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12 labors of Nemean Hercules. Lev Vasilyevich Uspensky, Vsevolod Vasilyevich Uspensky twelve labors of Hercules. From legends it is known that the Greek hero Hercules

12 labors of Nemean Hercules. Lev Vasilyevich Uspensky, Vsevolod Vasilyevich Uspensky twelve labors of Hercules. From legends it is known that the Greek hero Hercules

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

Later the hero married Megara. sent him into a fit of madness, as a result of which Hercules killed Megara and his children. Our hero went to the Delphic oracle to find out his fate. The oracle was controlled by Hera, which he had no idea about. Following the prediction he received, the hero went to serve King Eurystheus, carrying out any of his orders for 12 years. Many victories were won during this service, their descriptions are collected in the book “The Twelve Labors of Hercules”; whether it is a myth or truth, each reader has the right to decide for himself. His exploits brought the hero great fame and glory. After all, just think, Hercules is still known and remembered, many millennia later!

The twelve labors of Hercules will be briefly described below.

Feat 1. Nemean Lion

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

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

Feat 2. Lernaean Hydra

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

Feat 3. Keriney Hind

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

There were rumors about this animal that it ran so fast that it could outrun the flight of any arrow. Hercules noticed the Hind by the golden shine of her horns. He pursued her for a year in the vastness of Greece, Thrace, Istria, and Hyperborea. Our hero caught the Doe when she was exhausted and could not continue running. Eurystheus gave Hercules this difficult task also because he hoped to arouse the wrath of the goddess Artemis for desecrating a sacred animal. When the hero was returning with Lanyu, he encountered Artemis and Apollo. He asked the goddess for forgiveness, explaining his action by saying that he had to catch the animal to atone for his guilt, but promised to return it. Artemis forgave Hercules. But, having arrived at the court with Lanyu, he learned that the animal should remain in the royal menagerie. Hercules knew that he must return the Hind, as promised to Artemis, so he agreed to give it only on the condition that Eurystheus himself go out and take the animal. The king came out, and at the moment when our hero was handing the Hind over to the king, she ran away.

Feat 4. Erymanthian Boar

The twelve labors of Hercules continue with the fourth - the capture of the Erymanthian Boar. On the way to the place of the feat, the hero visited Fol, a kind and hospitable centaur. Hercules dined with him and then asked for wine. Pholus had only one jug, a gift from Dionysus, but the hero convinced him to open the wine. The smell of the drink attracted other centaurs, who became tipsy from the undiluted wine and attacked. Hercules fired his poison arrows at them, forcing the survivors to retreat to Chiron's cave.

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

Feat 5. Augean stables

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

Augeas was angry because he had promised Hercules a tenth of his cattle if the work was completed within 24 hours. He refused to fulfill his promise. Hercules killed him after completing the task and handed over control of the kingdom to Augeas' son, Philaeus.

Feat 6. Stymphalian birds

The author continues “The Twelve Labors of Hercules” with the following labor. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to kill the birds that fed on people. They were Ares' pets and were forced to fly to Stymphalia to avoid being pursued by a pack of wolves. These birds multiplied quickly, taking over the countryside and destroying local crops and fruit trees. The forest they lived in was very dark and dense. Athena and Hephaestus helped Hercules by forging huge copper rattles that frightened the flying birds and helped the hero shoot them down with arrows. The surviving Stymphalian birds never returned to Greece.

Feat 7. Cretan bull

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

Feat 8. Horses of Diomedes

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

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

Feat 9. Belt of Hippolyta

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

According to one legend, in order to keep their men at home, the Amazons killed the arms and legs of male babies, making them unfit for war. According to another legend, they killed all male babies. The left breast of the Amazons was either open or cut off so as not to prevent them from using bows or throwing spears.

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

Feat 10. Geryon's herd

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

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

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

Feat 11. Apples of the Hesperides

Eurystheus did not count two feats to Hercules, since they were accomplished with the help of others or bribery, so he assigned two to the hero additional tasks. The first of these was to steal apples from the garden of the Hesperides. Hercules first caught Nereus, the god who had taken the form of a sea wave, and asked him where the garden was located. He then deceived Atlas by promising him several golden apples if he would agree to hold the sky for a while. When the hero returned, Atlas decided that he did not want to hold the sky any longer, and offered to deliver the apples himself. Hercules deceived him again, agreeing to take his place on the condition that he would hold the sky for a while so that the hero could straighten his cloak. Atlas agreed, and Hercules left and never returned.

