The myth of Hercules begins with his unusual birth. The thunder god Zeus had a penchant for earthly women. He liked the beautiful Alcmene, the wife of the king of Mycenae. Zeus, with gentle 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 was hunting. Carried away by hunting, he did not return home to spend the night. And Zeus in the form of a husband 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 pushed back Alcmene's birth by a day. At the hour appointed by Zeus, Eurystheus was born. It was he who became the ruler of Mycenae, in whose service Hercules accomplished famous feats.

Myths about Hercules: 12 labors

Hera, having learned about the birth of the future hero, vowed to kill him. She sent two poisonous snakes into the cradle. But Hercules showed strength and agility from birth. He strangled the reptiles with his hands.

The myth of Hercules tells that Hera later sent madness to the hero. The man's mind became confused as he played with his sons. He mistook the children for monsters. When the attack of madness passed, Hercules was horrified by his own action. 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 journey did not last long - the god Hermes appeared to the hero near the very shores of Greece. He conveyed the will of the gods: let Hercules humble himself and go into the service of the Mycenaean king Eurystheus.

Jealous Hera, in a 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, unwittingly, contributed to the hero’s centuries-long glory.

First feat

Eurystheus gave the first task to Hercules - to destroy the Nemean lion. The monster was born from the giant Typhon and Echidna, a huge snake. The lion amazed with its size and bloodthirstiness. Its durable skin withstood the blows of swords, and arrows dulled on it.

A lion lived in the vicinity of the city of Nemea, destroying all living things in its path. For a whole month Hercules searched for his lair. 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 victoriously to Mycenae. When Eurystheus saw the defeated lion, he was afraid of 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. A terrible monster was lurking in the poisonous swamp - the Lernaean 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 surrounding area. 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 his help to Hercules - he took the hero to the poisonous swamp on his chariot. The hero fought the hydra for a long time. 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 severed heads of the hydra. When Hercules cut off the last, immortal head, he buried it deep in the ground. He laid a huge rock on top so that the monster could never appear on earth again.

Hercules soaked the arrowheads with the poisonous blood of the hydra. And then he returned to Mycenae, where Eurystheus’ new task awaited him.

Third feat

Myths about the exploits of Hercules indicate his strength, agility, and speed. For more than a year the hero chased the Kerynean 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 Kerenean Mountains. Her horns sparkled with gold, and her hooves shone with copper. The animal's skin sparkled in the sun. The Kerynean fallow deer was created by the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. She did this as a reproach to people who exterminated flora and fauna.

The doe 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 his bow and shot the animal in the leg. Throwing a net over the prey, he carried it to Mycenae.

Artemis appeared in front of him in anger. Ancient myths about Hercules say that the hero bowed to her. He explained how the will of the gods forced him to serve Eurystheus. That he was not chasing the beautiful doe for himself. 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. Which one? The fourth myth about Hercules will tell us about this. Its brief content allows us to find out that a wild boar appeared in Arcadia. The Erymanthian boar used its huge tusks to destroy livestock, forest animals, and travelers...

On the way, Hercules visited his acquaintance, the centaur Pholus. They opened the 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 was a gift to the entire community. A fight ensued. Hercules put the centaurs to flight with his poisonous arrows.

Continuing his 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 hit the shield with his sword. Blinded, the animal 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 Augeas 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. All day long Augeias tried to count the number of horses in the stables. But the herd was in motion, the horses moved, and the count had to start over.

The accumulated sewage from the horses filled all the stables. The smell from them permeated the whole of Arcadia, says the 5th myth. Hercules sent Eurystheus to clear the Augean stables of manure. The king thought that a strong and brave hero would disdain such a task.

Hercules realized that it was necessary to make a hole in the fence. He broke the fence surrounding the stables on both sides. 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 made a sacrifice to the river god for the unpleasant work. Then he restored the fence and returned to Mycenae for a new assignment.

The sixth feat

One day, two huge birds appeared near the city of Stymphalus, the myths about Hercules are told. They had copper beaks and bronze feathers. The Stymphalian birds multiplied over time and formed a flock. They destroyed seedlings in the fields. They dropped their bronze feathers like arrows on everyone who came near them.

Hercules, before entering into battle, studied the habits of the creatures for a long time. He realized that, having shed their feathers, birds become defenseless until new ones grow. The warrior goddess Athena appeared to Hercules and presented him with copper rattles as a gift. Hercules was delighted with the help and made a loud noise with the instrument.

The Stymphalian birds flew up in fear and began to shed their sharp feathers. Hercules took refuge under a shield from their onslaught. After the birds dropped all their feathers, the hero shot them with a bow. And those that I didn’t manage to hit flew away from these places.

Seventh feat

What does the seventh myth about Hercules tell about? The summary indicates that there are no more monstrous animals and birds left in Arcadia. But Eurystheus came up with an idea where to send Hercules - to the island of Crete.

The sea god Poseidon gave King Minos a wonderful 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 found out about the king's deception. In anger, he struck the bull with madness. The monster ran around for a long time, killing people in a frenzy and scattering herds.

Eurystheus, at the behest 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, and 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 on an animal, the hero returned to Arcadia.

The bull did not even try to throw Hercules off, he 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 maddened bull 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

The myths about Hercules also tell about the demonic horses of Diomedes. These carnivorous monsters devoured lost travelers. Shipwrecked sailors 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 to the head, he subdued the first horse and threw a bridle around its neck. When the entire herd was bridled, Hercules and his assistant drove him to the ship. And then King Diomedes and his army stood in the way. Hercules defeated everyone, and when he returned to the shore, he saw that the horses had torn his assistant to pieces 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 the carnivorous horses, in horror, ordered them to be released into the forest. There wild animals dealt with them.

Ninth feat

The 12 myths about Hercules are extremely interesting. They all talk about the strength and courage of the son of Zeus, about the amazing adventures that befell him. The ninth tells about Hippolyta's belt. Eurystheus's daughter Admeta wanted to get it. 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 his companions. The Amazons greeted them friendly and asked about the purpose of the trip. Hercules honestly told Queen Hippolyta about how Eurystheus’s daughter wanted to receive her belt as a gift.

Hippolyta agreed to give the jewelry to Hercules. But the goddess Hera interfered. She didn’t like the peaceful solution to the issue - after all, she wanted to destroy the hero. Hera, transforming into one of the Amazons, spread the rumor that Hercules wanted to sell them into slavery.

The militant women believed the evil slander, and a battle ensued. Hercules and his companions defeated the Amazons. The son of Zeus completed this task with a heavy heart. Hercules, the hero of myth, did not want to fight with women, even if they were warriors.

Tenth feat

Our story continues with the tenth myth about Hercules. 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 distant 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.

On the green meadows of Erythia, the cows of Geryon, 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 the giant down with several blows of his club. The hero won another victory.

Having sailed by ship to Iberia, Hercules lay down to rest, letting the herd go to graze. At first light, he decided to drive the herd overland. Cows traveled through Iberia, Gaul, and Italy. Near the sea, one of them rushed to the water and swam. She ended up on the island of Sicily. The local ruler Eryx did not want to give the cow to Hercules. I had to defeat him too.

The hero returned with the fugitive to the herd and led it 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 Hercules to fetch 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 located at the edge of the earth, where Atlas held the firmament on his shoulders.

On the way to the end of the world, Hercules freed Prometheus in the Caucasus Mountains. He fought with the son of the land of Gaia - Antaeus. Only by tearing the giant off the ground could the hero defeat him. Having reached Atlas, 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 arch, and Atlas returned. The giant really didn’t want to take on an exorbitant burden on his shoulders again. The cunning man invited Hercules to hold the sky for a while until 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 would hold up the heavens, and in the meantime Hercules would make himself a grass pillow - the burden was too heavy. Atlas believed and took his place, and the hero took the apples and returned home.

Twelfth labor

The last task of Eurystheus was the most difficult, says the 12th myth. The Labors of Hercules (a brief summary of them is presented in this article) takes the reader into the amazing world of the mythology of Ancient Greece, a world full of amazing adventures, powerful and treacherous gods and strong, brave heroes. But we digress. So, 12 labors. Hercules had to descend into the kingdom of the dead and kidnap the dog Cerberus. Three heads, a tail in the shape of a snake - at the sight of this fiend of hell, the blood froze in my veins.

