Hercŭles, is and i (the latter in Cic. Ac. 2 (Luc.), 34, 108 Goer.; cf. Plin. ap. Charis. p. 107 P.:
I Herculei, Cat. 55, 13), m., = Ἡρακλῆς, Etrusc. HERCLE (whence, by the insertion of a connecting vowel, the Latin form arose; cf. Alcumena for Ἀλκμήνη; v. also under B. the voc. hercle), son of Jupiter and Alcmena , husband of Dejanira , and , after his deification , of Hebe , the god of strength , and the guardian of riches , to whom , therefore , tithes were offered; he was also the guide of the Muses (Musagetes); the poplar was sacred to him , Cic. N. D. 3, 16, 42; Varr. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 8, 564; Varr. L. L. 6, § 54 Müll.; Plaut. Stich. 1, 3, 80; 2, 2, 62; Ov. M. 8, 364; 9, 13 sq.; Hor. C. 3, 14, 1; 4, 5, 36; Suet. Aug. 29; cf. with Ov. F. 6, 797 sq.: neque Herculi quisquam decumam vovit umquam, si sapiens factus esset, Cic. N. D. 3, 36, 88: superavit aerumnis suis aerumnas Herculis, Plaut. Pers. 1, 1, 2: Herculis Columnae, the Pillars of Hercules , i. e. the promontories between which is the Strait of Gibraltar , Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 167; Curt. 10, 1, 8 et saep.—In gen. plur. : et Herculum et Mercuriorum disciplinae, Tert. Spect. 11 fin. —Prov.: Herculi quaestum conterere, i. e. to squander everything (even the tithes of Hercules), Plaut. Most. 4, 2, 68: personam Herculis et cothurnos aptare infantibus, Quint. 6, 1, 36.—
B Transf., analog. with the Greek Ἡράκλεις and Ἥρακλες, in voc. hercŭles , and more freq. hercŭle or hercle ; also with a prefixed me : mĕ-hercŭles , mehercŭle (also separately: me hercule ), and mĕhercle , as an oath or asseveration, by Hercules!
α Hercules and mehercules: et, hercules, hae quidem exstant, Cic. Brut. 16, 61; cf. Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 4, 1; Poll. ib. 10, 33, 7: licet, hercules, undique omnes in me terrores impendeant, Cic. Rosc. Am. 11, 31; Vell. 2, 52, 2: neque, mehercules, hoc indigne fero, Cic. Rosc. Am. 48, 141: cui, mehercules, hic multum tribuit, id. Fam. 6, 5, 3; Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 18, 3: at, mehercules, narrabit quod quis voluerit, Phaedr. 3, 17, 8.—
β Hercule and mehercule, by Hercules! (in class. prose most freq.; cf. also: impetratum est a consuetudine, ut peccare suavitatis causa liceret: et pomeridianas quadrigas quam postmeridianas libentius dixerim, et mehercule quam mehercules, Cic. Or. 47, 157): et hercule ita fecit, id. Lael. 11, 37: et hercule, id. Fam. 2, 18, 2; Quint. 2, 5, 4; 2, 16, 12; 10, 2, 3; 12, 6, 4 al.: ac me quidem, ut hercule etiam te ipsum, Laeli, cognitio ipsa rerum delectat, Cic. Rep. 1, 13: non hercule, Scipio, dubito quin, etc., id. ib. 1, 23; id. Quint. 3, 13; id. Att. 2, 7, 3: sed hercule facile patior datum tempus, in quo, etc., id. ib. 16, 16, C, 10; Quint. 1, 4, 7; 12, 1, 7: atqui nactus es, sed me hercule otiosiorem opera quam animo, Cic. Rep. 1, 9: dicam me hercule, id. ib. 1, 19: non me hercule, inquit, id. ib. 1, 38: non mehercule, Quint. 6, 1, 43; 6, 3, 74: cognoscere me hercule, inquit, etc., Cic. Rep. 1, 48 Mai. N. cr. : ita mehercule attendi, nec satis intellexi, etc., id. Leg. 3, 14, 33 Mos. N. cr.; id. Verr. 2, 3, 62, § 144: vere mehercule hoc dicam, id. Planc. 26, 64: et mehercule ego antea mirari solebam, etc., id. Verr. 2, 4, 14, § 33; id. Att. 5, 16, 3: mihi mehercule magnae curae est aedilitas tua, id. Fam. 2, 11, 2: servi mehercule mei, si me isto pacto metuerent, etc., id. Cat. 1, 7, 17.—
