The fifth feat of Hercules read a summary. Hercules is the strongest man on earth. short family life
Hercules was born in Thebes to Alcmene and Zeus. At the direction of the father, the child who was born was to rule every earthly people. Then Hera made it so that the grandson of Perseus, Eurystheus, was born before the son of Alcmene. Hercules was forced to serve Eurystheus, but the hero was able to get rid of this duty by performing a series of feats . He had to show not only strength, but also ingenuity. We 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, who terrified all the inhabitants.
Attention! Throughout his life, Prince Eurystheus received care and love. He had power, but he was neither smart nor distinguished.
Hercules went to the deserted lands, walked for a long time along the gorges and slopes. Suddenly, the growl 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 his neck, and the beast stopped breathing. It was feat number 1.
The winner dressed in the skin of a lion. People fled in horror from him, Eurystheus hid in a far corner and shouted to the hero to leave, and he would receive orders from the herald.
2 feat of Hercules was no less brilliant. The next day, the hero had to go to the swamp, where the Hydra lived with ten heads. Iolaus went with him. The hydra wrapped its necks around accidentally wandering travelers, pulled them into its lair and ate them. When Hercules and Iolaus reached the cursed swamp, the monster was asleep. Having teased the Hydra, Hercules lured her out and began to cut off their 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 Hydra's blood, and they turned into a deadly weapon.
A whole year passed without campaigns, the hero participated in competitions and was engaged in hunting. Then Hercules received a new punishment from Eurysteus - bring him a live doe, whose hooves are copper and the horns are gold. So far no one has been able to catch her. This was the 3rd labor of Hercules. The heroes went to impregnable wild mountains, and one day they saw a sacred doe, which 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 what he liked with her, and Hercules sacrificed her to Artemis.
Erymanthian boar
The inhabitants near Mount Erimanth suffered from a monstrous boar - at night it devastated all their fields, trampled down crops, and rummaged through 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 him. Then Ixion decided to seek the location of Hera. Zeus wanted to test the limit of Ixion's dishonor and gave Cloud-Nefele the appearance of Hera. Their union gave rise to the centaurs.
4 the feat of Hercules was accomplished in this way. He went to the mountain, and in the cave he saw the middle-aged centaur Fall. He invited him and treated him to wine. Other centaurs saw the intruder and became furious. Then the hero began to throw poisoned arrows at them and killed a lot of 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 the involuntary murder. The hero easily caught the boar, brought it to Mycenae, fried it and treated the people, but Eurystheus did not appear out of fear.
Stymphalian birds
Hercules was shocked by the death of Chiron. He spent many days talking with Iolaus about what is truth and what is the meaning of life. He said that truth lies in living life, in its endless struggle with death, and in a dead life there is no truth - it is filled with oblivion.
One day the herald of the king appeared and said that kill the Stymphalian birds. Their strength lay in copper feathers, with which the birds destroyed people by eating their flesh. The 5th feat of Hercules began. They reached the lake with Iolaus and felt a strange languor seize them. It turned out that about zero envelops travelers with poisonous haze, giving oblivion and death.
Then Athena sent a wooden rattle to help - Iolaus shook it, and suddenly a sound, amplified by the echo, swept over the lake and woke up the monstrous birds. They started 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 the survivors flew away and never showed up again.
Augean stables
The herald, who came by order of Eurystheus, punished clear 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 away. The hero promised the king that the stalls would be cleared by morning, but in return the ruler had to give him a tenth of the horses. Augeas was greedy, but easily agreed, as he thought it was impossible to do so. The hero, with the help of only a shovel, diverted the course of the river to the stables, and its stream washed away the manure and everything rotten. Thus ended the 6 feat of Hercules.
However, the king did not want to share the promise, 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 every 4 years to hold, and as long as they go, all 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 terrified the entire island of Crete. 7 the feat of Hercules began. He boarded a Phoenician ship, but suddenly a strong storm broke out and smashed the ship on the shore. The hero went to the king, but was captured by the locals 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, hit the priest and stabbed the king. Then he left the palace and easily subdued the Cretan bull, who now obeyed only his tamer, and upon arrival to King Eurystheus broke free.
Another order of Eurystheus - go to King Diomedes and take away his bloodthirsty horses, which the ruler feeds travelers. The 8 feat of Hercules happened like this. On the way, he stopped at King Admet. He received the guest, punished him well to feed, but he himself went to other chambers. The old servant said that Admetus suffered the greatest grief: by agreement with the gods, he could stay alive if there was someone who wanted to die instead of him.
When the hour of death struck, no one volunteered to sacrifice their lives, except for Admet's wife, Alcesta, who was dearer to him than anything in the world. So the demon of death took the beautiful girl. The hero decided to wrest her from the hands of the dead and fought Thanatos, who took Alcesta. The revived wife returned to Admet and there was no happier person in the world.
Hercules went further, to fulfill the order of the king. Diomedes sent a huge army against him, but the hero easily coped with everyone, and gave the king himself to be eaten by his own horses. The bloodthirsty animals were delivered to Eristheus, and he ordered them to be taken to the forest, where the horses were destroyed by wild animals.