Hercules went down to Hades and fought with Cerberus. Having defeated the dog, the hero brought him to Mycenae. The king did not allow the gates to be opened and shouted for Hercules to release the terrible monster back.

But the myths about Hercules do not end there. The 12 feats that the hero performed in the service of Eurystheus glorified him for centuries. Later, he distinguished himself in military campaigns and arranged his personal life.

The Thirteenth Labor and Death of Hercules

Legends of Hellas say that there is also a 13th labor of Hercules. The myth has brought to this day the story of King Thespia. Hercules stayed in his house while hunting the Lion of Cithaeron. Thespius was worried that his daughters would choose unsightly grooms and give birth to ugly grandchildren. The king invited Hercules to impregnate his 50 daughters. So the hero hunted a lion during the day, and spent the night with the king’s daughters.

Many years later, Hercules married Deianira. They had many children. One day the couple were crossing a fast river. Dejanira was transported by the centaur Nessus. He was seduced by the beauty of the woman and wanted to take possession of her. Hercules struck him with a poisonous arrow. Experiencing terrible torment, Ness decided to take revenge on the hero. He persuaded Deianira to draw his blood. If Hercules stops loving her, all he has to do is soak his clothes in the blood of the centaur, and then the husband will not look at any woman again.

Dejanira kept the bottle with Nessus' gift. Returning from a military campaign, Hercules brought a young captive princess to the house. In a fit of jealousy, Dejanira soaked her husband's clothes in blood. The poison quickly took effect and began to cause Hercules severe pain, and there was no way to remove 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 accept the hero to Olympus and grant him immortal life.

Lev Vasilievich Uspensky, Vsevolod Vasilievich Uspensky

This book contains legends from ancient times.

They were put together by the ancient Greeks back in those distant times, when people were just beginning to study the world around them, just beginning to explore and explain it.

Combining truth and fiction, they came up with and told amazing stories. This is how many legends about gods, heroes and fantastic creatures arose- legends, naively explaining the structure of the world and the fate of people. We call these legends by the Greek word “myths”.

Infinitely long ago, two and a half thousand years ago, Greek children, sitting on the warm sand at the city gates or on the stone slabs of temples, listened as in a sing-song voice, plucking the strings of a quiet cithara in tune, blind rhapsodist singers began these amazing stories:

LISTEN, GOOD PEOPLE, ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED ONCE!..

Several years before the treacherous Pelias treacherously seized the royal throne in noisy Iolka, wondrous deeds took place at the other end of the Greek land - where among the mountains and valleys of Argolis lay the ancient city of Mycenae.

In those days there lived in this city a girl named Alcmene.

She was so beautiful that, having met her on their way, people stopped and looked after her in silent surprise.

She was so smart that the wisest elders sometimes questioned her and were amazed at her reasonable answers.

She was so kind that the timid doves from the temple of Aphrodite, without running wild, descended to coo on her shoulders, and the nightingale Philomela sang his sonorous songs at night near the very wall of her house.

And hearing him sing among the rose bushes and vines, people said to each other: “Look! Philomela himself praises the beauty of Alcmene and is amazed at her!”

Alkmena grew up carefree in her father's house and did not even think that she would ever have to leave him. But fate decided otherwise...

One day, a dusty chariot drove into the city gates of Mycenae. A tall warrior in shining armor rode four tired horses. This brave Amphitryon, brother of the Argive king Sphenel, came to Mycenae to seek his fortune.

Hearing the rumble of wheels and the snoring of horses, Alkmena went out onto the porch of her house. The sun was setting at that moment. Its rays scattered like red gold through the hair of the beautiful girl, and enveloped her entire body in a purple sheen. And as soon as Amphitryon saw her on the porch by the door, he forgot everything in the world.

Less than a few days later, Amphitryon went to Alcmene’s father and began to ask him to marry his daughter to him. Having learned who this young warrior was, the old man did not object to him.

The Mycenaeans celebrated the wedding feast cheerfully and noisily, and then Amphitryon put his wife on a magnificently decorated chariot and took her away from Mycenae. But they did not go to Amphitryon’s hometown - Argos: he could not return there.

Not long ago, while hunting, he accidentally killed his nephew Electrius, the son of the old king Sfenel, with a spear. The enraged Sfenel drove his brother out of his possessions and forbade him to approach the Argive walls. He bitterly mourned his lost son and prayed to the gods to send him another child. But the gods remained deaf to his pleas.

That is why Amphitryon and Alcmene settled not in Argos, but in Theivae, where Amphitryon’s uncle, Creon, was king.

Their life flowed quietly. Only one thing upset Alkmene: her husband was such a passionate hunter that, in order to chase wild animals, he left his young wife at home for whole days.

Every evening she went out to the gates of the palace to wait for the servants loaded with booty and her husband, tired of hunting. Every evening the setting sun, as it happened in Mycenae, again dressed her in its purple clothes. Then one day, on the threshold of the palace, the mighty Zeus, the most powerful of all the Greek gods, saw Alcmene, illuminated by the scarlet light of dawn, and, upon seeing her, fell in love with her at first sight.

Zeus was not only powerful, but also cunning and treacherous.

Although he already had a wife, the proud goddess Hera, he wanted to take Alcmene as his wife. However, no matter how much he appeared to her in sleepy visions, no matter how much he persuaded her to stop loving Amphitryon, it was all in vain.

Then the insidious god decided to conquer her with crafty deception. He made sure that all the game from all the forests of Greece came running to those Theban valleys where Amphitryon was hunting at that time. In vain the frantic hunter killed horned deer, fanged boars, light-footed goats: every hour there were more and more of them around him. The servants called their master home, but he could not tear himself away from his favorite pastime and hunted day after day, week after week, getting further and further into the depths of the forest wilds. Meanwhile, Zeus himself turned into a man, exactly like Amphitryon, jumped onto his chariot and rode to the Theban palace.

Hearing the familiar clatter of hooves and the clink of armor, Alkmena ran out onto the porch, rejoicing that she would finally see her long-awaited husband. The wonderful resemblance deceived her. She trustingly threw herself on the neck of the lying god and, calling him her dear Amphitryon, led him into the house. So, with the help of magic and deception, Zeus became the husband of the beautiful Alcmene, while the real Amphitryon hunted animals far from his palace.

A lot of time passed, and a son was to be born to Alcmene and Zeus. And then one night, when Alcmene was sleeping peacefully, the real Amphitryon returned. Seeing him in the morning, she was not at all surprised by this: after all, she was sure that her husband had been home for a long time. That is why this deception, invented by Zeus, remained unsolved. The Lord of the Gods, leaving the Theban palace, returned to his transcendental home on the high Mount Olympus. Knowing that Amphitryon’s elder brother, the Argive king Sthenelus, had no children, he planned to make his son the heir of Sthenelus and, when he was born, give him the Argive kingdom.

Having learned about this, the jealous goddess Hera, the first wife of Zeus, became very angry. She hated Alcmene with great hatred. She never wanted the son of this Alcmene to become king of Argive.

Having planned to destroy the boy as soon as he was born, Hera secretly appeared to Sfenel and promised that he would have a son, Eurystheus.

Knowing nothing about this, Zeus called all the gods to a council and said:

Listen to me, goddesses and gods. On the first day of the full moon, when the moon becomes completely round, a boy will be born. He will reign in Argos. Don't think of doing anything bad to him!

Hearing these words, Hera asked with a sly smile:

And if two boys are born on this day, who will be the king then?

The one who is born first, answered Zeus. After all, he was sure that Hercules would be born first. He knew nothing about Eurystheus, the future son of Sthenel.

But Hera smiled even more slyly and said:

Great Zeus, you often make promises that you then forget about. Swear before all the gods that the king of Argos will be the boy who is born first on the day of the full moon.

Zeus swore willingly. Then Hera did not waste time. She called the goddess of madness and stupidity, Atu, and ordered her to steal Zeus’ memory. As soon as Zeus lost his memory, he forgot about Alcmene and the child who was supposed to be born to her.

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

Books about the exploits of Hercules

There are a variety of book publications on sale about the exploits of Hercules - both for children and adults. The most interesting:

Labors of Hercules retold by Grigory Petnikov. For primary school age. A very good publication for children, and for middle school too, and even for high school.

