Histories

Concerning Heracles, I heard it said that he was one of the twelve gods. But nowhere in Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt could I hear anything about the other Heracles, whom the Greeks know.

I have indeed a lot of other evidence that the name of Heracles did not come from Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas to Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, but from Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt to Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas (and in Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas to those Greeks who gave the name Heracles to the son of Amphitryon), besides this: that Amphitryon and Alcmene, the parents of this Heracles, were both Egyptian by descent[*](As grandchildren of Perseus, for whose Egyptian origin see Hdt. 2.91.) ; and that the Egyptians deny knowing the names Poseidon and the Dioscuri, nor are these gods reckoned among the gods of Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt.

Yet if they got the name of any deity from the Greeks, of these not least but in particular would they preserve a recollection, if indeed they were already making sea voyages and some Greeks, too, were seafaring men, as I expect and judge; so that the names of these gods would have been even better known to the Egyptians than the name of Heracles.