Hercules, Hercules. Mythology of Greece, Rome, India, Egypt. Illustrated Dictionary. Hercules (Heraclius, Alcides, Hercules), the greatest hero of Greek myths and legends, son of Zeus Hercules whose son is one of the gods

Hercules is a hero in ancient Greek mythology, the son of the god Zeus and Alcmene, the wife of the hero Amphitryon. Among the numerous myths about Hercules, the most famous is the cycle of tales about the 12 labors performed by Hercules when he was in the service of the Mycenaean king Eurystheus. The cult of Hercules was very popular in Greece; through Greek colonists it early spread to Italy, where Hercules was revered under the name Hercules.

One day, the evil Hera sent a terrible illness to Hercules. The great hero lost his mind, madness took possession of him. In a fit of rage, Hercules killed all his children and the children of his brother Iphicles. When the fit passed, deep sorrow took possession of Hercules. Cleansed from the filth of the involuntary murder he committed, Hercules left Thebes and went to the sacred Delphi to ask the god Apollo what he should do. Apollo ordered Hercules to go to the homeland of his ancestors in Tiryns and serve Eurystheus for twelve years. Through the mouth of the Pythia, the son of Latona predicted to Hercules that he would receive immortality if he performed twelve great labors at the command of Eurystheus. Hercules settled in Tiryns and became a servant of the weak, cowardly Eurystheus... In the service of Eurystheus, Hercules accomplished his 12 legendary feats, for which he needed all his strength, as well as ingenuity and good advice of the gods.

12 labors of Hercules

The canonical scheme of 12 labors was first established by Pisander of Rhodes in the poem “Hercules”. The order of feats is not the same for all authors. In total, Pythia ordered Hercules to perform 10 labors, but Eurystheus did not count 2 of them. I had to perform two more and it turned out to be 12. In 8 years and one month he accomplished the first 10 feats, in 12 years - all of them.

1. Strangulation of the Nemean Lion
2. Killing the Lernaean Hydra (not counted due to Iolaus' help)
3. Extermination of Stymphalian birds
4. Capture of the Keryneian Hind
5. Taming of the Erymanthian Boar
6. Cleaning the Augean Stables (not counted due to fee requirement)
7. Taming of the Cretan Bull
8. The Stealing of the Horses of Diomedes, victory over King Diomedes (who threw strangers to be devoured by his horses)
9. The theft of the Belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons
10. Stealing the cows of the three-headed giant Geryon
11. The theft of golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides
12. Taming the guard of Hades - the dog Cerberus

The first labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules strangled the huge Nemean lion, which was born by the monsters Typhon and Echidna and caused devastation in Argolis. Hercules' arrows bounced off the lion's thick skin, but the hero stunned the beast with his club and strangled him with his hands. In memory of this first feat, Hercules established the Nemean Games, which were celebrated in the ancient Peloponnese every two years.

The second labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules killed the Lernaean hydra - a monster with the body of a snake and 9 heads of a dragon, which crawled out of a swamp near the city of Lerna, killed people and destroyed entire herds. In place of each hydra head severed by the hero, two new ones grew until Hercules’ assistant, Iolaus, began to burn the hydra’s necks with burning tree trunks. He also killed a giant crayfish that crawled out of the swamp to help the hydra. Hercules soaked his arrows in the poisonous bile of the Lernaean hydra, making them deadly.

The third labor of Hercules (summary)

Stymphalian birds attacked people and livestock, tearing them apart with copper claws and beaks. In addition, they dropped deadly bronze feathers from a height like arrows. The goddess Athena gave Hercules two tympanums, with the sounds of which he scared away the birds. When they flew up in a flock, Hercules shot some of them with a bow, and the rest flew away in horror to the shores of the Pontus Euxine (Black Sea) and never returned to Greece.

The fourth labor of Hercules (summary)

The Kerynean doe with golden horns and copper legs, sent to punish people by the goddess Artemis, never tired, rushed around Arcadia and devastated the fields. Hercules chased the doe at a run for a whole year, reaching in pursuit of her the sources of the Istra (Danube) in the far north and then returning back to Hellas. Here Hercules wounded the doe in the leg with an arrow, caught her and brought her alive to Eurystheus in Mycenae.

