Hercules (lat. Heracles, Hercules, in Greek mythology, a hero, the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene (Amphitrion's wife). When Amphitryon (who fought against the tribes of teleboys) was absent, Zeus took on his appearance and appeared to Alcmene. After the return of her husband, Alcmene gave birth at the same time sons - Iphicles from her husband and Hercules from Zeus.

Hercules performed 12 labors while he was in the service of the Mycenaean king Eurystheus.

The First Labor of Hercules (Suffocation of the Nemean Lion)

First of all, he obtained the skin of a Nemean lion. Because the lion was invulnerable to arrows, Hercules managed to defeat him only by strangling him with his hands. When he brought the lion to Mycenae, Eurystheus was so frightened that he ordered Hercules to no longer enter the city, but to show the booty in front of the gates of the city. Eurystheus even built himself a bronze pithos in the ground, where he hid from Hercules and communicated with him only through the herald Kopreya.

The Second Labor of Hercules (The Killing of the Lernaean Hydra)

Wearing the skin of a Nemean lion, Hercules went to carry out the second command of Eurystheus - to kill the Lernean hydra, who stole cattle and devastated the lands in the vicinity of Lerna. She had nine heads, of which one was immortal. When Hercules cut off one head, two grew in its place. To help the hydra, Karkin crawled out - a huge cancer and grabbed Hercules in the leg. But Hercules trampled on him and called for help Iolaus (his nephew, who from that time became his faithful companion), who began to cauterize the fresh wounds of the hydra with burning brands, so that the heads could no longer grow back.

Having chopped off the last, immortal head, the winner buried it in the ground, leaning it with a heavy stone. Having cut the body of the hydra, the hero plunged the tips of his arrows into her deadly bile. Eurystheus refused to include this feat among the 10 destined to perform Hercules because Iolaus helped him.

The Third Labor of Heracles (The Destruction of the Stymphalian Birds)

The third feat of Hercules was the expulsion of the Stymphalian birds with sharp iron feathers, which were found in the forest swamp near the city of Stymphalus (in Arcadia) and devoured people. Having received copper rattles made by Hephaestus from Athena, Hercules frightened away the birds with a noise and then killed them; according to another version of the myth, some of the birds were able to fly to an island in Ponte Euxinus, from where they were then driven away by the Argonauts with a cry.

The fourth feat of Hercules (Capture of the Kerinean fallow deer)

The fallow deer that belonged to Artemis had golden horns and copper hooves. Hercules pursued her for a whole year, reaching the land of the Hyperboreans, and caught her, wounding her with an arrow. Apollo and Artemis wanted to take away the doe from him, but Hercules, referring to the order of Eurystheus, took the doe to Mycenae.

The Fifth Labor of Hercules (Taming the Erymanthian Boar)

Then Eurystheus began to demand from Hercules the Erymanthian boar. On the way to Erimanf (in Northern Arcadia), Hercules stopped at the centaur Fola, who began to treat Hercules cordially. Attracted by the smell of wine, other centaurs moved to the Fola cave, armed with stones and tree trunks. In the battle, the centaurs came to the aid of their mother, the goddess of the clouds Nephele, who threw streams of rain to the ground, but Hercules still partly killed, partly dispersed the centaurs. At the same time, Chiron and Phol died by chance; Foul, marveling at the deadly power of the arrows, pulled one of them out of the body of the dead centaur and accidentally dropped it on his leg, and the poison of the hydra instantly killed him. Hercules was able to catch the Erymanthian boar, driving it into deep snow, and carried it bound to Mycenae.

The sixth labor of Hercules (Cleaning the Augean stables)

The sixth feat of Hercules was the cleansing of the manure of the huge barnyard of the king of Elis Avgii. Hercules, in advance, having reprimanded himself from Avgii in the form of a payment, a tenth of his cattle, made holes in the walls of the room where the cattle was, and diverted the waters of the rivers Alpheus and Peneus there. The water washed the stalls. However, when Avgiy learned that Hercules was carrying out the order of Eurystheus, he did not want to pay him off, and Eurystheus, in turn, declared this feat not counted because Hercules performed it for a fee.

Seventh Labor of Hercules (Taming the Cretan Bull)

Then the king ordered Hercules to bring the Cretan bull, which was distinguished by unusual ferocity. With the permission of King Minos, Hercules was able to overpower the bull and delivered it to Eurystheus. After Hercules released the bull, and he, having reached Attica, began to devastate the fields in the vicinity of Marathon.

The Eighth Labor of Hercules (The Stealing of the Horses of Diomedes)

Hercules was ordered to bring the ferocious mares of the Thracian king Diomedes, who had them chained with iron chains to copper stalls and fed them with human meat. Hercules killed Diomedes, and drove the mares to Eurystheus.

The ninth feat of Hercules (Theft of the Girdle of Hippolyta)

After the request of his daughter Admeta, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to get the belt of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons. Hippolyta agreed to give the belt to Hercules, who arrived on the ship, but Hera, taking the guise of one of the Amazons, frightened the others with the news that strangers wanted to kidnap Hippolyta. with weapons, jumping on horses, rushed to the aid of their queen. Hercules, deciding that the attack was insidiously set up by Hippolyta, killed her, took possession of the belt and, repelling the attack of the Amazons, boarded the ship.