Eurystheus had a daughter, Admeta, who had heard that women, fearless Amazons, ruled somewhere in the world. They have arrows and war horses, they are not afraid of any enemy, and all because their leader Hippolyta has a leather belt in which strength is hidden. Then Eurystheus ordered the ancient Greek hero to get this magic belt for him.. The 9 feat of Hercules also ended in success:
- He arrived with his comrades to the Amazons, and their queen announced a fight to the uninvited guests.
- But among the women there was the beautiful Antiope, who immediately fell in love with the hero. At night, she stole the belt from Hippolyta and took it to the men's tent.
- So the Amazons were defeated, and the belt was delivered to Eurystheus. However, his daughter returned the magical gift to the gods.
Herd of Gerion
10 labors of Hercules. Eurystheus punished his subordinate get magical purple cows that the giant Gerion with three heads pastured. Helios-Sun helped him to get to the desired island by boat. The hero coped with the huge dog, and with the shepherds, and with the giant Gerion himself. However, the most difficult was ahead - to deliver the entire herd to Mycenae.
Some cows escaped, others were captured, and one day the whole herd disappeared, frightened by a cloud of gadflies sent by the goddess Hera. Helped Echidna - half a girl, half a snake - but in exchange for the fact that the hero will become her husband for the night and help conceive three children. According to the instructions of Hercules, one of them who can bend his bow and gird himself in the same way as his father will rule these lands. Scyth became such a son. The herd was brought to Mycenae cows were sacrificed to Hera.
11 labors of Hercules. Eurystheus was aging and was afraid of losing power. Then he punished get golden apples that gave youth. The hero set off on his journey, reached the sea elder Nereus and asked him for help. The elder wanted to deceive, turning:
- fish,
- brook,
- snake,
- fire,
- seagull.
However, the hero still turned out to be more agile. Nereus surrendered, showed the way and even helped to cross to the other side of the sea. Met on the way Atlas, who held the firmament and agreed to help the traveler get 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 a golden skin, and when Atlas raised the firmament, he left him. He returned to Mycenae, but Eurystheus did not even want to look at the golden apples, and then Athena took them.
Taming Kerberos
12 labors of Hercules. When Eurystheus ordered the hero to go to the realm of the dead and bring him the dog Kerberos with three heads, guarding the underworld, then the hero agreed, but on the condition that after that he would receive freedom. On the way, he met the herald of Zeus - Hermes, who promised to be a guide, showed the traveler the realm of the dead: the river of oblivion, Sisyphus, endlessly raising a giant stone to the top of the mountain, which fell down, distraught with thirst, Tantalus, who stood almost completely in the water, but did not could get drunk.
Hades agreed to give Cerberus to the hero, but only if he could take it with his bare hands. The condition was fulfilled and the dog was brought to Eurystheus. He was frightened and let his subordinate go home - so his service with the king ended.
Labors of Hercules. "Animal Farm of King Avgiy"
Labors of Hercules. Apples of the Hesperides
Conclusion
Difficult tasks Eurystheus prepared for Hercules, we outlined a summary of them. Each feat subsequently turned into myth, which was passed from mouth to mouth. The greatest hero of Greece is of interest today. Animated and feature films have been made about the exploits of Hercules.
The myth of Hercules begins with his unusual birth. The thunder god Zeus had a penchant for earthly women. The beautiful Alcmene, the wife of the king of Mycenae, he liked. Zeus, with affectionate speeches, tried to convince her to cheat on her husband. But Alcmene was adamant. Then the Thunderer decided to cheat. He drove all the animals of Hellas into the forest, where the king of Mycenae hunted. Carried away by hunting, he did not return home to spend the night. And Zeus, in the form of a spouse, appeared to Alcmene.
On the day when Hercules was to be born, the Thunderer swore in the presence of the gods that the boy would become the ruler of Mycenae. But Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, realized that we were talking about an illegitimate child. She postponed the birth of Alcmene for a day. At the hour appointed by Zeus, Eurystheus was born. It was he who became the ruler of Mycenae, in the service of which Hercules performed well-known feats.
Myths about Hercules: 12 labors
Hera, learning about the birth of the future hero, vowed to kill him. She sent two poisonous snakes into the cradle. But Hercules from birth showed strength and dexterity. He strangled the reptiles with his hands.
The myth of Hercules tells that Hera later sent madness on the hero. The man's mind was clouded when he played with his sons. He mistook the children for monsters. When the attack of madness passed, Hercules was horrified by his own act. Full of remorse, he decided to go to overseas countries.
Hercules sailed with the Argonauts on a ship to distant Colchis for the Golden Fleece. But his path did not last long - the god Hermes appeared to the hero on the very shores of Greece. He conveyed the will of the gods: let Hercules humble himself and go into the service of the king of Mycenae, Eurystheus.
Jealous Hera, in her desire to get rid of the illegitimate son of Zeus, entered into an agreement with Eurystheus. She advised the ruler of Mycenae to choose the most difficult and dangerous tasks for the hero. The myths about the exploits of Hercules, one might say, appeared thanks to Hera. She herself, unwillingly, contributed to the age-old glory of the hero.
