"The Twelve Labors of Hercules": a summary

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Two nymphs (Virtue and Virtue) offered our hero, when he was still young, the choice between a pleasant, easy life or a hard, but glorious and full of deeds, and Hercules chose the latter. One of the first trials was given to him by King Thespius, who wanted the hero to kill a lion on Mount Cithaeron. As a reward, the king offered him to impregnate each of his 50 daughters, which Hercules accomplished in one night (sometimes referred to as the 13th labor).

Later the hero married Megara. The goddess Hera sent him into a fit of insanity, as a result of which Hercules killed Megara and his children. Our hero went to the Delphic oracle to find out his fate. The oracle was controlled by Hera, which he did not know about. Following the prediction received, the hero went to serve King Eurystheus, fulfilling any of his instructions for 12 years. Many victories were won in this service, their descriptioncollected in the book "The Twelve Labors of Hercules", whether this is a myth or truth, each reader has the right to decide for himself. The exploits brought the hero great fame and fame. After all, just think, Hercules is known and remembered to this day, after many millennia!

Briefly, the twelve labors of Hercules will be described below.

Feat 1. Nemean Lion

The first task given to Hercules by Eurystheus (the hero's cousin) is to kill the Nemean Lion and bring back his skin. It was believed that Leo was a descendant of Typhon and Echidna. He controlled the lands around Nemea and had a skin so thick that it was impenetrable by any weapon. When Hercules first tried to kill the beast, any of his weapons (bow and arrows, an olive tree club that he pulled straight out of the ground, and a bronze sword) proved to be ineffective. Finally, the hero dropped his weapon, attacked the Lion with his bare hands and strangled him (in some versions, he broke the Lion's jaw).

Hercules had already lost faith in the fact that he could complete the task, because he could not skin the beast. However, the goddess Athena helped him, saying that the best tool for this is the claws of the animal itself. The twelve labors of Hercules were accomplished with the help of the skin of the Nemean Lion, which was used for protection.

Feat 2. Lernaean Hydra

The second feat was the destruction of the Lernaean Hydra, a sea creature with many heads and poisonous breath. The monster had so many headsthat the ancient artist, painting on a vase, could not depict them all. Arriving at the swamp near Lake Lerna, Hercules covered his mouth and nose with a cloth to protect them from poisonous fumes. He then fired hot arrows into the monster's lair to get its attention. Hercules attacked the Hydra with a sickle. But as soon as he cut off her head, he discovered that two more heads had grown in its place. Then our hero called his nephew, Iolaus, for help. Iolaus (perhaps inspired by Athena) suggested using burning firebrands after they cut off the Hydra's head. The animal's own poisonous blood was thus used to burn off the heads so that they could not grow back. When Eurystheus found out that his nephew was helping Hercules, he stated that the feat did not count for him.

Feat 3. Kerinean Doe

Eurystheus was very indignant that Hercules managed to avoid death by completing the two previous tasks, so he decided to spend more time thinking about the third test, which must certainly bring death to the hero. The third task was not related to killing the beast, since Eurystheus thought that Hercules could handle even the most formidable opponents. The king sent him to capture the Kerinean Doe.

This animal was rumored to run so fast that it could outrun any arrow. Hercules noticed Doe by the golden sheen of her horns. He pursued her for a year in the expanses of Greece, Thrace, Istria, Hyperborea. Our hero caught Lan when she was exhausted and could not continue to run. Eurystheus gave Heraclesthis is a difficult task also because he hoped to provoke the wrath of the goddess Artemis for desecrating a sacred animal. As the hero was returning with Lan, he encountered Artemis and Apollo. He asked the goddess for forgiveness, explaining his act by saying that he had to catch the animal in order to atone for his guilt, but promised to return it. Artemis forgave Hercules. But, having arrived with Lanyu to the court, he learned that the animal should remain in the royal menagerie. Hercules knew that he must return the Doe, as promised to Artemis, so he agreed to give it up only on the condition that Eurystheus himself come out and take the animal. The king came out, and at the moment when our hero handed Lan to the king, she fled.

