Jupiter and all the gods knew that Hercules was half-man and half-god. His mother was a mortal, but his father was the king of all the gods, the mighty Jupiter. But Hercules did not know he was part god until he had grown into a man. Juno, Jupiter’s wife, was very jealous of Hercules. She tried all kinds of ways to kill him, including sending a couple of really big snakes into his crib. He was just a baby, but Hercules crushed those snakes. Hercules was incredibly strong!