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Writer's pictureMegan Jung

The Hero Hercules and his 12 Labors

After being sent into a complete madness causing him to kill his family, Hercules does twelve labors to repent for his sins.

Who is Hercules?

Hercules was a demigod being the son of Zeus, king of all gods, and Alcmene, a moral. Zeus fell in love with Alcmene and disguised himself as her husband, impregnating her when he was away. Zeus’s wife, Hera was infuriated and tried to prevent the birth. Alcmene named the baby Herakles, “glorious gift of Hera” in Greek. This simple act made Hera even angrier, causing her to send snakes to go and kill Hercules in his crib. Infant Hercules grabbed these snakes and managed to strangle them before they could do any harm. Hera, still being angry, wanted to make Hercules’s life as miserable as possible if he were to stay alive.

As an adult, Hercules was a great warrior and married Megara, who was the eldest daughter of King Creon. They had two children and were very happy together. Hera, still maintaining her desire to ruin his life, made him go mad -- propelling him to kill his children and some sources say Megara, too. Athena knocked him out of his rage with a stone, and he became flooded with grief and sadness over what he had done. He wanted to be forgiven for his sins, so he went to an Oracle at Delphi who told him to go to Eurystheus, King of Tirana and Mycenae. He then devised the -- at first ten changing into twelve -- labors for his sins.

Being a demigod, Hercules had great strength that allowed him to perform the famous twelve labors.


The Twelve Labors of Hercules

The first of the twelve labors was to bring Eurystheus the skin of the Nemean Lion. The Nemean Lion was invulnerable and terrorized the hills around Nemea. Hercules trapped it in a cave and took the lion in his arms to choke it to death. He couldn’t find anything to skin the lion until Athena told him to use one of its claws to skin it. Wearing the hide, Hercules went back to Eurystheus to receive his next task.

The second task was to kill Hydra, a monster with nine heads. Hercules fought with great strength, but as soon as he cut off a head, two more grew. However, with his wit and quick thinking, he thought of a plan to succeed. Hercules freshly cut off the heads and Iolaus, Hercules’s nephew, quickly took a torch and lit the neck on fire preventing the heads from growing back.

The third task was to catch the Ceryneian Hind, a type of deer that could outrun an arrow. After a year of trying to track it down, Hercules finally shot an arrow into the deer's hoof which allowed him to carry it to Eurystheus.

The fourth labor was to catch the Erymanthian Boar. He was told by the centaur Chiron to trap the boar into snow, and resulted in a success.

The fifth task was to wash the stables where King Augeas kept hundreds of cattle in a single day. He did this by opening two nearby rivers into the stable to wash it out, leaving it spotless.

The sixth task was to shoo away the Stymphalian Birds, who were in the swamp. Hercules made Athena’s special rattle causing them to be frightened and fly away. While they were in the air, Hercules shot at them with his arrows.

The seventh task was to bring the Cretan Bull from Knossos that can walk on water. Hercules rode the bull and released it.

The eighth task was to get the man-eating mares of Diomedes, the king of Bistones. King Diomedes trained his horses to eat his guests. Hercules fought him and threw him into his own stables. After, Hercules went into the stable and tied up their mouths.

The ninth labor was to bring Hippolyte’s Girdle. Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons, used her belt as her right to rule. Hercules was prepared for a big battle, but when he arrived, the queen was actually impressed by Hercules and his treacherous labors, generously and gladly handing over her belt.

The tenth labor was to bring the cattle from Geryon, a giant with three heads and bodies. Hercules traveled through the desert to the island on the chariot of Helios, the sun god. Hercules killed the giant and received the cattle.

The eleventh labor was to get golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides nymphs. First, Hercules caught the old man of the sea and asked him to reveal the garden's location. Then, Hercules found Atlas, the titan who holds the heavens. Hercules said he would take his place holding the heavens if Atlas would get the apples, yet managed to trick him to trade places again after he received the apples.

The twelfth labor was to capture Cerberus, the three headed dog of the underworld. Hercules went to the underworld and met Hades. Hades agreed to allow him to take Cerberus as long as he was able to catch him without any weapons. Thus, Hercules grabbed the beast by its three heads in one hand and led him to the over-world.


After all of his labors, he had been redeemed and was able to have a place in the divine pantheon. These labors also destroyed the remains of the Titans’ primordial order and saved humanity.

 

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!


 

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