Feat 4. Erymanthian Boar

The Twelve Labors of Hercules are continued by the fourth - the capture of the Erymanthian Boar. On the way to the place of the feat, the hero visited Fall, a kind and hospitable centaur. Hercules dined with him and then asked for wine. Pholus had only one jar, a gift from Dionysus, but the hero convinced him to open the wine. The smell of the drink attracted the other centaurs, who got tipsy from the undiluted wine and attacked. Hercules fired his poisonous arrows at them, forcing the survivors to retreat towards Chiron's cave.

Foul, interested in arrows, took one and dropped it on his leg. The arrow also struck Chiron, who was immortal. Hercules asked Chiron about how to catch the Boar. He replied that it was necessary to drive him into deep snow. Chiron's pain caused by the arrow wound was so intense thathe voluntarily renounced immortality. Following his advice, Hercules caught the Boar and brought it to the king. Eurystheus was so frightened by the formidable appearance of the animal that he climbed into his chamber pot and asked Hercules to get rid of the beast. The twelve labors of Hercules, see pictures and descriptions of the following labors below.

Feat 5. Augean stables

The story "The Twelve Labors of Hercules" continues with the cleansing of the Augean stables in one day. Eurystheus gave the hero such a task in order to humiliate him in the eyes of people, because the previous exploits glorified Hercules. The inhabitants of the stables were a gift from the gods, and therefore they never got sick or died, it was considered impossible to clean them. However, our hero succeeded, he came up with the idea to change the channels of the rivers Alfei and Penei, which washed away all the dirt.

Augius was angry because he promised Hercules a tenth of his cattle if the work was done within 24 hours. He refused to keep his promise. Hercules killed him after he completed the task, and handed over the administration of the kingdom to the son of Avgeas, Philaeus.

Feat 6. Stymphalian birds

"The Twelve Labors of Hercules" the author continues with the following feat. Eurystheus ordered Heracles to kill the birds that feed on humans. They were pets of Ares and were forced to fly to Stymphalia to avoid being pursued by a pack of wolves. These birds multiplied rapidly, taking over the countryside and destroying local crops and fruit trees. The forest in which they lived was verydark and thick. Athena and Hephaestus helped Hercules by forging huge brass rattles that frightened the flying birds and helped the hero shoot them down with arrows. The surviving Stymphalian birds never returned to Greece.

Feat 7. Cretan Bull

The seventh task of Hercules was to go to the island of Crete, where the local king Minos allowed him to take the bull, as he sowed chaos on the island. Hercules defeated the bull and sent him back to Athens. Eurystheus wanted to sacrifice the bull to the goddess Hera, who continued to be angry with the hero. She refused to accept such a gift, since it was obtained as a result of the victory of Hercules. The bull was released and went to wander in the vicinity of Marathon. According to another version, he was killed near this city.

Feat 8. Horses of Diomedes

Hercules had to steal the horses. In different versions of the books "The Twelve Labors of Hercules", the names of the labors vary slightly, and the plot also changes somewhat. For example, according to one version, the hero took his friend Abder and other men with him. They stole horses and were pursued by Diomedes and his assistants. Hercules did not know that horses were cannibals and could not be tamed. He left Abder to look after them, while he himself went to fight Diomedes. Abder was eaten by animals. In revenge, Hercules fed Diomedes to his own horses.

According to another version, the hero gathered animals on the high ground of the peninsula and quickly dug a trench,filling it with water, thus forming an island. When Diomedes arrived, Hercules killed him with the ax used to create the trench and fed his body to the horses. The meal made the horses calmer, and the hero took advantage of this to tie their mouths and send them to Eurystheus. Then the horses were released and began to wander in the vicinity of Argos, having calmed down forever. The twelve labors of Hercules are very picturesquely depicted by ancient artists.

Feat 9. Belt of Hippolyta

The ninth task of Hercules was to receive, at the request of Admeta, daughter of Eurystheus, the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. The belt was a gift from Ares, the god of war. So the hero came to the land of the Amazons, a famous tribe of female warriors who lived on the banks of the Fermodont River, which flowed through the northeast of Asia Minor and flowed into the Black Sea.

According to one legend, in order to save their men, to leave them at home, the Amazons killed the arms and legs of male babies, making them unfit for war. According to another legend, they killed all male babies. The left breasts of the Amazons were either exposed or cut off so as not to interfere with their use of a bow or throwing spears.