First feat
Eurystheus gave the first task to Hercules - to exterminate the Nemean lion. The monster was born from the giant Typhon and Echidna, a huge snake. The lion was striking in its size and bloodthirstiness. Its strong skin withstood the blows of swords, the arrows blunted against it.
In the vicinity of the city of Nemea, a lion lived, destroying all life in its path. Hercules searched for his lair for a whole month. Finally, he discovered a cave that served as a refuge for the Nemean lion. Hercules blocked the exit from the lair with a huge boulder, and he himself prepared to wait at the entrance. Finally there was a loud roar, and a monster appeared.
The myth of Hercules tells that the hero's arrows bounced off the skin of a lion. The sharp sword did not harm him. Then Hercules grabbed the monster by the throat with his bare hands and strangled him.
The hero returned to Mycenae with victory. When Eurystheus saw the defeated lion, he was frightened by the incredible strength of Hercules.
Second feat
Let's try to retell the second myth about Hercules briefly. Hera came up with a new deadly task for the hero. In the poisonous swamp lurked a terrible monster - the Lernean Hydra. She had the body of a snake and nine heads.
The Lernaean Hydra lived near the entrance to the world of the dead. She crawled out of her lair and devastated the surroundings. Being the sister of the Nemean Lion, she had a huge advantage - one of her nine heads was immortal. Therefore, it was impossible to kill the Lernaean Hydra.
Iolaus offered Hercules his help - he drove the hero on his chariot to a poisonous swamp. For a long time the hero fought with the hydra. But, having struck down one head of the monster, Hercules saw two new ones appear in its place.
Assistant Iolaus set fire to a nearby grove and began to cauterize the cut heads of the hydra. When Hercules cut off the last, immortal head, he buried it deep in the ground. From above, he rolled a huge rock so that the monster could never again appear on earth.
Arrowheads soaked Hercules with the poisonous blood of the hydra. And then he returned to Mycenae, where a new task for Eurystheus awaited him.
Third feat
Myths about the exploits of Hercules indicate his strength, dexterity, speed. For more than a year, the hero was chasing the Kerinean doe in order to catch it - this was a new task for the ruler of Mycenae.
A beautiful fallow deer appeared in the vicinity of the Kerineian mountains. Her horns sparkled with gold, and her hooves were cast with copper. The skin of the animal sparkled in the sun. The Kerinean doe was created by the goddess of hunting Artemis. She did this as a reproach to people who exterminated flora and fauna.
The deer ran faster than the wind - she rushed, running away from Hercules, through Attica, Thesprotia, Boeotia. For a whole year, the hero tried to catch up with the beautiful fugitive. In desperation, Hercules took out a bow and shot the animal in the leg. Throwing a net over the prey, he carried it to Mycenae.
Artemis appeared before him in anger. Ancient myths about Hercules tell that the hero obeyed her. He explained how the will of the gods forced him to serve Eurystheus. That it was not for himself that he pursued a beautiful doe. Artemis had mercy and allowed Hercules to take the animal to Mycenae.
Fourth feat
And Eurystheus has already prepared a new task for the hero. What is it? The fourth myth about Hercules will tell us about this. Its summary allows us to find out that a wild boar appeared in Arcadia. The Erymanthian boar destroyed livestock, forest animals, travelers with huge fangs ...
On the way, Hercules went to the familiar centaur Fall. They opened wine, had fun, sang songs. Other centaurs, attracted by the aroma of the wine, armed themselves with stones and stakes and declared that the wine had been given as a gift to the whole community. A fight ensued. Hercules put the centaurs to flight with his poisonous arrows.
Continuing the journey, the hero soon saw the Erymanthian boar. But the blows of the sword did not frighten the animal. Then Hercules raised his shield high. When the sun was reflected in it, the hero directed the beam directly into the eyes of the beast. Then he began to beat the sword on the shield. Blinded, the beast was frightened by the loud noise. He rushed high into the mountains, where he got stuck in deep snow. Then Hercules tied the boar, put it on his shoulders and brought it to Mycenae.
The inhabitants rejoiced at their deliverance from the formidable monster. Eurystheus, seeing the size of the boar, was so frightened that he hid in a bronze pithos.
Fifth feat
King Avgiy was famous for his herds and stables. He fenced off the barnyard with a high fence, because he was in fear around the clock that the bulls and horses might be kidnapped. For days on end Augeas tried to count the number of horses in the stables. But the herd was in motion, the horses were moving, and the count had to be started all over again.
The sewage accumulated from the horses filled all the stables. The smell from them was all over Arcadia, says the 5th myth. Hercules sent Eurystheus to clear the Augean stables of manure. The king thought that a strong and courageous hero would disdain such a task.
Hercules realized that it was necessary to make a hole in the fence. He broke on both sides of the fence that surrounded the stables. The water flow of the mountain river immediately washed away all the impurities.
