Hercules in Brussels, Belgium

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Hercules is the Roman name given to the Greek divine hero Heracles, who was the son of God Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. In classical mythology, Hercules is renowned for his strength and numerous adventures that took him to distant parts of the Greco-Roman world. The Romans adapted the Greek hero's iconography and myths for their literature and art under the name Hercules. Later Western art and literature use Hercules more commonly than Heracles as the name of the hero. Hercules was a complex figure with contradictory characteristics, allowing later artists and writers to choose how to represent him. Hercules is known for his many adventures, which took him to far-flung regions of the Greco-Roman world. One cycle of these adventures became canonical as the "Twelve Labours," but the list has variations. A traditional order of the labors is found in the Bibliotheca as follows: Kill the Nemean Lion. Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra. Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis. Catch the Erymanthian Boar. Clean the Augean stables in a single day. Kill the Stymphalian Birds. Capture the Cretan Bull. Steal the Mares of Diomedes. Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Get the cattle of the monster Geryon. Steal the apples of the Hesperides. Catch and bring back Cerberus. This is why you can see on this sculpture, and in many other pieces depicting Hercules, that he has the skin of a Lion being worn or beside him, which characterizes him. He would own this skin after killing Nemean on his first task. We may suggest that this sculpture represents the moment when this Hero is preparing to battle the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra with a club, the second task. (Credit: Wikipedia) This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help. Scanned: Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)