The Labors of Hercules
Alcides was born of a mortal woman and the god Zeus. Zeus already had a wife, Hera, and it was common for gods to have children with multiple people, but Hera disliked this because it was a mortal woman Zeus chose. As a result, Hera tried to kill Alcides many times, and in one instance, she sent snakes to his crib and when his mother found him, he was strangling them and threw them into space.
Later in his life, Hera drove him insane and made him see Eurystheus and his children though it was really his wife Megara and his own children, so he slew them all and 2 of his brother's children. Going mad even if a god had caused it was no excuse to kill his family, so Alcides consulted with the oracle of Delphi. The oracle said that he should work for 12 years under the command of his uncle, King Eurystheus. When he consulted with the oracle, the Pythian priestess who was there changed his name to Heracles, or as we call him, Hercules.
Originally, he was sentenced to perform 10 labors over the course of twelve years, but he was forced to do twelve and he still had time to complete them. Because Hercules was doing these labors to make amends for crime and murder, he was offered rewards for his deeds but Eurystheus turned them down for Hercules.
Labor 1: The Nemean Lion
King Eurystheus made Hercules' first task to kill the lion that terrorized Nemea, or the Nemean Lion. Hercules set out on his impossible labor to the town of Cloenae, and found a house to stay at with a worker-for-hire, Molorchus. Seeing as the labor should be impossible because the lion's skin was indestructible, Hercules thought about his mission. Molorchus asked whether he should sacrifice an animal for the safe hunt of the lion, and Hercules told him to wait 30 days. He said that if he did not come back in 30 days and died trying to kill the lion, Molorchus should sacrifice an animal to Hercules for being a hero. If Hercules was actually back in 30 days from killing the lion, they would sacrifice to Zeus together. Later, Hercules set out to Nemea. After days and days he finally tracked the lion. He shot arrows at it, flying every which way, but he discovered they were no use for the lion's indestructible skin. He picked up his club, and followed it to a cave with two entrances. He blocked off one entrance, and entered the only other way open. Hercules ran inside and found the lion, which charged at him. He just ignored the claws, and gripped its neck. Hercules gripped harder and harder, as the lion swiped at him with its huge, razor sharp claws. Finally, he choked the lion to death, and the seemingly impossible labor was done. When he returned to Molorchus, he and Molorchus sacrificed to Zeus together. Zeus returned to King Eurystheus and showed him the lion's skin. He used the skin as his armor, seeing as nothing could penetrate it. The king was horrified at the hero's strength, and from then on, sent Heralds to talk to Hercules so the king would not need to see him face to face. The king even made a little safe house, jar-like object buried partly in the ground in case Hercules wanted to hurt the king.
Labor 2: The Lernean Hydra
For Hercules' second labor, he was told to kill the Lernean hydra. It was a scaly, gruesome beast that terrorized the countryside of a place called Lerna. The hydra was an immortal monster with poisonous venom that had 9 heads. In the center was one largest immortal head, that was more dangerous than the rest. Hercules set out for the hydra, but brought his tough and trusted nephew, Iolaus. He won chariot racing in the Olympics, and therefore Hercules and Iolaus drove a chariot to Lerna. They drove and wandered by the countryside and the Springs of Amymone, and finally found the beast's lair. Hercules shot flaming arrows at the hydra's lair to make it retreat out of it's lair of safety, and it did so. It was stronger than Heercules expected, and with one small snatch it grabbed Hercules by the foot. The monster was so strong that he could not get loose or move, and to make matters worse, a crab started to bite Hercules in the foot. With a small swat, Hercules hit the crab out of the way, and held his club up to battle the hydra. He smashed its heads one by one, but with each lost head, two additional ones grew in its place. He ordered Iolaus to burn the heads as he smashed them, and it turned out to work. Hercules smashed another head, and Iolaus held a flaming torch to the neck of the hydra, burning the neck off before it could sprout another two heads. Eventually, Hercules held the upper hand. He had permanently destroyed eight of its mortal heads, but there was one main immortal head left. Hercules smashed and beat it, until it came off the hydra's body, and Hercules buried it. He placed it under a rock just in case anything would happen. It was a spoil of war, so it wouldn't be permanently destroyed, it would stay in its normal form. Taking advantage of this situation, Hercules dipped his arrows into the venomous hydra blood and returned with Iolaus to King Eurystheus. The king was not impressed though, because he said it didn't count since he got help from is nephew,Iolaus.
Labor 3: The Hind of Ceryneia
For Hercules' third labor, he was sent to get the hind of Ceryneia. In case you didn't know, a hind is a red female deer, and Ceryneia is a city near Greece. This should be an easy task for Hercules, but this deer was the pet of Diana. It was a deer with golden horns and hooves of bronze. All he had to do was shoot it and bring it back to Eurystheus, but it was the goddess of the Moon and Hunt's pet. Hercules was already in trouble with Hera so making another goddess angry would be bad. He could not hurt or kill the deer, but he was told to by an oracle and it was one of his labors. Hercules set out to find the deer, and he searched long days and nights. At last, he found the deer. The deer ran away as Hercules chased after it, but soon the deer grew weary and rested on a mountain called Artemisius. The deer attempted to sneak away to the river Ladon, but Hercules saw and shot the deer right as it was about to escape. He got the deer and slung it over his shoulder, and made his way back. On the way, Apollo and Diana met him. Diana was furious that Hercules had tried to slay her pet, but Hercules told her that he had to obey the oracle and labors. Diana healed the deer, and let Hercules bring it back to Mycenae alive.