The fifth labor of Hercules (summary)

Possessing monstrous strength, the Erymanthian boar terrified the entire surrounding area. On the way to fight him, Hercules visited his friend, the centaur Pholus. He treated the hero to wine, angering the other centaurs, since the wine belonged to all of them, and not to Fol alone. The centaurs rushed at Hercules, but with archery he forced the attackers to hide with the centaur Chiron. Pursuing the centaurs, Hercules burst into the cave of Chiron and accidentally killed this wise hero of many Greek myths with an arrow. Having found the Erymanthian boar, Hercules drove it into deep snow, and it got stuck there. The hero took the tied boar to Mycenae, where the frightened Eurystheus, at the sight of this monster, hid in a large jug.

The sixth labor of Hercules (summary)

King Augeas of Elis, the son of the sun god Helios, received from his father numerous herds of white and red bulls. His huge barnyard had not been cleared for 30 years. Hercules offered Augeas to clear the stall in a day, asking in return for a tenth of his herds. Believing that the hero could not cope with the work in one day, Augeias agreed. Hercules blocked the rivers Alpheus and Peneus with a dam and diverted their water to Augeas's farmyard - all the manure was washed away from it in a day.

Greedy Augeas did not give Hercules the promised payment for his work. A few years later, having already been freed from service with Eurystheus, Hercules gathered an army, defeated Augeas and killed him. After this victory, Hercules founded the famous Olympic Games in Elis, near the city of Pisa.

The seventh labor of Hercules (summary)

The god Poseidon gave the Cretan king Minos a beautiful bull to sacrifice himself. But Minos left the wonderful bull in his herd, and sacrificed another to Poseidon. The angry god sent the bull into a frenzy: he began to rush all over Crete, destroying everything along the way. Hercules caught the bull, tamed it, and swam on its back across the sea from Crete to the Peloponnese. Eurystheus ordered the bull to be released. He, again enraged, rushed from Mycenae to the north, where he was killed in Attica by the Athenian hero Theseus.

The Eighth Labor of Hercules (summary)

The Thracian king Diomedes owned horses of wondrous beauty and strength, which could only be kept in a stall with iron chains. Diomedes fed the horses with human meat, killing the foreigners who came to him. Hercules led the horses away by force and defeated Diomedes, who rushed in pursuit, in battle. During this time, the horses tore to pieces Hercules' companion, Abdera, who was guarding them on the ships.

The Ninth Labor of Hercules (summary)

The queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta, wore a belt given to her by the god Ares as a sign of her power. Eurystheus's daughter, Admeta, wanted this belt. Hercules with a detachment of heroes sailed to the kingdom of the Amazons, to the shores of the Pontus Euxine (Black Sea). Hippolyta, at the request of Hercules, wanted to give up the belt voluntarily, but other Amazons attacked the hero and killed several of his companions. Hercules defeated seven of the strongest warriors in battle and put their army to flight. Hippolyta gave him the belt as a ransom for the captured Amazon Melanippe. On the way back from the land of the Amazons, Hercules saved Hesion, the daughter of the Trojan king Laomendont, who, like Andromeda, was doomed to be sacrificed to a sea monster, at the walls of Troy. Hercules killed the monster, but Laomedont did not give him the promised reward - the horses of Zeus belonging to the Trojans. For this, Hercules, a few years later, made a campaign against Troy, took it and killed the entire family of Laomedon, leaving only one of his sons, Priam, alive. Priam ruled Troy during the glorious Trojan War.

The tenth labor of Hercules (summary)

On the westernmost edge of the earth, the giant Geryon, who had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs, was tending cows. By order of Eurystheus, Hercules went after these cows. The long journey to the west itself was already a feat, and in memory of it, Hercules erected two stone (Hercules) pillars on both sides of a narrow strait near the shores of the Ocean (modern Gibraltar). Geryon lived on the island of Erithia. So that Hercules could reach him, the sun god Helios gave him his horses and a golden boat, on which he himself sails across the sky every day.

Having killed Geryon's guards - the giant Eurytion and the two-headed dog Ortho - Hercules captured the cows and drove them to the sea. But then Geryon himself rushed at him, covering his three bodies with three shields and throwing three spears at once. However, Hercules shot him with a bow and finished him off with a club, and transported the cows on Helios’s shuttle across the Ocean. On the way to Greece, one of the cows ran away from Hercules to Sicily. To free her, the hero had to kill the Sicilian king Eryx in a duel. Then Hera, hostile to Hercules, sent rabies into the herd, and the cows that had fled from the shores of the Ionian Sea were barely caught in Thrace. Eurystheus, having received Geryon's cows, sacrificed them to Hera.

