The labour of Hercules

People always assumed his parents had a great sense of irony.

But Hercules’ parents – heavyweight weightlifters – didn’t expect their baby to grow up to be so small.

His name might still have made some sense had he been inclined to lift relatively heavy things above his head, but he preferred chess, astronomy and art-house cinema.

By his teens, upon mention of his name, he’d seen every raised eyebrow and heard every quip.

Exhausted and humiliated, Hercules considered changing his name but in time came to see it as a labour that, in its overcoming, would only make him stronger.

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