PILLARS OF HERCULES-GIBRALTAR

The strait Gibraltar is a narrow opening between the continent of Africa and Europe.It is located between Spain and Morocco and connects the Atlantic to the Mediterranean sea.The mountains are either side of the strait are called the Pillars of Hercules because according to legend of hercules,it was created by hercules in order to complete his tenth labor,The first nine labors of were based inside the mediterranean rim,however,the tenth labor took him beyond the outer limits of the known world to a territory no greek had ever seen.For his tenth labor,hercules went all the way to the Spanish peninsula were he had to bring back the cattle of king geryon,the three headed monster.Destroying the geryon to capture his cattle was half the challenge.The half was getting there.To reach king's geryon cattle,Hercules had to venture beyond the mediterranean sea  into the atlantic ocean,but one massive obstacle stood in his way the mountain range that joined the continent of europe and africa and which sealed of the mediterranean sea from the atlantic ocean.Hercules decided not to go around the mountain,he instead went through it he split the mountain into two with one blow from his sword,passed through the narrow strait found geryon's cattle and brought tit back.This part of myth was created to explain how the atlantic and mediterranean were joined.The cliffs on each side forever linked to hercules and were known by the ancient greeks as the pillars of hercules.The northern pillars falls in the continent of europe and is known as the rock of gibraltar no knew them what was beyond them,to the ancient greeks it was not only the gateway to the unknown,it was the portal between the myth and reality.Having gone and come back only increased the reputation of hercules.It also interesting to note that the vertical lines on he dollar signs which has its origin from the spanish dollar,represent the pillar of hercules.
  

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