Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece: Heroes. Hercules

Nikolai Albertovich Kuhn 1877–1940 - Russian historian, writer. On his mother's side, he came from an ancient noble family, while on his father's side, the surname Kuhn - German - had German and Anglo-Scottish roots. Nikolai Albertovich was an outstanding... graduate of the historical and philological faculty of Moscow University, where, among other things, he studied Greek and Roman literature and antiquity, which forever became the center of his interests. And although Kuhn wrote many books, including Tales of African Peoples, Tales of Gypsies, Tales of the Peoples of the Great Ocean Islands, Translation of the Letters of Dark People of German Satire on Scholasticism, he is best known as the author of the book Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece. Nikolai Albertovich lectured extensively: he conducted classes on the history of culture and religion in educational institutions in Tver, Nizhny Novgorod, and Moscow. He worked abroad: at the University of Berlin and in Rome, where, in 1911–1912, he led excursions for Russian teachers and delivered lectures as an expert in ancient art in museums, the Forum, and on the Palatine Hill, one of the most anciently settled places of the Eternal City. At the age of 43, Kuhn became a professor of social sciences at Moscow State University and wrote articles for the Great and Small Soviet Encyclopedias. The book Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece was first published in 1922 and has since been reissued many times, translated into the languages of the peoples of the USSR and the main European languages. Interestingly, it was originally titled What the Ancient Greeks and Romans Told About Their Gods and Heroes. Under the title Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece, the edition was published after the author's death, with changes made. This edition publishes part of the book: a myth describing the legendary hero of Greece, Hercules - a strongman possessing superhuman strength and having accomplished 12 great feats; a mortal who earned his ascension to the bright Olympus among the immortals. The events in Kuhn's book are presented based on the tragedies of the ancient Greek playwrights Sophocles and Euripides and the ancient narratives of the 2nd century mythographer and historian Pausanias.