Ancient Greek Myths: The Labors of Hercules. Fabulous beautiful illustrated book tells about the adventures of the brave Hercules. A very colorful, well-illustrated book, the exploits are presented in an abbreviated form. It will be interesting to read to children.

The Labors of Hercules as retold by L. Yakhnin- a good start to getting acquainted with the myths of Ancient Greece. An excellent hardcover edition, there are two introductory chapters, “The Birth of a Hero” and “Eristheus and Hercules,” and 12 labors are described.

Labors of Hercules

The first feat. Nemean Lion.

Hercules did not have to wait long for the first order of King Eurystheus. He instructed the hero to kill the Nemean Lion. This lion, the terrible offspring of Typhon and Echidna, was of monstrous size and was much stronger and larger than the predators of this breed that were found at that distant time in the south of Europe. He lived near the city of Nemea, where the rainbow goddess Iris took him, and devastated all the surrounding areas; from one of his roars, which sounded in the gorges like thunder, all living things fled. But fearless Hercules boldly set out on a dangerous feat.

On the way to the lion's den on Mount Tret, Hercules wandered into the wretched hut of the foreman Molorch. Delighted that a daredevil had been found ready to rid the area of ​​the fierce beast, Molorkh grabbed a knife to slaughter the only ram for the guest. But Hercules stopped him.

A kind person! Hold your four-legged one until the time comes. If I return within thirty days, you will sacrifice a ram to Zeus the Savior, and if I stay there, you will slaughter it to the underground gods.

Arriving in Nemea, the hero immediately went to the mountains to find the lion’s lair. It was already midday when he reached the slopes of the mountains. There was not a single living soul to be seen anywhere: neither shepherds nor farmers. Hercules wandered for a long time along the wooded mountain slopes and gorges. Finally, when Helios’s chariot began to lean towards the west, he found the lion’s lair in a gloomy gorge by the disgusting smell of rotting meat. The ferocious predator killed more than he could eat, and no one dared to pick up the scraps. Where the carrion was rotting, there was an entrance to a huge cave. Having carefully examined the area, the hero discovered an exit from the same cave and carefully blocked it with huge boulders. After that, he returned to the entrance, hid behind the stones and, covering his nose so as not to suffocate, began to wait.

Just in the evening, when dusk was already approaching, a monstrous lion with a long shaggy mane appeared. Sensing the scent of a man, he roared furiously and began to beat his tail on the ground, raising a column of dust higher than the trees. Hercules pulled the string of his bow and shot three arrows one after another at the lion. All the arrows hit the side of the beast, but bounced off its skin - it was hard as steel. The lion roared menacingly, his roar rolled like thunder across the mountains. Looking around in all directions, the beast stood in the gorge and looked with eyes burning with rage for the one who dared to shoot arrows at him. But then he saw Hercules and rushed with a huge leap at the hero.

The club of Hercules flashed like lightning and fell like a thunderbolt on the lion’s head. He fell to the ground, stunned by a terrible blow, after which Hercules rushed at him, wrapped his powerful hands around the writhing lion’s throat and pressed until he strangled him.

Meanwhile, Molorkh patiently waited for Hercules, making notches on the staff. After the thirtieth notch, he untied the ram from the tree and dragged it to the cliff to sacrifice it to Hades and Persephone. But, before reaching the cliff, the farmer saw Hercules walking cheerfully, waving his lion skin from afar!

Give the ram to Zeus! - said the hero, hugging Molorch. - And glorify the day of our meeting with the Nemean Games.

When Hercules brought the lion he had killed to Mycenae, Eurystheus turned pale with fear as he looked at the monstrous lion. The king of Mycenae realized what superhuman strength Hercules possessed. He forbade him even to approach the gates of Mycenae; when Hercules brought evidence of his exploits, Eurystheus looked at them with horror from the high Mycenaean walls. He even built himself a bronze pithos in the ground, where he hid when Hercules returned after completing another feat, and communicated with him only through the herald Copreus.

Zeus celebrated the first of his son's great labors by creating the constellation Leo, which was included in the twelve signs of the Zodiac, just as the victory over the Nemean Lion was included in the twelve labors of Hercules...

The second feat. Lernaean Hydra.

After the first feat, Eurystheus sent Hercules to kill the Lernaean Hydra.

It was a monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon. Like the Nemean Lion, this multi-headed water snake was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna; Hera raised her to destroy Hercules. The hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna, where the entrance to the underworld was located, and, crawling out of its lair, destroyed entire herds and devastated the entire surrounding area. The fight with the nine-headed hydra was dangerous because one of its heads was immortal.

Taking his son Iphicles, his nephew, Iolaus, as an assistant and, on the advice of Athena, seizing copper weapons, Hercules procured a cart and set off on the road to Lerna. As soon as the fetid swamp appeared, Hercules left Iolaus with his chariot in a nearby grove, and he himself went to look for the hydra.

He noticed a hill in the middle of the swamp and, jumping over the hummocks, headed towards it. There was a hole there - the entrance to a cave, half hidden by bushes, from which a menacing hissing could be heard. Soon several heads on long necks poked out, and then a body covered with scales and a long wriggling tail appeared.

Without allowing the monster to attack first, Hercules heated his arrows red-hot and began to shoot them one after another at the hydra, which drove it into an indescribable rage. She crawled out, wriggling a body covered with shiny scales, from the darkness of the cave, rose menacingly on her huge tail and was about to rush at the hero, but the son of Zeus stepped on her torso with his foot and pressed her to the ground. The hydra wrapped its tail around the legs of Hercules and tried to knock him down. Like an unshakable rock, the hero stood and, with swings of a heavy club, knocked off the heads of the hydra one after another. The club whistled in the air like a whirlwind; The hydra's heads flew off, but the hydra was still alive. Then Hercules noticed that the monstrous snake, in place of each knocked-down head, grew two new ones.

Help for the hydra also appeared. Hera sent a giant cancer against the hero, which crawled out of the swamp and dug its claws into Hercules’ leg, hindering his movements. Then the hero had to call on his friend for help and fight with two opponents at once, until Iolaus, who arrived in time, with great difficulty, unhooked the crayfish and threw it so hard to the side that he thereby killed the monster. Then he set fire to part of the nearby grove and, with burning tree trunks, burned the hydra’s necks, from which Hercules knocked off the heads with his club, as a result of which new heads stopped growing.

The headless hydra resisted the son of Zeus weaker and weaker. Finally, the immortal head flew off and, striking with its tail for the last time, the snake fell silent and fell dead to the ground. The winner Hercules buried her immortal head deeply and piled a huge rock on it so that she could not come out into the light again. Then the great hero cut open the body of the hydra and plunged his arrows into its poisonous bile. Since then, the wounds from Hercules' arrows have become incurable.

When Hercules and Iolaus left, Hera picked up her crab and raised him to heaven. A constellation appeared there, shaped like a cancer with crooked claws. It rises in the sky during the hottest time of the year, reminding of Hera’s gratitude to everyone who helped destroy the hero she hated.

Hercules returned to Tiryns in great triumph. But a new commission from Eurystheus was waiting for him there...

The third feat. Birds of Lake Stymphalian.

What kind of misfortunes can befall the human race! Once, a pair of monstrous birds, feathered with bronze feathers, with copper claws and beaks, descended into the forest on the shores of Lake Stymphalian in Arcadia. Having multiplied with extraordinary speed, they turned into a huge flock and in a short time turned all the surrounding areas of the city almost into a desert: they destroyed the entire crop of the fields, exterminated the animals grazing on the rich shores of the lake, and killed many shepherds and farmers. As they took off, the birds dropped their feathers like arrows and struck with them everyone who was in the open, or tore them apart with their copper claws and beaks. Having learned about this misfortune of the Arcadians, Eurystheus sent Hercules to them, supposedly to help, but in fact - to destroy the hero.

It was difficult for Hercules to fulfill this order of Eurystheus. Hiding under a spreading oak tree, Hercules studied the habits of monstrous birds for a long time. He realized that not a single arrow would pierce their bronze plumage and the birds were vulnerable only at the moment when they threw out their feathers, and new ones had not yet grown.

The warrior Pallas Athena came to his aid. She gave Hercules two copper tympani, forged by the blacksmith god Hephaestus, and ordered Hercules to stand on a high hill near the forest where the Stymphalian birds nested and strike the tympani; when the birds fly up, shoot them with a bow.