The Eleventh Labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules had to find the way to the great titan Atlas (Atlas), who holds the firmament on his shoulders at the edge of the earth. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to take three golden apples from the golden tree in the garden of Atlas. To find out the way to Atlas, Hercules, on the advice of the nymphs, lay in wait for the sea god Nereus on the seashore, grabbed him and held him until he showed the right road. On the way to Atlas through Libya, Hercules had to fight the cruel giant Antaeus, who received new powers by touching his mother, Earth-Gaia. After a long fight, Hercules lifted Antaeus into the air and strangled him without lowering him to the ground. In Egypt, King Busiris wanted to sacrifice Hercules to the gods, but the angry hero killed Busiris along with his son.

The Twelfth Labor of Hercules (summary)

By order of Eurystheus, Hercules descended through the Tenar abyss into the dark kingdom of the god of the dead Hades in order to take away his guard - the three-headed dog Cerberus, whose tail ended with the head of a dragon. At the very gates of the underworld, Hercules freed the Athenian hero Theseus, rooted to a rock, who, together with his friend, Periphoes, was punished by the gods for trying to steal his wife Persephone from Hades. In the kingdom of the dead, Hercules met the shadow of the hero Meleager, to whom he promised to become the protector of his lonely sister Deianira and marry her. The ruler of the underworld, Hades, himself allowed Hercules to take Cerberus away - but only if the hero was able to tame him. Having found Cerberus, Hercules began to fight him. He strangled the dog, pulled him out of the ground and brought him to Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus, at one glance at the terrible dog, began to beg Hercules to take her back, which he did.

Will rule over all relatives. Hera, having learned about this, accelerated the birth of Perseid's wife Sthenel, who gave birth to the weak and cowardly Eurystheus. Zeus involuntarily had to agree that Hercules, who was born after this by Alcmena, would obey Eurystheus - but not all his life, but only until he accomplished 12 great feats in his service.

From early childhood, Hercules was distinguished by enormous strength. Already in the cradle, he strangled two huge snakes sent by Hera to destroy the baby. Hercules spent his childhood in Thebes, Boeotia. He liberated this city from the power of neighboring Orkhomenes, and in gratitude, the Theban king Creon gave his daughter, Megara, to Hercules. Soon, Hera sent Hercules into a fit of madness, during which he killed his children and the children of his half-brother Iphicles (according to the tragedies of Euripides (“”) and Seneca, Hercules also killed his wife Megara). The Delphic oracle, in atonement for this sin, ordered Hercules to go to Eurystheus and, on his orders, perform the 12 labors that were destined for him by fate.

The first labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules kills the Nemean lion. Copy from the statue of Lysippos

The second labor of Hercules (summary)

The second labor of Hercules was the fight against the Lernaean Hydra. Painting by A. Pollaiolo, c. 1475

The third labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules and the Stymphalian Birds. Statue of A. Bourdelle, 1909

The fourth labor of Hercules (summary)

The Fourth Labor of Hercules - Kerenean Hind

The fifth labor of Hercules (summary)

Possessing monstrous strength, the Erymanthian boar terrified the entire surrounding area. On the way to fight him, Hercules visited his friend, the centaur Pholus. He treated the hero to wine, angering the other centaurs, since the wine belonged to all of them, and not to Fol alone. The centaurs rushed at Hercules, but with archery he forced the attackers to hide with the centaur Chiron. Pursuing the centaurs, Hercules burst into the cave of Chiron and accidentally killed this wise hero of many Greek myths with an arrow.

Hercules and the Erymanthian boar. Statue of L. Tuyon, 1904

The sixth labor of Hercules (summary)

King Augeas of Elis, the son of the sun god Helios, received from his father numerous herds of white and red bulls. His huge barnyard had not been cleared for 30 years. Hercules offered Augeas to clear the stall in a day, asking in return for a tenth of his herds. Believing that the hero could not cope with the work in one day, Augeias agreed. Hercules blocked the rivers Alpheus and Peneus with a dam and diverted their water to Augeas's farmyard - all the manure was washed away from it in a day.

