| Jesus | Heracles |
|---|---|
| Son of God | Son of a god |
| Likes the children | Likes the children |
| Travels around the Country Making Stuff Happen | Travels around the Country Making Stuff Happen |
| Helps people | Helps people |
| Expels Demons | Fights Monsters |
| Takes after dad: Monkishly asexual | Takes after dad: Got it on w/50 sisters, etc. |
| Tragic Death (crucifixion) | Tragic Death (burned alive) |
| Ascends to Heaven, recognized as God | Ascends to Olympus, recognized as a god |
| Performed miraculous feats (water into wine, etc) | Performed miraculous feats (lifted the whole world, etc) |
| Attracted followers | Attracted followers |
| Betrayed to his death by someone he trusted and loved (Judas) | Killed by someone he trusted and loved (maybe by accident) (Deianira) |
Okay, so the last one might be a stretch, but you've gotta give me the rest, right? Civil discussion in the comments, including any similarities I missed, or, if you'd rather, poke holes in my Jesus vs. Heracles comparisons! Don't be shy!
And if TV is to be believed, they both rocked those long, flowing tresses. It's all about the hair anyway, right?
ReplyDeleteKevin Sorbo did rock the 'do. (I can't even think that without hearing "Kevin Sorbo IS Hercules!" in my head.)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! I've always heard the Jesus/Osiris/Dionysus comparisons, but never Heracles. Might have to check this out further (I love these sorts of things).
ReplyDeleteI should read up on the Osiris/Dionysus comparison. I think mine is (honestly) kind of a stretch that when you dig deeper maybe won't stand up totally, but at the same time, it makes a lot of strange sense. And I still maintain that Zeus might have been trying to go incognito for a while!
ReplyDeleteAnd neither wore pants. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. :)
ReplyDeleteIntriguing comparison. It's interesting to note how comfortably either of these profiles would slide into the the Hero's Journey motif.
ahaha. VR, I barely held back on including that one myself, I'm not going to lie. :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely interesting. When it comes down to it, the idea of Jesus (a son of god walking the earth doing stuff) is not really all that new or original. Even Jesus as an avatar of God is not a new concept! The Hindus had that going on well before the Judeo-Christians latched on. The only special significance involved is that which Christians have attached to him. In effect, the only reason he's remarkable as a figure is because people WANTED to believe it as so.
...Well, and maybe the love your neighbor/forgiveness is king theology, though I fear it has lost quite a bit in translation and application over the years.
Interesting comparisons. ;)
ReplyDelete