Inspired by the help, the hero ran out into the open and, striking the tympanum, created a terrifying roar. Hearing such a deafening ringing, the birds flew out of their nests, flew up in a huge flock over the forest and began to spin wildly in the air in horror. Hercules raised his shield above his head, and the bronze feathers falling from above did not harm him.

As soon as the whistling of falling feathers died down, Hercules threw back his shield and began to strike the birds with deadly arrows that never missed. Some of the predators fell to the ground. Others, flying up to the clouds in fear, disappeared from the eyes of the son of Zeus. They flew outside of Greece, to the distant shores of Pontus Euxine and never returned to Arcadia.

Having fulfilled Eurystheus's instructions, Hercules returned to Mycenae. There a new, even more difficult feat awaited him...

The fourth feat. Kerynean fallow deer.

The shepherds were the first to see the unusual doe. She stood on the cliff of the Kerynean Mountains with her head thrown back high. She was very beautiful: her skin glowed like copper under the rays of Helios, and her horns sparkled as if they were pure gold.

Soon all of Arcadia learned about the amazing doe. Unaware of fatigue, she rushed like the wind across meadows and fields, devastating them, trampling down grass and crops. It became clear that this was not an ordinary deer, which is hunted in the mountains, but an animal created by the mistress of animals, Artemis, as a punishment for people. Surely some hunter had committed an offense before her by not sharing his prey with the goddess!

Eurystheus found out about the Cerynean fallow deer. Knowing that Hercules was more of a wrestler than a runner by his physique, he ordered the animal to be caught and brought alive under the walls of Mycenae. Hearing this order, Hercules shuddered. The hero did not succumb to the difficulties of an extraordinary hunt. But he knew that the doe was given by Artemis to Atlas’s daughter Taygeta, and, knowing how jealous the goddess was of her gifts, the hero was afraid of arousing her anger.

And yet I had to start fishing.

As soon as the doe met Hercules, he chased after her. She, like a whirlwind, rushed through the mountains, across the plains, jumped over abysses, swam across rivers. The hero did not lag behind her, pursuing her without losing sight of her. Sensing that the Peloponnese could become a trap, the animal rushed north across the Isthmus. Following the doe, Hercules ran through Attica, Boeotia and Thesprotia, which later became known as Thessaly; circled Olympus three times, jumping over gorges and overcoming foamy rivers. The hind ran further and further north, and after some time they found themselves in Thrace, and then reached the far north - the country of the Hyperboreans and the sources of the Istra.

Here she stopped, counting on the help of her mistress Artemis and her brother Apollo. But the divine brother and sister, without interfering, watched the chase.

The hero wanted to grab the doe, but the beautiful animal slipped away and, realizing that there would be no help, rushed like an arrow back to the south, to the Garden of the Hesperides, hoping to rest there. When Hercules overtook the doe there, she decided to return to Arcadia - a new chase began. The journey from west to east took several months, and during this time neither the doe nor her pursuer rested. In Arcadia, the great son of Zeus again overtook the beautiful golden-horned fugitive

The chase had been going on for a whole year. Desperate to catch the doe, Hercules pulled out his bow and aimed his never-missing arrow at the animal’s leg. The doe limped, and only then did the hero manage to grab her. Hercules put the wonderful doe on his shoulders and was about to carry her to Mycenae, when at that very moment an angry Artemis appeared before him and said:

Didn’t you know, Hercules, that this doe was mine? Why did you insult me ​​by wounding my beloved doe? Don't you know that I don't forgive insults? Or do you think that you are more powerful than the Olympian gods?

Hercules bowed with reverence before the beautiful goddess and answered:

O great daughter of Latona, do not blame me! I have never insulted the immortal gods living on bright Olympus; I have always honored the inhabitants of heaven with rich sacrifices and never considered myself equal to them, although I myself am the son of the thunderer Zeus. I did not pursue your doe of my own free will, but at the command of Eurystheus. The gods themselves commanded me to serve him, and I do not dare disobey his evil will!

As the hero justified himself, Artemis’s stony face softened, she forgave Hercules for his guilt, allowed him to put the doe on his shoulders and deliver it to Eurystheus.

The great hero brought the Kerynean doe alive to Mycenae and gave it to the evil king...

The fifth feat. The Erymanthian boar and the battle with the centaurs.

After hunting the copper-legged fallow deer, which lasted a whole year, Hercules did not rest for long. Having recovered from the rage caused by doing the impossible, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring alive the monstrous boar that lived on Mount Erymanthos in the same Arcadia.

This boar, possessing monstrous strength, devastated the surroundings of the city of Psofis. He gave no mercy to people and killed them with his huge fangs. Hercules went to the boar's lair.

On the way, he visited the wise centaur Fol. He accepted the great son of Zeus with honor and arranged a feast for him. During the feast, the centaur opened a large vessel of wine to treat the hero better. The fragrance of wonderful wine spread far away. Other centaurs also heard this fragrance. They were terribly angry with Pholus because he opened the vessel. Wine belonged not only to Fol, but was the property of all centaurs. The centaurs rushed to the dwelling of Pholus and surprised him and Hercules as the two of them were happily feasting, adorning their heads with ivy wreaths.

Hercules was not afraid of the centaurs. He quickly jumped up from his bed and began throwing huge smoking brands at the attackers. The centaurs fled, and Hercules wounded them with his poisonous arrows, and then pursued them all the way to Malea. There the centaurs took refuge with Hercules' friend, Chiron, the wisest of the centaurs. Following them, Hercules burst into the cave. In anger, he pulled his bow, an arrow flashed in the air and pierced the knee of one of the centaurs.

Hercules did not defeat the enemy, but his friend Chiron. Great sorrow gripped the hero when he saw who he had wounded. Hercules hurries to wash and bandage his friend’s wound, but nothing could help. Hercules knew that the wound from an arrow poisoned by the bile of the Lernaean Hydra was incurable. Chiron also knew that he was facing a painful death. In order not to suffer from the wound, he subsequently voluntarily descended into the dark kingdom of Hades.

In deep sadness, Hercules left Chiron and soon reached Mount Erymantha. There, following the tracks left on the trees by fangs, the hero found the boar’s lair in a dense forest and drove him out of the thicket with a loud cry. The sight of Hercules, armed with a club, filled the boar with horror, and he rushed away. The hero chased the monster for a long time until he drove it into deep snow on the top of one of the high mountains. The boar got stuck in the snow, and Hercules, throwing himself on the boar’s back with one leap, tied him up, put the boar on his shoulder and began to descend into the lowland to carry him alive to Mycenae. Everyone who met Hercules on the way joyfully greeted the hero who freed the Peloponnese from terrible danger.

Eurystheus, seeing his subordinate returning with the boar, in horror climbed into the bronze pithos, dug deep into the ground...

The sixth feat. Animal Farm of King Augius.

In all of Elis, and what about Elis - in all of the Peloponnese, there was no richer king Augeas, the son of Helios. In his barnyard there were more than five hundred bulls alone. For every bull there were ten cows, and each cow gave birth to a calf every year. If someone else were in Augeas’ place, he would have shared his wealth with neighboring kings or distributed the calves to the shepherds. But it’s not without reason that they say - the richer, the stingier! Augeas surrounded the barnyard with a strong fence and spent all his days counting the animals, fearing that they might be stolen. The bulls and cows moved from place to place, Augeas lost count and started all over again. He had no time left to remove the huge piles of manure. The calves began to drown in the slurry, but Augeas did not notice this. He kept counting and counting.

Soon the stench spread throughout Elis, and throughout Elis - throughout the Peloponnese, and King Eurystheus, climbing the walls of Mycenae, caught an unpleasant smell.

What does this mean? - he asked, wrinkling his nose.

“Augean riches,” one courtier responded.

So Eurystheus found out the cause of the stench and, since he was used to entrusting Hercules with the most difficult jobs, he decided to entrust him with the dirtiest ones. While waiting for the hero to return, he imagined how he would get dirty when he shoveled out the sewage. This thought made him feel incredibly happy, and he rubbed his palms, grinning.

Finally, Eurystheus waited his time. Explaining the order to Hercules standing under the wall, he choked with laughter.

Ha! Ha! Clean out the barnyard of King Augius! Ha! Ha!