The sixth labor - Hercules cleans the stables of Augeas. Roman mosaic from the 3rd century. according to R.H. from Valencia

The seventh labor of Hercules (summary)

Seventh labor - Hercules and the Cretan bull. Roman mosaic from the 3rd century. according to R.H. from Valencia

The Eighth Labor of Hercules (summary)

Diomedes devoured by his horses. Artist Gustave Moreau, 1865

The Ninth Labor of Hercules (summary)

The tenth labor of Hercules (summary)

On the westernmost edge of the earth, the giant Geryon, who had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs, was tending cows. By order of Eurystheus, Hercules went after these cows. The long journey to the west itself was already a feat, and in memory of it, Hercules erected two stone (Hercules) pillars on both sides of a narrow strait near the shores of the Ocean (modern Gibraltar). Geryon lived on the island of Erithia. So that Hercules could reach him, the sun god Helios gave him his horses and a golden boat, on which he himself sails across the sky every day.

The Eleventh Labor of Hercules (summary)

The Eleventh Labor of Hercules - Cerberus

The Twelfth Labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules had to find the way to the great titan Atlas (Atlas), who holds the firmament on his shoulders at the edge of the earth. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to take three golden apples from the golden tree in the garden of Atlas. To find out the way to Atlas, Hercules, on the advice of the nymphs, lay in wait for the sea god Nereus on the seashore, grabbed him and held him until he showed the right road. On the way to Atlas through Libya, Hercules had to fight the cruel giant Antaeus, who received new powers by touching his mother, Earth-Gaea. After a long fight, Hercules lifted Antaeus into the air and strangled him without lowering him to the ground. In Egypt, King Busiris wanted to sacrifice Hercules to the gods, but the angry hero killed Busiris along with his son.

The fight of Hercules with Antaeus. Artist O. Coudet, 1819

Photo - Jastrow

The sequence of the 12 main labors of Hercules varies in different mythological sources. The eleventh and twelfth labors especially often change places: a number of ancient authors consider the descent into Hades for Cerberus to be the last achievement of Hercules, and the journey to the Garden of the Hesperides as the penultimate.

Other labors of Hercules

After completing 12 labors, Hercules, freed from the power of Eurystheus, defeated the best archer in Greece, Eurytus, king of the Euboean Oichalia, in a shooting competition. Eurytus did not give Hercules the promised reward for this - his daughter Iola. Hercules then married Deianira, the sister of Meleager, whom he met in the kingdom of Hades, in the city of Calydon. Seeking the hand of Deianira, Hercules endured a difficult duel with the river god Achelous, who during the fight turned into a snake and a bull.

Hercules and Deianira went to Tiryns. Along the way, Dejanira was attempted to be kidnapped by the centaur Nessus, who offered to transport the couple across the river. Hercules killed Nessus with arrows soaked in the bile of the Lernaean hydra. Before his death, Nessus, secretly from Hercules, advised Deianira to collect his blood poisoned by the hydra poison. The centaur assured that if Dejanira rubbed Hercules’ clothes with her, then no other woman would ever please him.

In Tiryns, during a fit of madness again sent by Hero, Hercules killed his close friend, the son of Eurytus, Iphitus. Zeus punished Hercules with a serious illness for this. Trying to find out a cure for it, Hercules went on a rampage in the Delphic temple and fought with the god Apollo. Finally it was revealed to him that he must sell himself into slavery for three years to the Lydian queen Omphale. For three years, Omphale subjected Hercules to terrible humiliation: she forced him to wear women's clothing and spin, while she herself wore the hero's lion skin and club. However, Omphale allowed Hercules to take part in the campaign of the Argonauts.

Freed from slavery to Omphale, Hercules took Troy and took revenge on its king, Laomedon, for his previous deception. He then took part in the battle of the gods with the giants. The mother of the giants, the goddess Gaia, made these children of hers invulnerable to the weapons of the gods. Only a mortal could kill giants. During the battle, the gods threw the giants to the ground with weapons and lightning, and Hercules finished them off with his arrows.

Death of Hercules

Following this, Hercules set out on a campaign against King Eurytus, who had insulted him. Having defeated Eurytus, Hercules captured his daughter, the beautiful Iola, whom he should have received after a previous competition with her father in archery. Having learned that Hercules was going to marry Iola, Deianira, in an attempt to return her husband’s love, sent him a cloak soaked in the blood of the centaur Nessus, soaked in the poison of the Lernaean Hydra. As soon as Hercules put on this cloak, it stuck to his body. The poison penetrated the hero’s skin and began to cause terrible pain. Dejanira, having learned about her mistake, committed suicide. This myth became the plot of the tragedy of Sophocles and Demophon. The army of Eurystheus invaded Athenian soil, but was defeated by an army led by the eldest son of Hercules, Gill. The Heraclides became the ancestors of one of the four main branches of the Greek people - the Dorians. Three generations after Gill, the Dorian invasion of the south ended with the conquest of the Peloponnese, which the Heraclides considered the rightful inheritance of their father, treacherously taken from him by the cunning of the goddess Hera. In the news of the captures of the Dorians, legends and myths are already mixed with memories of genuine historical events.