The myth of Hercules briefly reports that after this feat, the hero sacrificed to the river god for unpleasant work. Then he restored the fence and returned to Mycenae for a new task.
Sixth feat
One day, two huge birds appeared near the city of Stimfal, they tell myths about Hercules. They had copper beaks and bronze feathers. Stymphalian birds eventually multiplied and formed a flock. They destroyed seedlings in the fields. They dropped their bronze feathers like arrows at everyone who happened to be near them.
Hercules, before joining the battle, studied the habits of creatures for a long time. He realized that by shedding their feathers, birds become defenseless until new ones grow back. The warrior goddess Athena appeared to Hercules and presented him with copper rattles as a gift. Hercules was delighted with the help, raised a loud noise with the instrument.
Stymphalian birds flew up in fright, began to shed their sharp feathers. Hercules took refuge under the shield from their onslaught. After the birds shed all their feathers, the hero shot them with a bow. And those who did not have time to hit flew away from these places.
The seventh feat
What will the seventh myth of Hercules tell about? The summary indicates that there are no more monstrous animals and birds left in Arcadia. But Eurystheus figured out where to send Hercules - to the island of Crete.
The sea god Poseidon presented King Minos with a marvelous bull, so that the ruler would sacrifice it to the gods. But the king liked the Cretan bull so much that he hid it in his herd. Poseidon learned about the deception of the king. In anger, he struck the bull with madness. The monster rushed around for a long time, killing people in a rage, dispersing the herds.
Eurystheus, on the slander of Hera, wished to see the Cretan bull alive. Hercules realized that only force can pacify the animal. He went out to fight, grabbed the bull by the horns, bent his head to the ground. The animal sensed that the enemy was stronger. The Cretan bull stopped resisting. Then Hercules saddled him and drove him into the sea. So, riding an animal, the hero returned to Arcadia.
The bull did not even try to throw off Hercules, calmly entered the stall of King Eurystheus. When the hero, tired after a new feat, went to bed, the ruler was afraid to keep the mad bull in his place and, in fear, released him into the wild.
So the bull wandered around the outskirts of Arcadia until he was defeated by another hero of Hellas - Theseus.
Eighth feat
Myths about Hercules also tell about the demonic horses of Diomedes. These carnivorous monsters devoured wayward travelers. Sailors who were wrecked were killed. When Hercules and his assistant arrived in the country, he immediately went in search of carnivorous horses. By neighing, he realized where the stables of King Diomedes were.
With a blow of his fist on the head, he pacified the first horse and threw a bridle around his neck. When the whole herd was bridled, Hercules with an assistant drove him to the ship. And then King Diomedes stood in the way with his army. Hercules defeated everyone, and when he returned to the shore, he saw that the horses had torn to pieces his assistant and fled.
The hero fed the body of King Diomedes to his own horses, drove them onto a ship and took them to Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus, at the sight of carnivorous horses, in horror, ordered them to be released into the forest. There they were dealt with by wild animals.
The ninth feat
12 myths about Hercules are extremely interesting. All of them tell about the strength and courage of the son of Zeus, about the amazing adventures that fell to his lot. The ninth tells about the girdle of Hippolyta. He wanted to get the daughter of Eurystheus Admet. She heard that the belt was given to the Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta by Ares himself, the god of war.
Hercules went on a journey with companions. The Amazons greeted them friendly and asked about the purpose of the trip. Hercules honestly told Queen Hippolyta about how the daughter of Eurystheus wanted to receive her belt as a gift.
Hippolyta agreed to give the jewelry to Hercules. But the goddess Hera interfered. She did not like the peaceful solution of the issue - she wanted to destroy the hero. Hera, transformed into one of the Amazons, spread the rumor that Hercules wants to sell them into slavery.
The militant women believed the vicious slander, and a fight ensued. Hercules and his companions defeated the Amazons. With a heavy heart, the son of Zeus completed this task. Hercules, the hero of myths, did not want to fight with women, even if they were warriors.
Tenth feat
The tenth myth about Hercules continues our story. King Eurystheus thought for a long time before giving the hero a new task. He wanted to send his hated half-brother to a distant country, so far away that it would take a month or more to sail there.
Hercules traveled a long way. He defeated the son of the god Vulcan - the monster Kakus. Later, the city of Rome was founded on the site of their battle.
In the green meadows of Erithia, the cows of Gerion, a giant with three bodies, three heads and three pairs of arms and legs, grazed. They were guarded by a two-headed dog. At the sight of Hercules, he growled and rushed at him. The hero quickly defeated the dog, but then the giant shepherd woke up. The goddess Athena doubled the strength of Hercules, and he knocked down the giant with several blows of the club. The hero won another victory.
Sailing on a ship to Iberia, Hercules lay down to rest, letting go of the herd to graze. With the first rays of the sun, he decided to drive the herd overland. Cows went through Iberia, Gaul, Italy. Near the sea, one of them rushed to the water and swam. She ended up on the island of Sicily. The local ruler Eriks did not want to give the cow to Hercules. I had to defeat him too.
With the fugitive, the hero returned to the herd and led him to King Eurystheus. The latter sacrificed cows to Hera, hoping to get rid of Hercules.
