HERCULES
European Mythology
Greek Mythology
Roman Mythology
A mythological Hero
There are several characters in mythology and European traditions who bear the name "HERCULES".The first and foremost is the hero of classical Greek mythology, who is not a giant but whose character was "borrowed" by the giantologist and genealogist of medieval France, Jean Tixier de Ravisy (ca. 1480-1524) for one of the descendants of the biblical Noah. In this work, Hercules is not only a giant descendant of Noah - through his reputed son Tuyscon Gigas - but also a sibling of the giants Gambrivius, Herminon, Hunnus, Ingavon, Istaevon, Marus, Suevus, Tentanes, and Vandaluus. These were conjectured as the giant race from whom the Gauls and ultimately the French monarchy were supposed to be descended. (Many of these names are taken from names of the races of people who invaded Europe from the east, after the collapse of the Roman Empire circa 400 A.D.) The list was utilized extensively in the genealogy of Pantagruel as ancestors by the French author Francois Rabalais in his work Pantagruel (1532).
The third Hercules is also a giant and is usually known as Hercules Libyus.
Source: Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth