"At this stage, the fusion between astronomy and mythology is so complete that no further distinction is made between them"--the stars were no longer merely identified with certain gods or heroes, but actually were perceived as divine (Seznec, 37-40). Many ancient cultures, especially with the Greeks, saw pictures in the stars of the night sky (called constellations). .
Mythology, of course, had influence on many aspects of astronomy other than the naming of the constellations. Hercules was perhaps the greatest and most known hero in all mythology. His constellation was found between Lyra and Bootes; although it's huge (fifth largest in the sky), his constellation is rather dim--which is ironic to the size and myth of Hercules himself. It shows Hercules wearing the skin of the Nemean Lion while holding his club and Cerberus, the three-headed dog. Hecules rests his foot atop the head of Draco the dragon. .
Hercules was the son of Jupiter and Alcmena, and was hounded all his life by Juno. Juno, unhappy with Jupiter's infidelity, saw Hercules as a living symbol of her shame. This is ironic because in original Greek myths Junos is named Hera and Hercules is Hercales--meaning "glory of Hera". She delayed his birth, and when Hercules was just born, she put two snakes into the crib he shared with his mortal half-twin Iphicles. Hercules ended up killing both of the snakes with his bare hands, marking the beginning of his career as a monster-killer. .
Later in life, Hercules married Megara (daughter of Creon, king of Thebes). Juno, still hounding Hercules, drove him mad to the point of killing his own wife and his children. Later, he serves the king Eurystheus, performing the twelve labors for which he is most famed: .
1) He wrestled and killed the Nemean Lion, Leo, in its den, then used one of the beast's teeth to remove the otherwise impenetrable hide. He wore the hide as protection from then on.