Hippolita was so enamored with the hero's muscles and lion skin that she herself gave him the belt without a fight. But Hera, who continued to follow Hercules, took on the appearance of an Amazon and spread a rumor among them that Hercules wanted to kidnap the queen. Amazons rushed to the enemy. In the ensuing battle, the hero killed Hippolyta and received the girdle. He and his companions then defeated the Amazons and returned with the trophy.

Feat 10. HerdGeriona

Hercules had to go to Erythea to get Gerion's herd. On the way there, he crossed the Libyan desert and was so annoyed by the heat that he shot an arrow at the Sun. The luminary was delighted with his exploits and gave him a golden boat, which he used every night to cross the sea from west to east. Hercules reached Erythea on a boat. As soon as he set foot on this land, he encountered a two-headed dog, Orff. With one blow, our hero killed the watchdog. The shepherd came to Orph's aid, but Hercules de alt with him in the same way.

Hearing the noise, Gerion himself came out to the hero with three shields, three spears and three helmets. He pursued Hercules on the Antemus River, but fell victim to an arrow dipped in the poisonous blood of the Lernaean Hydra. The arrow was fired with such force that the hero pierced Geryon's forehead with it. The herd was sent to Eurystheus.

To annoy Hercules, Hera sent a gadfly that stings the animals, causing them to scatter. It took the hero a year to gather the herd. Then Hera made a flood, raising the level of the river so that Hercules, along with the herd, could not cross it. Then our hero threw stones into the water and made the water level lower. Eurystheus sacrificed the herd to the goddess Hera.

Feat 11. Apples of the Hesperides

Eurystheus didn't count Hercules' two feats, as they were accomplished with the help of others or by bribery, so he assigned two additional tasks to the hero. The first of these was to steal apples from the garden of the Hesperides. Hercules first caught Nereus, the god who took the formsea waves, and asked him where the garden was located. Then he deceived Atlas, promising him several golden apples if he agreed to hold the sky for a while. When the hero returned, Atlas decided he didn't want to hold the sky any longer and offered to deliver the apples himself. Hercules again deceived him, agreeing to take his place on the condition that he hold the sky for a while so that the hero could straighten his cloak. Atlas agreed, but Hercules left and never returned.

On the way back, our hero had to endure many adventures. In Libya, he met the giant Antaeus, the son of Gaia and Poseidon, who loved to fight his guests to the point of exhaustion and then kill them. As they fought, Hercules realized that the giant's strength and energy is renewed every time he falls to the ground, as the Earth was his mother. Then the hero lifted the giant high into the air and crushed him with his hands.

Arriving in the Caucasus Mountains, he met the titan Prometheus, who was chained to a rock for 30,000 years. Taking pity on him, Hercules killed the eagle feasting on the liver of a titan every day for all these years. Then he went to the wounded centaur Chiron, see feat 4 ("The Twelve Labors of Hercules", summary), who begged him to release him from pain.

When the hero finally brought the golden apples to Eurystheus, the king immediately gave him the fruits back, as they belonged to Hera and could not remain outside the garden. Hercules gave them to Athena, who returned the apples to their place.

Feat 12. Taming Cerberus

Completing the twelve labors of Hercules is the taming of Cerberus fromthe underworld of Hades. Hades was the god of the dead and ruler of the underworld. The hero first went to Eleusis in order to be initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries and be able to enter the underworld and return from there alive, and at the same time to absolve himself of guilt for the murder of centaurs. Athena and Hermes helped him find the entrance to the underworld.

Hercules passed by Charon, the transporter of shadows, with the help of Hermes. In hell, he freed Theseus, but when he tried to free his friend Pirithous, an earthquake began, and the hero was forced to leave him in the underworld. Both friends were imprisoned for trying to kidnap Persephone, wife of Hades, and were magically chained to a stone. The magic spell was so strong that when Hercules freed Theseus, part of his thighs were left on the stone.

The hero appeared before the throne of Hades and Persephone and asked permission to take Cerberus. The gods agreed, but on the condition that he did not harm him. According to one version, Persephone gave her consent because Hercules was her brother. Then our hero took the dog Eurystheus, passing through a cave at the entrance to the Peloponnese. When he returned with Cerberus to the palace, Eurystheus was so frightened of the formidable beast that he jumped into a large vessel to escape from him. From the saliva of a dog that fell to the ground, the first poisonous plants grew, including aconite.

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