Ancient Greek mythology is filled with stories of great conquerors, brave warriors and romantic heroes. In the series of divine daredevils, the son, Hercules, especially stands out. The exploits of a man are retold from generation to generation for many centuries, and the masculinity of a brave man evokes admiration even among modern emancipated girls.

History of creation

It is impossible to find out the author of the myths about the ancient Greek demigod. Like any folk art, the legend of Hercules was formed and grew with the help of a large number of people. It is known for certain that Pausanias also made a significant contribution to the spread of legends.

Literary analysis and processing of the works of ancient philosophers allowed Nikolai Kun to release a collection of stories “Myths of Ancient Greece”, which details the life of the great hero.

The appearance of the future god attracts attention. The young man grew head and shoulders above those around him (according to other sources, he is short). Hercules is a brunette with a curly beard. The brave man's eyes glow with a special divine light. A physically developed daredevil is endowed with incredible strength and power.

The character of Hercules is characterized by waywardness and hot temper. Already during his studies, the young man, in a fit of anger, killed his teacher with the hated lyre. The peculiarity of the son of Zeus is hidden madness. Under the pressure of this feeling, Hercules will kill his own children and wife in the future.

The ancient Greeks justified the behavior of their beloved hero by the act of Hera. Zeus's wife, tormented by jealousy, sent mental illness to the demigod. However, Hera often put a spoke in the wheels of the young hero.

The beginning of the legend about the great warrior and brave man is counted from the moment of his birth. The head of Olympus was captivated by the beauty of Princess Alcmena and, reincarnated as her husband, visited the woman. The son of the god Zeus and Alcmene is one of the twins. The future hero's younger brother was conceived by the princess's legitimate husband. The boys received sonorous names - Alcides and Iphiclon. Later, the eldest son, at the insistence of the great seer, will be renamed Hercules.

Inspired by the birth of a descendant, Zeus promises that the firstborn of the Perseus family will rule over all relatives:

“Listen, gods and goddesses, to what I tell you: my heart tells me to say this! Today a great hero will be born; he will rule over all his relatives who descend from my son, the great Perseus.”

Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, uses a spell to hasten the birth of another child. Now Hercules, who was born second in the family of Perseus, must serve Prince Eurystheus. To make amends for his arrogance and long tongue, Zeus negotiates with the gods about a small concession for his son. Hercules must perform 12 labors for the ruler, and then Eurystheus will free his relative from captivity.

Many years later, the matured hero succumbs to another attack of madness and kills his beloved wife, children and younger brother. To atone for his guilt, the son of Zeus went to serve Eurystheus.

Twelve Labors of Hercules

The wanderings of Hercules begin with the destruction of the Nemean lion. A huge monster destroyed all life around the city of Nemea. The hero tried to kill the lion with an arrow, but the weapon bounced off the animal’s skin. The son of Zeus had to strangle the lion with his bare hands. In honor of the first feat, Hercules established the Nemean Games. Eurystheus was horrified when he realized all the strength and power of his relative. Now Hercules is forbidden to approach the ruler's house.

The second feat of the daredevil was the murder of the Lernaean Hydra. The monster had several heads, where each of them was cut down, two new ones grew. The long confrontation ended with the victory of Hercules. The warrior used the poison oozing from the hydra's rads for his arrows. From now on, every shot from the demigod is fatal.

The third task was the Stymphalian Birds. The hero's half-sister, Athena, helped him deal with the birds, whose feathers and claws were made of bronze. The goddess provided the brother with a special tool that made noise. The birds soared into the sky, and the brave man shot the monsters. Those who survived left Greece forever and never returned.

The fourth feat is the Kerynean doe, which devastated the fields. The frantic brave man chased the animal around the world for a year, but could not catch up with the beast. Then Hercules wounded the doe in the leg. This act angered the doe’s owner, the goddess Artemis. The hero had to humbly ask for forgiveness from his sister:

“Oh, great daughter of Latona, do not blame me! I did not pursue your doe of my own free will, but at the command of Eurystheus.”

The fifth order of the ruler of Mycenae was the killing of the Erymanthian boar. Having found his prey in the middle of the forest, the daredevil screamed and drove the boar into the mountains. They managed to tie up the huge monster stuck in the snow. Hercules delivered the trophy to the castle to the ruler alive, which caused a great commotion.

The next task was clearing the Augean stables. Augeas, the son of the god Helios, owned a huge herd. To clear the rubble, Hercules broke the walls of the stable and directed the river beds there. The water washed away all the manure from Augeas’s premises and yard.

The seventh assignment for the son of Zeus was the Cretan bull. Eurystheus wanted to take possession of the bull, which Poseidon sent to Crete for a bad offering. The ancient Greek hero caught and tamed the monster. But the ruler was afraid to leave the bull in his herd. The monster of Poseidon gained freedom and fled to other lands.

The next whim of the cowardly king was the horses of Diomedes. Magnificent animals lived in Thrace. Horses were fed only human meat for many years. Diomedes did not want to part with his wealth, and a great fight took place. Hercules emerged victorious from the battle. Eurystheus did not want to keep the horses for himself and released them into the wild. Animals were torn to pieces by wild animals in the forests.

The ninth task is the belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. The girl happily gave the jewelry to Hercules, but Hera inspired the warlike women that the hero was planning evil:

“Hercules is telling a lie,” Hera said to the Amazons, “he came to you with insidious intent: the hero wants to kidnap your queen Hippolyta and take her as a slave to his home.”

The women rushed to attack, but the great warrior and his friends won. The demigod captured Hippolyta's best fighter. The Amazon gave the belt in exchange for the life of her beloved maid.

The tenth task for the hero was the cows of Geryon. The brave man took a long time to reach the secret animal pasture. To steal the herd, Hercules killed the two-headed dog Ortho and the giant Eurytion. On the way back, Hera sent rabies through the herd. The hero had to chase the cows for a long time, who did not want to leave their homes.

The penultimate feat of the courageous brave man was the abduction of Cerberus. Having descended into the kingdom of the dead, Hercules begged permission to fight the monster. If the hero wins, he will take the creepy dog ​​with him. Hades, the ruler of Cerberus, did not believe that the demigod would defeat his dog and gave permission. But the son of Zeus completed the task.

The final task for Hercules is the golden fruits of the Hesperides. Anyone who touches the magic apples will become equal to the gods. But only the titan Atlant can pick the magic fruits. By cunning, Hercules persuaded the powerful creature to pick the apples and give them to him. The son of Zeus brought fruit to his master. Only Eurystheus did not need gifts. The king suffered that for 12 years he could not destroy the famous hero.