Sailing near Troy, Hercules saw the daughter of King Laomedont Hesion, chained to a rock and given to be eaten by a sea monster, he promised Laomedont to save the princess, demanding a reward for this, divine horses. Hercules killed the monster (option: jumping into his throat, ripped open his liver, but at the same time lost his hair from the fire emanating from the insides of the beast), but Laomedontne gave the promised horses. Threatened with retribution, Hercules sailed to Mycenae, where he gave the girdle of Hippolyta to Eurystheus.

The tenth feat of Hercules (Kidnapping of the cows of the giant Gerion)

The tenth feat was to deliver to Mycenae the cows of Gerion from the island of Erifia, located far to the west in the ocean. Having reached Tartessus, Hercules placed on the northern and southern shores of the strait separating Europe from Africa, two stone steles, the so-called Pillars of Hercules (option: he moved apart the mountains that closed the exit to the ocean, creating the Strait of Gibraltar. Suffering from the scorching sun during the campaign, he directed his bow on Helios himself, and he, admiring the courage of Hercules, provided him with his golden goblet to travel across the ocean.

After arriving at Erifia, Hercules killed the shepherd Eurytion, and then shot Gerion himself, who had three heads and three fused bodies, from a bow. He plunged the cows into the cup of Helios, crossed the ocean, returned his cup to Helios, drove the cows further by land, overcoming many obstacles on the way. In Italy, the robber Kak was able to steal some of the cows from him, which he drove them into a cave. Hercules could not find them and already drove the rest on, but one of the stolen cows lowed; Hercules killed Kaka and took the stolen cows. Following through Scythia, Hercules met a half-maiden-half-snake and entered into a marriage relationship with her; the sons born from this union became the ancestors of the Scythians. When he drove the cows to Mycenae, the king sacrificed them to Hera.

Eleventh labor of Hercules (Theft of golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides)

Then the king ordered Hercules to bring golden apples from the Hesperides. To find out the way to the Hesperides, Hercules went to the river Eridanus (Po) to the nymphs, the daughters of Zeus and Themis, who advised him to find out the way from the omniscient sea god Nereus. Hercules captured Nereus sleeping on the shore, tied him up and, although he took on different guises, did not let go until Nereus agreed to show him the way to the Hesperides.

The road led first through Tartessus to Libya, where Hercules happened to enter into combat with Antaeus. To defeat Antaeus, Hercules tore him off the ground and strangled him in the air, because he remained invulnerable as long as he was in contact with the ground. Tired of the struggle, Hercules fell asleep, and the pygmies attacked him. When he woke up, he gathered them all in his lion's skin. In Egypt, he was seized and carried to the altar of Zeus to be stabbed, because, by order of King Busiris, all foreigners were sacrificed. But Hercules was able to break the shackles and kill Busiris.

Having crossed to the Caucasus, he freed Prometheus, killing the eagle that tormented him with a bow. Only after that Hercules through the Riphean mountains (Urals) arrived in the country of the Hyperboreans, where Atlant stood, supporting the vault of heaven. On the advice of Prometheus, Hercules sent him for the apples of the Hesperides, taking the vault of heaven on his shoulders. Atlas brought three apples and wished to take them to Eurystheus, so that Hercules would remain to hold the sky.

But Hercules was able to outwit Atlas: he agreed to hold the firmament, but said that he wanted to put a pillow on his head. Atlas took his place, and Hercules took the apples and took them to Eurystheus (option: Hercules himself took the apples from the Hesperides, killing the dragon who guarded them). Eurystheus gave the apples to Hercules, but Athena returned them to the Hesperides.

The twelfth labor of Hercules (Taming the dog Cerberus)

The last, 12 feat of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus was a journey to the kingdom of Hades for the guardian of the underworld, Cerberus. Before this, Hercules received an initiation into the mysteries in Eleusis. Under the ground into the kingdom of the dead, he descended through the entrance, which was located not far from Cape Tenar in Laconia, near the entrance Hercules saw Theseus and Pirithous rooted to the rock, punished for Pirithous's attempt to kidnap Persephone (Theseus took part in the abduction on friendship with Pirithous).

Hercules tore Theseus off the stone and returned him to the ground, but when he tried to free Pirithous, the earth trembled, and Hercules was forced to retreat. The lord of the underworld, Hades, allowed Hercules to take Cerberus away, if only he could defeat him, without weapons. Hercules grabbed Cerberus and began to choke him. Despite the fact that the poisonous snake that Cerberus had instead of a tail bit Hercules, he was able to tame Cerberus and led him to Eurystheus, and then, at his command, took him back.

Year of writing: 1 thousand BC

Genre: myths

Main characters: Hercules- son of Zeus, folk hero

Plot

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

Conclusion (my opinion)

Hercules became famous over the centuries for his deeds, it’s only a pity that he, so smart and strong, had to serve the cowardly and miserable Eurystheus, After all, if it weren’t for his titan, he could choose things for himself and do a lot of good for his people.

