The Story of Heracles (Hercules) and His 12 Labors

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16 Feb 2024

Heracles (Hercules): Who is He?

In mythology, Heracles, renowned for his strength, is prominently featured in Greek mythology as Heracles and known as Hercules in Roman mythology.

Heracles is the son of Zeus, the supreme god, and Alcmene, daughter of the Mycenaean king and wife of Amphitryon. Zeus, assuming the form of Amphitryon, had a union with Alcmene in Amphitryon's absence, resulting in the birth of the demigod Heracles. Hera, Zeus's wife, harbored everlasting resentment towards Heracles for this. When Heracles was only 8 months old and lying in the cradle with his brother Iphicles, Hera sent two large serpents. While Iphicles, being mortal, was afraid, Heracles strangled the serpents with his bare hands. This event was considered an early indication of Heracles' future strength.

Heracles at 18: The First Labor

When Heracles turned 18, he accomplished his first great feat by killing the Nemean Lion, a task assigned by King Eurystheus. As a reward, he was given Megara, the daughter of the Theban king. However, driven mad by Hera, Heracles unknowingly killed Megara and their three children. To atone for his sins, Heracles became a servant to King Eurystheus, who assigned him twelve labors, known as the "Labors of Heracles."

The Twelve Labors of Heracles:

Slay the Nemean Lion:

Heracles was tasked with bringing back the skin of the Nemean Lion, a ferocious beast terrorizing the Peloponnesian forests. Heracles strangled the lion, and its impenetrable hide became his iconic armor.

Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra:

The Hydra, offspring of Typhon and Echidna, was a serpent with nine heads, regenerating two for every one cut off. With the help of his nephew Iolaus, Heracles defeated the Hydra by searing the neck stumps after cutting off each head.

Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis:

Heracles was tasked with capturing the Ceryneian Hind, a sacred deer with golden antlers that belonged to the goddess Artemis. After a year-long chase, Heracles managed to catch the hind by tiring it out and brought it back to King Eurystheus.

Capture the Erymanthian Boar:

Heracles was instructed to capture the Erymanthian Boar alive. After chasing the boar through the mountains, Heracles drove it into a deep snowdrift, making it easy to capture and bring back to King Eurystheus.

Clean the Augean stables in a single day:

King Augeas owned an immense herd of cattle, and their stables had not been cleaned for thirty years. Despite the seemingly demeaning task, Heracles successfully cleaned the stables in a single day by diverting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus to wash away the filth.

Slay the Stymphalian birds:

Heracles had to defeat the Stymphalian birds, man-eating creatures with metallic feathers and sharp beaks. Athena provided him with bronze castanets to create a loud noise, scaring the birds into flight, allowing Heracles to shoot them down with his arrows.

Capture the Cretan Bull:

This bull, a gift from Poseidon to King Minos, became uncontrollable and wreaked havoc in Crete. Heracles was tasked with capturing the bull and bringing it to King Eurystheus. After subduing the bull, Heracles presented it to the king.

Steal the Mares of Diomedes:

Troyan King Diomedes' horses, named Podargos, Lampon, Xanthos, and Deinos, were being fed with human flesh. Diomedes would offer the people washed ashore by storms as food to his horses. King Eurystheus commanded Heracles to bring the wild, man-eating horses to Mycenae. Heracles arrived on the shores of Thrace, punished King Diomedes for his cruelty by killing him, and used Diomedes' body to feed the horses. As the horses had consumed their master's flesh, they came under the command of Heracles. Heracles then captured these horses and brought them to King Eurystheus.

Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons:

Heracles was assigned to retrieve the magical girdle of Queen Hippolyta, a gift from Ares. Despite successfully negotiating with Hippolyta, Hera spread false rumors, leading to a conflict between Heracles and the Amazons. In the end, Heracles acquired the girdle.

Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon:

Geryon, a three-bodied monster, possessed red cattle that Heracles was tasked to retrieve. After defeating Geryon and his watchdog Orthrus, Heracles faced additional challenges, including a giant cattle fly sent by Hera, but he eventually brought the cattle to King Eurystheus.

Steal the apples of the Hesperides:

The Hesperides guarded golden apples given to Hera by Gaia as a wedding gift. Heracles sought the help of the Titan Atlas to obtain the apples. Atlas agreed to get them, and Heracles temporarily took the burden of holding the sky (Atlas's punishment) while Atlas retrieved the apples. Heracles then tricked Atlas into taking back the sky, allowing him to leave with the apples.

Capture and bring back Cerberus, the three-headed dog guarding the entrance to the Underworld:

For his final labor, Heracles journeyed to the Underworld with the assistance of Hermes. There, he persuaded Hades to let him take Cerberus to the surface. Heracles subdued Cerberus without using weapons and presented it to King Eurystheus before returning it to the Underworld.

Heracles' Death:

Having completed all his labors, Heracles married Deianira, the daughter of King Oeneus. However, Hera's everlasting animosity led her to influence Deianira with jealousy. Deianira gave Heracles a garment soaked in the blood of the centaur Nessus, whom she believed was in love with Heracles. Unaware of the garment's poison, Heracles put it on, causing intense pain. Realizing his impending death, Heracles collected wood for his own funeral pyre. Philoctetes set the wood ablaze, and as Heracles burned, a lightning bolt from Zeus transported him to Mount Olympus, granting him immortality.

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