Film adaptations

The myths of ancient Greece are fertile ground for film adaptation. The film about the adventures of the demigod was first released in 1957. The main role went to actor and bodybuilder Steve Reeves. The Italian film tells the story of the search for the Golden Fleece and does not touch upon the main mythology. The audience liked the film, so it received a sequel - “The Labors of Hercules: Hercules and the Queen of Lydia.”

In 1970, the role of the hero went to another bodybuilder -. The film “Hercules in New York” tells about the adventures of the character in modern America. The film became the future governor's film debut.

The athletic character attracts many bodybuilders. In the film, directed by Luigi Cozzi in 1983, Lou Ferrigno played the same role. The bodybuilder character enters into a confrontation with King Minos. Two years later, the film crew filmed a sequel to the film.

The next appearance of the Greek hero was the television musical film “The Cheerful Chronicle of a Dangerous Journey,” which was filmed in the USSR. , the director of the film, showed the audience his view of the adventures of the Argonauts. The role of the son of Zeus was performed by Roman Rtskhiladze.

In 1995, the first full-fledged series about Hercules appeared. The image of the main character was brought to life. The actors and the roles they played glorified the work of the ancient Greeks. The serial film is a free interpretation of myths that affect many deities and heroes.

At the same time, Hercules, performed by Kevin Sorbo, appeared in another epic. "Xena: Warrior Princess", released simultaneously with the adventures of the demigod, was in great demand. The producers had to close the film, which tells the story of the confrontation between Hercules and the forces of evil.

The year 2005 was marked by a new film adaptation of the difficult heroic life of the Greek. This time the main role went to Paul Telfer. The fantasy, which tells the story of the 12 exploits of a heroic demigod, went unnoticed by most at the worldwide box office.

The 2014 film “Hercules: The Beginning of the Legend” achieved a different result. The actors, including (the leading actor) received nominations for the Golden Raspberry - an award glorifying the worst films of our time.

In the same year, another film was released, telling the story of an ancient Greek character. The film "Hercules" is an adaptation of the comic book "Hercules: The Thracian Wars" by Steve Moore. The main role went to the hereditary wrestler.

In addition to full-length films and TV series, the brave man from myths appears in computer games, musical works and cartoons.

• It was not horses that were kept in the stables of King Augius. Bulls and goats lived in a neglected building.
• The name of the hero in Greece is Hercules, the Romans called the same character Hercules.
• The demigod died due to the fault of his wife, who was jealous of her husband’s slave.
• The city seal of Florence is decorated with the image of the famous Hercules.
• The Greek hero died at the age of 52.
• The main attributes of the demigod are the skin of a lion and a wooden club.

Quotes

“I don’t remember such love on faces since Narcissus looked in the mirror.”

“If the waves are carrying us in one direction, then maybe we shouldn’t resist them.”

“Goodness conceals great power!”

“History is a chronicle of wars, and wars are chronicles of suffering, written with the tears of mothers.”

“The gods are generous with events, but stingy with details.”

Probably, today only the most incurious children and teenagers do not know who Hercules is. Indeed, in Soviet times, and even later, many books on ancient Greek mythology were published, telling in detail about him and his exploits. Let's plunge into the distant past, during the times of Hellas.

Who is he?

Let's start with who Hercules is. This is an ancient Greek hero, on whom all mythology largely rests. The exploits he accomplished formed the basis of many songs that brought bread to traveling singers. And in general, his life was full of travel and adventure.

His courage and heroism made him the most famous character in ancient Greek mythology. And not only. After all, in his homeland he was called Hercules, and many great rulers liked to boast that they descended from him. So Hercules and Hercules are the same character, you can call him by both names, as you are more accustomed to. After the expansion of the Roman Empire to the east and the capture of Ancient Greece, storytellers really liked the legends about him. This is how Hercules appeared in Roman mythology.

His parents

Let's start by destroying the misconception that Hercules is a god. Actually this is not true. More precisely, half wrong. His father was indeed the most powerful god of the ancient Greek pantheon - Zeus himself. But the mother was a mere mortal - Alkmena. This can be stated with confidence - the parents of Hercules are accurately traced according to mythology.

Zeus, captivated by the beauty of Queen Alcmene, took the form of her husband Amphitryon and entered the beauty’s bedroom. Nine months later, a hero was born who was destined to accomplish many feats and experience ups and downs.

Hated stepson

As already mentioned, the hero’s father was Zeus, the most powerful god of Olympus. But the goddess Hera did not like at all that her legal husband was so eager for beautiful mortals. And all her life she played tricks and harmed Hercules.

It started in infancy. The future hero was lying in his crib when two huge poisonous snakes crawled towards him to finish him off, punishing Zeus. Of course, Hera sent them. But the cunning goddess did not take into account that the blood of a demigod already flows in the hero. He jokingly strangled both snakes.

Yes, Hercules received undoubted advantages from his kinship - the god Zeus endowed him with remarkable strength, which allowed him to accomplish many feats. Although cunning and wisdom were also not alien to the young hero.

But throughout his life, Hera harmed him as best she could - she sent him madness, deprived him of the right to ascend the throne, arranged circumstances against Hercules, and tried in every possible way to poison his life. But more on that later.

Short family life

For the first time, Hercules married very young, choosing the beautiful Megara as his wife. Although he was 16 years old and she was 33, they were happy and had several children. Everything went well, and the hero did not even think about leaving his home and going to perform feats about which wandering singers would have created many legends.

Unfortunately, the happiness did not last long. The treacherous goddess Hera never forgave her husband’s son, whom a mere mortal gave birth to. She cast a curse of madness on Hercules.

Possessed, he broke into the house and killed Megara, as well as the children they shared. At the same time he killed the children of his friend Iphicles.

But the madness did not last long. When Hercules regained his sanity, he grieved for a long time, not knowing what to do next, how to atone for the terrible sin that he had committed, even though it was not his fault. Having gone for advice to the Delphic oracle, he received a clear answer. The hero had to go to his cousin King Eurystheus and become his servant in order to complete 12 labors. It is worth saying that he became king only thanks to the machinations of Hera. However, the high title did not provide him with either strength, intelligence, or the love of the people. Therefore, Eurystheus had no choice but to envy Hercules and give only those tasks that he considered obviously impossible.

Twelve Labors

It is worth noting that Hercules in Roman and Greek mythology performed a different number of feats. Some storytellers spoke specifically about twelve. Others argued that the hero had to perform only ten feats, but Eurystheus did not count two of them and gave others that Hercules had to perform. In any case, there were twelve in total. According to various sources, their implementation took from 8 to 12 years. Eurstheus was in no hurry to give tasks to his cousin, bound by an oath, keeping him to himself and not providing the desired freedom.

