Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• Ἡρακλέης ‎(Hērakléēs) (verse; uncontracted)

• (4th AD Koine) IPA^(key): /iraklís/

• (10th AD Byzantine) IPA^(key): /iraklís/

• (15th AD Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /iɾaklís/

Proper noun

Ἡρακλῆς • ‎(Hēraklês) m ‎(genitive Ἡρακλέους); third declension

1. Heracles; Hercules

Inflection

Derived terms

• ἡράκλειος ‎(hērákleios)
• Ἡράκλεια ‎(Hērákleia)
• Ἡράκλειαι ‎(Hērákleiai)
• Ἡράκλειον ‎(Hērákleion)
• Ἡρακλείδης ‎(Hērakleídēs)
• Ἡρακλεώτης ‎(Hērakleṓtēs)
• Ἡρακλεῶτις ‎(Hērakleôtis)
• Ἡράκλανον ‎(Hēráklanon)

Descendants

Historically, there have been two dominant forms of the name in other languages—one based on the Greek form (Heracles), and the other based on the Latin form Hercules. The Latin form was adapted from the Etruscan form Hercle, which was adapted from Greek. When used together, Heracles specifically refers to the figure in Greek mythology, and Hercules specifically refers to the adaptation of the figure in Roman mythology. However, in many languages, the dominant form (whether from Greek or Latin) is used interchangeably to refer to either mythology context. In particular, in English, the Latin form Hercules is most common.

References

• Ἡρακλῆς in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• «Ἡρακλῆς» in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th-12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English-Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,012