The Greeks told of a hero, brave, strong and adventurous, called Heracles – the son of Zeus. The Romans were sufficiently impressed to adopt him in their own mythology as Hercules, son of Jupiter.

Hercules famously travelled the world, carrying out Twelve Labours which, according to the ancient writing Bibliotheca, included slaying the Nemean Lion, the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra and the Stymphalian Birds; capturing/stealing the Golden Hind of Artemis, the Erymanthian Boar, the Cretan Bull, the Mares of Diomedes, the girdle of Hippolyta, the cattle of the monster Geryon, the apples of the Hesperides and Cerberus; and, more peacefully, cleaning the Augean stables in a day. Along the way, he brought down a fire-breathing Cacus, held up the sky for Atlas,fought Achelous and the giant Antaeus, saved Alcestis from the underworld and liberated Prometheus. Clearly, he was a man to be admired!

Little wonder, then, that the Andalusians – in whose land I situate my new series of novels, Andalusian Nights – identified with Hercules. I mentioned in an earlier post, ‘Welcome to Cadiz’, the city’s association with Hercules:

What of the creation of the city? Well, if you believe legend, that was Hercules’s doing. A temple that once stood in the city, dedicated to the Phoenician god Melqart, is said to be the location of the pillars of Hercules. According to Greek mythology, Hercules founded the city of Gadeira (Cádiz) en route to carrying out his tenth labour: to journey to the end of the world and take the cattle of the monster Geryon. (Indeed, in London if you visit the Cádiz Memorial in Horse Guards Parade, Westminster to commemorate Wellington’s victory at Salamanca, you find a mortar atop the Geryon.)

Hercules is also credited with founding another Andalusian city, Seville, which features in my novel Indiscretion, and his name is remembered there in the iconic Alameda de Hércules, a square in which you can see a statue of Hercules atop a tall pillar.

But Hercules is more than a subject for statues in Andalusia; he has been embraced as representing the very spirit of this proud place: of Andalusian nationalism.

Back in 1918, an Andalusian politician named Blas Infante initiated one of the most defining events in recent history for this part of Spain: the Assembly of Ronda. Those assembled were keen to see Andalusia established as an autonomous community, and with this in mind they adoptedlas insignias de Andalucía, a coat of arms and flag to represent the identity of what they called their país (country).

In reality, it would be many years before any of the Spanish territories achieved autonomy,after the death of Franco.But the flag and coat of arms have endured.

The flag is green and white, to reflect the Andalusian anthem:

The white and green flag
Returns after centuries of war
To sow peace and hope
Under our land’s sun.

The coat of arms is as follows:

At the centre is Hercules, standing between the pillars of Hercules, taming two lions. The inscriptions read: Andalucía PorSí, Para España y la Humanidad (Andalusia by Herself, for Spain and for Humankind) and Dominator Hercules Fundator (Sovereign Hercules, the Founder).

The anthem, the flag and the coat of arms were the work of Blas Infante, and they are the enduring legacy of this ‘father of nationalism’, who was executed for his political views by Franco’s forces during the Spanish Civil War.

According to mythographer Natale Conti, writing in the sixteenth century in his book Mythologiae:

Hercules, who subdued and destroyed monsters, bandits, and criminals, was justly famous and renowned for his great courage. His great and glorious reputation was worldwide, and so firmly entrenched that he’ll always be remembered. In fact the ancients honored him with his own temples, altars, ceremonies, and priests. But it was his wisdom and great soul that earned those honors; noble blood, physical strength, and political power just aren’t good enough.

If this is the case, then Blas Infante may be remembered as the mythological man to whom he related his cause: as a man of wisdom, soul and great courage. And for the Andalusians? Both Hercules and Blas Infante are heroes.