Hercules shrugged his shoulders and silently set off on his way. Appearing to Augeas, he examined the surroundings of the barnyard and the yard itself, and only after that he came to the royal palace.

“I am ready to clear your yard of manure,” he explained to the king, if you give me a tenth of the herd.

How long will it take you? - Augeas asked.

One day, answered Hercules.

Then I agree! - the king responded. For such work you will get everything you want.

The king agreed because he was confident that it was impossible to remove mountains of manure in one day.

Meanwhile, Hercules broke the fence surrounding the barnyard on both sides and, using a ditch, brought in the water of the mountain river Menea. At noon, the water flow rolled up the piles of manure and carried them outside. Having made abundant sacrifices to Menaeus so that the river god would forgive him for the dirty work imposed on his waters, and having restored the fence, Hercules headed to the palace.

Well, what else do you need? The king said displeasedly. I promised to give a tenth of the cattle when you complete the work.

“I completed it,” said Hercules.

Arriving at the place, Augeas was convinced that Hercules had not deceived. The barnyard was clean, and the remaining ditch spoke of how Hercules achieved success.

It was the river that did your work! said Augeas. And I am ready to pay it back, but not you.

Hercules did not object, but silently vowed to take revenge on the deceiver. A few years later, having already been freed from service with Eurystheus, Hercules invaded Elis with an army of Argives, Thebans and Arcadians. King Neleus of Pylos came to the aid of Augeas. Hercules defeated the enemy army and killed Augeas with an arrow. Then he took Pylos, where Neleus had fled, mortally wounded the king and killed his eleven sons. Only one son of Neleus survived - Nestor, the same one who later participated in the Trojan War and became famous for his longevity and extraordinary wisdom...

The seventh feat. Cretan bull.

There were no more wild animals and ferocious monsters left on the Greek mainland. Hercules destroyed everyone. And Eurystheus ordered him to go to the island of Crete lying in the middle of the sea and bring the bull Poseidon from there to Mycenae. The god of the seas gave this bull to Minos so that he would sacrifice it. But the bull was so good that Minos, the most cunning of mortals, slaughtered his bull and left the bull intended for sacrifice in the herd. Having discovered the deception, Poseidon sent the animal into rabies. Rushing all over the island, the bull trampled fields, scattered herds, and killed people. Having no doubt that Hercules would defeat the bull, Eurystheus could not imagine how he would be able to deliver him alive, and not by land, but by water. “What kind of shipowner would agree to let a passenger with a mad bull on board the ship?!” - he thought and chuckled maliciously.

Hercules listened to the new order calmly, for he knew that if the bull went mad, Poseidon would relieve himself of caring about him.

No one dared to approach the animal even for the flight of an arrow, but Hercules boldly came out to meet him, grabbed him by the horns and bent his mighty head to the ground. Feeling incredible strength, the bull humbled himself and became meek, like a lamb. But the Cretans were so afraid of the bull that they asked Hercules to leave the island as soon as possible. Hercules sat on the bull's back and drove him into the sea. Obeying the hero, the bull never tried to throw his rider into the depths of the sea. And on land he remained just as obedient and allowed himself to be led into a stall.

Hercules, who had not slept for several nights, went to rest. When I woke up, the bull was not there. Eurystheus ordered him to be released, since the very sight of the animal filled him with horror.

The eighth feat. Horses of Diomedes.

The gates of Mycenae in those days were open to all unarmed people. The guards allowed both rich merchants with goods and beggars going for alms through. So a stranger ended up in the city in rags that barely covered his skinny body, with a piece of an oar on his shoulder, indicating the misfortune that had befallen him. The unfortunate man shocked the imagination of those who listened to him with the story of his disasters. Soon the beggar was invited to the palace.

I heard, Eurystheus said, that you alone managed to escape the wrath of Poseidon. How did it happen?

Our ship was smashed against the rocks, the beggar started, but we all swam ashore. Armed warriors were already waiting there; judging by their forelocks and images impaled on their chests, they were Thracians. They led us into the interior of the country, pushing us with spears. Finally we approached a log building surrounded by a high fence. By the loud neighing and clatter of hooves, we realized that this was a stable, and decided that they wanted to make us grooms. But when the gate opened, we saw that the yard was strewn with human bones. We were pushed behind the fence, and one of the Thracians shouted: “Let us out!” The horses burst out of the stall. You should have seen these monsters! They pounced on us and began to gnaw at us. I was saved alone...

And who owns the horses? Eurystheus interrupted impatiently.

Diomedes, answered the beggar. This is the king...

Enough! - Eurystheus said. The servants will feed you and give you a himation from my shoulder.

With surprise, the beggar noticed how a satisfied grin slid across the king’s face. The poor fellow did not know that he had rendered Eurystheus a service for which he could have received something more than a worn tunic and a bowl of stew. For a month now, Eurystheus had not known peace, wondering what else to entrust to Hercules. And now he made a decision: let him bring the horses of Diomedes.

Stern Boreas blew into the bow of the ship, as if wanting to avert the inevitable death of the hero. So thought the companions of Hercules. Among them was Abder, son of Hermes. The hero himself was cheerful and told amazing stories from his life. There were enough of them just until the time when the helmsman pointed to the rock and the formidable fortress towering above it: “Palace of Diomedes!”

Having gone ashore, Hercules and his companions moved inland along a well-trodden road and soon heard a loud neighing. Opening the gate, Hercules burst into the stall and saw horses of unprecedented power and beauty. They twisted their heads and dug the ground with their hooves. Bloody foam flew out of the open mouths. A greedy rage shone in their eyes, for every person was a delicacy for them.

Raising his fist, Hercules lowered it onto the head of the first animal and, when the horse swayed, he threw the bridle extended by Abdera around his neck. So all the horses were bridled, and Hercules drove them to the sea.

And then Diomedes and his Thracians attacked the hero. Having handed over the horses to Abdera, Hercules entered the battle. At the sight of a man feeding people to horses, the hero’s strength increased tenfold, and he easily dealt with a dozen enemies. Walking over mountains of corpses, Hercules reached Diomedes and struck him down with a club.

Proud of the victory, the hero went down to the sea and saw horses running across the meadow. From the bloody stain, he realized that Abder could not cope with the rabid animals and they tore him to pieces.

The heart of Hercules was enraged, and he almost killed the cannibal horses. But, remembering the task of Eurystheus, he caught them and took them to the ship in an enclosed place. After this, the hero built a high hill on the site of Abdera’s death, and next to it founded a city called Abdera.

Diomedes' horses were taken to Mycenae, where Eurystheus ordered their release. With a loud neigh, the animals rushed into the forest and were torn to pieces by wild animals...

The ninth feat. Belt of Hippolyta.

Eurystheus spent a long time deciding what other task to give to Hercules. And what could you come up with after the son of Alcmene brought the mad horses of Diomedes? Looking over all the countries in his mind, Eurystheus remembered that Hercules had not yet encountered a warlike tribe consisting only of women, the Amazons. No one could defeat these brave maidens, and they themselves raided other nations and won victories over them. What should Hercules be instructed to bring from the land of the Amazons?

Eurystheus himself probably would not have guessed it if his daughter Admeta had not appeared.

Father! - she said tearfully, “What should I do?” The gold buckle of my belt broke. This is such a delicate work that no one in Mycenae undertakes to correct it.

Eurystheus slapped his forehead with his palm.

Belt! How could I not have guessed it right away! Hippolyta's Belt!

Why do I need this savage's belt? - the girl was indignant.

And I don't need it! - the king admitted. But it will be very difficult to get it. Ares himself gave the belt to the queen of the Amazons. And if Hercules wants to take it away, he will have to deal not only with the Amazons, but also with the god of war.

Rubbing his hands joyfully, Eurystheus sent for Hercules.

Bring me the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta! - ordered the king. - And don’t come back without him!

That same day, Hercules, along with several friends, boarded a ship sailing against Boreas. Having reached Pontus Euxine, the helmsman turned to the right, and the ship sailed along a shore unknown to Hercules. Everyone on the ship knew where the coastline, occupied by the Amazons, was located. Having learned that Hercules intended to land there, they unanimously began to dissuade him from this idea, assuring him that it was safer to enter a cage with hungry tigers than to meet the Amazons. But the stories of experienced people never frightened Hercules. He knew that people tend to exaggerate dangers in order to justify their own cowardice or powerlessness. Moreover, knowing that he would be dealing with women, he did not believe that they could be as ferocious as the Nemean lion or the Lernaean hydra.