Hercules was born in Thebes to Alcmene and Zeus. According to the instructions of the father, the child born was to rule every earthly nation. Then Hera made sure that Perseus' grandson Eurystheus was born before Alcmene's son. Hercules was forced to serve Eurystheus, but the hero was able to get rid of this duty by performing a number of feats . He had to show not only strength, but also intelligence. Let us briefly list all 12 labors of Hercules.

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Prince Hercules ordered to go to the temple of Zeus in Nemea to defeat a huge lion that brought terror to all the inhabitants.

Attention! All his life, Prince Eurystheus received care and love. He had power, but was neither smart nor distinguished.

Hercules went to the deserted lands and walked for a long time along the gorges and slopes. Suddenly, the roar of a giant lion was heard from the cave. The hero managed to hit the monster on the head with a club just before the jump, and then squeezed its neck, and the beast stopped breathing. This was feat number 1.

The winner wore the skin of a lion. People ran away from him in horror, Eurystheus hid in the far corner and shouted to the hero to leave and to receive orders from the herald.

The second feat of Hercules was no less brilliant. The next day the hero had to go to the swamp, where the Hydra with ten heads lived. Iolaus went with him. The hydra wrapped its necks around random travelers, pulled them into its lair and ate them. When Hercules and Iolaus reached the cursed swamp, the monster was sleeping. Having teased the Hydra, Hercules lured her out and began cutting off heads. one after another, but in their place two new ones grew. The hero asked Iolaus for help, and he began to burn the place of the severed head with a torch. So the monster was defeated. The hero dipped the arrowheads in the blood of the Hydra, and they turned into deadly weapons.

A whole year passed without hiking, the hero took part in competitions and hunted. Then Hercules received a new punishment from Eurystheus - bring him a live doe, whose hooves are made of copper and horns of gold. No one has been able to catch her until now. This was the 3rd labor of Hercules. The heroes went to the inaccessible wild mountains, and one day they saw a sacred doe that they were hunting for. Hercules rushed after her and pursued her for several days. Finally, the fugitive gave up, but then he met Artemis, who promised that the animal would soon return to her. Upon returning to Mycenae, Eurystheus told the hero to do whatever he wanted with her, and Hercules sacrificed her to Artemis.

Erymanthian boar

The inhabitants of Mount Erimanth suffered from a monstrous boar - at night he devastated all their fields, trampled crops, and tore up the lands. Then Eurystheus ordered Hercules to catch the monster. It was surrounded by centaurs.

Attention! The once-living king Ixion killed his father-in-law and asked for help from Zeus, who brought the killer closer to himself. Then Ixion decided to seek the favor of Hera. Zeus wanted to test the limits of Ixion’s dishonor and gave Cloud-Nephele the appearance of Hera. Their union gave birth to the centaurs.

The 4th labor of Hercules was accomplished like this. He went to the mountain, and in the cave he saw the middle-aged centaur Fol. He invited him and treated him to wine. The other centaurs saw the uninvited guest and became furious. Then the hero began to throw poisoned arrows at them and killed many centaurs, but suddenly he accidentally hit the oldest of them, who did not participate in the battle. It was Chiron who forgave the repentant Hercules for his involuntary murder. The hero easily caught the boar, brought it to Mycenae, fried it and treated it to people, but Eurystheus never showed up out of fear.

Stymphalian birds

Hercules was shocked by the death of Chiron. He spent many days talking with Iolaus about what truth is and what the meaning of life is. He said that the truth lies in living life, in her endless struggle with death, and in a dead life there is no truth - it is filled with oblivion.

One day the king's herald appeared and said that the Stymphalian birds should be killed. Their strength lay in the copper feathers with which the birds destroyed people by eating their flesh. The 5th labor of Hercules began. He and Iolaus reached the lake and felt a strange languor take possession of them. It turned out that about The zero envelops travelers in a poisonous haze, giving oblivion and death.

