The Labors of Heracles
Intro to Myth
Birth Heracles was the son of Zeus and a mortal
woman named Alcmena He had a twin brother named Iphicles who
was the son of Alcmena and her husband Amphitryon
Zeus had seduced Alcmena by taking the shape of her husband while Amphitryon was away
At 8 months old, Heracles strangled two snakes that Hera sent to kill him
1st Marriage
Heracles was given Princess Megara of Thebes as reward for saving the city
They had 3 sons Hera caused Heracles to go crazy and
kill his wife and children
Reason for the Labors
Some say the labors were given to Heracles because of deal between Zeus and Hera When Heracles refused to do the labors,
she made him go mad and kill his family Others say Heracles chose to do the
labors as penance for killing his family An oracle told him to go to King
Eurystheus for directions, and if he followed them all, he would become immortal
Role of Theseus
Theseus and Heracles were best friends
Theseus kept Heracles from killing himself after the death of his family
Nemean Lion
Nemean lion could not be harmed by any weapon
Heracles choked it to death and skinned it with its own claws
When Heracles returned to King Eurystheus, the king was so afraid that he would not let Heracles into the city
Hydra
The hydra was a 9-headed monster who lived in the swamp of Lerna
One head was immortal and the others re-grew two heads for every one that was destroyed
Heracles’ nephew Iolas helped him seal the heads and bury the immortal head
Eurystheus said this labor did not count because Heracles had help
Golden-horned Deer
Heracles hunted the deer for a whole year
He captured the deer without harming it so he wouldn’t anger Artemis
Erymanthian Boar
Heracles chased the boar into the mountains where it was slowed by the deep snow
He took it alive back to King Eurystheus
Augean Stables
Heracles was ordered to clean the stable of King Augeus in one day
He told King Augeus that he would clean the stables in return for some cattle
Heracles diverted two rivers to wash the stables clean
King Eurystheus would not accept this labor because Heracles had tried to get paid for it
Stymphalian Birds
Athena gave Heracles a rattle to frighten the birds
Heracles shot them down as they flew away
Bull in Crete
Heracles traveled to Crete to get the bull of Poseidon (father of the Minotaur, remember?)
He brought it back to Tiryns and set it free
Man-eating Mares
King Diomedes trained his horses to eat human flesh
Heracles killed Diomedes and fed him to his own horses
Heracles also rescued his friend’s wife, Alcestis, by wrestling Death for her and winning
Belt of Hippolyte
Hippolyte was the queen of the Amazons
She was willing to give her belt to Heracles without a fight
Hera made the other Amazons attack Heracles
Heracles killed Hippolyte and escaped with her belt
Cattle of Geryon
Geryon had a triple body and a two-headed dog
Heracles killed the dog with his club and then killed Geryon with one arrow
As he was returning to Tiryns, a fire-breathing giant named Cacus tried to steal the cattle
Heracles strangled him to death
Golden Apples of Hespiredes
The golden apples belonged to Atlas’ daughters and were guarded by a dragon
Heracles killed Antaeus on the way by strangling him in the air
He also freed Prometheus, who advised him to get Atlas to help
Heracles held the sky while Atlas got the apples and then tricked Atlas into taking the sky back
Cerberus
Cerberus is the 3-headed dog of Hades
Hades allowed Heracles to “borrow” Cerberus if he could capture him without any weapons
While Heracles was in the Underworld, he freed Theseus from the chair of forgetfulness
2nd Marriage
Heracles fought a river god and won the princess Deianira
At one point, she and Heracles needed a Centaur to ferry them across the river
Heracles ended up killing the Centaur, but the centaur told Deianira to take his blood as a love potion
Death
Deianira started to worry that Heracles had fallen for another woman
She took the centaur’s blood and put it on a robe
The robe burned Heracles, and he wanted to die
He convinced Philoctetes to burn him on a funeral pyre and gave him his bow as reward
Heracles was then taken to live with the gods
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