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

Arriving at Caucasus Mountains, he met the titan Prometheus, who was chained to a rock for 30,000 years. Taking pity on him, Hercules killed the eagle, which had been feasting on the titan's liver every day for all these years. Then he went to the wounded centaur Chiron, see labor 4 (“The Twelve Labors of Hercules”, summary), who begged him to be freed from pain.

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

Feat 12. Taming of Cerberus

The twelve labors of Hercules close with the taming of Cerberus from the underground kingdom of Hades. Hades was the god of the dead and ruler of the underworld. The hero first went to Eleusis to be initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries and to be able to enter the underworld and return from there alive, and at the same time to relieve himself of the guilt for killing the centaurs. Athena and Hermes helped him find the entrance to the underworld.

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

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

You have read The Twelve Labors of Hercules, summary. An entire book is dedicated to these exploits. Kuhn compiled the collection “The Twelve Labors of Hercules”, bringing together all the labors of the hero. Another option was suggested by a Russian writer. In the book “The Twelve Labors of Hercules,” Uspensky outlined his vision no less interestingly.

Cinema also did not remain aloof from these exciting myths. The film "The Twelve Labors of Hercules" exists in many versions in different countries world, there are even TV series dedicated to these events.

Will rule over all relatives. Hera, having learned about this, accelerated the birth of Perseid's wife Sthenel, who gave birth to the weak and cowardly Eurystheus. Zeus involuntarily had to agree that Hercules, who was born after this by Alcmena, would obey Eurystheus - but not all his life, but only until he accomplished 12 great feats in his service.

Hercules with early childhood was distinguished by enormous strength. Already in the cradle, he strangled two huge snakes sent by Hera to destroy the baby. Hercules spent his childhood in Thebes, Boeotia. He liberated this city from the power of neighboring Orkhomenes, and in gratitude, the Theban king Creon gave his daughter, Megara, to Hercules. Soon, Hera sent Hercules into a fit of madness, during which he killed his children and the children of his half-brother Iphicles (according to the tragedies of Euripides (“”) and Seneca, Hercules also killed his wife Megara). The Delphic oracle, in atonement for this sin, ordered Hercules to go to Eurystheus and, on his orders, perform the 12 labors that were destined for him by fate.

The first labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules kills the Nemean lion. Copy from the statue of Lysippos

The second labor of Hercules (summary)

The second labor of Hercules was the fight against the Lernaean Hydra. Painting by A. Pollaiolo, c. 1475

The third labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules and the Stymphalian Birds. Statue of A. Bourdelle, 1909

The fourth labor of Hercules (summary)

The Fourth Labor of Hercules - Kerenean Hind

The fifth labor of Hercules (summary)

Possessing monstrous strength, the Erymanthian boar terrified the entire surrounding area. On the way to fight him, Hercules visited his friend, the centaur Pholus. He treated the hero to wine, angering the other centaurs, since the wine belonged to all of them, and not to Fol alone. The centaurs rushed at Hercules, but with archery he forced the attackers to hide with the centaur Chiron. Pursuing the centaurs, Hercules burst into the cave of Chiron and accidentally killed this wise hero of many Greek myths with an arrow.

Hercules and the Erymanthian boar. Statue of L. Tuyon, 1904

The sixth labor of Hercules (summary)

King Augeas of Elis, the son of the sun god Helios, received from his father numerous herds of white and red bulls. His huge barnyard had not been cleared for 30 years. Hercules offered Augeas to clear the stall in a day, asking in return for a tenth of his herds. Believing that the hero could not cope with the work in one day, Augeias agreed. Hercules blocked the rivers Alpheus and Peneus with a dam and diverted their water to Augeas's farmyard - all the manure was washed away from it in a day.

