Thebes – and the hero-monster opposition is common in the popular stories of many other cultures, from St George and the dragon all the way through to Buffy the Vampire-Slayer. The particular nature of the monster and details of the hero’s character vary from case to case, but the essential story-line is always the same: the monster, which is threatening a maiden or a whole community or barring the way to a treasure, has proved invincible against all previous comers, but, after a hard battle, is brought down by the hero’s superior abilities. The hero may have some kind of supernatural aid, and often has to apply a degree of cunning when sheer brawn is not enough, but his most clearly characteristic feature is physical strength.
