By Elisha Gilb
In depth psychological thinking, the image of Hercules as a muscle-bound, strong, warring embodiment is the equivalent of our own ego structure. Hercules is the embodiment of our own psychological structure known as the heroic ego. We all have a heroic ego; this is the part of us that looks to self-preserve, self-protect, and will fight/struggle against events and issues that feel out of sync with our self-preservation and/or containment of our fragile selves. This heroic ego is our own ego’s need to fight and preserve itself as one of our main driving life forces.
“The hero still exists … now the human ego-complex.” –James Hillman.
Though it may sound good to have a strong warrior-like heroic ego, in actuality, this may stop psychological growth. Our heroic ego literalizes the world of images, symbols, dreams, myth, and unconscious material. When the imagined is made literal, we lose the psyche and our ability to work with unconscious material including dreams, images, and life material.