Labor 4: The Erymanthean Boar
For the fourth labor, Hercules was ordered to bring the Erymanthean Boar back to King Eurystheus alive. A boar is a wild pig that is extremely dangerous. It has tusks and a bad temper. The Erymanthean Boar was named that because it lived on Mount Erymanthus. Every day, this huge and wild boar charges out of its lair to destroy everything in its path and wreak havoc on the countryside. Hercules set out to find and kill the boar, but stopped at his friend Pholus' house along the way. Pholus was a centaur, and he kindly cooked Hercules meat while he ate his raw. Hercules asked for wine, but Pholus was afraid to open the wine bottle because he stole wine that belonged to all centaurs in common. The wine was a gift of Dionysus. Hercules said not to worry, and opened it himself. Centaurs around the village smelled the wine and gathered around Pholus' house, angry that someone was drinking their wine. The first centaurs held rock and fir trees. Hercules threw burning sticks at the centaurs, and ran after them with his club, so the centaurs fled. Hercules ran after them for 20 miles and shot at them with arrows. While Hercules was gone, Pholus took an arrow out of a body of a centaur and wondered how a little thing could kill a huge beast. The arrow slipped and impaled Pholus' foot. The arrows had the hydra's blood so the tip poisoned Pholus, killing him right then. When Hercules came back, he found his dead friend, buried him, and set out for the boar. It wasn't too hard to find the boar though, because it was stomping around looking for something to eat. Hercules shouted at the boar and chased it around Mount Erymanthus, and when the boar grew tired, it hid in a thicket. Hercules found it and drove a spear into the thicket and deep in the snow. Hercules trapped the boar in a net and brought it back to Mycenae. The King Eurystheus was frightened of Hercules' powers, so he hid in his bronze jar that was partially buried.
Labor 5: The Augean Stables
For Hercules' fifth labor, he was ordered to clean King Augeas' stables. King Augeas was a rich man, and some say he was the son of one of the main three gods, and he owned more cows, bulls, sheep, horses, and goats than anyone in Greece. Hercules knew he was now going to get down and dirty, but the strongest man sometimes sinks to the weakest level. There were thousands and thousands of animals that herders had to drive in every single night. Hercules was a smart man, so without telling King Augeas about the labor, Hercules said he would clean King Augeas' stables for one tenth of his cattle. Hercules and King Eurystheus knew about the labors, but King Augeas didn't, so he was fooled. He gave his word to Hercules that he would receive one tenth of his cattle. Hercules brought King Augeas' son along to watch him clean the stables, and to start, Hercules made one huge opening on each side of the stable. Hercules knew there was two rivers nearby, so he re-directed them to the stables. Okay, now there must have been one big butt-load of poop in there, so this was a great idea. The rivers flowed into the stables, and washed the whole mess in the stables out the other opening. When Hercules was finished, King Augeas found out that King Eurystheus ordered Hercules to clean out the stables already, so King Augeas refused to pay Hercules and even denied that he ever said he would. He said that Hercules should take this matter to a judge if it was so important. Hercules did as King Augeas said. The judge called upon Augeas' son to testify. The boy swore that he heard his father make the deal, and in the end, Hercules was paid. King Augeas banished both Hercules and his son from his kingdom, so Hercules went back to Mycenae, and the boy went north to live with his aunts. King Eurystheus told Hercules that the labor didn't count though, because he was paid for doing the work.
Labor 6: The Stymphalian Birds
For Hercules' sixth labor, he was to drive away an enormous flock of birds at a lake in Stymphalos. This was an even more difficult task than what he had just done. As Hercules made his way through some woods to the lake, he wondered how he could scare away such a large group of birds. As he was walking, the goddess Athena appeared in front of him and gave him some krotala (noisemaking clappers). They surely should work, because the krotala was made by the immortal god Hephaestus, the god of fire and the forge. Hercules climbed a nearby mountain and clapped the krotalas as loud as he could. The birds took flight out of their trees, and Hercules took out his bow and picked them off one by one. He only killed some of the huge group though. The birds were vicious and sometimes they ate men, so they had to be driven away. Some say they were actually as fierce as a lion or leopard. Well, this was a short labor, but it is now over.