Eleventh feat
And again a long road awaited the hero. Eurystheus sent Heracles for the golden apples of the Hesperides. They gave immortality and eternal youth. In the garden of the Hesperides, only nymphs guarded the apples. And the garden itself was on the edge of the earth, where Atlas held the vault of heaven on his shoulders.
On the way to the end of the world, Hercules freed Prometheus in the mountains of the Caucasus. He fought with the son of the land of Gaia - Antey. Only by tearing the giant off the ground, could his hero defeat him. Having reached Atlanta, Hercules told him about the purpose of his journey. They agreed that the hero would hold the heavens on his shoulders, and Atlas would ask the nymphs for apples.
Hercules was already exhausted under the weight of the vault, and Atlas returned. The giant did not want to again take on his shoulders an exorbitant burden. The cunning man suggested that Hercules hold the sky for more while he himself reached Mycenae and gave the apples to the king. But our hero is not so stupid. He agreed, but on the condition that the giant hold the heavens, and Hercules, in the meantime, make himself a grass pillow - the burden is very heavy. Atlas believed and stood in his place, and the hero took the apples and returned home.
Twelfth feat
The last task of Eurystheus was the most difficult, according to myth 12. The exploits of Hercules (they are summarized in this article) take the reader into the amazing world of the mythology of Ancient Greece, a world full of amazing adventures, powerful and insidious gods and strong, brave heroes. But we digress. So, 12 feat. Hercules was to descend into the realm of the dead and kidnap the dog Cerberus. Three heads, a tail in the form of a snake - at the sight of this fiend, the blood ran cold in the veins.
He descended into Hades Hercules and fought with Cerberus. Having defeated the dog, the hero brought him to Mycenae. The king did not allow the gate to be opened and shouted that Hercules let the terrible monster go back.
But the myths about Hercules do not end there. 12 feats that the hero performed in the service of Eurystheus glorified him for centuries. Later, he distinguished himself in military campaigns, arranged his personal life.
The thirteenth feat and the death of Hercules
The legends of Hellas say that there are 13 feats of Hercules. The myth has conveyed to this day the story of King Thespia. Hercules stopped in his house when he hunted the Kiferon lion. Thespius was worried that his daughters would choose unsightly suitors for themselves, give birth to ugly grandchildren. The king offered Heracles to impregnate his 50 daughters. So the hero hunted a lion during the day, and spent the nights with the royal daughters.
Many years later, Hercules married Dejanira. They had many children. One day the couple were crossing a fast river. Dejanira was transported by the centaur Ness. He was seduced by the beauty of the woman and wanted to take possession of her. Hercules hit him with a poisonous arrow. Experiencing terrible torment, Ness decided to take revenge on the hero. He persuaded Dejanira to draw his blood. If Heracles falls out of love with her, you just need to soak his clothes with the blood of a centaur, and then the husband will not look at any more women.
Dejanira kept the bottle with the gift of Nessus. Returning from a military campaign, Hercules brought a young captive princess into the house. In a fit of jealousy, Dejanira soaked her husband's clothes with blood. The poison quickly acted and began to deliver Hercules severe torment, and it was not possible to take off his clothes. The eldest son carried his father in his arms to Mount Etu, where he made a funeral pyre. When the flame flared up, a huge cloud covered Hercules. So the gods decided to take the hero to Olympus and grant him immortal life.
Hercules, in Greek mythology, the greatest of the heroes, the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Zeus needed a mortal hero to defeat the giants, and he decided to give birth to Hercules. The best mentors taught Hercules various arts, wrestling, archery. Zeus wanted Hercules to become the ruler of Mycenae or Tiryns, the key fortresses on the approaches to Argos, but the jealous Hera upset his plans. She struck Hercules with madness, in a fit of which he killed his wife and three of his sons. To atone for a heavy guilt, the hero had to serve Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae, for twelve years, after which he was granted immortality.
Hercules at the crossroads
Virtue and Vice,
Pompeo Batoni, 1765
Francois Lemoine,
1725
The most famous is the cycle of legends about the twelve labors of Hercules. The first feat was to obtain the skin of a Nemean lion, which Hercules had to strangle with his bare hands. Having defeated the lion, the hero dressed his skin and wore it as a trophy. The next feat was the victory over the hydra, the sacred nine-headed snake of Hera. The monster lived in a swamp near Lerna, not far from Argos. The difficulty was that instead of the head cut off by the hero, the hydra immediately grew two new ones. With the help of his nephew Iolaus, Hercules mastered the fierce Lernean hydra - the young man burned the neck of each head cut off by the hero. True, the feat was not counted by Eurystheus, since Hercules was helped by his nephew.
Gustave Moreau, 1876
Boris Vallejo, 1988
The next feat was not so bloody. Hercules should have caught the Kerinean doe, the sacred animal of Artemis. Then the hero caught the Erymanthian boar, which was devastating the fields of Arcadia. At the same time, the wise centaur Chiron accidentally died. The fifth feat was the cleaning of the Augean stables from manure, which the hero did in one day, directing the waters of the nearest river into them.