The feats were different. First of all, he had to fight various monsters:

• Nemean lion.
• Lernaean Hydra.
• Stymphalian birds.

Of course, the main characteristic of Hercules helped him here - unprecedented strength. For example, he simply strangled a lion, since the sharpest arrows could not pierce its skin. But later it became a reliable cloak that accompanied the hero until his death.

He pacified several more, no longer allowing them to poison the lives of ordinary people:

• Keryneian fallow deer.
• Erymanthian boar.
• Cretan bull.
• Three-headed dog Cerberus.
• Horses of Diomedes.

Several times the hero had to stoop to banal theft. To fulfill the orders of a cowardly and greedy relative, Hercules stole the golden apples of the Hesperides, cows from the giant Geryon, and the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta.

Once he even cleaned the huge stables of King Augeas.

Of course, this is not a complete list of the feats that he accomplished. Hercules also participated in the expedition on the ship "Argo", won the Olympic Games, more than once challenged the most powerful gods, including his father Zeus, and never retreated without achieving victory or at least a "draw".

It is no coincidence that in Greece every child knows exactly who Hercules is and can accurately name all twelve labors he performed.

Tragic death

The glorious hero died at the age of approximately 50 years. By this time, he had accomplished his exploits and, having received freedom from his oath to Eurystheus, married a second time - to Deianira, who bore him four children - the Heraclides.

The couple traveled a lot throughout the country, often taking part in battles. One day, the insidious centaur Nessus, seeing the beautiful Deianira, decided to kidnap her. However, Hercules did not allow this - as if a fired arrow, soaked in bile, finished off the kidnapper. Dying, Nessus decided to take terrible revenge on his killer. He whispered to Deianira that his blood had a magical property - if you rub it on a person’s clothes, you can get his love forever. The trusting girl believed him and collected some blood, saving it just in case.

Many years later, Deianira suspected Hercules of having stopped loving her - completely groundless, it must be said. Having sewn a new shirt for her husband, she rubbed it with blood and presented it to the hero returning from another war.

Alas, as soon as Hercules put it on, the hydra poison, dissolved in the blood of Nessus, began to act. The shirt stuck to the body and there was no way to tear it off. The hero suffered from wild pain and was choking on his own scream. Seeing what she had done, Deianira could not stand it and committed suicide by throwing herself on the sword.

Hercules, seeing that none of his friends wanted to ease his torment, built a funeral pyre, covered it with a skin, lay down on it and set fire to the wood. But instead of final death, he went to Olympus for the many feats he accomplished.

Distant Descendants

The mythology of Hellas and Rome tells in detail about what kind of hero Hercules was. Of course, many people, especially rulers, attributed kinship to him. It was not difficult to do this - during his travels, he left many children all over the country, both legitimate and not so legitimate.

For example, influential families of the Roman Empire - Antonia and Fabia - allegedly descended from Hercules. The Epitid dynasties of the Messenians also could not resist the temptation to include a brave hero among their ancestors. And the Spartan Eurypontids gladly told everyone around them (especially their subordinates) that it was Hercules who was the founder of their family.

Conclusion

This concludes our article. Now you know that Hercules and Hercules are one hero. We learned about the main exploits that brought him such popularity. We read about the heroic, although not easy, fate of the brave demigod of Hellas. This means that you can easily answer the question of who Hercules is and what he is known for.

Hercules (Heraclius, Alcides), Greek, Lat. Hercules- son of Zeus and, the greatest hero of Greek legends. By the way, the name of Hercule Poirot, for example, is also from “Hercules”.

His name (usually in its Latinized form) is usually used when one wants to emphasize the enormous height or enormous physical strength of a person. But Hercules was not only a hero. This was a man with human weaknesses and positive qualities, who without hesitation entered into a struggle with fate and used his abilities not only for the sake of his own glory, but also to benefit humanity, to save it from troubles and suffering. He accomplished more than other people, but he also suffered more, which is why he was a hero. For this he received the reward that his Babylonian predecessor Gilgamesh or the Phoenician Melqart had vainly sought; For him, the most impossible dream of man came true - he became immortal.

Hercules was born in Thebes, where his mother Alcmene fled with her husband, who had killed his father-in-law Electryon and feared the revenge of his brother Sthenelus. Of course, Zeus knew about the upcoming birth of Hercules - not only because he was an omniscient god, but also because he was directly related to his birth. The fact is that Zeus really liked Alcmene, and he, taking the guise of Amphitryon, freely entered her bedroom. On the day when Hercules was supposed to be born, Zeus recklessly declared in the meeting of the gods that today the greatest hero would be born. She immediately realized that we were talking about the consequences of her husband’s next love affair, and decided to take revenge on him. Allegedly doubting his prediction, she provoked him into an oath that the one born on this day would rule over all his relatives, even if they were from the family of Zeus. After which, with the help of Ilithyia, Hera accelerated the birth of Nikippa, the wife of Sthenel, although she was only in her seventh month, and delayed the birth of Alcmene. This is how it happened that the mighty Hercules, the son of the almighty Zeus, had to serve the wretched half-baked Eurystheus, the son of the mortal Sthenel - a sad fate, but a true hero is able to overcome this injustice of fate.

Still from the film "Hercules"

Alcmene's son was named Alcides at birth in honor of his step-grandfather, . Only later was he called Hercules, because he supposedly “thanks to Hera achieved glory” (this is the traditional, although not entirely conclusive, interpretation of his name). In this case, Hera turned out to be the hero’s benefactor against her will: she plotted all sorts of intrigues for him to take revenge for her husband’s betrayal, and Hercules, overcoming them, accomplished one feat after another. To begin with, Hera sent two monstrous snakes to his cradle, but the baby Hercules strangled them. Shocked by this, Amphitryon realized that such a child was capable of doing great things over time, and decided to give him a proper upbringing. The best teachers taught Hercules: the son of Zeus Castor taught him combat with weapons, and the Echalian king Eurytus taught him archery. He was taught wisdom by the fair Radamanthos, and music and singing by the brother of Orpheus himself, Lin. Hercules was a diligent student, but playing the cithara was worse for him than other sciences. When one day Lin decided to punish him, he hit him back with a lyre and killed him on the spot. Amphitryon was horrified by his strength and decided to send Hercules away from people. He sent him to graze cattle on Mount Cithaeron, and Hercules took it for granted.

Hercules lived well on Kiferon; there he killed a formidable lion that was killing people and livestock, and made himself an excellent cloak from its skin. In his eighteenth year, Hercules decided to look at the world and at the same time look for a wife. He made himself a club from the trunk of a huge ash tree, threw the skin of the Cythaeronian lion (whose head served as his helmet) over his shoulders and headed for his native Thebes.

