HeraclesMadnessANCIENT_Hyginus

Hyginus reports details of the Madness of Hercules (Heracles Maiomenos) myth.


... Fab., 31: Hercules' parerga
Hercules killed Antaeus, an earth-born man, in Libya. This man forced foreigners to wrestle with him and then murdered them when they got tired. Hercules strangled him in a wrestle. He also subdued Bisiris in Egypt, who used to burn foreigners alive. When Hercules heard his law, he allowed himself to be adorned with ceremonial fillets and led to the sacrificial altar; however, when Busiris was intending to invoke the gods, Hercules killed him with a pike and the officiants at the sacrifice also. Hercules overpowered Cygnus, the son of Mars, and killed him with his weapons. When Mars came to the spot and was desiring to fight with weapons on his son’s account, Jupiter sent a lightning bolt between them. The sea-monster to whom Hesione had been offered he killed at Troy; Laomedon, Hesione’s father, he also killed with arrows because he was not about to surrender her. The heavenly eagle which was accustomed to eat away Prometheus’ heart he killed with arrows. Hercules also killed Lycus, the son of Neptune, because he intended to kill Megara, the Creon’s daughter and his own wife, and also his sons Therimachus and Ophites. Achelous the river god used to change himself into all manner of shapes. When he was fighting against Hercules over marriage to Deianira, he turned himself into a bull; Hercules pulled one of the bull’s horns off and gave it as an offering to the Hesperides or the Nymphs, and they filled it with fruits and named it the Horn of Plenty. He killed Neleus the son of Hippocoon along with ten of his children, for he did not wish to purify him or expiate his crime at the time when he had killed Megara, Creon’s daughter and his own wife, and his sons Therimachus and Ophites. Hercules killed Eurytus because he sought to marry Iole, Eurytus’ daughter, and he rejected the match. He killed the centaur Nessus because he was trying to rape Deianeira. He also killed the centaur Eurytion because he sought Deinaneira, Dexamenus’ daughter, whom he had hoped would be his bride.
    —trans. RTM

Hyg. Fab., 32: Megara
When Hercules had been sent by king Eurystheus to capture the three-headed dog, Lycus, Neptune’s son, had come to believe that he had perished. So, Lycus decided to marry Megara, Creon’s daughter and Hercules’ wife, and his sons also Therimachus and Ophites. Hercules stopped him and killed Lycus. Later, when madness was inflicted upon him by Juno, Hercules himself killed Megara and his sons Therimachus and Ophites. After he recovered his sanity, he sought from Apollo an oracle how he could expiate the crime. Because Apollo did not wish to produce the oracle, Hercules became furious and removed his tripod from the sanctuary; but later he returned it at Jupiter’s bidding and ordered Apollo to give the oracle against his will. Hercules therefore was given in thrall to queen Omphale.
    —trans. RTM

parerga eivsdem. 31. Antaeum terrae filium in Libya occidit. hic cogebat hospites secum luctari et delassatos interficiebat; hunc luctando necauit. 2. Busiridem in Aegypto, qui hospites immolare solitus erat; huius legem cum audiit, passus est se cum infula ad aram adduci, Busiris autem cum uellet deos imprecari, Hercules eum claua ac ministros sacrorum interfecit. 3. Cygnum Martis filium armis superatum occidit. quo cum Mars uenisset et armis propter filium contendere uellet cum eo, Iouis inter eos fulmen misit. 4. cetum cui Hesione fuit apposita Troiae occidit; Laomedonta patrem Hesiones quod eam non reddebat sagittis interfecit. 5. aethonem aquilam quae Prometheo cor exedebat sagittis interfecit. 6. Lycum Neptuni filium quod Megaram Creontis filiam uxorem eius et filios Therimachum et Ophiten occidere uoluit interfecit. 7. Achelous fluuius in omnis figuras se immutabat. hic cum Hercule propter Deianirae coniugium cum pugnaret, in taurum se conuertit, cui Hercules cornu detraxit, quod cornu Hesperidibus siue Nymphis donauit, quod deae pomis replerunt et cornu copiae appellarunt. 8. Neleum Hippocoontis filium cum decem filiis occidit, quoniam is eum purgare siue lustrare noluit tunc cum Megaram Creontis filiam uxorem suam et filios Therimachum et Ophiten interfecerat. 9. Eurytum quod Iolen filiam eius in coniugium petiit et ille eum repudiauit occidit. 10. centaurum Nessum quod Deianiram uiolare uoluit occidit. 11. Eurytionem centaurum quod Deianiram Dexameni filiam speratam suam uxorem petiit occidit. megara. 32. Hercules cum ad canem tricipitem esset missus ab Eurystheo rege et Lycus Neptuni filius putasset eum periisse, Megaram Creontis filiam uxorem eius et filios Therimachum et Ophiten interficere uoluit et regnum occupare. 2. Hercules eo interuenit et Lycum interfecit: postea ab Iunone insania obiecta, Megaram et filios Therimachum et Ophiten interfecit. 3. postquam suae mentis compos est factus, ab Apolline petiit dari sibi responsum quomodo scelus purgaret; cui Apollo sortem quod reddere noluit, Hercules iratus de fano eius tripodem sustulit, quem postea Iouis iussu reddidit, et nolentem sortem dare iussit. 4. Hercules ob id a Mercurio Omphalae reginae in seruitutem datus est.