The last of the feats performed by Hercules in the Peloponnese was the expulsion of Stymphalian birds with pointed iron feathers. The ominous birds were frightened by the copper rattles made by Hephaestus and given to Hercules by the goddess Athena, who was favorable to him.
The seventh feat was the capture of a ferocious bull, which Minos, king of Crete, refused to sacrifice to the god of the sea, Poseidon. The bull copulated with Minos' wife Pasiphae. who gave birth from him to the Minotaur, a man with a bull's head.
Hercules performed the eighth feat in Thrace, where he subjugated the cannibal mares of King Diomedes to his power. The remaining four feats were of a different kind. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to get the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the warlike Amazons. Then the hero kidnapped and delivered to Mycenae the cows of the three-headed giant Geryon. After that, Hercules brought Eurystheus the golden apples of the Hesperides, for which he had to strangle the giant Antaeus and deceive Atlas, holding the sky on his shoulders. The last feat of Hercules - a journey to the kingdom of the dead - was the most difficult. With the assistance of the queen of the underworld, Persephone, the hero was able to bring out and deliver to Tiryns the three-headed dog Kerberos (Cerberus), the guardian of the underworld.
The end of Hercules was terrible. The hero died in terrible agony, wearing a shirt that his wife Dejanira, on the advice of the centaur Nessus, who was dying at the hands of Hercules, soaked with the poisonous blood of this half-man-half-horse. When the hero with his last strength ascended the funeral pyre, a crimson lightning struck from heaven and Zeus accepted his son into the host of immortals.
Some of the exploits of Hercules are immortalized in the names of the constellations. For example, the constellation Leo - in memory of the Nemean lion, the constellation Cancer recalls the huge cancer Karkina, sent by Hera to help the Lernean hydra. In Roman mythology, Hercules corresponds to Hercules.
The Greeks called Hercules Hercules. He was not endowed with great intelligence, but his courage overshadowed any lack of cunning. Hercules was easily annoyed by outbursts of rage at innocent passers-by, and then regretted, felt guilty for what he had done and was ready to accept any punishment. Only supernatural powers could defeat him. In Greek mythology, only two figures - Hercules and Dionysus from ordinary people became completely immortal and were worshiped as gods.
Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmene. Alcmene had a husband Amphitrion, an outstanding Greek warrior and heir to the throne of Tiryns. One night, when Amphitrion was on a campaign, Zeus appeared to Alcmene disguised as her husband. When Amphitryon returned, the blind prophet Tiresias told him that Alcmene would give birth to a child who would become a great hero.
Hercules fighting the Nemean lion
Alcmene gave birth to twin boys Hercules and Iphicles. When the goddess Hera discovered that Zeus had seduced Alcmene and Hercules was born from him, she was furious. Hera was jealous of Zeus and tried to kill the baby by sending two poisonous snakes to him. The child strangled the snakes in his crib. Although Hera failed to kill Hercules, she pursued him throughout her life and brought him much suffering and punishment.
Lessons from Hercules
Like most Greek youths, Hercules attended music lessons. Once Linus, his mentor, taught Hercules to play the lyre. Hercules, disappointed with his game, became furious and broke the lyre on Linus's head. Linus died instantly, and Hercules was shocked and very sorry. He didn't want to kill his teacher. He simply did not know his strength and did not learn to control it.
The Miraculous Acquisition of Immortality
At a time when Hercules was very young, he went to fight the Minyan king Ergin, to whom Thebes paid tribute. As a reward for liberation from tribute, the king of Thebes gave Hecules the hand of his daughter Megara. Hercules and Megara had three children. One day, Hercules was returning home from a trip, and Hera sent him into a fit of madness, during which he killed his wife and children. When Hercules came to his senses, he was horrified by his act. Heartbroken, he went to Delphi to the oracle to find out how he can atone for his guilt. The oracle told him to go to the king of Tiryns, Eurystheus, and follow any of his orders. The oracle also said that if Hercules completed all the tasks assigned to him, he would become immortal.
The Twelve Labors of Hercules
King Eurystheus gave Hercules 12 difficult and dangerous tasks. They became known as the twelve labors of Hercules.
The hero's first task was to kill the Nemean Lion, a beast that terrorized a certain area and could not be killed by any weapon. Hercules strangled the beast with his strong hands, using no weapons, and from his skin he built himself a cape that made him invulnerable.
12 labors of Hercules on ancient coins
The second task was to destroy the Lernaean Hydra, a creature with nine heads that lives in the swamp. One of the hydra's heads was immortal, while the others grew back after being cut off. Hercules went to fight the hydra with his friend Iolaus. Hercules cut off the heads one by one, and Iolaus, with the help of a torch, burned them with fire so that new ones would not grow. The last ninth head of the hydra remained alive, and Hercules had to bury it under a pile of stones.
The next task was to catch the golden-horned Kerinean deer, which the goddess Artemis considered sacred. She rushed through the fields, devastating them. Hercules hunted her for a whole year, finally wounded her and brought her to Tiryns. Artemis demanded that the sacred animal be returned to her. Hercules promised that the doe would remain alive.
