Talking with my sister about Greek Mythology, as you do. Get on the subject of Jason, how he's an emptional bastard but one the rare legitimate children heroes, and how the majority greek heroes are bastards of Zeus:
Disney's Hercules doesn't make sense, regarding the Roman name in Greece. Solution: There already was a Heracles years ago.
Exhibit A. Hercules was in awe at Phil's memorabilia of the Argo, of Argonauts fame. In which Heracles was one of the Argonauts. That would've been his half-brother on that ship.
Exhibit B. Achilles has already died. Meaning the Illiad has already passed, decades after the voyage of the Argo. Firmly placing Hercules well past a few decades past the timing of his supposed stories.
Exhibit C: Hercules is not a bastard, his birth parents are married. Heracles's mother was not Hera, Hercules's is Hera.
Exhibit D: Hercules seems to have his own list of great feats. I don't recall Heracles ever fighting a hydra, etc.
Conclusion: Disney's Hercules is not a mistranslation of a name, but the creation of a brand new character that just *happened* to have the name of the Roman version. Heracles and Hercules could both exist, with Hercules being born well after Heracles did his own set of adventures. Zeus had a favorite kid, had new kid years later with his wife, and was crazy enough to name his legitimate kid after his favorite bastard.
Not a Disney apologist explaining a misuse of a name, I just think it would be funny if there was both a Heracles and a Hercules and no one brings up the older half-brother.