On the way, he met strangers and from their conversation learned that they were tribute collectors from the Orkhomen king Ergin. They went to Thebes to receive from the Theban king Creon one hundred oxen - an annual tribute imposed on him by Ergin by right of the strongest. This seemed unfair to Hercules, and when the collectors began to mock him in response to his words, he dealt with them in his own way: he cut off their noses and ears, tied their hands and ordered them to go home. Thebes enthusiastically greeted their fellow countryman, but their joy did not last long. Ergin and his army appeared in front of the city gates. Hercules led the defense of the city, defeated Ergin and obliged him to return to Thebes twice as much as he had received from them. For this, King Creon gave him his daughter Megara and half of the palace as his wife. Hercules remained in Thebes, became the father of three sons and considered himself the happiest man in the world.

But the hero’s happiness does not lie in a peaceful life, and Hercules soon had to be convinced of this.

Illustrated: the labors of Hercules, reconstruction of the metopes of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, 470-456. BC. Top row: Nemean lion, Lernaean hydra, Stymphalian birds; second row: Cretan bull, Cerynean doe, belt of Queen Hippolyta; third row: Erymanthian boar, horses of Diomedes, giant Geryon; bottom row: golden apples of the Hesperides, Kerberos, cleaning the Augean stables.

While he was a shepherd, Hera believed that everything was going as it should. But as soon as he became the royal son-in-law, she decided to intervene. She could not deprive him of his power, but what could be worse than power not controlled by the mind? So, Hera sent madness upon him, in a fit of which Hercules killed his sons and two children of his half-brother Iphicles. What made it even worse was that Hera then restored his sanity. Heartbroken, Hercules went to Delphi to find out how he could cleanse himself of the taint of involuntary murder. Through the mouth of the Pythia, God told Hercules that he should go to the Mycenaean king Eurystheus and enter into his service. If Hercules completes the twelve tasks that Eurystheus entrusts to him, shame and guilt will be removed from him, and he will become immortal.

Hercules obeyed. He went to Argos, settled in his father’s castle of Tiryns near Mycenae (truly this dwelling was worthy of Hercules: with its walls 10-15 m thick, Tiryns remains the most indestructible fortress in the world to this day) and expressed his readiness to serve Eurystheus. The powerful figure of Hercules instilled such fear in Eurystheus that he did not dare to personally entrust him with anything and conveyed all orders to Hercules through his herald Copreus. But the more fearlessly he came up with tasks for him: one more difficult than the other.

Nemean lion

Eurystheus did not make Hercules bored for long while waiting for work. Hercules was ordered to kill a lion that lived in the neighboring Nemean mountains and instilled terror in the entire area, since it was twice the size of an ordinary lion and had an impenetrable skin. Hercules found his lair (this cave is still shown to tourists today), stunned the lion with a blow from his club, strangled him, threw him over his shoulders and brought him to Mycenae. Eurystheus was numb with horror: the incredible strength of the servant frightened him even more than the dead lion thrown at his feet. Instead of gratitude, he forbade Hercules to appear in Mycenae: from now on, let him show “material evidence” in front of the city gates, and he, Eurystheus, will control them from above. Now let Hercules immediately set off to carry out a new assignment - it’s time to kill the Hydra!

Lernaean Hydra

It was a monster with the body of a snake and nine dragon heads, one of which was immortal. lived in the swamps near the city of Lerna in Argolis and devastated the surrounding area. People were powerless before her. Hercules found out that Hydra has an assistant, Karkin, a huge crayfish with sharp claws. Then he also took with him an assistant, the youngest son of his brother Iphicles, the brave Iolaus. First of all, Hercules set fire to the forest behind the Lernaean swamps to cut off Hydra’s path to retreat, then heated the arrows in the fire and began the battle. The fiery arrows only irritated the Hydra; she rushed at Hercules and immediately lost one of her heads, but two new ones grew in its place. In addition, cancer came to the aid of Hydra. But when he grabbed Hercules’ leg, Iolaus killed him with a precise blow. While Hydra looked around in bewilderment in search of her assistant, Hercules uprooted the burning tree and burned one of its heads: a new one did not grow in its place. Now Hercules knew how to get down to business: he cut off the heads, one by one, and Iolaus burned the necks before new heads could grow from the embryos. The last, despite desperate resistance, Hercules chopped off and burned the immortal head of the Hydra. Hercules immediately buried the charred remains of this head in the ground and rolled it over with a huge stone. Just in case, he cut the dead Hydra into pieces, and tempered his arrows in its bile; Since then, the wounds inflicted by them have become incurable. Accompanied by the inhabitants of the liberated region, Hercules and Iolaus returned victoriously to Mycenae. But in front of the Lion Gate the herald Copreus was already standing with a new order: to clear the land of Stymphalian birds.

Stymphalian birds

These birds were found near Lake Stymphalian and devastated the surrounding area worse than locusts. Their claws and feathers were made of hard copper, and they could shed these feathers on the fly like their modern distant relatives - bombers. Fighting them from the ground was a hopeless task, as they immediately showered the enemy with a shower of their deadly feathers. So Hercules climbed a tall tree, scared the birds away with a rattle, and began shooting them down with his bow one after another as they circled around the tree, dropping copper arrows to the ground. Finally, in fear, they flew far over the sea.

Kerynean fallow deer

After the expulsion of the Stymphalian birds, Hercules was faced with a new task: to catch a doe with golden horns and copper legs, who lived in Keryneia (on the border of Achaea and Arcadia) and belonged to Artemis. Eurystheus hoped that the powerful goddess would be angry with Hercules and force him to humble himself. Catching this doe was no small matter, as she was timid and quick as the wind. Hercules pursued her for a whole year until he managed to get within shooting distance. Having wounded the doe, Hercules caught her and brought her to Mycenae. He asked Artemis for forgiveness for his act and brought her a rich sacrifice, which appeased the goddess.

Erymanthian boar

The next task was of the same kind: it was necessary to catch the Erymanthian boar, which was ravaging the outskirts of the city of Psofis and killing many people with its huge tusks. Hercules drove the boar into deep snow, tied it up and brought it to Mycenae alive. Eurystheus, out of fear of the monstrous beast, hid in a barrel and from there begged Hercules to get away with the boar as soon as possible - for this, he supposedly would entrust him with a less dangerous task: to clean out the stable of the Elisian king Augeas.

