As the body of Heracles (Hercules) was consumed by a flaming pyre, Zeus sent a thunderbolt to extinguish the fire and declared that only the hero’s mortal part was consumed, while his immortal part was going in a chariot to Olympus. There he was proclaimed the twelfth Olympian, reconciled with Hera (Juno), and united in marriage with her daughter Hebe, goddess of youthful beauty, who gave him a draught of the gods’ immortalizing nectar.
Further Reference:
Galinsky, G. Karl. 1972. The Herakles Theme: The Adaptations of the Hero in Literature from Homer to the Twentieth Century. Totowa, N.J., Rowman & Littlefield.
Listings for Heracles are arranged under the following headings:
; Birth of Heracles; Infant Heracles and the Serpents; Choice of Heracles; Madness of Heracles; Pillars of Heracles; Heracles and Cacus; Heracles and Antaeus; Heracles and Deianeira; Heracles and Iole; Heracles and Omphale; Death of Heracles; Apotheosis
See also Heracles, Labors of; Alcestis; Jason, and the Argonauts; Laomedon; Odysseus, in Hades; Pirithous, Wedding; Prometheus, Freed; Theseus, and the Amazons; Titans and Giants