The fourth feat of Hercules was to catch the Erimanthian boar, which terrified the lands around Mount Eriman. Pursuing the animal from its lair, Hercules drove it so that the strength of the beast ran out, the hero easily coped with it and brought the bound boar to Eurystheus.
The fifth labor of Hercules is known as cleaning the Augean stables in one day. The son of the sun god Helios, King Augeus had huge herds of cattle, the stables of which had not been cleaned for many years. Hercules offered to do this work in one day in exchange for a tenth of the herd. Avgiy agreed, realizing that no one could do such a thing in a day. Hercules filled up the riverbed, she turned her waters towards the stables, and in one day all the manure was washed away.
The sixth feat was the fight against Stymphalian birds, with iron claws, beaks and wings, which attacked people and terrorized the countryside. The goddess Athena helped Hercules to frighten away the birds, forcing them to fly out of their nests, and Hercules shot them with a bow.
The seventh task was to bring the Cretan bull to Tiryns alive. This bull was presented by the god Poseidon to the king of the island of Crete Minos. For the fact that Minos did not sacrifice this bull, but replaced it with another, Poseidon sent rabies on the bull, and it destroyed everything in its path. Hercules caught him and swam across the sea on him.
The eighth task Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring him the horses of Diomedes. The king of Thrace, Diomedes, had beautiful but wild horses, which he fed on human meat. Hercules led away herds of horses. Diomedes set off in pursuit of him, and Hercules was forced to kill him, and tamed his horses and brought him to Eurystheus.
The ninth challenge was to get the girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyta. When the Amazons attacked Hercules, thinking he was going to kidnap their queen, Hercules was forced to kill them. Hippolyta, as a ransom for one of the Amazons taken prisoner by Hercules, gave him a belt.
The tenth task was to bring Geryon's cows. Geryon was a monster with three bodies, three heads and three pairs of arms and legs. The journey to Gerion to the west was difficult, it was necessary to overcome the desert and the sea. The sun god Helios gave Hercules his boat, on which he got to Gerion, killed him and took away his cows.
Hercules defeats the Hydra
The eleventh task that Eurystheus gave to Hercules was to bring three fruits from the garden of Atlas, which held the sky. Atlas had a golden apple tree in the garden, from which three fruits had to be picked. Hercules ambushed the god Nereus to help him find his way to the Atlas. While Atlas went to his garden for apples, Hercules had to hold the sky instead. According to other sources, Hercules got the fruits by killing a dragon that stood guard over a tree with golden apples.
Hercules, in ancient Greek mythology, a hero, a demigod with great power.
Family and environment
Numerous myths about the future fate of Hercules, after being released from service, basically come down not to victories over monsters, but to campaigns, the capture of cities and the birth of numerous children, whose descendants reigned in the city-states of Greece.
Herodotus writes that when Hercules passed through Scythia, he met a half-maiden-half-snake and entered into a marriage relationship with her. The sons from this connection became the ancestors of the Scythians.
Hercules also participated in the campaign of the Argonauts along with Hylas. According to one version, he was not just a participant, but a leader.
Hercules was also placed in the sky as a constellation. There are different versions of which constellation represents Hercules. Or it is the Kneeling One, which displays the victory of the hero over the dragon at the Hesperides. Or Ophiuchus, since he strangled the snake near the river Sagaris in Lydia. Either he became the constellation Gemini along with Theseus or Apollo.
Name, epithets and character
At birth, Hercules was named Alcides. The very name "Hercules" most likely means "the glorified Hero" or "thanks to Hera." This etymology was already known to the ancient authors, who tried to reconcile the apparent contradiction between the meaning of the name Hercules and Hera's hostile attitude towards him. In different parts of Greece, Hercules was revered under different names. The Eritheans revered him as Ipokton, as he exterminated the worms that undermine the vine.
Cornopion is revered by the Eteans for delivering them from the locust, which they call "corn dog". In Iberia, his epithet is Pevkei, in Thebes, Promach.
Another epithet of Hercules is Melampig, which is also the name of the rock at Thermopylae. According to Hesychius, this epithet means "brave, daring".
A few more epithets found in different sources are Keraminth, Mekistei, Musaget and Palemon.
The Greeks identified Hercules with the Phoenician god-patron of navigation Melkart, the Celts revered him as the patron of writing and the art of the bards. They followed the tradition that Heracles was the Idean Dactyl, whom they called Ogmios.
The descendants of Hercules were called Heracleides. In Roman mythology, Hercules corresponds to Hercules.
Cult and symbolism
The cult of Hercules was widespread throughout the Greek world, and sacrifices were performed in some cases according to the ritual adopted for the gods, in others - according to the ritual customary for heroes. According to Diodorus, the cult of Hercules as a god first arose in Athens. Hercules was revered as the patron saint of gymnasiums, palestras and thermae, often as a healer and averter of all sorts of troubles. Sometimes he was revered along with Hermes, the patron of trade.
