Luther as Hercules Germanicus

Hans Holbein d.J. (1497–1543), Luther als Hercules Germanicus, kolorierter Holzschnitt, ca. 1519; Bildquelle: Zentralbibliothek Zürich, Ms A 2, S. 150.

Like Maximilian I, Luther was also presented as a German Hercules. In this woodcut by Hans Holbein the Younger, he destroys the authorities of the Roman Church with a club, just as Hercules did to the many-headed hydra. With his left hand, he strangles the Cologne Dominican and inquisitor Jacob van Hoogstraten. His already slain victims on the ground include Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, William of Ockham and Peter Lombard.

Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543), Luther as Hercules Germanicus, coloured woodcut, ca. 1519; source: Zentralbibliothek Zürich, Ms A 2, p. 150.