The sailors and companions who remained on the ship observed with surprise that the Amazons, instead of attacking Hercules, surrounded him with a peaceful crowd. Some felt the muscles of his arms and legs with savage spontaneity. If it were possible to catch words at such a distance, the ship would have heard the exclamation of one of the maidens:

Look! Look! There's copper under his skin!

Surrounded by the Amazons, Hercules withdrew into the interior of the country, and people learned about everything that happened later from the words of the hero himself, who did not have the habit, typical of travelers and hunters, of turning a fly into an elephant.

And according to Hercules, the following happened. When he and the Amazons went around the bend of the cape, the clatter of a horse was heard, and a half-naked rider appeared with a golden tiara on her head and a belt snaking around her waist. Realizing that it was Hippolyta, Hercules glared at the belt buckle.

Stopping at a gallop, the queen of the Amazons was the first to greet the guest.

The rumor about your deeds, Hercules, she said, filled the ecumene. Where are you going now? Who haven't you conquered yet?

“I’m ashamed to look you in the eyes,” Hercules answered, lowering his gaze. “It would be easier to fight with anyone than to tell me what made me visit your country.”

I guess! - Hippolyta interrupted.

How! - Hercules exclaimed. In addition to beauty, you also have a prophetic gift!

No! But from your look I realized that you liked my belt. And since we Amazons live next to the Colchians and other peoples of the Caucasus, we adopted their custom of giving the guest whatever he likes! You can consider this belt yours.

Hercules had already extended his hand to take the gift of the queen of the Amazons, when suddenly one of them, of course, it was Hera, who had taken the form of an Amazon, shouted:

Don't believe him, Hippolyta! He wants to capture you along with the belt, take you to a foreign land and make you a slave. Look! The ship that brought him is still standing.

And immediately the Amazons, flying into a frenzy, pulled out bows and arrows. Reluctantly, Hercules took up his club and began to strike down the warlike maidens. Hippolyta was one of the first to fall.

Bending down, Hercules removed the belt from the bloody body of the maiden. His lips whispered: “Damn you, Eurystheus! You made me fight women.”

Sailing on the way back near the shores of Troas, Hercules saw a girl destined to be eaten by a sea monster. This was the daughter of the king of Troy, Laomedon. Hercules promised to save her, demanding in return the divine horses given to Laomedont by the gods themselves. The hero and the king shook hands. With great difficulty, Hercules overcame the monster, jumping into its throat and ripping open its liver. But when he emerged into the light, burned, with singed hair, and freed the girl from the chains, Laomedont flatly refused his promise. Threatening retribution, the hero hurried to the shores of Argolis to hand Eurystheus the belt of Hippolyta...

The tenth feat. Cows of Geryon.

Both the kingdom of Diomedes and the land of the Amazons, Eurystheus thought meanwhile, are too close to Argos. Therefore, the horses were able to withstand the journey by sea, and delivery of the belt did not cause any difficulties at all. What if we send Hercules further away - so that he will have to sail by sea for a month, or even more? And Eurystheus remembered that somewhere near the shores of the Ocean there is the island of Erythia, on the green meadows of which, according to the songs of the Aeds, the herds of the great Geryon graze, blown by the soft western wind. “Let,” Eurystheus thought maliciously, “Let Hercules find this island, let him take his herd from the giant, let him take him to Argolis.”

When Hercules appeared, after whom the servants were sent, Eurystheus squeezed out only three words:

Bring Geryon's cows!

The path to the Ocean along the coast of Libya, where Hercules reached by ship, was long. But at least there was no need to ask for directions. It was shown every day by the solar chariot of Helios. And it was enough not to lose sight of the places where it descends into the Ocean. No one tried to block Hercules’ path to his goal, except for the son of the Earth, the giant Antaeus. He was invincible as long as he touched his mother's fertile body with his feet. Hercules lifted Antaeus into the air and strangled him.

Leaving the giant to rot on his land, Hercules wandered along the shore, which was replete with wild animals and snakes. Having exterminated many of them, he made it possible to engage in agriculture in these places, growing grapes, olives, and fruit trees.

Having reached the place where Libya, converging with Europe, formed a narrow strait, Hercules erected a giant pillar on both its banks, either to please Helios, who was completing his day’s work, or to leave a memory of himself for centuries. And indeed, even after the pillars collapsed at the mouth of the Ocean, either under their own weight or from the cunning of Hera, the place where they stood continued to be called the Pillars of Hercules.

Helios, grateful to Hercules for the honor shown, helped him cross to the island of Erithia, which had not yet been touched by a mortal. In a wide meadow, Hercules saw fat cows guarded by a huge two-headed dog.

When Hercules approached, the dog barked angrily and rushed at the hero. I had to put the beast down with a club. The barking woke up the giant shepherd who was dozing on the shore. The fight was short-lived, and Hercules caught up with the cows to the place where Helios’s golden shuttle was waiting for him. When landing, the cows mooed so loudly that Geryon woke up and appeared before the hero in all his terrifying appearance. He was enormous in stature, with three torsos, three heads and six legs. He threw three spears at Hercules at once, but missed. The hero threw an arrow that never missed and pierced the eye of one of Geryon’s heads. The giant howled in pain and rushed at Hercules, waving his arms.

Hercules would not have been able to cope with Geryon if not for the help of Pallas Athena. The goddess strengthened his strength, and with a few blows of his club he killed the giant on the spot.

Transporting the cows of Geryon across the stormy waters of the Ocean, Hercules ended up in Iberia, at the southern tip of Europe. Having let the cows go to graze, he lay down on the ground for the first time in a long time, resting his head on the club - his constant friend.

Having awakened from the first rays of Helios, Hercules immediately drove the herd. Eurystheus, blinded by anger, did not think that besides the sea there was a long but quite suitable route to Argolis by land - along the coast of Iberia, Gaul, and Italy. At that time there were no Greek colonies along the shores of these lands. In their places lived peoples unfamiliar to the Achaeans and other ancient inhabitants of the Balkan Peninsula with alien-sounding names - Iberians, Ligurians, Celts, Latins. Only the Oinotras and Siculi were known to the Achaeans, since they traded with these barbarians, and often in Argos and Mycenae one could meet a slave who called herself a Siculi.

At the place where the city of Rome would arise five hundred years later, Hercules had to fight the robber Cacus, who stole one of Geryon’s cows. An altar was later erected at this place: sacrifices were made to the god Hercules.

In the south of the peninsula, one cow escaped from the herd and, swimming across a narrow strait, ended up on the island of Sicily. I had to follow the fugitive. The cow was taken away by the local king Eriks, who challenged the hero to battle. Hercules squeezed Eryx in his arms, and he gave up the ghost. In Sicily, Hercules fought with other local strongmen and defeated them all. Returning to Italy with the four-legged fugitive, Hercules introduced her into the herd and continued his journey, skirting the Ionian Sea. When it was close to Thrace, Hera finally sent madness to the cows, and they ran away in all directions. If before the hero had to find one cow, now he had to catch up with each one. Most of the animals ended up in Thrace, not far from the places where Hercules dealt with man-eating horses.

Having caught and pacified the fugitives, Hercules led them across the entire peninsula to Argolis.

Eurystheus, receiving the cows, pretended to rejoice at them. Soon he sacrificed animals to the long-eyed Hera, hoping with her help to finish off this extremely tenacious man...

The eleventh feat. The abduction of Cerberus.

There were no more monsters left on earth. Hercules destroyed everyone. But underground, guarding the domain of Hades, lived the monstrous three-headed dog Cerberus. Eurystheus ordered him to be delivered to the walls of Mycenae.

Hercules had to descend into the kingdom from where there is no return. Everything about him was terrifying. Cerberus himself was so powerful and terrible that his very appearance chilled the blood in his veins. In addition to three disgusting heads, the dog had a tail in the form of a huge snake with an open mouth. Snakes also wriggled around his neck. And such a dog had to not only be defeated, but also brought out alive from the underworld. Only the rulers of the kingdom of the dead Hades and Persephone could give consent to this.