Labor 7: The Cretan Bull
For Hercules' seventh labor, he was ordered to kill the Cretan Bull. At the time, King Minos ruled several islands of Greece, including Crete. He was very powerful, and because of this the citizens of all the islands Minos controlled sent him tribute every single year. Zeus transformed into a bull, as gods can do, and carried Minos' mother Europa to Crete. The Cretan citizens loved bull-leaping, which was a sport that everyone played in which you get on top of a bull and grab its horns. Eventually the bull will knock you off and you go flying straight off its head. Minos wanted to prove that he had the throne, and said to Poseidon that anything Poseidon sent he would sacrifice for him. Poseidon sent a bull to Minos, but Minos thought that since it was so beautiful, he shouldn't slay it. Minos slew another bull instead, and this made Poseidon angry. Poseidon made the bull rampage around Crete, destroying everything in its path. Poseidon also made Minos' wife, Pasiphae, fall in love with the bull. This made Pasiphae give birth to the Minotaur, a monster half bull and half man. It was maybe eight feet tall, fed on Athenian prisoners, and was imprisoned at the center of the Labyrinth. Hercules arrived at Crete, and found the bull. Hercules chased the bull ad fought it for a long time. Finally, he wrestled it to the ground and drove it back to King Eurystheus in Mycenae. The king was foolish, because he still thought the bull was a great animal, just like Minos did. He let the bull go and it eventually ended up in Marathon, a city in Greece near Athens.
Labor 8: The Mares of Diomedes
For Hercules' eighth labor, he was ordered to bring back the Mares of Diomedes to Eurystheus. As Hercules finished the Cretan Bull labor, he was ordered to bring back the Mares of Diomedes to King Eurystheus. Diomedes was the leader of a Thracian tribe called the Bistones, and he had vicious man-eating mares. Hercules traveled with some volunteres to Bistonia. The volunteers and Hercules overpowered all of the grooms and people that took care of the horses. All of the people that were overpowered had fled to the sea, but right as the volunteers and Hercules captured the four flesh eating horses, the Bistone found out about what happened. They all ran after Hercules and his volunteers, and it turned into a large fight. Hercules still had the Mares of Diomedes next to him, making sure they would not lash out, but he had t0 get into the fight. Hercules entrusted the Mares to a youth named Abderos, and Hercules joined the fight. The mares were fierce and got the best of Abderos, and the Mares dragged Abderos around until he died. Hercules and his men fought the Bistones, and as Hercules killed Diomedes, his army led the upper hand. Eventually, the other army grew so weak that it actually ran away, completely deserting their dead leader's horses. When Hercules brought all the Mares back to King Eurystheus, he, for some reason, set them free into the wild. The Mares wandered around Greece and eventually ended up in Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. Huge and ferocious beasts devoured the Mares so that was the end of that.
Labor 9: The Belt of Hippolyte
For Hercules' ninth labor, he was ordered to bring back the Belt of Hippolyte. Hippolyte was the leader of an Amazon group, which was only women. All the women rarely gave birth, and if they ever did, only the women were spared and grew up to be tough soldiers. Hippolyte wore the belt, which was so important that is was a gift from Ares himself because she was the most powerful Amazon, with her spear and sword attached to it. King Eurystheus thought it would make a good gift for his daughter, so he sent Hercules to get it. Hercules had many friends, and even though he was a most powerful soldier, they realized he could not fight off the whole Amazon tribe. As a result of this observation, Hercules' friends came with him and they set sail in one ship to find the Amazons. Finally, as they arrived at the Land of the Amazons, they set their ship at a harbor on the shore as Hippolyte came to greet them. Hippolyte asked Hercules why he came, so Hercules told her about the Belt. Hippolyte gave Hercules her word that he would get the belt, but the goddess Hera knew that this visit meant only trouble. Hera disguised herself an Amazon and paced up and down the army, whispering in each Amazonian's ear that Hercules and his men came to kidnap the queen. When the Amazons all heard this, they put on their armor and charged at the ship. Hercules noticed that he was now being attacked, so he drew his sword and killed Hippolyte. Hercules took the belt and then Hercules and his friends battled the Amazons. A long time passed while the battle raged on, but finally Hercules and his friends came out on top. The enemy was driven away and Hercules, with his friends, sailed back to Mycenae, and Hercules gave the Belt of Hippolyte to King Eurystheus.
Labor 10: The Cattle of Geryon
For Hercules' tenth labor, he was ordered to bring back the Cattle of Geryon. Geryon was the son of Chrysaor and Callirrhoe, so he was quite strange. Geryon had three heads and three sets of legs that joined at the waist. He lived on the island Eurythia, and had Cerberus' brother Orthus guarding the cattle. Orthus was another monster Eurytion's pet. When Hercules left to get the cattle, along the way he met many monsters but killed them all. To remember his journey, Hercules split a mountain in two and called them the Gates of Hercules. He sailed along the water to Eurythia in a boat that the sun god gave him out of admiration. When he had arrived at Eurythia, he was quickly met by Orthus. Orthus and Hercules fought, but Orthus was no match for Hercules. Hercules bashed Orthus aside with his club. Eurytion charged after Hercules and was also bashed aside by Hercules' club just as Orthus was. A herdsman reported to Geryon what was happening, and as Hercules was leaving with the cattle, Geryon attacked Hercules. Hercules took out his bow and shot him in the heart, killing him. Stealing the cattle was not really a challenge, but Hercules had trouble bringing them back to Mycenae. Two sons of Poseidon tried to steal the cattle, but Hercules killed them before they could. Later, a bull got loose and swam to the neighboring country. The bull was found by a ruler named Eryx, and it became part of his flock. Hercules entrusted the cattle to Hephaestus, while he searched for the bull and eventually found it in the king's flock. The king said he would only give it back if Hercules beat him in a wrestling contest. Hercules never really backed away from any challenge, so he accepted and beat Eryx three times in a row in the wrestling match. Hercules killed the king and took the bull back. As Hercules reached the edge of the Ionian Sea, he was looking at almost the end of his labors. Hera still disliked him though, so she sent a gadfly and made the herd spread far away. Hercules ran around Thrace gathering the cattle, and blaming his bad luck on the River Strymon. Hercules filled the River Strymon will rocks and made it unnavigable. He brought back the Cattle of Geryon to Eurystheus and later, Eurystheus sacrificed the herd to Hera.