γ Hercle and mehercle (the former esp. freq. in Plaut. and Ter.; the latter very rare): malo hercle magno suo convivat, Enn. ap. Non. 474, 22 (Sat. v. 1 Vahl.): obsecro hercle, quantus et quam validus est, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 143; id. ib. 173: tanto hercle melior, id. Bacch. 2, 2, 33: mihi quidem hercle non fit verisimile, Ter. And. 225: nescio hercle, id. Eun. 304; id. Phorm. 137: perii hercle, id. Eun. 905; 984; id. Heaut. 736: non hercle, id. Phorm. 969: per hercle rem mirandam (i. e. permirandam) Aristoteles dicit, Gell. 3, 6, 1.—With intensive particles: heu hercle, Plaut. Rud. 3, 5, 41: scite hercle sane, id. Trin. 3, 3, 53; cf.: sane quidem hercle, Cic. Leg. 2, 4, 8: minime, minime hercle vero! Plaut. Trin. 3, 3, 23; cf.: minime hercle, Cic. Lael. 9, 30: haudquaquam hercle, Crasse, mirandum est, etc., id. de Or. 3, 22, 82: pulchre mehercle dictum et sapienter, Ter. Eun. 416; 67.
II Derivv.
A Hercŭlĕus , a, um, adj., of or belonging to Hercules , Herculean : domiti Herculea manu Telluris juvenes, Hor. C. 2, 12, 6: labor, id. ib. 1, 3, 36: coronae arbos, i. e. the poplar , Verg. G. 2, 66; cf.: umbra populi, id. A. 8, 276: leo, the lion's skin worn by Hercules , Val. Fl. 1, 263: Oete, on which Hercules burned himself , Luc. 3, 178: hospes, i. e. Croto , by whom Hercules was hospitably entertained , Ov. M. 15, 8: ternox, in which Hercules was begotten , Stat. Th. 12, 301: hostis, i. e. Telephus , son of Hercules , Ov. R. Am. 47: gens, i. e. the family of the Fabians sprung from Hercules , id. F. 2, 237; so, penates, Sil. 7, 44: sacrum, instituted by Evander in honor of Hercules , Verg. A. 8, 270: Trachin, built by Hercules , Ov. M. 11, 627: urbs, the city of Herculaneum , built by Hercules , id. ib. 15, 711.—Hence also: litora, near Herculaneum , Prop. 1, 11, 2: Tibur, i. e. where Hercules was worshipped , Mart. 1, 13, 1; 4, 62: astrum, i. e. the constellation of the Lion , id. 8, 55, 15: fretum, i. e. the Pillars of Hercules , (Strait of Gibraltar), Sil. 1, 199; also: metae, Luc. 3, 278.—
B Hercŭlā-nĕus , a, um, adj., the same: pars, i. e. the tithes (dedicated to Hercules), the tenth part , Plaut. Truc. 2, 7, 11.—Also to denote things large of their kind: formicae, Plin. 30, 4, 10, § 29: urtica, id. 21, 15, 55, § 92: nodus, Sen. Ep. 87, 33: nymphaea, App. Herb. 67: sideritis, id. ib. 72: machaera, Capitol. Pertin. 8.—
C Hercŭlānus , a, um, adj., the same: pes, i. e. long , large (cf. in the preced.), Gell. 1, 1, 3.—
D Acc. to the Gr. form Hēraclēus or Hēra-clĭus , a, um, adj., = Ἡράκλειος or Ἡράκλιος, the same: fabulae, Juv. 1, 52 (al. acc. to the MSS. Herculeias).—
E Hēraclī-des , ae, m., = Ἡρακλείδης, a male descendant of Hercules , Heraclid : exclusi ab Heraclīdis Orestis liberi, Vell. 1, 2 fin. —
F Hercŭlĭus , i, m., a surname of the emperor Maximinianus , and hence, Her-cŭlĭāni , ōrum, m., his guards , Amm. 22, 3, 2; 25, 6, 2.