The sixth labor - Hercules cleans the stables of Augeas. Roman mosaic from the 3rd century. according to R.H. from Valencia

The seventh labor of Hercules (summary)

Seventh labor - Hercules and the Cretan bull. Roman mosaic from the 3rd century. according to R.H. from Valencia

The Eighth Labor of Hercules (summary)

Diomedes devoured by his horses. Artist Gustave Moreau, 1865

The Ninth Labor of Hercules (summary)

The tenth labor of Hercules (summary)

On the westernmost edge of the earth, the giant Geryon, who had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs, was tending cows. By order of Eurystheus, Hercules went after these cows. Myself long journey to the west was already a feat, and in memory of him Hercules erected two stone (Hercules) pillars on both sides of a narrow strait near the shores of the Ocean (modern Gibraltar). Geryon lived on the island of Erithia. So that Hercules could reach him, the sun god Helios gave him his horses and a golden boat, on which he himself sails across the sky every day.

The Eleventh Labor of Hercules (summary)

The Eleventh Labor of Hercules - Cerberus

The Twelfth Labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules had to find the way to the great titan Atlas (Atlas), who holds the firmament on his shoulders at the edge of the earth. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to take three golden apples from the golden tree in the garden of Atlas. To find out the way to Atlas, Hercules, on the advice of the nymphs, lay in wait for the sea god Nereus on the seashore, grabbed him and held him until he showed the right road. On the way to Atlas through Libya, Hercules had to fight the cruel giant Antaeus, who received new powers by touching his mother, Earth-Gaea. After a long fight, Hercules lifted Antaeus into the air and strangled him without lowering him to the ground. In Egypt, King Busiris wanted to sacrifice Hercules to the gods, but the angry hero killed Busiris along with his son.

The fight of Hercules with Antaeus. Artist O. Coudet, 1819

Photo - Jastrow

The sequence of the 12 main labors of Hercules varies in different mythological sources. The eleventh and twelfth labors especially often change places: a number of ancient authors consider the descent into Hades for Cerberus to be the last achievement of Hercules, and the journey to the Garden of the Hesperides as the penultimate.

Other labors of Hercules

After completing 12 labors, Hercules, freed from the power of Eurystheus, defeated the best archer in Greece, Eurytus, king of the Euboean Oichalia, in a shooting competition. Eurytus did not give Hercules the promised reward for this - his daughter Iola. Hercules then married Deianira, the sister of Meleager, whom he met in the kingdom of Hades, in the city of Calydon. Seeking the hand of Deianira, Hercules endured a difficult duel with the river god Achelous, who during the fight turned into a snake and a bull.

Hercules and Deianira went to Tiryns. Along the way, Dejanira was attempted to be kidnapped by the centaur Nessus, who offered to transport the couple across the river. Hercules killed Nessus with arrows soaked in the bile of the Lernaean hydra. Before his death, Nessus, secretly from Hercules, advised Deianira to collect his blood poisoned by the hydra poison. The centaur assured that if Dejanira rubbed Hercules’ clothes with her, then no other woman would ever please him.

In Tiryns, during a fit of madness again sent by Hero, Hercules killed his close friend, the son of Eurytus, Iphitus. Zeus punished Hercules with a serious illness for this. Trying to find out a cure for it, Hercules went on a rampage in the Delphic temple and fought with the god Apollo. Finally it was revealed to him that he must sell himself into slavery for three years to the Lydian queen Omphale. For three years Omphale subjected Hercules to terrible humiliation: she forced him to wear women's clothing and spin, and she herself carried the lion’s skin and the hero’s club. However, Omphale allowed Hercules to take part in the campaign of the Argonauts.

Freed from slavery to Omphale, Hercules took Troy and took revenge on its king, Laomedon, for his previous deception. He then took part in the battle of the gods with the giants. The mother of the giants, the goddess Gaia, made these children of hers invulnerable to the weapons of the gods. Only a mortal could kill giants. During the battle, the gods threw the giants to the ground with weapons and lightning, and Hercules finished them off with his arrows.