Labor 11: The Apples of the Hesperides
For Hercules' eleventh labor, he was sent to bring back the Apples of the Hesperides.Okay, so now Hercules has done 10 superhuman jobs, but still has two more to do. The Apples were a wedding gift of Hera to Zeus, and they were at the northern edge of the world. Hera already hated Hercules, and now if he stole the Apples, then what would she do. The Apples were guarded by the Hesperides, daughters of the Titan Atlas, and a one hundred headed dragon named Ladon. Hercules had no idea where the garden with the Apples was, so Hercules traveled through Libya, Egypt, Arabia, and Asia, having many minor adventures along the way. As Hercules was traveling, he was stopped by Kyknos, son of Ares, the War God. He demanded that Hercules fight him, and he did. The fight was soon broken up by a thunderbolt, so Hercules was on his way again. He found Nereus, one of the gods that lived in the sea, and demanded information out of him. Hercules grabbed him, and Nereus changed into all types of animals, trying to get loose. After a long while, Hercules got the information he needed. Hercules continued on his journey, and was halted again by Antaeus, son of Poseidon. Antaeus demanded a fight, so another wrestling match began. Antaeus grew stronger when he was on the ground, so Hercules beat him by lifting him off the ground and crushing him. Even another time, he was stopped by a son of Poseidon, Busiris, and was led to an altar as a human sacrifice. Hercules killed Busiris and escaped. As Hercules continued to journey on, he went to Mount Caucasus and found Prometheus, a trickster and the wisest Titan who gave fire to the humans. After giving the Olympian Fire to the humans, Zeus sentenced Prometheus to an eternity of being chained on a mountain while an eagle picked out his liver every day. After 30 years, finally Hercules came and killed the eagle. As a show of gratitude, Prometheus told Hercules the secret of how to get the Apples. The idea was that Atlas, the Titan that held up the earth, would get the Apples while Hercules temporarily held the weight of the world on his shoulders. When Atlas came back with the Apples, he asked if Hercules could hold up the sky while he returned the Apples to King Eurystheus in person. Hercules had a trick up his sleeve, so he agreed. Hercules asked Atlas whether he could hold up the sky for just one moment while Hercules put some padding on his shoulders, and Atlas agreed, dropping the Apples. Hercules took the Apples and ran back to Eurystheus, but King Eurystheus couldn't keep them because they belonged to the Gods. Hercules had to travel to the northern edge of the world and return the Apples to Athena.
Labor 12: Cerberus
For Hercules' twelfth and final labor, he was ordered to bring back Cerberus. This was the hardest ad most deadly of all the labors. Eurystheus was sure that Hercules would never survive this final task, because kidnapping the three-headed pet of Hades in the Underworld shouldn't be too easy. People believed that when a person would die, they went to the Underworld. The Underworld was home to Hades and his wife Persephone, as well as all souls, good or bad. Cerberus guarded the entrance to the Underworld, making sure that no one living could get in. It had a serpent tail, and three heads that devoured anything edible. Cerberus was son to Echidna and Typhon. Echidna was a half woman half serpent, and Typhon was a fire-breathing giant that even the Gods were afraid of. Cerberus' brother was Orthus, the guard of the Cattle of Geryon. When Herucules decided to make the trip to the Underworld, he took some extra precautions. No mortal had ever return from the Land of the Dead alive, so he had to be extra careful. As Hercules left to go to the Underworld, he knew that he may not be allowed to rejoin the world of the living. When he went to Elysium, he found Eumolpus, a priest who started the religious rites celebrating Demeter and her daughter Persephone. The rites were call the Eulisian Mysteries, and anyone who learned the secrets of them was believed to go to Elysium. Hercules was initialized into the Eulisian Mysteries, after he met some conditions. Hercules started on his way again, going to a place called Taenarum in Laconia. He made his way down to the Underworld, fighting ghosts and monsters along the way. Somehow he even got into a wrestling contest. When he was finally in the deep and dark depths of the Underworld, he asked for the god Cerberus. Hades said Hercules could take Cerberus, but only if he overpowered Cerberus with his brute strength. Hercules agreed and the match began. He searched for Cerberus and finally, near the gates of Acheron, one of the five rivers of the Underworld, he found Cerberus. Hercules threw his arms around Cerberus as both of them fought, bit, scratched one another. Cerberus managed to bite Hercules, but that only slowed him down. Cerberus submitted to the strength of Hercules and finally, he brought Cerberus back to King Eurystheus. Later, Cerberus was returned to Hades, and resumed guarding the gateways to the Underworld. No eternal wounds were inflicted on Cerberus, but maybe Hercules' pride was enough to hurt Cerberus.
