Son of Zeus and a mortal, he has a very rich and complex mythology associated with him. As a mortal, his travels and adventures are legendary, and he has become known as the quintessential Hero. His journeys and labors can be seen as an initiatory sequence, in which his Earthly dross is gradually purged from him. His demise is the final act of this process, and on his funeral pyre his Spirit is liberated, and ascends to Olympus where he is admitted to the company of the Gods. He was a popular cult figure throughout the Classic world, and his tale still holds attention today. His favored weapons were the club or maul, and the bow.