Death of Hercules

Following this, Hercules set out on a campaign against King Eurytus, who had insulted him. Having defeated Eurytus, Hercules captured his daughter, the beautiful Iola, whom he should have received after a previous competition with her father in archery. Having learned that Hercules was going to marry Iola, Dejanira, in an attempt to return her husband’s love, sent him a cloak soaked in the blood of the centaur Nessus, soaked in the poison of the Lernaean Hydra. As soon as Hercules put on this cloak, it stuck to his body. The poison penetrated the hero’s skin and began to cause terrible pain. Dejanira, having learned about her mistake, committed suicide. This myth became the plot of the tragedy of Sophocles and Demophon. The army of Eurystheus invaded Athenian soil, but was defeated by an army led by the eldest son of Hercules, Gill. The Heraclides became the ancestors of one of the four main branches of the Greek people - the Dorians. Three generations after Gill, the Dorian invasion of the south ended with the conquest of the Peloponnese, which the Heraclides considered the rightful inheritance of their father, treacherously taken from him by the cunning of the goddess Hera. In the news of the captures of the Dorians, legends and myths are already mixed with memories of genuine historical events.

Labors of Hercules- a cycle of adventures of the son of the Thunderer, without which it is difficult to imagine and reflect the fullness of ancient Greek mythology. Today they are not only included in general education textbooks, but are also the property of the people. They reflect the essence of many phenomena and concepts. IN Ancient Greece Hercules was a hero who was not afraid to go against the will of his father Zeus and managed to prove to everyone that willpower is the main tool in performing the most difficult, sometimes unimaginable tasks. To this day, films and books are written based on the 12 labors of Hercules. Ready to find out a brief summary of each of them?

The story begins as follows. Hera decides to teach Zeus a lesson for treason and, just as Hercules is about to be born, forces the Thunderer to promise the following: a child born at this hour will become king. Hera specifically influenced the birth of Hercules' mother. As a result, the fragile and vile King Ephrystheus, who was born at that hour, received all power. Next, the ruler and Hero decide to get rid of the threat forever. Thus, a dispute took place in which Hercules had to perform 12 difficult tasks. Read on to see how this happened.

Myths about the twelve labors of Hercules (Briefly)

The first of the twelve labors of Hercules begins with the confrontation of the demigod with the invincible Nemean lion. The thick-skinned monster never knew defeat. He cannot be hurt by any weapon. The inhabitants of Nemia suffered for a long time from the attacks of the monster. The king decided to send the bravest warrior to battle with the left. Of course, not without vile intentions. Fortunately, Hercules had no less monstrous strength. He strangled the lion and became the hero of Nemia, among whom he found many friends and allies.

The second labor of Hercules took place on the territory of the Lernaean swamp, where the son of Zeus had to fight a mythical creature called the Lernaean Hydra. Every time the demigod cut off her head, two new ones appeared at the site of the wound. Then Hercules called his ally from Nemia, who managed to cauterize the wound with a torch. Thus, after cutting down the heads, new ones stopped growing. Having defeated the hydra, Hercules covered it with sand and moistened his arrows with its blood. Thus, he acquired poisonous arrows, for which no one had an antidote...

Realizing that Hercules had no equal in battles, Ephrystheus decided to resort to cunning. He offered the most outstanding run. As part of the third labor, Hercules was forced to compete in a race with the fastest animal in ancient Greek mythology. The uniqueness of this mission from the 12 labors of Hercules lies in the complexity of the task. You can't kill a doe. And it's almost impossible to catch. For a long time, the son of Zeus hunted the animal. As a result, he managed to drive her along a narrow path to a dead end. Then Iolaus came to him and threw a rope over the doe. On the way down, the heroes met Artemis, the daughter of Zeus, and gave the Hind to her. But Hercules completed his mission.

One more interesting myth of the 12 labors of Hercules is the battle of Hercules with the Erymanthian boar. For a long time, the huge animal prevented hunters from getting food for their families. Supposedly with noble goals, Ephriseus pointed out to Hercules the need to destroy the enemy. The difficulty was that the boar lived high in the mountains. Only thanks to the help of Artemis did Hercules manage to climb the hills and defeat the monster. Slowly but surely, the son of the Thunderer gained fame, destroying all the cunning plans of Hera. And then...

