Heracles: an Introduction (1-5)

The Celts call Heracles Ogmios in their native tongue, and they portray the god in a very peculiar way. To their notion, he is extremely old, baldheaded, except for a few lingering hairs which are quite gray, his skin is wrinkled, and he is burned as black as can be, like an old sea-dog. You would think him a Charon. or a sub-Tartarean Iapetus[*]— anything but Heracles! Yet, in spite of his looks, he has the equipment of Heracles: he is dressed in the lion’s skin, has the club in his right hand, carries - the quiver at his side, displays the bent bow in his left, and is Heracles from head to heel as far as that goes.

I thought, therefore, that the Celts had committed this offence against the good-looks of Heracles to spite the Greek gods, and that they were punishing him by means of the picture for having once visited their country on a cattle-lifting foray, at the time when he raided most of the western nations in his quest-of the herds of Geryon.

But I have not yet mentioned the most surprising thing

I had stood for a long time, looking, wondering, puzzling and fuming, when a Celt at my elbow, not unversed in Greek lore, as he showed by his excellent use of our language, and who had, apparently, studied local traditions, said: “I will read you the riddle of the picture, stranger, as you seem to be very much disturbed about it. We Celts do not agree with you Greeks in thinking that Hermes is Eloquence: we identify Heracles with it, because heis far more powerful than Hermes. And don’t be surprised: that he is represented as an old man, for eloquence and eloquence alone is wont to show its

A young man hath a wandering wit

Old age has wiser words to say than youth.

This being so, if old Heracles here drags men after him who are tethered by the ears to his tongue, don’t be surprised at that, either: you know the kinship between ears and tongue. Nor is it a slight upon him that his tongue is pierced. Indeed,” said he, “I call to mind a line or two of comedy which I learned in your country: the talkative Have, one and all, their tongues pierced at the tip.[*]