Later in his life, Hera drove him insane and made him see Eurystheus and his children though it was really his wife Megara and his own children, so he slew them all and 2 of his brother's children. Going mad even if a god had caused it was no excuse to kill his family, so Alcides consulted with the oracle of Delphi. The oracle said that he should work for 12 years under the command of his uncle, King Eurystheus. When he consulted with the oracle, the Pythian priestess who was there changed his name to Heracles, or as we call him, Hercules.
Originally, he was sentenced to perform 10 labors over the course of twelve years, but he was forced to do twelve and he still had time to complete them. Because Hercules was doing these labors to make amends for crime and murder, he was offered rewards for his deeds but Eurystheus turned them down for Hercules.
Labor 1: The Nemean Lion
King Eurystheus made Hercules' first task to kill the lion that terrorized Nemea, or the Nemean Lion. Hercules set out on his impossible labor to the town of Cloenae, and found a house to stay at with a worker-for-hire, Molorchus. Seeing as the labor should be impossible because the lion's skin was indestructible, Hercules thought about his mission. Molorchus asked whether he should sacrifice an animal for the safe hunt of the lion, and Hercules told him to wait 30 days. He said that if he did not come back in 30 days and died trying to kill the lion, Molorchus should sacrifice an animal to Hercules for being a hero. If Hercules was actually back in 30 days from killing the lion, they would sacrifice to Zeus together. Later, Hercules set out to Nemea. After days and days he finally tracked the lion. He shot arrows at it, flying every which way, but he discovered they were no use for the lion's indestructible skin. He picked up his club, and followed it to a cave with two entrances. He blocked off one entrance, and entered the only other way open. Hercules ran inside and found the lion, which charged at him. He just ignored the claws, and gripped its neck. Hercules gripped harder and harder, as the lion swiped at him with its huge, razor sharp claws. Finally, he choked the lion to death, and the seemingly impossible labor was done. When he returned to Molorchus, he and Molorchus sacrificed to Zeus together. Zeus returned to King Eurystheus and showed him the lion's skin. He used the skin as his armor, seeing as nothing could penetrate it. The king was horrified at the hero's strength, and from then on, sent Heralds to talk to Hercules so the king would not need to see him face to face. The king even made a little safe house, jar-like object buried partly in the ground in case Hercules wanted to hurt the king.
Labor 2: The Lernean Hydra
For Hercules' second labor, he was told to kill the Lernean hydra. It was a scaly, gruesome beast that terrorized the countryside of a place called Lerna. The hydra was an immortal monster with poisonous venom that had 9 heads. In the center was one largest immortal head, that was more dangerous than the rest. Hercules set out for the hydra, but brought his tough and trusted nephew, Iolaus. He won chariot racing in the Olympics, and therefore Hercules and Iolaus drove a chariot to Lerna. They drove and wandered by the countryside and the Springs of Amymone, and finally found the beast's lair. Hercules shot flaming arrows at the hydra's lair to make it retreat out of it's lair of safety, and it did so. It was stronger than Heercules expected, and with one small snatch it grabbed Hercules by the foot. The monster was so strong that he could not get loose or move, and to make matters worse, a crab started to bite Hercules in the foot. With a small swat, Hercules hit the crab out of the way, and held his club up to battle the hydra. He smashed its heads one by one, but with each lost head, two additional ones grew in its place. He ordered Iolaus to burn the heads as he smashed them, and it turned out to work. Hercules smashed another head, and Iolaus held a flaming torch to the neck of the hydra, burning the neck off before it could sprout another two heads. Eventually, Hercules held the upper hand. He had permanently destroyed eight of its mortal heads, but there was one main immortal head left. Hercules smashed and beat it, until it came off the hydra's body, and Hercules buried it. He placed it under a rock just in case anything would happen. It was a spoil of war, so it wouldn't be permanently destroyed, it would stay in its normal form. Taking advantage of this situation, Hercules dipped his arrows into the venomous hydra blood and returned with Iolaus to King Eurystheus. The king was not impressed though, because he said it didn't count since he got help from is nephew,Iolaus.
Labor 3: The Hind of Ceryneia
For Hercules' third labor, he was sent to get the hind of Ceryneia. In case you didn't know, a hind is a red female deer, and Ceryneia is a city near Greece. This should be an easy task for Hercules, but this deer was the pet of Diana. It was a deer with golden horns and hooves of bronze. All he had to do was shoot it and bring it back to Eurystheus, but it was the goddess of the Moon and Hunt's pet. Hercules was already in trouble with Hera so making another goddess angry would be bad. He could not hurt or kill the deer, but he was told to by an oracle and it was one of his labors. Hercules set out to find the deer, and he searched long days and nights. At last, he found the deer. The deer ran away as Hercules chased after it, but soon the deer grew weary and rested on a mountain called Artemisius. The deer attempted to sneak away to the river Ladon, but Hercules saw and shot the deer right as it was about to escape. He got the deer and slung it over his shoulder, and made his way back. On the way, Apollo and Diana met him. Diana was furious that Hercules had tried to slay her pet, but Hercules told her that he had to obey the oracle and labors. Diana healed the deer, and let Hercules bring it back to Mycenae alive.