Augean stables

What is true is true, Hercules had a safe job, but they were huge, and there was so much manure and all kinds of dirt accumulated in the barn... it was not for nothing that this barn (or stable) became a proverb. Cleaning this barn was a superhuman task. Hercules offered the king to restore order in one day if he received a tenth of the royal cattle for this. Augeas agreed, and Hercules immediately got down to business, relying not so much on his strength as on his intelligence. He drove all the cattle out to pasture, dug a canal leading to and Peneus, and diverted the water of these two rivers into it. The gushing water cleared the barn, after which all that remained was to block the channel and again drive the cattle into the stalls. However, King Augeas meanwhile learned that this work had previously been entrusted to Hercules by Eurystheus, and under this pretext he refused to reward Hercules. In addition, he insulted the hero, saying that it was not appropriate for the son of Zeus to earn extra money by cleaning other people's cowsheds. Hercules was not one of those who forget such grievances: a few years later, freed from service with Eurystheus, he invaded Elis with a large army, ravaged the possessions of Augeas, and killed him himself. In honor of this victory, Hercules founded the Olympic Games.

Cretan bull

The next assignment brought Hercules to Crete. Eurystheus ordered the delivery of a wild bull that had escaped from the Cretan king Minos to Mycenae. It was the best bull in the royal herd, and Minos promised to sacrifice it to Poseidon. But Minos did not want to part with such a magnificent specimen, and instead he sacrificed another bull. Poseidon did not allow himself to be tricked and, in retaliation, sent rabies onto the hidden bull. Hercules not only caught the bull that was ravaging the island, but also tamed it, and it obediently transported it on its back from Crete to Argolis.

Horses of Diomedes

Then Hercules sailed to Thrace (but already on a ship) to bring Eurystheus the fierce horses that the Biston king Diomedes fed with human meat. With the help of several of his friends, Hercules obtained horses and brought them to his ship. However, Diomedes and his army overtook him there. Leaving the horses in the care of his father, Hercules defeated the Bistons in a fierce battle and killed Diomedes, but in the meantime the wild horses tore Abdera to pieces. When the deeply saddened Hercules delivered the horses to Mycenae, Eurystheus released them - just as he had previously released the Cretan bull.

But neither grief nor neglect of the results of his labors broke Hercules. Without hesitation, he went to the island of Erithia to bring from there a herd of cattle that belonged to the three-body giant Geryon.

Giant Geryon

This island was located far to the west, where the land ended in a narrow isthmus. With his mighty club, Hercules divided the isthmus in half and placed two stone pillars along the edges of the resulting strait (in the ancient world, present-day Gibraltar was called nothing less than the Pillars of Hercules). He came to the western edge of the world just at the time when he was in his solar chariot to the Ocean. To escape from the unbearable heat, Hercules was ready to shoot an arrow at Helios. The reaction of the gods is unpredictable: admiring the courage of the hero who aimed his bow at him, Helios not only did not get angry, but even lent him his golden boat, on which Hercules sailed to Erythia. There he was attacked by the two-headed dog Orff and the giant Eurytion, who were guarding Geryon's herds. Hercules had no choice - he had to kill both, and then Geryon himself. Having endured many misadventures, Hercules drove the herd to the Peloponnese. On the way, he defeated the strongman Eryx, who stole one cow from him, and the giant Kaka, who stole part of his herd. When Hercules was already hoping that he would safely reach Mycenae, Hera instilled madness in the cows, and they ran away in all directions. Hercules had to work hard to round up the entire herd again. Eurystheus sacrificed cows to the eternal opponent of Hercules - Hera.

Belt of the Amazon Queen Hippolyta

The next feat of Hercules was an expedition to the country of female warriors - the Amazons, from where he was supposed to bring Admete, the daughter of Eurystheus, the belt of Hippolyta. Hercules went there with a small detachment consisting of his friends, and on the way stopped in Mysia, where King Lycus, known for his hospitality, reigned. During the feast arranged by Lik in their honor, warlike Bebriks invaded the city. Hercules got up from the table, together with his friends expelled the Bebriks, killed their king, and donated all their land to Lycus, who named it Heraclea in honor of Hercules. With his victory he gained such fame that Queen Hippolyta herself came out to meet him to voluntarily give him her belt. But then Hera began to spread rumors about Hercules that he intended to take Hippolyta into slavery, and the Amazons believed her. They attacked the detachment of Hercules, and the Greeks had no choice but to take up arms. They eventually defeated the Amazons and captured many of them, including their two leaders, Melanippe and Antiope. Hippolyta returned Melanipa's freedom, giving Hercules her belt for this, and Hercules gave Antiope to his friend Theseus as a reward for his bravery. In addition, he knew that Theseus wanted to take her as his wife (this is what Theseus did upon returning to Athens).

Hellhound Kerber

So, Hercules performed ten labors, although Eurystheus at first refused to count the murder of the Lernaean Hydra (under the pretext that Hercules used the help of Iolaus) and the cleansing of the Augean stable (since Hercules demanded payment from Augeas). The eleventh mission led Hercules to the underworld. Eurystheus demanded that Kerberus himself be presented to him - no more and no less. It was truly a hellish dog: three-headed, snakes writhing around its neck, and its tail ended in a dragon's head with a disgusting mouth. Although until then no one had returned from the afterlife alive, Hercules did not hesitate. The gods were impressed by his courage, and they decided to help him. Hermes, the guide of the souls of the dead, brought him to the Tenar gorge (at the present Cape Matapan, in the extreme south of the Peloponnese and the entire European continent), where there was a secret entrance to the kingdom of the dead, and then Athena accompanied him. After a terrible journey, on which he met the shadows of dead friends and slain enemies, Hercules appeared before the throne. Hades listened favorably to the son of Zeus and without any reason allowed him to catch and take away Kerberus, provided that he did not use weapons. True, Kerber himself has not yet said his word. The guardian of the underworld fought back with teeth and nails (or rather, claws), beat his tail with a dragon's head and howled so terribly that the souls of the dead rushed in confusion throughout the afterlife. After a short struggle, Hercules squeezed him with such force that the half-strangled Cerberus calmed down and promised to unquestioningly follow him to Mycenae. At the sight of this monster, Eurystheus fell to his knees (according to another version, he again hid in a barrel or in a large clay vessel for grain) and conjured Hercules to do mercy: return this hellish creature to its rightful place.

Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini "Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides"

Golden apples of the Hesperides

The last task remained: Eurystheus ordered Hercules to tell him that he must bring him three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides, daughters of the Hesperides, who, for rebelling against the gods, was doomed to forever support the vault of heaven. Nobody knew where these gardens were. It was only known that the way to them was guarded by the ever-watchful dragon Ladon, who does not know defeat in the fight and kills all the vanquished, and finally by Atlas himself. Hercules headed to Egypt, walked through Libya and all the lands familiar to him from the time of his trip to Erithia, but he never found the gardens of the Hesperides. Only when he came to the farthest north, to the endless waters of Eridanus, the nymphs there advised him to turn to the sea god Nereus - he knows and can tell everything, but he must be forced to do it. Hercules waylaid Nereus, attacked him and after a stubborn struggle (all the more difficult since the sea god kept changing his appearance) tied him up. He let him go only when he learned everything he needed to know. The Gardens of the Hesperides were located in the far west, somewhere between today's Morocco and southern France. Again Hercules had to go through Libya, where he was met by Antaeus, the son of the earth goddess Gaia. According to his custom, the giant immediately challenged Hercules to single combat. Hercules avoided defeat only because during the struggle he guessed where the giant got his strength from: feeling tired, he fell to mother earth, and she poured new strength into him. Therefore, Hercules tore him off the ground and lifted him into the air. Antaeus became weak, and Hercules strangled him. Continuing his journey, Hercules again and again overcame the obstacles and traps that robbers and rulers prepared for travelers. He also escaped the fate that the Egyptians intended for all foreigners, who sacrificed them to the gods. Finally, Hercules came to Atlas and explained to him the purpose of his coming. With suspicious readiness, Atlas volunteered to personally bring apples to Hercules if in the meantime he would hold the vault of heaven on his shoulders. Hercules had no choice - he agreed. Atlas kept his promise and even offered to deliver the apples directly to Mycenae, promising to return immediately. Cunning can only be overcome by cunning: Hercules apparently agreed, but asked Atlas to hold the vault of heaven while he made himself a backing so that the pressure on his shoulders would not be felt. As soon as Atlas took his usual place, Hercules took the apples, kindly thanked him for the service - and stopped only in Mycenae. Eurystheus could not believe his eyes and, in confusion, returned the apples to Hercules. He donated them to Athena, and she returned them to the Hesperides. The twelfth task was completed, and Hercules received freedom.

The life and death of Hercules after completing the twelve labors

Soon Hercules became free in another sense: he generously gave up his wife Megara to Iolaus, who in his absence, like a faithful friend, consoled her and became so accustomed to her that he could no longer live without her. After which Hercules left Thebes, with which nothing now connected him, and returned to Tiryns. But not for long. There, new machinations of the goddess Hera awaited him, and with them new sufferings and new exploits.

It is not known exactly whether Hera instilled in him a desire for a new wife or aroused in him an ambitious desire to defeat the best archer in Hellas, the Echalian king Eurytus. However, both were closely interconnected, since Eurytus proclaimed that he would give his daughter, the fair-haired beauty Iola, as a wife only to the one who defeats him in archery. So, Hercules went to Echalia (most likely it was in Messenia, according to Sophocles - on Euboea), appeared at the palace of his former teacher, fell in love with his daughter at first sight, and the next day defeated him in a competition. But Eurytus, stung by the fact that he was disgraced by his own student, declared that he would not give his daughter to the one who was a slave to the cowardly Eurystheus. Hercules was offended and went to look for a new wife. He found her in distant Calydon: she was the beautiful Deianira, daughter of King Oeneus.

He didn’t get her easily: to do this, Hercules had to defeat her former fiancé, the powerful, in single combat, who could also turn into a snake and a bull. After the wedding, the newlyweds remained in the palace of Oeneus, but Hera did not leave Hercules alone. She darkened his mind, and at a feast he killed the son of his friend Architelos. Actually, Hercules just wanted to slap him on the head for pouring water intended for washing his feet on his hands. But Hercules did not calculate his strength, and the boy fell dead. True, Architelos forgave him, but Hercules did not want to stay in Calydon and went with Deianira to Tiryns.

During the journey they came to the Evenu River. There was no bridge across it, and those wishing to cross were transported for a reasonable fee by the centaur Nessus. Hercules entrusted Dejanira with Nessus, and he himself swam across the river. Meanwhile, the centaur, captivated by Deianira's beauty, tried to kidnap her. But he was overtaken by the deadly arrow of Hercules. The bile of the Lernaean Hydra poisoned the blood of the centaur, and he soon died. And yet, before his death, he managed to take revenge: Nessus advised Deianira to save his blood and rub Hercules’ clothes with it if he suddenly stopped loving Deianira, and then Hercules’ love would immediately return to her. In Tiryns, it seemed to Dejanira that she would never need “love blood.” The couple lived in peace and harmony, raising their five children - until Hera again intervened in the fate of Hercules.

By a strange coincidence, simultaneously with the departure of Hercules from Ehalia, King Eurytus’ herd of cattle disappeared. Autolycus stole it. But this one, in order to divert suspicion, pointed to Hercules, who supposedly wanted to take revenge on the king for the insult. All of Ehalia believed this slander - with the exception of Eurytus's eldest son, Iphitus. To prove the innocence of Hercules, he himself went in search of the herd, which led him to Argos; and since he got there, he decided to look into Tiryns. Hercules warmly welcomed him, but when during the feast he heard what Eurytus suspected him of, he became angry, and Hera instilled in him such uncontrollable anger that he threw Iphitus from the city wall. This was no longer just murder, but a violation of the sacred law of hospitality. Even Zeus was angry with his son and sent him a serious illness.

The anguished Hercules, straining his last strength, went to Delphi to ask Apollo how he could atone for his guilt. But the Pythia soothsayer did not give him an answer. Then Hercules, losing his temper, took away from her the tripod from which she proclaimed her prophecies - they say, since she does not fulfill her duties, then the tripod is of no use to her. Apollo immediately appeared and demanded the return of the tripod. Hercules refused, and the two mighty sons of Zeus started a fight like little children, until their thunder father separated them with lightning and forced them to make peace. Apollo ordered the Pythia to give advice to Hercules, and she announced that Hercules should be sold into slavery for three years, and the proceeds should be given to Euryta as a ransom for her murdered son.

Thus, Hercules again had to part with freedom. He was sold to the Lydian queen Omphale, an arrogant and cruel woman who humiliated him in every possible way. She even forced him to weave with her maids, while she herself walked in front of him in his skin of the lion of Cythaeron. From time to time she let him go for a while - not out of kindness, but so that upon his return the slave's lot would be all the more burdensome to him.

Hercules at Omphale. Painting by Lucas Cranach

During one of these vacations, Hercules participated in, another time he visited the Aulidian king Sileus, who forced every foreigner to work in his vineyard. One day, when he fell asleep in a grove near Ephesus, the dwarfs Kerkops (or Dactyls) attacked him and stole his weapons. At first, Hercules wanted to thoroughly teach them a lesson, but they were so weak and funny that he set them free. Hercules himself invariably returned to his slave service.