Then Athena sent a wooden rattle to help - Iolaus shook it, and suddenly the sound, amplified by the echo, swept over the lake and woke up the monstrous birds. They perked up, took off and began to throw their feathers at the travelers, but the hero covered himself and Iolaus with the skin of a lion and began to hit the birds with poisoned arrows. Many of them died, and miraculously those who survived flew away and never appeared again.

Augean stables

The herald who came on the orders of Eurystheus punished clean out the stables of King Augeas which were filled with manure, had not been cleaned for many years, and the walls, feeders and stalls had long since rotted. The hero promised the king that the stalls would be cleaned by morning, but in return the ruler had to give him a tenth of the horses. Augeas was greedy, but easily agreed, because he thought it was impossible to do. The hero, with the help of only one shovel, diverted the flow of the river to the stables, and its flow washed away the manure and everything rotten. This is how the 6th labor of Hercules ended.

However, the king did not want to share what he had promised, so he ordered his nephews to kill the hero, but they themselves fell at his hands. Then Hercules killed Augeas, and the throne was taken by his honest and innocent son. AND The inhabitants of Hellas were ordered to conduct, and as long as they go, everything will be calm in the world.

A new order came from the king - deliver him a snow-white Cretan bull with horns of gold and a rebellious character that brought terror to the entire island of Crete. The 7th labor of Hercules began. He boarded a Phoenician ship, but suddenly a strong storm arose and crashed the ship onto the shore. The hero went to the king, but was captured by local residents and taken to the ruler, who said that he would sacrifice his uninvited guest and his friends to the gods.

Then Hercules easily broke the heavy chains, struck the priest and stabbed the king. Then he left the palace and easily conquered the Cretan bull, which now obeyed only his tamer, and upon arriving at King Eurystheus he broke free.

Eurystheus's next order - go to King Diomedes and take away his bloodthirsty horses, which the ruler feeds to travelers. The 8th labor of Hercules happened like this. On the way, he stopped at King Admet. He received the guest, ordered him to feed him well, but he himself went to other chambers. The old servant said that Admetus suffered the greatest grief: by agreement with the gods, he could remain alive if there was someone willing to die in his place.

When the hour of death struck, no one volunteered to sacrifice their life, except for Admet’s wife, Alceste, who was dearer to him than anything else in the world. So the demon of death took a beautiful girl. The hero decided to snatch her from the hands of the dead and fought with Thanatos, who took Alceste. The revived wife returned to Admet, and there was no happier person in the world.

Hercules went further to carry out the king’s instructions. Diomedes sent a huge army against him, but the hero easily dealt with them all, and gave the king himself to be devoured by his own horses. The bloodthirsty animals were delivered to Eristheus, who ordered them to be taken to the forest, where the horses were destroyed by wild animals.

Eurystheus had a daughter, Admet, who heard that somewhere in the world women—fearless Amazons—ruled. They have arrows and war horses, they are not afraid of any enemy, and all because their leader Hippolyte has a leather belt in which strength is hidden. Then Eurystheus ordered the ancient Greek hero to get this magic belt for him. The 9th labor of Hercules also ended in success:

1. He and his comrades arrived at the Amazons, and their queen declared battle against the uninvited guests.
2. But among the women there was the beautiful Antiope, who immediately fell in love with the hero. At night, she stole Hippolyta’s belt and took it to the men’s tent.
3. So the Amazons were defeated, and the belt was delivered to Eurystheus. However, his daughter returned the magical gift to the gods.

Geryon's Herd

10th labor of Hercules. Eurystheus punished his subordinate get magical purple cows, which were herded by the giant Geryon with three heads. Helios-Sun helped him get to the desired island by boat. The hero dealt with the huge dog, the shepherds, and the giant Geryon himself. However, the most difficult thing was ahead - delivering the entire herd to Mycenae.

Some cows ran away, others were captured, and one day the entire herd disappeared, frightened by a cloud of gadflies sent by the goddess Hera. Echidna helped - half girl, half snake - but in exchange for the fact that the hero would become her husband for the night and help her conceive three children. According to the instructions of Hercules, the one who can bend his bow and girdle himself just like his father will rule these lands. Skif became such a son. The herd was brought to Mycenae- Cows were sacrificed to Hera.

11th labor of Hercules. Eurystheus was getting old and was afraid of losing power. Then he punished get golden apples that give you youth. The hero set off on his journey, reached the sea elder Nereus and asked him to help. The elder wanted to deceive by saying:

• fish,
• like a stream,
• snake,
• fire,
• seagull.