Having realized all the power of Hercules, the king decided to commit another meanness. In ancient Greek mythology, the god of war Ares had his own legion of dangerous warriors - the Stymphalian birds. Just by their looks they encouraged hundreds of thousands of warriors to lower their weapons. This flock lived in the depths of a mountain gorge, where Hercules went.
This feat of Hercules, of the 12 known, is one of the most interesting and impressive. Only through joint efforts with Iolaus did he manage to defeat all the predators. To complete this mission, he needed the skin of a lion from his first labor. And, of course, the accuracy of Iolaus’s faithful assistant.

The king was tired of trying to defeat Hercules with the danger and power of ancient Greek creatures. Then he decided to give him a simply impossible mission, which required the manifestation of completely different qualities, not military ones.
As part of the 6th Labor of Hercules, the hero had to go to a proud king named Augeas. He instructed Hercules:

keep track of three hundred horses;
feed two hundred red horses;
catch twelve white horses;
and another important part of the 12 labors of Hercules is to prevent the loss of one horse with a shining star in its forehead.

Of course, not without effort he managed to achieve his goal. After this, the king instructed him to clean the stables, promising a tenth of his fortune. He did it. Then Augeas became angry that he could not carry out the instructions of Ephrystheus and deceived Hercules, for which he lost his head.

The 7th labor of Hercules involves a battle on the island of Crete. In this place, King Minos saved his people from the curse of Poseidon for a long time. One day he promised the god of water an amazing bull with golden horns, but later decided to deceive the patron of the seas and stole the fleece from him. Then Poseidon turned the bull into a real monster. Hercules fought with the demon for a long time, but managed to defeat him with the help of huge shackles and chains.

A truly interesting and instructive labor of Hercules from 12 famous adventures. Talks about the most unpleasant mission for a demigod. This time, the king ordered him to steal horses, which even attracted the gods. Hercules was angry for a long time, but did not go against the will of the king.

To get horses honestly, Hercules went to the kingdom of the dead, from where he brought his late wife to the king. Thus, he was able to offer a compromise and deliver valuable horses to his vile king.

It's time to consider the 9th labor of the 12 adventures of Hercules. For a long time, Ephrystheus’s daughter asked Hippolyta herself for the belt. So the vile enemy of Hercules decided to remember his daughter’s request. Then he decided to send his son Zeus to an island where only women lived. Perhaps now you will learn more about the history of the Amazons. In this place lived women who were given a belt by the god of war himself, Ares. For a long time and painfully, Hercules had to fight with the best warriors in history. But he managed to get a belt, which Admeta never decided to put on herself.

Hercules is a hero in ancient Greek mythology, the son of the god Zeus and Alcmene, the wife of the hero Amphitryon. 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.

One day, the evil Hera sent a terrible illness to Hercules. Lost my mind great hero, 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 a servant of the weak, cowardly Eurystheus... In the service of Eurystheus, Hercules accomplished his 12 legendary feats, for which he needed all his strength, as well as ingenuity and good advice of the gods.

12 labors of Hercules

The canonical scheme of 12 labors was first established by Pisander of Rhodes in the poem “Hercules”. 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. I had to perform two more and it turned out to be 12. In 8 years and one month he accomplished the first 10 feats, in 12 years - all of them.

Strangulation of the Nemean Lion
Killing the Lernaean Hydra (not counted due to Iolaus' help)
Extermination of Stymphalian birds
Capture of the Keryneian Hind
Taming of the Erymanthian Boar
Cleaning the Augean Stables (not counted due to fee requirement)
Taming of the Cretan Bull
The Stealing of the Horses of Diomedes, victory over King Diomedes (who threw strangers to be devoured by his horses)
The theft of the Belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons
Stealing the cows of the three-headed giant Geryon
The theft of golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides
Taming the guard of Hades - the dog Cerberus

The first labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules strangled the huge Nemean lion, which was born by the monsters Typhon and Echidna and caused devastation in Argolis. Hercules' arrows bounced off the lion's thick skin, but the hero stunned the beast with his club and strangled him with his hands. In memory of this first feat, Hercules established the Nemean Games, which were celebrated in the ancient Peloponnese every two years.