Finally the last day of the third year arrived, and Hercules received his weapons and freedom from Omphale. The hero parted with her without anger and even granted her request to leave her a descendant as a keepsake (born of Hercules subsequently ascended to the Lydian throne). Returning to his homeland, Hercules gathered his faithful friends and began to prepare to pay off old scores. King Augeas was the first to pay for the long-standing insult, then it was the turn of the Trojan king Laomedon.

After all these deeds, is it any wonder that the glory of Hercules reached the snowy peaks of Olympus? But this was not all that he did. For example, he freed the titan Prometheus, snatched Alcestis from the hands of the god of death Thanatos, defeated many enemies, robbers and proud people, for example, Cycnus. Hercules founded a number of cities, the most famous of them being Heraclea (Herculaneum) near Vesuvius. He made many wives happy with offspring (for example, after the first night spent by the Argonauts on Lemnos, at least fifty Lemnian women called him the father of their sons). Ancient authors had doubts about some of his other achievements and deeds, so we will not dwell on them. However, all the authors unanimously admit that he had an honor that no other mortal had been granted - Zeus himself asked him for help!

A still from one of the many TV series and films about Hercules (Hercules). Actor Kevin Sorbo plays Hercules.

This happened during the Gigantomachy - the battle of the gods with the giants. In this battle on the Phlegrean fields, the Olympian gods had a hard time, since the giants had incredible strength, and their mother, the earth goddess Gaia, gave them a magic herb that made them invulnerable to the weapons of the gods (but not mortals). When the scales were already tipping towards the giants, Zeus sent Athena for Hercules. Hercules did not have to be persuaded for long; Hearing his father's call, he eagerly hurried to the battlefield. The most powerful of the giants was crushed first, and then, with exemplary interaction with the Olympic team of gods, all the other rebels were killed. By this, Hercules earned the gratitude of not only the gods, but also people. For all his shortcomings, Zeus was still much better than his predecessors Kronos and Uranus, not to mention the primordial Chaos.

Upon returning from the Phlegrean fields, Hercules decided to repay the last of his old debts. He went on a campaign against Ehalia, conquered it and killed Eurytus, who had once insulted him. Among the captives, Hercules saw fair-haired Iola and was again inflamed with love for her. Having learned about this, Dejanira immediately remembered the dying words of Nessus, rubbed the tunic of Hercules with his blood and, through the ambassador Lichas, handed the tunic to Hercules, who was still in Ehalia. As soon as Hercules put on the tunic, the poison of the Lernaean Hydra, which poisoned the blood of Nessus, penetrated the body of Hercules, causing him unbearable torment. When he was brought on a stretcher to the palace to Dejanira, she was already dead - having learned that her husband was dying in agony through her fault, she pierced herself with a sword.

Unbearable suffering led Hercules to the idea of ​​giving up his life of his own free will. Obeying Hercules, his friends built a huge fire on Mount Ete and laid the hero on it, but no one wanted to set the fire on fire, no matter how Hercules begged them. Finally, young Philoctetes made up his mind, and as a reward, Hercules gave him his bow and arrows. A fire flared up from the torch of Philoctetes, but the lightning of Zeus the Thunderer shone even brighter. Together with lightning, Athena and Hermes flew to the fire and carried Hercules to heaven in a golden chariot. All of Olympus greeted the greatest of heroes, even Hera overcame her old hatred and gave him her daughter as his wife, forever. Zeus called him to the table of the gods, invited him to taste nectar and ambrosia, and as a reward for all his exploits and sufferings, declared Hercules immortal.

Still from the cartoon “Hercules and Xena: Battle for Olympus”

Zeus' decision remains in force to this day: Hercules truly became immortal. He lives on in legends and sayings, he is still the model of a hero (and as a true hero, he inevitably has negative traits), the Olympic Games are still held, which he is said to have founded in memory of his victory over Augeas or on his return Argonauts from Colchis. And he still lives in the heavens: on a starry night, the constellation Hercules can be seen with the naked eye. The Greeks and Romans revered him as the greatest of heroes and dedicated cities, temples and altars to him. The creations of ancient and modern artists glorify him. Hercules is the most frequently depicted image of ancient myths and any legends in general.

The oldest known sculptural image of Hercules - “Hercules fights the Hydra” (c. 570 BC) - is kept in Athens, in the Acropolis Museum. Among the other numerous works of Greek sculpture, metopes from the temple “C” in Selinunte (c. 540 BC) and 12 metopes depicting the labors of Hercules from the temple of Zeus in Olympia (470–456 BC) are known. Of the Roman sculptures, the most preserved copies are “Hercules” by Polykleitos and “Hercules fighting the lion” by Lysippos (one of them is in St. Petersburg, in the Hermitage). Several wall images of Hercules were preserved even in the Christian catacombs of Rome (mid-4th century AD).

Of the architectural structures traditionally associated with the name of Hercules, the most ancient Greek temple in Sicily, in Akragante (6th century BC), is usually named in first place. In Rome, two temples were dedicated to Hercules, one under the Capitol, the second behind the Circus Maximus near the Tiber. Altars of Hercules stood in almost every Greek and Roman city.

Scenes from the life of Hercules were depicted by numerous European artists: Rubens, Poussin (“Landscape with Hercules and Cacus” - in Moscow, in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), Reni, Van Dyck, Delacroix and many others. There are a huge number of statues of Hercules by European sculptors; several of the best works migrated to Sweden and Austria from Czechoslovakia as a result of the Thirty Years' War and dynastic divisions.

Hercules Farnese and the statue of Hercules in the Hermitage

In literature, the oldest mentions of the exploits of Hercules (but not all) are contained in Homer; Subsequently, almost none of the ancient authors ignored Hercules. Sophocles dedicated the tragedy of “The Trachinian Woman” to the last period of Hercules’ life. Perhaps a little later, Euripides created the tragedy “Hercules” based on an unconventional version of the myth (which actually has many variants) - it still remains the best literary monument to Hercules. Among the works of modern times, we will name “The Choice of Hercules” by K. M. Wieland (1773), “Hercules and the Augean Stables” by Dürrenmatt (1954), “Hercules” by Matkovich (1962).

And finally, about the fate of Hercules in music. He was honored with their attention by J. S. Bach (cantata “Hercules at the Crossroads”, 1733), G. F. Handel (oratorio “Hercules”, 1745, which was later revised by him), C. Saint-Saens (symphonic poems “The Youth of Hercules” ", "The Spinning Wheel of Omphale", the opera "Dejanira").

Hercules (Hercules) is a synonym for strongman:

“What a giant he is presented here!
What shoulders! What a Hercules!..”
- A. S. Pushkin, “The Stone Guest” (1830).

Hercules (Hercules) in ancient Greek mythology is a hero, the son of the god Zeus and Alcmene, the wife of the Theban king Amphitryon. At birth he was named Alcides. Repeatedly mentioned already in the Iliad (II 658, etc.).