Labor 4: The Erymanthean Boar
For the fourth labor, Hercules was ordered to bring the Erymanthean Boar back to King Eurystheus alive. A boar is a wild pig that is extremely dangerous. It has tusks and a bad temper. The Erymanthean Boar was named that because it lived on Mount Erymanthus. Every day, this huge and wild boar charges out of its lair to destroy everything in its path and wreak havoc on the countryside. Hercules set out to find and kill the boar, but stopped at his friend Pholus' house along the way. Pholus was a centaur, and he kindly cooked Hercules meat while he ate his raw. Hercules asked for wine, but Pholus was afraid to open the wine bottle because he stole wine that belonged to all centaurs in common. The wine was a gift of Dionysus. Hercules said not to worry, and opened it himself. Centaurs around the village smelled the wine and gathered around Pholus' house, angry that someone was drinking their wine. The first centaurs held rock and fir trees. Hercules threw burning sticks at the centaurs, and ran after them with his club, so the centaurs fled. Hercules ran after them for 20 miles and shot at them with arrows. While Hercules was gone, Pholus took an arrow out of a body of a centaur and wondered how a little thing could kill a huge beast. The arrow slipped and impaled Pholus' foot. The arrows had the hydra's blood so the tip poisoned Pholus, killing him right then. When Hercules came back, he found his dead friend, buried him, and set out for the boar. It wasn't too hard to find the boar though, because it was stomping around looking for something to eat. Hercules shouted at the boar and chased it around Mount Erymanthus, and when the boar grew tired, it hid in a thicket. Hercules found it and drove a spear into the thicket and deep in the snow. Hercules trapped the boar in a net and brought it back to Mycenae. The King Eurystheus was frightened of Hercules' powers, so he hid in his bronze jar that was partially buried.
Labor 5: The Augean Stables
For Hercules' fifth labor, he was ordered to clean King Augeas' stables. King Augeas was a rich man, and some say he was the son of one of the main three gods, and he owned more cows, bulls, sheep, horses, and goats than anyone in Greece. Hercules knew he was now going to get down and dirty, but the strongest man sometimes sinks to the weakest level. There were thousands and thousands of animals that herders had to drive in every single night. Hercules was a smart man, so without telling King Augeas about the labor, Hercules said he would clean King Augeas' stables for one tenth of his cattle. Hercules and King Eurystheus knew about the labors, but King Augeas didn't, so he was fooled. He gave his word to Hercules that he would receive one tenth of his cattle. Hercules brought King Augeas' son along to watch him clean the stables, and to start, Hercules made one huge opening on each side of the stable. Hercules knew there was two rivers nearby, so he re-directed them to the stables. Okay, now there must have been one big butt-load of poop in there, so this was a great idea. The rivers flowed into the stables, and washed the whole mess in the stables out the other opening. When Hercules was finished, King Augeas found out that King Eurystheus ordered Hercules to clean out the stables already, so King Augeas refused to pay Hercules and even denied that he ever said he would. He said that Hercules should take this matter to a judge if it was so important. Hercules did as King Augeas said. The judge called upon Augeas' son to testify. The boy swore that he heard his father make the deal, and in the end, Hercules was paid. King Augeas banished both Hercules and his son from his kingdom, so Hercules went back to Mycenae, and the boy went north to live with his aunts. King Eurystheus told Hercules that the labor didn't count though, because he was paid for doing the work.
Labor 6: The Stymphalian Birds
For Hercules' sixth labor, he was to drive away an enormous flock of birds at a lake in Stymphalos. This was an even more difficult task than what he had just done. As Hercules made his way through some woods to the lake, he wondered how he could scare away such a large group of birds. As he was walking, the goddess Athena appeared in front of him and gave him some krotala (noisemaking clappers). They surely should work, because the krotala was made by the immortal god Hephaestus, the god of fire and the forge. Hercules climbed a nearby mountain and clapped the krotalas as loud as he could. The birds took flight out of their trees, and Hercules took out his bow and picked them off one by one. He only killed some of the huge group though. The birds were vicious and sometimes they ate men, so they had to be driven away. Some say they were actually as fierce as a lion or leopard. Well, this was a short labor, but it is now over.
Labor 7: The Cretan Bull
For Hercules' seventh labor, he was ordered to kill the Cretan Bull. At the time, King Minos ruled several islands of Greece, including Crete. He was very powerful, and because of this the citizens of all the islands Minos controlled sent him tribute every single year. Zeus transformed into a bull, as gods can do, and carried Minos' mother Europa to Crete. The Cretan citizens loved bull-leaping, which was a sport that everyone played in which you get on top of a bull and grab its horns. Eventually the bull will knock you off and you go flying straight off its head. Minos wanted to prove that he had the throne, and said to Poseidon that anything Poseidon sent he would sacrifice for him. Poseidon sent a bull to Minos, but Minos thought that since it was so beautiful, he shouldn't slay it. Minos slew another bull instead, and this made Poseidon angry. Poseidon made the bull rampage around Crete, destroying everything in its path. Poseidon also made Minos' wife, Pasiphae, fall in love with the bull. This made Pasiphae give birth to the Minotaur, a monster half bull and half man. It was maybe eight feet tall, fed on Athenian prisoners, and was imprisoned at the center of the Labyrinth. Hercules arrived at Crete, and found the bull. Hercules chased the bull ad fought it for a long time. Finally, he wrestled it to the ground and drove it back to King Eurystheus in Mycenae. The king was foolish, because he still thought the bull was a great animal, just like Minos did. He let the bull go and it eventually ended up in Marathon, a city in Greece near Athens.