However, the hero still turned out to be more agile. Nereus surrendered, showed the way and even helped him move to the other side of the sea. Met on the way Atlas, who held the firmament and agreed to help the traveler get the golden apples, but if for a while he would take his place. Atlas wanted to leave the hero under the weight of the vault, but he outwitted him: he promised to give him a golden skin, and when Atlas lifted the sky, he left him. He returned to Mycenae, but Eurystheus didn’t even want to look at the golden apples, and then Athena took them.

Taming of Kerberus

12th labor of Hercules. When Eurystheus ordered the hero to go to the kingdom of the dead and bring him the dog Kerberus with three heads, guarding the underworld, the hero agreed, but on the condition that after this he would receive freedom. On the way, he met the messenger of Zeus - Hermes, who promised to be a guide, showed the traveler the kingdom of the dead: the river of oblivion, Sisyphus, endlessly raising a giant stone to the top of the mountain, which fell down, Tantalus, mad with thirst, who stood almost completely in the water, but did not could get drunk.

Hades agreed to give the hero Cerberus, but only if he could take it with his bare hands. The condition was fulfilled and the dog was brought to Eurystheus. He got scared and let his subordinate go home - so his service with the king ended.

Labors of Hercules. "The Animal Farm of King Augeas"

Labors of Hercules. Apples of the Hesperides

Conclusion

Eurystheus prepared complex tasks for Hercules, and we outlined them briefly. Each feat subsequently turned into myth, which was passed on from mouth to mouth. The greatest hero of Greece is still of interest today. Animated and feature films have been made about the exploits of Hercules.

Probably, today only the most incurious children and teenagers do not know who Hercules is. Indeed, in Soviet times, and even later, many books on ancient Greek mythology were published, telling in detail about him and his exploits. Let's plunge into the distant past, during the times of Hellas.

Who is he?

Let's start with who Hercules is. This is an ancient Greek hero, on whom all mythology largely rests. The exploits he accomplished formed the basis of many songs that brought bread to traveling singers. And in general, his life was full of travel and adventure.

His courage and heroism made him the most famous character in ancient Greek mythology. And not only. After all, in his homeland he was called Hercules, and many great rulers liked to boast that they descended from him. So Hercules and Hercules are the same character, you can call him by both names, as you are more accustomed to. After the expansion of the Roman Empire to the east and the capture of Ancient Greece, storytellers really liked the legends about him. This is how Hercules appeared in Roman mythology.

His parents

Let's start by destroying the misconception that Hercules is a god. Actually this is not true. More precisely, half wrong. His father was indeed the most powerful god of the ancient Greek pantheon - Zeus himself. But the mother was a mere mortal - Alkmena. This can be stated with confidence - the parents of Hercules are accurately traced according to mythology.

Zeus, captivated by the beauty of Queen Alcmene, took the form of her husband Amphitryon and entered the beauty’s bedroom. Nine months later, a hero was born who was destined to accomplish many feats and experience ups and downs.

Hated stepson

As already mentioned, the hero’s father was Zeus, the most powerful god of Olympus. But the goddess Hera did not like at all that her legal husband was so eager for beautiful mortals. And all her life she played tricks and harmed Hercules.

It started in infancy. The future hero was lying in his crib when two huge poisonous snakes crawled towards him to finish him off, punishing Zeus. Of course, Hera sent them. But the cunning goddess did not take into account that the blood of a demigod already flows in the hero. He jokingly strangled both snakes.

Yes, Hercules received undoubted advantages from his kinship - the god Zeus endowed him with remarkable strength, which allowed him to accomplish many feats. Although cunning and wisdom were also not alien to the young hero.

But throughout his life, Hera harmed him as best she could - she sent him madness, deprived him of the right to ascend the throne, arranged circumstances against Hercules, and tried in every possible way to poison his life. But more on that later.

Short family life

For the first time, Hercules married very young, choosing the beautiful Megara as his wife. Although he was 16 years old and she was 33, they were happy and had several children. Everything was going well, and the hero did not even think about leaving his home and going to perform feats about which wandering singers would create many legends.

Unfortunately, the happiness did not last long. The treacherous goddess Hera never forgave her husband’s son, whom a mere mortal gave birth to. She cast a curse of madness on Hercules.

