Antaeus

Antaeus (Greek: Ἀνταῖος)

Hercules Fighting Antaeus (1634), by Francisco de Zurbarán
Grouping	Legendary creature
Sub grouping	Half-giant
Parents	Poseidon Gaia
Mythology	Greek
Region	Africa
Habitat	In the interior desert of Libya.

Antaeus (/ænˈtiːus/, Greek: Ἀνταῖος, Antaîos, lit. "Opponent"; Berber: Änti) was a figure in Greek and Berber mythology. In Greek sources, he was the half-giant son of Poseidon and Gaia. His wife was the goddess Tinge, and he had a daughter named Alceis or Barce. He was famed for his loss to Heracles as part of his 12 Labors.

Antaeus would challenge all passers-by to wrestling matches and remained invincible as long as he remained in contact with his mother, the earth. As Greek wrestling, like its modern equivalent, typically attempted to force opponents to the ground, he always won, killing his opponents. He built a temple to his father using their skulls. Antaeus fought Heracles as he was on his way to the Garden of Hesperides as his 11th Labor. Heracles realized that he could not beat Antaeus by throwing or pinning him. Instead, he held him aloft and then crushed him to death in a bear hug.

The contest between Heracles and Antaeus was a favored subject in ancient and Renaissance sculpture.

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