Why do the famous Pillars of Hercules appear on the Spanish coat of arms? What is a hero of Greek mythology doing in the coat of arms of Andalucia? And in the coat of arms of Cadiz? The answer to these questions goes back to the legendary times when Geryon, a three-bodied giant, ruled the Iberian Peninsula.

Geryon had at his command a monstrous seven-headed dog, Ortro, who guarded his red cows day and night on the island of Eritia, near Cadiz. There the king of Mycenae sent Hercules to perform the tenth of his twelve labors, to steal Geryon’s cattle. Eritia was on the other side of the mountain range which at that time linked Africa with Europe, at the westernmost point of the Mediterranean. To get there more easily, Hercules used his strength to open the Strait of Gibraltar, and on both sides, he placed two huge columns on which he wrote Non Plus Ultra, since that was the end of the earth, or so it was believed at the time. The sun burned the hero to the point that he bent his bow against it. Admired of his daring, the king gave him a golden cup so that he could cross the ocean and reach the island. There the dog became aware of his presence and went to get rid of him, but Hercules killed him. The same fate befell Gerion.

But there is another legend that tells that Gerion did not die, but that the Greek hero had to chase the tyrant from south to north of the peninsula. Gerion, seeing that he was ahead, decided to rest, but Hercules arrived at dawn and after fighting for three days, Hercules ended up killing him. To commemorate his victory, the demigod erected a great tower in his name and at its base, he buried the corpse and weapons of Gerion. In the same place, he founded a city that took the name of the first of its inhabitants, Cruña (Coruña). It was not the only population founded by Hercules. Sevilla, Segovia and Barcelona are cities whose mythological origins are tied to the hero. It is also said that Hercules founded the Pyrennees by setting rocks on top of the tomb of his lover Pirene.

From the need of the Greeks to delimit the known world was born the myth of the famous columns of Hercules. For them there was no solid ground beyond and from there arose the expression non plus ultra, and so it was considered for centuries until the discovery of America changed the vision of the western world. Likewise, Hercules became a perfect protagonist for the founding myths of the history of Spain, since he was the paradigm of the Greek hero and model leader. In addition, there were clear links with the Peninsula, which we have just discussed. According to medieval chronicles, Hercules made his nephew, Espan, lord of the Iberian Peninsula, after whom the Iberian Peninsula became known as Spain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

Arrizabalaga Mónica. (2018). Hercules en Espana. In España: La Historia Imaginada: De Los Antiguos Mitos a Las Leyendas contemporáneas (pp. 11–14). essay, Espasa.