Possessed, he broke into the house and killed Megara, as well as the children they shared. At the same time he killed the children of his friend Iphicles.

But the madness did not last long. When Hercules regained his sanity, he grieved for a long time, not knowing what to do next, how to atone for the terrible sin that he had committed, even though it was not his fault. Having gone for advice to the Delphic oracle, he received a clear answer. The hero had to go to his cousin King Eurystheus and become his servant in order to complete 12 labors. It is worth saying that he became king only thanks to the machinations of Hera. However, the high title did not provide him with either strength, intelligence, or the love of the people. Therefore, Eurystheus had no choice but to envy Hercules and give only those tasks that he considered obviously impossible.

Twelve Labors

It is worth noting that Hercules in Roman and Greek mythology performed a different number of feats. Some storytellers spoke specifically about twelve. Others argued that the hero had to perform only ten feats, but Eurystheus did not count two of them and gave others that Hercules had to perform. In any case, there were twelve in total. According to various sources, their implementation took from 8 to 12 years. Eurstheus was in no hurry to give tasks to his cousin, bound by an oath, keeping him to himself and not providing the desired freedom.

The feats were different. First of all, he had to fight various monsters:

• Nemean lion.
• Lernaean Hydra.
• Stymphalian birds.

Of course, the main characteristic of Hercules helped him here - unprecedented strength. For example, he simply strangled a lion, since the sharpest arrows could not pierce its skin. But later it became a reliable cloak that accompanied the hero until his death.

He pacified several more, no longer allowing them to poison the lives of ordinary people:

• Keryneian fallow deer.
• Erymanthian boar.
• Cretan bull.
• Three-headed dog Cerberus.
• Horses of Diomedes.

Several times the hero had to stoop to banal theft. To fulfill the orders of a cowardly and greedy relative, Hercules stole the golden apples of the Hesperides, cows from the giant Geryon, and the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta.

Once he even cleaned the huge stables of King Augeas.

Of course, this is not a complete list of the feats that he accomplished. Hercules also participated in the expedition on the ship "Argo", won the Olympic Games, more than once challenged the most powerful gods, including his father Zeus, and never retreated without achieving victory or at least a "draw".

It is no coincidence that in Greece every child knows exactly who Hercules is and can accurately name all twelve labors he performed.

Tragic death

The glorious hero died at the age of approximately 50 years. By this time, he had accomplished his exploits and, having received freedom from his oath to Eurystheus, married a second time - to Deianira, who bore him four children - the Heraclides.

The couple traveled a lot throughout the country, often taking part in battles. One day, the insidious centaur Nessus, seeing the beautiful Deianira, decided to kidnap her. However, Hercules did not allow this - as if a fired arrow, soaked in bile, finished off the kidnapper. Dying, Nessus decided to take terrible revenge on his killer. He whispered to Deianira that his blood had a magical property - if you rub it on a person’s clothes, you can get his love forever. The trusting girl believed him and collected some blood, saving it just in case.

Many years later, Deianira suspected Hercules of having stopped loving her - completely groundless, it must be said. Having sewn a new shirt for her husband, she rubbed it with blood and presented it to the hero returning from another war.

Alas, as soon as Hercules put it on, the hydra poison, dissolved in the blood of Nessus, began to act. The shirt stuck to the body and there was no way to tear it off. The hero suffered from wild pain and was choking on his own scream. Seeing what she had done, Deianira could not stand it and committed suicide by throwing herself on the sword.

Hercules, seeing that none of his friends wanted to ease his torment, built a funeral pyre, covered it with a skin, lay down on it and set fire to the wood. But instead of final death, he went to Olympus for the many feats he accomplished.

Distant Descendants

The mythology of Hellas and Rome tells in detail about what kind of hero Hercules was. Of course, many people, especially rulers, attributed kinship to him. It was not difficult to do this - during his travels, he left many children all over the country, both legitimate and not so legitimate.

For example, influential families of the Roman Empire - Antonia and Fabia - allegedly descended from Hercules. The Epitid dynasties of the Messenians also could not resist the temptation to include a brave hero among their ancestors. And the Spartan Eurypontids gladly told everyone around them (especially their subordinates) that it was Hercules who was the founder of their family.

Conclusion

This concludes our article. Now you know that Hercules and Hercules are one hero. We learned about the main exploits that brought him such popularity. We read about the heroic, although not easy, fate of the brave demigod of Hellas. This means that you can easily answer the question of who Hercules is and what he is known for.