Labor 8: The Mares of Diomedes
For Hercules' eighth labor, he was ordered to bring back the Mares of Diomedes to Eurystheus. As Hercules finished the Cretan Bull labor, he was ordered to bring back the Mares of Diomedes to King Eurystheus. Diomedes was the leader of a Thracian tribe called the Bistones, and he had vicious man-eating mares. Hercules traveled with some volunteres to Bistonia. The volunteers and Hercules overpowered all of the grooms and people that took care of the horses. All of the people that were overpowered had fled to the sea, but right as the volunteers and Hercules captured the four flesh eating horses, the Bistone found out about what happened. They all ran after Hercules and his volunteers, and it turned into a large fight. Hercules still had the Mares of Diomedes next to him, making sure they would not lash out, but he had t0 get into the fight. Hercules entrusted the Mares to a youth named Abderos, and Hercules joined the fight. The mares were fierce and got the best of Abderos, and the Mares dragged Abderos around until he died. Hercules and his men fought the Bistones, and as Hercules killed Diomedes, his army led the upper hand. Eventually, the other army grew so weak that it actually ran away, completely deserting their dead leader's horses. When Hercules brought all the Mares back to King Eurystheus, he, for some reason, set them free into the wild. The Mares wandered around Greece and eventually ended up in Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. Huge and ferocious beasts devoured the Mares so that was the end of that.
Labor 9: The Belt of Hippolyte
For Hercules' ninth labor, he was ordered to bring back the Belt of Hippolyte. Hippolyte was the leader of an Amazon group, which was only women. All the women rarely gave birth, and if they ever did, only the women were spared and grew up to be tough soldiers. Hippolyte wore the belt, which was so important that is was a gift from Ares himself because she was the most powerful Amazon, with her spear and sword attached to it. King Eurystheus thought it would make a good gift for his daughter, so he sent Hercules to get it. Hercules had many friends, and even though he was a most powerful soldier, they realized he could not fight off the whole Amazon tribe. As a result of this observation, Hercules' friends came with him and they set sail in one ship to find the Amazons. Finally, as they arrived at the Land of the Amazons, they set their ship at a harbor on the shore as Hippolyte came to greet them. Hippolyte asked Hercules why he came, so Hercules told her about the Belt. Hippolyte gave Hercules her word that he would get the belt, but the goddess Hera knew that this visit meant only trouble. Hera disguised herself an Amazon and paced up and down the army, whispering in each Amazonian's ear that Hercules and his men came to kidnap the queen. When the Amazons all heard this, they put on their armor and charged at the ship. Hercules noticed that he was now being attacked, so he drew his sword and killed Hippolyte. Hercules took the belt and then Hercules and his friends battled the Amazons. A long time passed while the battle raged on, but finally Hercules and his friends came out on top. The enemy was driven away and Hercules, with his friends, sailed back to Mycenae, and Hercules gave the Belt of Hippolyte to King Eurystheus.
Labor 10: The Cattle of Geryon
For Hercules' tenth labor, he was ordered to bring back the Cattle of Geryon. Geryon was the son of Chrysaor and Callirrhoe, so he was quite strange. Geryon had three heads and three sets of legs that joined at the waist. He lived on the island Eurythia, and had Cerberus' brother Orthus guarding the cattle. Orthus was another monster Eurytion's pet. When Hercules left to get the cattle, along the way he met many monsters but killed them all. To remember his journey, Hercules split a mountain in two and called them the Gates of Hercules. He sailed along the water to Eurythia in a boat that the sun god gave him out of admiration. When he had arrived at Eurythia, he was quickly met by Orthus. Orthus and Hercules fought, but Orthus was no match for Hercules. Hercules bashed Orthus aside with his club. Eurytion charged after Hercules and was also bashed aside by Hercules' club just as Orthus was. A herdsman reported to Geryon what was happening, and as Hercules was leaving with the cattle, Geryon attacked Hercules. Hercules took out his bow and shot him in the heart, killing him. Stealing the cattle was not really a challenge, but Hercules had trouble bringing them back to Mycenae. Two sons of Poseidon tried to steal the cattle, but Hercules killed them before they could. Later, a bull got loose and swam to the neighboring country. The bull was found by a ruler named Eryx, and it became part of his flock. Hercules entrusted the cattle to Hephaestus, while he searched for the bull and eventually found it in the king's flock. The king said he would only give it back if Hercules beat him in a wrestling contest. Hercules never really backed away from any challenge, so he accepted and beat Eryx three times in a row in the wrestling match. Hercules killed the king and took the bull back. As Hercules reached the edge of the Ionian Sea, he was looking at almost the end of his labors. Hera still disliked him though, so she sent a gadfly and made the herd spread far away. Hercules ran around Thrace gathering the cattle, and blaming his bad luck on the River Strymon. Hercules filled the River Strymon will rocks and made it unnavigable. He brought back the Cattle of Geryon to Eurystheus and later, Eurystheus sacrificed the herd to Hera.