Hercules very early turned into a general Greek hero, and the details of the legends that connected him, probably initially with some particular locality or Greek tribe, were erased. However, all attempts to link the origin of the myths about Hercules to one specific place (either with Thebes or Argos) or to consider Hercules as a specifically Dorian hero are unconvincing. The exploits of Hercules quite clearly fall into three cultural and historical types: the curbing of monsters, the military exploits of the epic hero, and the fighting against God.
In Sikyon, Thebes and other cities, festivities were held in honor of Hercules - Heraclea. They were established to commemorate the death of a hero and were held on the second day of the month of metageitnion (approximately August-September).
In Phocis there was a sanctuary of Hercules the Misogynist, whose priest was not supposed to sleep with a woman for a year.
Ovid writes that Hercules' birthday was celebrated on the winter solstice, as were the birthdays of Zeus, Apollo, and other gods. According to Theocritus, Alcmene gave birth to Hercules on the day of the vernal equinox, when the Italians, Babylonians and other peoples celebrated the New Year. The fourth day of the month was dedicated to Hercules as the founder of the Olympic Games, he also belonged to every fourth year.
A temple dedicated to Hercules stood in Thespiae, its attendant was a virgin priestess. In Thebes, the sanctuary of Hercules the Binder of the Horses was established.
The veneration of Hercules was spread throughout Macedonia, whose kings were venerated by his descendants.
The indispensable attributes of Hercules were the skin of the Nemean lion, which served as his armor, and a club made of oak (or ash, or olive).
In culture and art
Euripides writes about Hercules in the tragedies Furious Hercules, Alcestis and Heraclides, Sophocles in the tragedy Trachinian, Pausanias in the Description of Hellas, Hesiod in The Shield of Hercules and many other authors. The 15th hymn of Homer and the 12th Orphic hymn are dedicated to him.
The variety of myths about this Hero and the presence of similar characters in the myths of other peoples prompted ancient philologists to think that Hercules is a collective image and several heroes bore this name. The Roman scholar Varro believes that there were 24 Hercules, and John Leads counts 7 of them.
Hercules was depicted as a child strangling snakes, a young man resting after a feat or performing a feat, a powerful bearded man armed with a club and dressed in the skin of the Nemean lion he had killed.
From ancient times to modern times, the myths about Hercules never cease to be of interest to writers, sculptors and artists.
Some of the most interesting works in painting are paintings by Paolo Veronese "The Choice of Hercules" (c. 1580), Reni Guido "Hercules and the Lernean Hydra" (1620), Annibale Carracci "Choice of Hercules" (c. 1596). Francisco de Zurban created a whole series of ten canvases dedicated to exploits, it is interesting that each of his paintings depicts a club, it either lies on the ground and is in the hands of the hero. The Symbolist Gustave Moreau illustrated Heracles' battles with the Lernaean Hydra and the Stymphalian Birds. The image of the hero was no less popular in the Rococo era, the most interesting is the work of Francois Boucher "Omphala and Hercules", where the latter appears as a hero-lover surrounded by cupids and a romantic interior. The popularity of stories about this hero in modern art is not a surprise, one of the strangest paintings is Salvador Dali's painting "Hercules raises the surface of the sea and asks Venus to wait to wake Cupid", written in 1963, what exactly the author wanted to say by this is completely unclear.
Of the works of sculpture, it is worth paying attention to Hercules of the Farnese sculptor Lysippus (an ancient Roman copy from the Greek original), Hercules from the Bull Forum and Hercules the Archer from the pediment of the Temple of Athena in Aegina.
Of the well-known sculptors of a later time, Antonio Pollaiolo "Hercules and Antaeus", "Hercules and Hydra" (1478), Giambologna "Hercules and Antaeus", "Hercules and Ness" and others, William Brodie "Hercules and Ness" and others, William Brodie "Hercules and firmament" (1850) and so on.
The myths about Hercules also inspired the composers Bach, Cavalli, Vivaldi and Saint-Saens.
In modern times
Not many people know that the name Hercule of the character of the famous detective Hercule Poirot of the writer Agatha Christie is the French version of the name "Hercules". And in 1947, she wrote the book "The Labors of Hercules", which is 12 short stories, titled in honor of a feat, where Poirot solves another riddle.
Hercules or Hercules is often found in modern cinema, as a character in a movie, TV series or cartoon. In 1997, Disney even shot a full-length cartoon "Hercules", and a little later, an animated series based on it.
Not bypassed the Hero and the industry of computer games. Here are some games where Hercules is found - Rise of the Argonauts, God of War III, Gods of the Arena and others.
In honor of Hercules, one of the largest asteroids of the main belt (532) Herculinus, discovered on April 20, 1904 by the German astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidenberg Observatory, was named.
A well-marked impact crater in the northern part of the visible side of the Moon is called "Hercules". The constellation of the northern hemisphere of the sky, visible throughout Russia, bears the same name, originally it was called "Kneeling", but in the 5th century. BC. The Greeks begin to call him "Hercules". If you connect the stars with dashes, then the constellation looks like a figure of a man, bending one knee and raising a club above his head.
