Baile Herculane - Legend of Hercules. Legend has it that Hercules fought the hydra in the Lernaean Valley, which some authors believe to be the Cernaean Valley itself. The first battle, legend has it, was somewhere about 40 km down the Cerna Valley, towards the springs, at the Corcoaiei Gorges.
The extraordinary clash between Hercules and the multi-headed dragon would have resulted in the formation of the keys. They are indeed rounded in shape, as if they had been pierced by the huge body of the hydra Hercules chased.
The next battle would have taken place in the "7 Springs" area. In this confrontation Hercules, bathed in the waters of the miraculous hot springs in the area, cut off another head of the fearsome dragon.
In honor of the victory, the men of the time would have built, high on the ridge of the mountain to the right of Cerna, a megalithic statue, a human face looking into the distance, over the Mehedinti Mountains. The statue was called the Sphinx of Cerna or the Head of Hercules.
The next confrontation would have taken place on the site of the Bas-relief of Hercules, on the ground floor of the Roman Hotel. Hercules would have bathed again in the waters of the thermal spring that bears his name. And with fresh strength, he cut off the head of the hydra, which fled down the Cerna to the Danube. At Toplet, the ancient hero caught up with the dragon and cut off another head. The place of victory was marked by the locals with a new megalithic statue, the Banat Sphinx.
Finally, the last battle took place somewhere in the Danube Gorge, in a cave, where the dragon took refuge. The dragon cursed that if Hercules cut off the last head, his blood would give birth to a deadly fly that would ravage the cattle. And here, at this point, legend meets reality because there was indeed the columbac fly. This deadly fly would burrow into the fleshy parts of the cattle, which would run away in pain until they met their end in terrible torment. People tried to chase away the swarms of killer flies with smoke, or to protect the cattle by anointing them with tar. But it wasn't until the waters of the reservoir at the Iron Gates flooded the cave that people escaped the scourge.
Herodotus mentions this phenomenon, saying that "in the land of the Agatars it is not possible to enter because of the multitude of flies that kill man and animals". Also Francesco Grisellini, in his History of the Timisan Banat, describes this phenomenon at length. He makes a real study of the killer insect.
According to some authors, the mythological hero, Hercules, was particularly active on the Danube (Istru, as he was called in antiquity). He even participated in the expedition of the Argonauts, around 1225 B.C.2, in search of the golden wool.
Source: Dorin Balteanu
"Herculane - arc over time. Turism si istorie la Baile Herculane", vol. I, 2007, vol II, 2011, Info Craiova Publishing House
We invite you to Afrodita Hotel to visit the places and the town whose name comes from Hercules: Baile Herculane!
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