Hercules had to appear before their eyes. For Hades they were black, like coal formed at the site of burning the remains of the dead, for Persephone they were light blue, like cornflowers in arable land. But in both of them one could read genuine surprise: what does this impudent man want here, who violated the laws of nature and descended alive into their dark world?

Bowing respectfully, Hercules said:

Do not be angry, mighty lords, if my request seems impertinent to you! The will of Eurystheus, hostile to my desire, dominates me. It was he who instructed me to deliver to him your faithful and valiant guard Cerberus.

Hades's face fell with displeasure.

Not only did you come here alive, but you intended to show the living someone whom only the dead can see.

Forgive my curiosity, Persephone intervened. But I would like to know how you think about your feat. After all, Cerberus has never been given to anyone.

I don’t know, Hercules admitted honestly. But let me fight him.

Ha! Ha! - Hades laughed so loudly that the vaults of the underworld shook. Try it! But just fight on equal terms, without using weapons.

On the way to the gates of Hades, one of the shadows approached Hercules and made a request.

Great hero, said the shadow, you are destined to see the sun. Would you agree to fulfill my duty? I still have a sister, Deianira, whom I did not have time to marry.

“Tell me your name and where you’re from,” Hercules responded.

“I am from Calydon,” answered the shadow. There they called me Meleager. Hercules, bowing low to the shadow, said:

I heard about you as a boy and always regretted that I could not meet you. Stay calm. I myself will take your sister as my wife.

Cerberus, as befits a dog, was in his place at the gates of Hades, barking at souls who were trying to approach Styx in order to get out into the world. If earlier, when Hercules entered the gate, the dog did not pay attention to the hero, now he attacked him with an angry growl, trying to gnaw the hero's throat. Hercules grabbed two of Cerberus' necks with both hands, and struck the third head with a powerful blow with his forehead. Cerberus wrapped his tail around the hero's legs and torso, tearing the body with his teeth. But Hercules’ fingers continued to squeeze, and soon the half-strangled dog went limp and wheezed.

Without allowing Cerberus to come to his senses, Hercules dragged him to the exit. When it began to get light, the dog came to life and, throwing up his head, howled terribly at the unfamiliar sun. Never before has the earth heard such heartbreaking sounds. Poisonous foam fell from the gaping jaws. Wherever even one drop fell, poisonous plants grew.

Here are the walls of Mycenae. The city seemed empty, dead, since everyone had already heard from afar that Hercules was returning victorious. Eurystheus, looking at Cerberus through the crack of the gate, yelled:

Let him go! Let go!

Hercules did not hesitate. He released the chain on which he was leading Cerberus, and the faithful dog Hades rushed to his master with huge leaps...

The twelfth feat. Golden apples of the Hesperides.

On the western tip of the earth, near the Ocean, where day met Night, lived the beautiful-voiced nymphs of the Hesperides. Their divine singing was heard only by Atlas, who held the vault of heaven on his shoulders, and by the souls of the dead, sadly descending into the underworld. The nymphs were walking in a wonderful garden where a tree grew, bending its heavy branches to the ground. Golden fruits sparkled and hid in their greenery. They gave everyone who touched them immortality and eternal youth.

Eurystheus ordered these fruits to be brought, and not in order to become equal to the gods. He hoped that Hercules would not fulfill this order.

Throwing a lion's skin on his back, throwing a bow over his shoulder, taking a club, the hero walked briskly towards the Garden of the Hesperides. He is already accustomed to the fact that the impossible is achieved from him.

Hercules walked for a long time until he reached the place where heaven and earth converged on Atlanta, like on a giant support. He looked in horror at the titan holding an incredible weight.

“I am Hercules,” the hero responded. I was ordered to bring three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides. I heard that you can pick these apples alone.

Joy flashed in Atlas's eyes. He was up to something evil.

“I can’t reach the tree,” said Atlas. And, as you can see, my hands are full. Now, if you hold my burden, I will willingly fulfill your request.

“I agree,” Hercules answered and stood next to the titan, who was many heads taller than him.

Atlas sank, and a monstrous weight fell on Hercules’ shoulders. Sweat covered my forehead and entire body. The legs sank up to the ankles into the ground trampled by Atlas. The time it took the giant to get the apples seemed like an eternity to the hero. But Atlas was in no hurry to take back his burden.

If you want, I’ll take the precious apples to Mycenae myself, he suggested to Hercules.

The simple-minded hero almost agreed, fearing to offend the titan who had rendered him a favor by refusing, but Athena intervened in time - she taught him to respond with cunning to cunning. Pretending to be delighted by Atlas's offer, Hercules immediately agreed, but asked the Titan to hold the arch while he made a lining for his shoulders.

As soon as Atlas, deceived by the feigned joy of Hercules, shouldered the usual burden on his weary shoulders, the hero immediately raised his club and bow and, not paying attention to the indignant cries of Atlas, set off on the way back.

Eurystheus did not take the apples of the Hesperides, obtained by Hercules with such difficulty. After all, he didn’t need apples, but the death of the hero. Hercules gave the apples to Athena, who returned them to the Hesperides.

This ended the service of Hercules to Eurystheus, and he was able to return to Thebes, where new exploits and new troubles awaited him.

Legends of Ancient Greece tell about the incomprehensible twelve labors of a hero named Hercules. Each feat is a separate unique story. The mighty hero had to go through the most difficult tests, impossible for a mere mortal. Note that in the ancient Greek tradition, a hero is a person, one of whose parents was an inhabitant of Olympus. In the case of Hercules, it was Zeus. This relationship endowed the hero with gigantic physical capabilities, however, his tasks were completely humanly impossible. All 12 labors of Hercules were invented in turn by the goddess Hera, who hoped to destroy him. Hercules was truly in danger of death, because he was mortal after all.

Nevertheless, he defeated the Nemean man-eating lion, beheaded the monstrous Lernaean hydra, caught the elusive Kerynean hind, fought and delivered the Erymanthian boar unharmed, winning the battle with the centaurs. The hero showed not only speed and strength, but also showed an extraordinary mind, clearing the Augean stables of impurities. They destroyed the terrifying Stymphalian birds, pacified the Cretan bull and the carnivorous horses of Diomedes. The hero obtained the cows of Geryon, winning a fight with a three-headed giant monster.

Not all exploits evoked a feeling of satisfaction in the noble Hercules. The story known as “Hippolyta’s Belt” had a tragic ending, in which, according to the insidious plan of King Eurystheus, the hero was forced to fight Amazon women. The last of the 12 labors of Hercules are the stories of the golden apples of the Hesperides and the abduction of the Three-Headed Dog Cerberus from the kingdom of Hades.

The exploits of Hercules always aroused the undisguised envy of the gods, as well as of the enemies, of whom the mighty warrior had many. The birth of the son of Zeus was predetermined not only by fate or the desire of the ruler of Olympus. Paradoxically, Hercules owes his unfading glory to his ill-wishers. That's how it was.

Zeus and Alcmene

The birth of Hercules was not ordinary. It all started with the fact that the woman-loving Zeus once fell in love with the royal beauty Alcmene, the wife of the ruler of Mycenae Amphitryon. But the thunderer’s love turned out to be unrequited: Alkmena did not want to cheat on her husband. In vain did the king of the gods appear to her in dreams and whisper flattering speeches - Alcmene did not yield. Then Zeus decided to achieve the beauty’s reciprocity through ordinary deception. He drove game from all over Greece into the forest where her husband Amphitryon hunted. The passionate hunter was so carried away by the chase that he did not have time to return home before dark and spent the night in the forest. And Zeus, taking the form of Amphitryon, appeared to his wife and seduced the beauty. Zeus and Alcmene spent a night during which the sun did not rise above the horizon for three days. Alkmena, who did not suspect anything, thought that her husband was in front of her...

On the day when Hercules was about to be born, Zeus swore in the presence of the gods that the baby would rule over the city of Mycenae and all neighboring nations. Jealous Hera immediately realized that her unfaithful husband was caring about his own son, and began to hate the unborn child. As the patroness of expectant mothers, she delayed the birth of Alcmene and made sure that on the day indicated by Zeus, not Hercules, but Amphitryon’s son Eurystheus, was born.

When Hercules was born, Hera sent two snakes to the newborn’s cradle, but the boy, showing strength unprecedented for a baby, strangled the creeping reptiles. Amphitryon realized that an unusual child had been born into his family, and turned to the soothsayers with a question about his fate. The soothsayers replied that Hercules was destined to become a great hero and glorify the gods of Olympus.

