According to the account given by the Egyptians, the Hercules they worship is one of their ancient gods and belongs to the group known as the Twelve Gods. This Egyptian Hercules is very different from the Hercules well known to the Greeks, who is said to be the son of Amphitryon. During travels throughout Egypt, no one could give any information about this Greek Hercules. The Egyptians showed no knowledge of him at all, which suggests that the two figures are not the same Greek Stories and Lack of Careful Inquiry.
The Origin of the Name Hercules
It seems more likely that the Greeks borrowed the name Hercules from the Egyptians rather than the Egyptians borrowing it from the Greeks. Several reasons support this idea. One important argument is that both Amphitryon and Alcmena, who are said to be the parents of the Greek Hercules, were believed to be of Egyptian origin. This suggests that the story of Hercules may have roots in Egyptian tradition before it appeared in Greek mythology.
If the Egyptians had borrowed gods or names from the Greeks, they would likely have adopted more widely known Greek gods. However, this does not seem to be the case.
Gods Known and Unknown in Egypt
The Egyptians clearly stated that they had no knowledge of certain Greek gods, such as Neptune and the Dioscuri. These gods were not included among the Egyptian deities, and their names were unfamiliar to the people. This is an important point because if Egyptians had adopted gods from the Greeks, these would have been the most likely candidates.
The Egyptians were skilled in navigation and had practiced sailing for a long time. Some Greeks were also sailors and traveled widely. Because of this shared interest in the sea, the Egyptians would have been more likely to know sea-related gods like Neptune, or protective figures like the Dioscuri, who were important to sailors. Yet the Egyptians denied any knowledge of these gods Greek Stories and Lack of Careful Inquiry.
The Ancient Egyptian Hercules
In contrast, the Egyptian Hercules was known as one of their oldest gods. He was not a hero who became a god later, as in Greek tradition, but a divine being from the earliest times. The Egyptians counted him among the Twelve Gods, a group that held great importance in their religion.
According to Egyptian belief, these Twelve Gods came into existence long before recorded history. They said that the Twelve were born from an earlier group of Eight gods. This belief placed Hercules among the earliest divine figures, not as a later addition.
A Timeline Far Older Than Greece
The Egyptians claimed that the creation of the Twelve Gods happened seventeen thousand years before the reign of King Amasis. Amasis was a relatively recent ruler by Egyptian standards, so this timeline placed Hercules deep in the distant past. This long history supports the idea that the Egyptian Hercules was not borrowed from Greek stories but existed independently and much earlier.