The second labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules killed the Lernaean hydra - a monster with the body of a snake and 9 heads of a dragon, which crawled out of a swamp near the city of Lerna, killed people and destroyed entire herds. In place of each hydra head severed by the hero, two new ones grew until Hercules’ assistant, Iolaus, began to burn the hydra’s necks with burning tree trunks. He also killed a giant crayfish that crawled out of the swamp to help the hydra. Hercules soaked his arrows in the poisonous bile of the Lernaean hydra, making them deadly.

The third labor of Hercules (summary)

Stymphalian birds attacked people and livestock, tearing them apart with copper claws and beaks. In addition, they dropped deadly bronze feathers from a height like arrows. The goddess Athena gave Hercules two tympanums, with the sounds of which he scared away the birds. When they flew up in a flock, Hercules shot some of them with a bow, and the rest flew away in horror to the shores of the Pontus Euxine (Black Sea) and never returned to Greece.

The fourth labor of Hercules (summary)

The Kerynean doe with golden horns and copper legs, sent to punish people by the goddess Artemis, never tired, rushed around Arcadia and devastated the fields. Hercules chased a doe at a run whole year, having reached in pursuit of her the sources of the Istra (Danube) on far north and then returning back to Hellas. Here Hercules wounded the doe in the leg with an arrow, caught her and brought her alive to Eurystheus in Mycenae.

The fifth labor of Hercules (summary)

The sixth labor of Hercules (summary)

Greedy Augeas did not give Hercules the promised payment for his work. A few years later, having already been freed from service with Eurystheus, Hercules gathered an army, defeated Augeas and killed him. After this victory, Hercules founded the famous Olympic Games in Elis, near the city of Pisa.

The seventh labor of Hercules (summary)

The god Poseidon gave the Cretan king Minos a beautiful bull to sacrifice himself. But Minos left the wonderful bull in his herd, and sacrificed another to Poseidon. The angry god sent the bull into a frenzy: he began to rush all over Crete, destroying everything along the way. Hercules caught the bull, tamed it, and swam on its back across the sea from Crete to the Peloponnese. Eurystheus ordered the bull to be released. He, again enraged, rushed from Mycenae to the north, where he was killed in Attica by the Athenian hero Theseus.

The Eighth Labor of Hercules (summary)

The Thracian king Diomedes owned horses of wondrous beauty and strength, which could only be kept in a stall with iron chains. Diomedes fed the horses with human meat, killing the foreigners who came to him. Hercules led the horses away by force and defeated Diomedes, who rushed in pursuit, in battle. During this time, the horses tore to pieces Hercules' companion, Abdera, who was guarding them on the ships.

The Ninth Labor of Hercules (summary)

The queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta, wore a belt given to her by the god Ares as a sign of her power. Eurystheus's daughter, Admeta, wanted this belt. Hercules with a detachment of heroes sailed to the kingdom of the Amazons, to the shores of the Pontus Euxine (Black Sea). Hippolyta, at the request of Hercules, wanted to give up the belt voluntarily, but other Amazons attacked the hero and killed several of his companions. Hercules defeated seven of the strongest warriors in battle and put their army to flight. Hippolyta gave him the belt as a ransom for the captured Amazon Melanippe. On the way back from the land of the Amazons, Hercules saved Hesion, the daughter of the Trojan king Laomendont, who, like Andromeda, was doomed to be sacrificed to a sea monster, at the walls of Troy. Hercules killed the monster, but Laomedont did not give him the promised reward - the horses of Zeus belonging to the Trojans. For this, Hercules, a few years later, made a campaign against Troy, took it and killed the entire family of Laomedon, leaving only one of his sons, Priam, alive. Priam ruled Troy during the glorious Trojan War.

The tenth labor of Hercules (summary)

On the westernmost edge of the earth, the giant Geryon, who had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs, was tending cows. By order of Eurystheus, Hercules went after these cows. The long journey to the west itself was already a feat, and in memory of it, Hercules erected two stone (Hercules) pillars on both sides of a narrow strait near the shores of the Ocean (modern Gibraltar). Geryon lived on the island of Erithia. So that Hercules could reach him, the sun god Helios gave him his horses and a golden boat, on which he himself sails across the sky every day.