Youth of Hercules

Hercules spent his childhood under the supervision of the best teachers who taught him martial arts, science and music. But the main mentors were the wise centaur Chiron; the son of Hermes, Autolycus, is a famous master of all kinds of trickery; one of the illegitimate sons of Zeus Castor, as well as a skilled musician Lin. True, once, when Lin punished Hercules for negligence, he, in a fit of anger, threw the cithara at him so much that he almost killed the poor teacher.

When Hercules matured, Amphitryon, frightened by his strength and unbridled temper, sent his stepson to the shepherds on Mount Cithaeron near Thebes. One day, the city was attacked by enemies, and Hercules himself had to save Thebes from the conquerors. In gratitude, the Theban king gave him his daughter Megara as his wife. Soon Hercules and Megara had two sons.

Hercules and Hera

Time passed, but Hera still hated Hercules. She turned to the goddess of madness, Ate, and she darkened the hero’s mind. When Hercules was playing with his sons, he suddenly imagined terrible monsters instead of children. The great hero lost his mind and, in a fit of rage, killed all his children, as well as the children of his relative Iphicles.

When Hercules' mind cleared, he was horrified by what he had done and fled the city in despair. Beside himself with grief, the hero began to look for some difficult and dangerous deed for himself, so that, having committed it, he could atone for his involuntary crime. He learned that a detachment of brave men on the ship "Argo" was going to distant Colchis for the Golden Fleece, and he joined the Argonauts. But as soon as they sailed from the shores of Greece, Hermes appeared to Hercules and conveyed Apollo’s command to return. This time the gods wished that the future hero would atone for his guilt in a different way: he humbled his pride and entered the service of the cowardly and stupid Mycenaean king Eurystheus. The same one who, born before Hercules, received power over the Peloponnese, intended by Zeus for his mighty son. The hero did not think for a minute about the consequences, wanting only for his soul to find peace. He submitted to the will of the gods and went to Mycenae.

Hera immediately figured out how to destroy the son of Zeus. Having entered into an agreement with Eurystheus, she advised him to give Hercules twelve tasks that seemed impossible to her. Hercules and Hera fought in an unequal duel. The jealous goddess, confident of her victory, did not even suspect that it was she who unwittingly contributed to the glory of the great hero. After all, this is how the 12 labors of Hercules began.

Labor One: Nemean Lion

Nemean lion , according to legend, was not an ordinary large animal. The word “lion” can only be used conditionally. It was a monstrous creation of the giant Typhon and the giant snake Echidna, of enormous size... Its skin could not be pierced by ordinary weapons, and no one could resist this monster - he killed everyone. And only Hercules was destined to stop him...

read

• Labor two: Lernaean Hydra

Lernaean Hydra- another monster, generated by the same Typhon and Echidna, which is the sister of the Nemean lion. Her appearance alone was terrifying: she had the body of a water snake and nine dragon heads. Hydra settled in a swamp near the city of Lerna, where the entrance to the underworld was located. When she crawled out of her lair, she destroyed entire herds and devastated the entire surrounding area. However, no one could cope with this monster. When you tried to chop off one of the heads, two immediately grew in its place. But Hercules was not embarrassed... read

• Labor three: Keryneian hind

Kerynean fallow deer was created by the goddess of hunting Artemis and resembled a fairy-tale creature. Her skin gave a dazzling reflection in the rays of the sun, her horns sparkled like pure gold, and her hooves looked as if they were cast from copper. The amazing animal was extremely fast, so it was impossible to catch it. The task was entrusted to Hercules...

• Labor Four: Erymanthian Boar

Erymanthian boar- a boar of incredible strength and ferocity. He lived on Mount Erymanthos in Arcadia and devastated everything in the vicinity of the city of Psophis. If he met a person on his way, he would not hesitate to kill him with his giant fangs. To catch this terrible boar alive was the task of Hercules...

• Labor five: Augean stables

Augean stables belonged to King Avgius, son of Helios, and were famous for their extraordinary variety and number of horses. However, no one could clean them out, and the impurities accumulated in huge quantities made the air unbearable. Eurystheus gloatingly entrusted this task to Hercules...

• Labor six: Stymphalian birds

Stymphalian birds were monstrous creatures with sharp bronze feathers, copper claws and beaks. Taking off, the monsters, with their feathers, like arrows, struck everyone who found themselves in the open area, and if their attack failed, they tore the unfortunate person apart with copper claws and beaks. The creatures settled in a forest swamp near the city of Stymphala in Arcadia and turned people's lives into a nightmare, destroying the crops of the fields, animals grazing on the shores of the lake, as well as many shepherds and farmers. Eurystheus, having learned about this, directs Hercules to destroy the terrible birds... read

• Labor seven: Cretan bull

Cretan bull belonged to Poseidon, who once gave the animal to Minos, king of Crete, to be sacrificed to the gods. However, Minos, in order to keep the bull Poseidon he liked, decided on a forgery. The angry Poseidon struck the animal with rabies, as a result of which the bull began to trample fields, disperse herds and kill people. Hercules received from Eurystheus the task of not only catching the Cretan bull, but also delivering it safe and sound... read

• Labor Eight: Horses of Diomedes

Horses of Diomedes- carnivorous demonic animals that belonged to the wicked king Diomedes. If one of the travelers unknowingly ended up in these regions, the unfortunate ones, by order of Diomedes, were brought to rabid animals and they, like lions, tore people apart. Hearing about this story, Eurystheus orders Hercules to deliver the horses of Diomedes...

• Labor Nine: Geryon's Cows

Cows of Geryon grazed on the island of Erithia and belonged to a three-headed giant. To deliver the animals to Eurystheus, Hercules had to engage in a mortal duel with a terrible giant, who, in addition to his gigantic height, had three torsos, three heads and six legs. His name was Geryon. In this unequal battle, Hercules was helped by Pallas Athena...

Labor tenth: Hipolitta's belt

Belt of Hippolyta was a gift from Ares, the god of war, to the queen of the Amazons. Admeta, the daughter of Eurystheus, on her whim wished to have him with her. And again Hercules set off towards danger, where, through the machinations of Hera, he had to enter into battle with the Amazons, which he tried with all his heart to avoid...

• Labor eleventh: golden apples of the Hesperides

Golden apples of the Hesperides had an amazing property, giving immortality and eternal youth. They grew up at the edge of the world, where the earth is washed by the River-Ocean, and the giant Atlas holds the firmament on his shoulders. There, in a beautiful garden, there grows a tree with golden apples, guarded by the Hesperides nymphs. Hercules was sent for them...

• Labor twelve: the abduction of Cerberus

Abduction of Cerberus- a three-headed terrible dog guarding the entrance to the kingdom of Hades, was the last feat that Hercules had to perform in the service of the king of the Peloponnese. The hero had to do the impossible: not only descend into the kingdom of the dead, but, having overcome the terrible creature, show it to Eurystheus...

Year of writing: 1 thousand BC

Genre: myths

Main characters: Hercules- son of Zeus, folk hero

Plot

Hera, the wife of Zeus, was very jealous of her divine husband and therefore hated Hercules, his son from an earthly woman. She arranged it so that the brave and strong hero had to obey the weak and cowardly king Eurystheus. And on his orders, the legendary strongman freed the country from the Nemean lion and made himself a cloak from its skin, killed the Lernaean hydra, fought with the Erymanthian boar, expelled the Stymphalian birds from Hellas, and tamed a huge bull belonging to Poseidon. To humiliate the titan, the king ordered him to clean the stables of Augeas, which had not been cleaned for many years. The hero has to bring to the stupid king a herd of mares of King Diomedes, who devoured human flesh, captures the belt of Mars from the queen of the Amazons, the beautiful Hippolyta, and also steals golden apples that bestow eternal youth. In the end, Hercules descends into hell and brings out Cerberus, the dog guarding the entrance to the kingdom of the dead. After this, Hercules becomes free.

Conclusion (my opinion)

Hercules became famous throughout the centuries for his deeds, but it’s a pity that he, so smart and strong, had to serve the cowardly and pathetic Eurystheus. After all, if it weren’t for him, the titan could choose his own affairs and do a lot of useful things for his people.