Source: Myths and legends of Ancient Greece

Among the numerous myths about Hercules, the most famous is the cycle of tales about the 12 labors performed by Hercules when he was in the service of the Mycenaean king Eurystheus.

The cult of Hercules was very popular in Greece; through Greek colonists it early spread to Italy, where Hercules was revered under the name Hercules. In the northern hemisphere of the sky is located
constellation Hercules.

Myths about Hercules

Birth and childhood

To conceive Hercules, Zeus took the form of Alcmene's husband. He stopped the sun, and their night lasted three days. The soothsayer Tiresias tells Amphitryon about what happened.

On the night he was to be born, Hera made Zeus swear that whoever was born today from the line of Perseus would be the supreme king. Hercules was from the Perseid family, but Hera detained
his mother gave birth, and the first to be born (premature) was his cousin Eurystheus, the son of Sthenel and Nikippa, also a Perseid.

Zeus made an agreement with Hera that Hercules would not be under the authority of Eurystheus all his life. He will perform only ten labors on behalf of Eurystheus, and after that he will not only be freed from his power, but will even receive immortality.

Athena tricks Hera into breastfeeding Hercules. The baby hurts the goddess, and she tears him from her breast. A splash of milk turns into the Milky Way. (Hercules becomes immortal after tasting this milk.) Hera turned out to be the adoptive mother of Hercules, even if only for a while. (Option - the myth was about Zeus and Rhea).

Jealous Hera sent two snakes to kill the child. Baby Hercules strangled them. (Optionally, harmless snakes were sent by Amphitryon to figure out which of the twins was a demigod). The myth of the infant Hercules first appears in Pindar.

Youth

As a child, he was a daphnophorus and brought a tripod as a gift to Apollo Ismenias.

Amphitryon invites the best teachers for his sons: Castor (sword), Autolycus (wrestling), Eurytus (bow).

Hercules accidentally kills Linus, Orpheus' brother, with his lyre. Forced to retire to the wooded Kiferon, into exile.

Two nymphs appear to him (Depravity and Virtue), who offer him a choice between the easy road of pleasure and the thorny path of labor and exploits. (the so-called “choice of Hercules”). Virtue
convinced Hercules to go his own way in the following words: Of what is useful and glorious in the world, the gods do not give anything to people without labor and care: if you want the gods to be merciful to you, you must honor the gods; If you want to be loved by your friends, you must do good to your friends; If you want to enjoy honor in some city, you must bring benefit to the city, you want to excite the admiration of all Hellas with your merits, you must try to do good to Hellas. My friends enjoy eating and drinking pleasantly and without hassle, because they wait until they have a need for it. Their sleep is sweeter than that of the idle; it is not difficult for them to leave him, and because of him they do not neglect their duties. Young people rejoice in praise
elders, the elderly are proud of the respect of the young; they love to remember their ancient deeds, they are happy to perform their present ones well, because thanks to me they are useful to the gods, dear to their friends, and honored by their fatherland. And when the end appointed by fate comes, they do not lie forgotten and inglorious, but, remaining in memory, they bloom forever in songs. If you do such hard work, child of good parents, Hercules, then you can find this blissful happiness! (Xenophon. Memoirs of Socrates. Book 2, chapter 1)

In the mountains of Kiferon he kills a lion; skins him. Since then he wears it constantly.

When Hercules was about to hunt a lion, King Thespius warmly received him for 50 days and sent one of his daughters to him every night, who later gave birth to 50 sons from him. According to another
version, the hero married all his daughters in one night, except for one, who did not want to, then he condemned her to remain a girl and priestess in his temple. According to another version, he married everyone, and the oldest and youngest gave birth to twins. Gregory of Nazianzus ironically said that Hercules performed his “thirteenth labor” that night.

Defeats King Orchomen Ergin, to whom Thebes paid tribute. Amphitryon dies in this battle. Hercules cut off the noses of the messengers from Orchomenos, which is why there was a statue of Hercules Rhinocolustus (Nose Cutter) in Thebes. When the Orchomenians came with an army, he tied up their draft horses, which is why the temple of Hercules Hippodetus (Horse Binder) was erected. Having defeated the Orchomenians, he dedicated a marble lion to the temple of Artemis Euclea in Thebes.

The king of Thebes, Creon, gives him his daughter Megara as his wife. In a fit of madness sent by Hera, Hercules kills his children and the children of his brother Iphicles. (To atone for this, according to the Delphic Pythia, he must perform ten labors in the service of Eurystheus).

When he came to Delphi, the priestess Xenocleia did not want to tell him because of the murder of Iphitus (according to the version, after he killed the children), then Hercules took the tripod and took it out, but then returned it. There is a story that Hercules and Apollo quarreled over a tripod, but when they reconciled, they together built the city of Gythion in Laconia; in Delphi there was a sculptural group depicting the struggle: Leto and Artemis calming Apollo, Athena holding Hercules. The fight for the tripod between Hercules and
Apollo supposedly depicted on a relief from Olympia c.720 BC. e. Or Zeus reconciled them. According to a rare version, Hercules carried the tripod to Pheneus (Arcadia).

The Pythia gives Alcides the name “Hercules” (“glorified by the goddess Hera”), by which he will be known henceforth. “Alcides” - “descendant of Alcaeus” (Alcaeus is the father of Amphitryon, the stepfather of Hercules). Also Alcides before
name change was known as Palemon.

12 labors of Hercules

The canonical scheme of 12 labors was first established by Pisander of Rhodes in the poem “Heraclea”.

The order of feats is not the same for all authors. In total, Pythia ordered Hercules to perform 10 labors, but Eurystheus did not count 2 of them and gave one a new one, he had to perform two more and it turned out 12. In 8 years and one month he completed the first 10 labors, in 12 years - all. According to
Diotima from Adramyttium, Hercules accomplished his feats, for he was in love with Eurystheus.

1. Strangulation of the Nemean Lion
2. Killing of the Lernaean Hydra. Not counted.
3. Extermination of Stymphalian birds
4. Capture of the Kerynean fallow deer
5. Taming the Erymanthian boar and the battle with the centaurs
6. Cleaning the Augean stables. Not counted.
7. Taming the Cretan bull
8. Victory over King Diomedes (who threw foreigners to be devoured by his horses)
9. The theft of the belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons
10. The abduction of the cows of the three-headed giant Geryon
11. The theft of golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides
12. Taming the guard of Hades - the dog Cerberus

Other myths

During the 5th labor, he accidentally wounds the centaur Chiron, his teacher, with an arrow poisoned in Lernaean poison. The immortal centaur cannot die and suffers terribly.