Having killed Geryon's guards - the giant Eurytion and the two-headed dog Ortho - Hercules captured the cows and drove them to the sea. But then Geryon himself rushed at him, covering his three bodies with three shields and throwing three spears at once. However, Hercules shot him with a bow and finished him off with a club, and transported the cows on Helios’s shuttle across the Ocean. On the way to Greece, one of the cows ran away from Hercules to Sicily. To free her, the hero had to kill the Sicilian king Eryx in a duel. Then Hera, hostile to Hercules, sent rabies into the herd, and the cows that had fled from the shores of the Ionian Sea were barely caught in Thrace. Eurystheus, having received Geryon's cows, sacrificed them to Hera.

The Eleventh Labor of Hercules (summary)

Hercules had to find the way to the great titan Atlas (Atlas), who holds the firmament on his shoulders at the edge of the earth. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to take three golden apples from the golden tree in the garden of Atlas. To find out the way to Atlas, Hercules, on the advice of the nymphs, lay in wait for the sea god Nereus on the seashore, grabbed him and held him until he showed the right road. On the way to Atlas through Libya, Hercules had to fight the cruel giant Antaeus, who received new powers by touching his mother, Earth-Gaia. After a long fight, Hercules lifted Antaeus into the air and strangled him without lowering him to the ground. In Egypt, King Busiris wanted to sacrifice Hercules to the gods, but the angry hero killed Busiris along with his son.

The Twelfth Labor of Hercules (summary)

By order of Eurystheus, Hercules descended through the Tenar abyss into the dark kingdom of the god of the dead Hades in order to take away his guard - the three-headed dog Cerberus, whose tail ended with the head of a dragon. At the very gates of the underworld, Hercules freed the Athenian hero Theseus, rooted to a rock, who, together with his friend, Periphoes, was punished by the gods for trying to steal his wife Persephone from Hades. In the kingdom of the dead, Hercules met the shadow of the hero Meleager, to whom he promised to become the protector of his lonely sister Deianira and marry her. The ruler of the underworld, Hades, himself allowed Hercules to take Cerberus away - but only if the hero was able to tame him. Having found Cerberus, Hercules began to fight him. He strangled the dog, pulled him out of the ground and brought him to Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus, at one glance at the terrible dog, began to beg Hercules to take her back, which he did.

There are legends about the physical strength of Hercules: terrible snakes, evil giants, angry bulls - no one can defeat him. Being a demigod, he favors people and protects them.

Hera's Revenge

Hercules' mother Alcmene descends from the hero Perseus, and his father is Zeus himself, the king of the gods. Zeus swears to the gods that the next baby from the line of Perseus will be the ruler of the Peloponnese. Jealous Hera realizes that her unfaithful husband has deceived her again. She delays the birth of Hercules and accelerates the birth of another descendant of Perseus - Eurystheus. Zeus cannot break his oath, and Eurystheus gains power over the Peloponnese. Thus, Hercules will have to spend many years in the service of an insignificant, cowardly relative.

Hero in the cradle

Hercules was still a baby when Hera sent two snakes to the child's cradle to kill him. The brother of Hercules, the son of Alcmene and Amphitryon, squealed in fear at the sight of the snakes. And Hercules silently grabbed the monsters and strangled them with his bare hands.

Why does Hercules perform his labors?

Hercules grew up and got married. But one day the vengeful Hera sends him mad, and he kills his wife and children. When the attack of madness passes, Hercules is overcome by grief. He asks the Delphic oracle how he can atone for this crime. The oracle replies that Hercules must enter the service of his relative Eurystheus and, within twelve years, perform ten great feats, after which he will receive forgiveness and immortality from the gods.

Nemean lion

To begin with, Eurystheus orders Hercules to get the skin of a lion living near the city of Nemea. This lion cannot be wounded by any weapon. Hercules tries to hit him with arrows, but to no avail. Then he drives the lion into his den, stuns him with a blow of his club, and then strangles him with his hands. To skin the beast, he uses the claws of the lion itself. The hero puts on the magical skin of the Nemean lion and becomes invulnerable.

