You have probably heard of Heracles, or Hercules, as he was later known in Roman mythology.
What you might not know is that several places in Spain are linked to this legendary hero.
In the city of A Coruña, in the region of Galicia, stands the Tower of Hercules, believed to be the oldest functioning Roman lighthouse in the world. According to legend, Hercules himself built it after defeating a giant.
Further inland, in Toledo, you can visit the Caves of Hercules, now part of a cultural centre where you can walk through mysterious underground passageways. Legend says that Hercules founded the city and built his palace there. He supposedly left behind a locked chest containing a prophecy about the fall of the Visigothic kingdom.
When King Rodrigo opened the chest, ignoring all warnings, he released a curse that led to the kingdom’s downfall and the arrival of Islamic rule in Spain.
But the myths don’t stop there.
Some believe Atlantis, the lost city described by the Greek philosopher Plato, could have been located in Spain. Over the 20th century alone, thousands of books and articles have been written about this mysterious place.
Some researchers think that the legendary island, said to have been created by Poseidon, might have been located in what is now Doñana National Park, or linked to the ancient civilisation of Tartessos, which once thrived in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
