Hercules: The Legendary Journeys/Headscratchers


 * How did Hercules travel to all those places in Greece? It must take weeks to go between towns because he goes on foot.
 * Olympic Games Herc wants to introduce an ethical alternative to war. He sees two boys arguing, "I'm fastest.", "No, I'm fastest.", so they run a race. Herc inaugurates the Olympics saying "You don't have to kill each other to prove who is the greatest Warrior."
 * Wrong, Herc, wrong. A race proves the best runner. Shooting at targets proves the best archer. But a Warrior's job is War = killing people. It does what it says on the can.
 * Well, you can do it without the killing bit. You'd still have to fight (wrestling, for example, jousting), but just don't finish'em off.
 * Fair enough. Fighting with blunt weapons would indeed prove the best warrior, but the games that Herc set up only proved the best athlete. There is merit and virtue in being the best athlete. My whinge is that Hercules said best "warrior".
 * Details, details.
 * Wasn't there a boxing match?
 * You can add all the different contests up and say that whoever gets the most medals has proven, albeit indirectly, that they're the best warrior. If you can run the fastest, jump the highest and the longest, throw a javelin and discus the farthest, outwrestle your opponents, swim the fastest and so on, you've established your warrior credentials. Nowadays Olypmpic athletes just specialize in one sport instead of trying to win everything, but Herc's working with a much smaller competition and a lot less sports, so the goal of trying to sweep the board and prove you're the best, period, isn't so farfetched.