Pillars of Hercules

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The Pillars of Hercules is the ancient name given to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. Though it is widely accepted that the northern or European Pillar is the Rock of Gibraltar, the identity of the southern or African Pillar has been heavily disputed through history, with the most likely candidates being Monte Hacho in Ceuta and Jebel Musa in Morocco.

Mythological significance

The name Pillars of Hercules has its origin in Greek mythology, named after the ancient Greek hero Heracles (Hercules in Latin).

The naming of the pillars

When Hercules had to perform twelve labours, one of them was to fetch the Cattle of Geryon in Spain and bring it to Eurystheus. On his way to the island of Erytheia he had to cross the mountain that was once Atlas. Instead of climbing the great mountain, he cut corners and put his mind to work. He decided to use his great strength to smash through the colossal mountain that used to be a colossal giant. Hercules split it in half using his indestructible mace or club (Myths vary). By doing so, he connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and formed the Strait of Gibraltar. One part of the split mountain is Gibraltar and the other is either Monte Hacho or Jebel Musa . These two mountains taken together have since then been known as the Pillars of Hercules.

The pillars as portals

The pillars are also mentioned at some places as portals, or gates to different locations on Earth. When the Carthaginian admiral Himilco was sent to explore the area of the Muddy Sea (a shallow plateau that lies to the southwest of the Pillars) his report included the words "Many seaweeds grow in the troughs between the waves, which slow the ship like bushes {...} Here the beasts of the sea move slowly hither and thither, and great monsters swim languidly among the sluggishly creeping ships" (Rufus Festus Avienus) This description accurately resembles the Sargasso Sea rather than the Muddy Sea.

According to Plato's account, the lost realm of Atlantis was situated beyond the Pillars of Hercules.

The Pillars appear as supporters of the coat of arms of Spain, originating from the famous impresa of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V (also King of Spain). The motto Plus Ultra (Latin for further beyond) indicates the desire to see the Pillars as an entrance to the rest of the world rather than as a gate to the Mediterranean Sea. This is seen in opposition to Non Plus Ultra (nothing further beyond), the phrase inscribed in the mythological columns indicating their antique condition of border of the known world. It also indicates the overseas possessions that Spain once had.

Phoenician connection

Several important Mauritanian colonies (modern day Morocco) were founded by the Phoenicians as the Phoenician merchant navy pushed through the Pillars of Hercules and began constructing a series of bases along the Atlantic coast starting with Lixus in the north, then Chellah and finally Mogador.

Near Gades/Gadeira (modern Cádiz, just beyond the strait) was the westernmost temple of Tyrian Heracles (Melqart), near the eastern shore of the island (Strabo 3.5.2–3). Strabo notes that the two bronze pillars within the temple, each eight cubits high, were widely proclaimed to be the true Pillars of Heracles by many who had visited the place and had sacrificed to Heracles there. But Strabo believes the account to be fraudulent, in part noting that the inscriptions on those pillars mentioned nothing about Heracles, speaking only of the expenses incurred by the Phoenicians in their making. The columns of the Melqart temple at Tyre were also of religious significance.

In Dante's Inferno

In Inferno, his description of hell, Dante Alighieri mentions Ulysses and his voyage past the Pillars of Hercules (once considered the western end of the world). Ulysses justifies endangering his sailors by the fact that his goal is to gain knowledge of the unknown. After five months of navigation in the ocean, Ulysses sights Purgatory but encounters a whirlwind that sinks his ship.

In music

The Russian bard Alexander Gorodnitsky wrote a song under a similar title in 1965, while sailing past the Strait of Gibraltar on one of his many sea voyages. The song makes numerous references to Ulysses' voyages in the area and many other sections of The Odyssey. The Rock of Gibraltar is also mentioned in a song by Jason Mraz in the song 0% Interest.

Elsewhere

The Pillars of Hercules (1995) is a non-fiction account by Paul Theroux of his travels around the rim of the Mediterranean sea.

References

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Last updated on Sunday March 02, 2008 at 08:27:22 PST (GMT -0800)
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