Labor 11: The Apples of the Hesperides
For Hercules' eleventh labor, he was sent to bring back the Apples of the Hesperides.Okay, so now Hercules has done 10 superhuman jobs, but still has two more to do. The Apples were a wedding gift of Hera to Zeus, and they were at the northern edge of the world. Hera already hated Hercules, and now if he stole the Apples, then what would she do. The Apples were guarded by the Hesperides, daughters of the Titan Atlas, and a one hundred headed dragon named Ladon. Hercules had no idea where the garden with the Apples was, so Hercules traveled through Libya, Egypt, Arabia, and Asia, having many minor adventures along the way. As Hercules was traveling, he was stopped by Kyknos, son of Ares, the War God. He demanded that Hercules fight him, and he did. The fight was soon broken up by a thunderbolt, so Hercules was on his way again. He found Nereus, one of the gods that lived in the sea, and demanded information out of him. Hercules grabbed him, and Nereus changed into all types of animals, trying to get loose. After a long while, Hercules got the information he needed. Hercules continued on his journey, and was halted again by Antaeus, son of Poseidon. Antaeus demanded a fight, so another wrestling match began. Antaeus grew stronger when he was on the ground, so Hercules beat him by lifting him off the ground and crushing him. Even another time, he was stopped by a son of Poseidon, Busiris, and was led to an altar as a human sacrifice. Hercules killed Busiris and escaped. As Hercules continued to journey on, he went to Mount Caucasus and found Prometheus, a trickster and the wisest Titan who gave fire to the humans. After giving the Olympian Fire to the humans, Zeus sentenced Prometheus to an eternity of being chained on a mountain while an eagle picked out his liver every day. After 30 years, finally Hercules came and killed the eagle. As a show of gratitude, Prometheus told Hercules the secret of how to get the Apples. The idea was that Atlas, the Titan that held up the earth, would get the Apples while Hercules temporarily held the weight of the world on his shoulders. When Atlas came back with the Apples, he asked if Hercules could hold up the sky while he returned the Apples to King Eurystheus in person. Hercules had a trick up his sleeve, so he agreed. Hercules asked Atlas whether he could hold up the sky for just one moment while Hercules put some padding on his shoulders, and Atlas agreed, dropping the Apples. Hercules took the Apples and ran back to Eurystheus, but King Eurystheus couldn't keep them because they belonged to the Gods. Hercules had to travel to the northern edge of the world and return the Apples to Athena.
Labor 12: Cerberus
For Hercules' twelfth and final labor, he was ordered to bring back Cerberus. This was the hardest ad most deadly of all the labors. Eurystheus was sure that Hercules would never survive this final task, because kidnapping the three-headed pet of Hades in the Underworld shouldn't be too easy. People believed that when a person would die, they went to the Underworld. The Underworld was home to Hades and his wife Persephone, as well as all souls, good or bad. Cerberus guarded the entrance to the Underworld, making sure that no one living could get in. It had a serpent tail, and three heads that devoured anything edible. Cerberus was son to Echidna and Typhon. Echidna was a half woman half serpent, and Typhon was a fire-breathing giant that even the Gods were afraid of. Cerberus' brother was Orthus, the guard of the Cattle of Geryon. When Herucules decided to make the trip to the Underworld, he took some extra precautions. No mortal had ever return from the Land of the Dead alive, so he had to be extra careful. As Hercules left to go to the Underworld, he knew that he may not be allowed to rejoin the world of the living. When he went to Elysium, he found Eumolpus, a priest who started the religious rites celebrating Demeter and her daughter Persephone. The rites were call the Eulisian Mysteries, and anyone who learned the secrets of them was believed to go to Elysium. Hercules was initialized into the Eulisian Mysteries, after he met some conditions. Hercules started on his way again, going to a place called Taenarum in Laconia. He made his way down to the Underworld, fighting ghosts and monsters along the way. Somehow he even got into a wrestling contest. When he was finally in the deep and dark depths of the Underworld, he asked for the god Cerberus. Hades said Hercules could take Cerberus, but only if he overpowered Cerberus with his brute strength. Hercules agreed and the match began. He searched for Cerberus and finally, near the gates of Acheron, one of the five rivers of the Underworld, he found Cerberus. Hercules threw his arms around Cerberus as both of them fought, bit, scratched one another. Cerberus managed to bite Hercules, but that only slowed him down. Cerberus submitted to the strength of Hercules and finally, he brought Cerberus back to King Eurystheus. Later, Cerberus was returned to Hades, and resumed guarding the gateways to the Underworld. No eternal wounds were inflicted on Cerberus, but maybe Hercules' pride was enough to hurt Cerberus.