Lernaean Hydra

The second feat is no easier than the first. By order of Eurystheus, Hercules must kill the hydra - a nine-headed snake that exterminates livestock and with its very breath kills anyone who approaches the swamp near the city of Lerna, where it lives. Hercules cuts off several heads from the snake, but in the place of each, two grow! Nephew Iolaus, called to help by Hercules, cauterizes the snake’s wounds with fire so that the heads do not grow back. Meanwhile, Hercules cuts off the main, immortal head, cuts the hydra’s body and smears the tips of his arrows with its deadly bile. Eurystheus does not include this feat in the count, since Hercules was assisted by Iolaus.

Hercules defeats the Lernaean Hydra - a terrible snake with nine heads

Augean stables

The third labor of Hercules is the capture of the golden-horned Cerynean fallow deer. After this, he catches the Erymanthian boar alive, which destroys the crop. His fifth feat was to cleanse the stables of King Augius from huge accumulations of fetid manure. “If I can clear the stables in one day, give me a tenth of your herd,” Hercules demands. The king agrees. Hercules, thanks to his superhuman strength, diverts the waters of two rivers into a new channel. Now rivers flow through the barnyard, and water gushing through breaks in the walls washes out the stalls.

Hercules connects the beds of two rivers to cleanse the Augean stables

But, despite the fact that Hercules cleared the stables in one day, Augeas does not want to give him the cattle. Then Hercules kills the king. But the insidious Eurystheus does not include this feat in the count, since Hercules demanded payment for it. The sixth feat of the hero is the extermination of man-eating birds with iron feathers, beaks and claws in the Stymphalian swamp.

Seventh labor - taming the bull

The god Poseidon gave the Cretan king Minos a beautiful bull so that Minos would sacrifice it to the sea god. But King Minos did not want to kill the bull. To punish Minos, God sends the bull into a frenzy. A ferocious animal ravages the island and keeps its inhabitants in fear. Hercules goes to Crete and fights a bull for several days. Finally, the hero tames the bull and swims across the sea on its back.

It takes Hercules several days to tame the ferocious Cretan bull

From feat to feat

Years go by. Performing the eighth labor, Hercules captures the mares of Diomedes, whom their owner feeds with human meat, and brings them to Eurystheus. The ninth labor is to steal the magic belt of the war god Ares from the Amazon queen Hippolyta.

Performing his ninth labor, Hercules must fight the warlike Amazons

Then Hercules kills Geryon - a giant with three bodies and three heads - and takes possession of his cows. The eleventh labor leads Hercules to the gardens of the Hesperides, where he steals the golden apples of eternal youth that mother earth Gaia once gave to Hera. Eurystheus, fearing Hera's wrath, refuses to take the apples from Hercules, and Athena returns them to the Hesperides.

Dog Cerberus, guardian of Hades

Eurystheus falls into despair: no, he will never be able to get rid of Hercules! He makes the last, twelfth, attempt: he demands that the hero bring to him Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the entrance to Hades. This task is impossible, because not a single person can come out of the underworld alive! But Hercules copes with this assignment. To deliver Cerberus to Eurystheus, Hercules has to lightly strangle the dog, but then Hercules releases him so that he can continue to guard the kingdom of shadows.

Hercules with his mighty hands strangles Cerberus - the three-headed dog guarding Hades

Hercules and Deianira

Hercules completed his labors. However, the battles and dangerous ignorance do not end there. Hercules marries the princess Deianira. During one of their trips, they both need to swim across a flooded river. Dejanira sits on the back of the centaur Nessus, who wants to kidnap her during the crossing. Hercules shoots an arrow at the centaur, but before his death, the treacherous Nessus manages to whisper to the beautiful Dejanira: “Collect my blood, soak your husband’s clothes with it - and you will preserve his love forever.” A few years later, Hercules falls in love with another woman. Dejanira is jealous and decides to use the centaur's magical blood. She does not know that the blood of Nessus, who died from an arrow smeared with the poisonous bile of the Lernaean hydra, itself turned into poison.

Death of a Hero

Hercules writhes in pain. He tries to tear off his clothes, soaked in the blood of the centaur, but the clothes are stuck to his body and are torn off along with the skin. Dejanira, seeing that she has killed her beloved husband, commits suicide in despair. Hercules makes a big fire and throws himself into it to get rid of unbearable torment. He is the only hero whom the gods allow to Olympus and grant him immortality!

Hercules dies in fire and gains immortality. He remains the most famous Greek hero