Will rule over all relatives. Hera, having learned about this, hastened the birth of Perseid's wife Sthenelus, who gave birth to the weak and cowardly Eurystheus. Zeus involuntarily had to agree that Heracles, born after this Alcmene, obey Eurystheus - but not all his life, but only until he performs 12 great feats in his service.

Hercules from early childhood was distinguished by great strength. Already in the cradle, he strangled two huge snakes sent by the Hero to destroy the baby. Hercules spent his childhood in the Boeotian Thebes. He freed this city from the power of neighboring Orchomenus, and in gratitude the Theban king Creon gave his daughter, Megara, to Hercules. Soon Hera sent a fit of madness to Hercules, during which he killed his children and the children of his half-brother Iphicles (according to the tragedies of Euripides ("") and Seneca, Hercules killed his wife Megara as well). The Delphic oracle, in atonement for this sin, ordered Hercules to go to Eurystheus and perform, on his orders, those 12 feats that were destined for him by fate.

The first feat of Hercules (summary)

Hercules kills the Nemean Lion. Copy from the statue of Lysippus

The second feat of Hercules (summary)

The second feat of Hercules is the fight against the Lernean Hydra. Painting by A. Pollaiolo, ca. 1475

The third feat of Hercules (summary)

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

The fourth feat of Hercules (summary)

The fourth feat of Hercules - Keriney doe

The fifth feat of Hercules (summary)

The Erymanthian boar, possessing monstrous strength, terrified all the surroundings. On the way to battle with him, Hercules visited his friend, the centaur Fall. He treated the hero to wine, angering the rest of the centaurs, since the wine belonged to them all, and not to Foul alone. The centaurs rushed at Hercules, but he forced the attackers to hide from the centaur Chiron with archery. Pursuing the centaurs, Hercules broke 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 feat of Hercules (summary)

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

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

The seventh feat of Hercules (summary)

The seventh feat - Hercules and the Cretan bull. Roman mosaic of the 3rd century. according to R. H. from Valencia

The eighth feat of Hercules (summary)

Diomedes being devoured by his horses. Painter Gustave Moreau, 1865

The ninth feat of Hercules (summary)

The tenth feat of Hercules (summary)

At the very western edge of the earth, the giant Gerion, who had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs, grazed 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 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 solar god Helios gave him his horses and a golden boat, on which he himself swims daily through the sky.

Eleventh feat of Hercules (summary)

Eleventh Labor of Hercules - Cerberus

The twelfth feat of Hercules (summary)

Hercules had to find a way to the great titan Atlas (Atlanta), who holds the vault of heaven on his shoulders at the edge of the earth. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to take three golden apples from the golden tree of the Atlas garden. To find out the way to the Atlas, Hercules, on the advice of the nymphs, guarded the sea god Nereus on the seashore, grabbed him and held him until he showed the right way. On the way to the 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.

Hercules fighting Antaeus. Artist O. Coudet, 1819

Photo - Jastrow

The sequence of the 12 major labors of Hercules varies in different mythological sources. The eleventh and twelfth feats change places especially often: a number of ancient authors consider the descent to Hades after Cerberus the last accomplishment of Hercules, and the journey to the garden of the Hesperides - the penultimate one.

Other exploits of Hercules

After completing 12 feats, Heracles, freed from the power of Eurystheus, defeated the best archer of 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 in the city of Calydon to Dejanira, the sister of Meleager, whom he met in the kingdom of Hades. Seeking the hand of Dejanira, Hercules endured a difficult duel with the river god Achelous, who during the fight turned into a snake and a bull.

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

In Tiryns, during a fit of madness again sent by the Hero, Hercules killed his close friend, the son of Eurytus, Ifit. Zeus punished Hercules for this with a serious illness. Trying to find out a remedy for her, 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 for three years as a slave to the Lydian queen Omphale. For three years, Omphala subjected Hercules to terrible humiliations: she forced him to wear women's clothes and spin, and she herself wore a lion's skin and a hero's club. However, Omphale allowed Hercules to take part in the campaign of the Argonauts.

Freed from slavery by Omphale, Hercules took Troy and avenged his previous deception to its king, Laomedon. He then participated in the battle of the gods with the giants. The mother of 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 their arrows.

Death of Hercules

Following this, Hercules set off on a campaign against King Eurytus, who insulted him. Having defeated Eurytus, Hercules captured his daughter, the beautiful Iola, whom he was supposed to receive even after the previous competition with her father in archery. Upon learning 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 Ness soaked in the poison of the Lernean hydra. As soon as Hercules put on this cloak, he stuck to his body. The poison penetrated the skin of the hero and began to cause terrible torment. Dejanira, having learned about her mistake, committed suicide. This myth became the plot of the tragedy of Sophocles, Demophon. The army of Eurystheus invaded the Athenian land, but was defeated by an army led by the eldest son of Hercules, Gill. The Heraclids became the ancestors of one of the four main branches of the Greek people - the Dorians. Three generations after Gylus, the Dorian invasion of the south culminated in the conquest of the Peloponnese, which the Heraclides considered the legitimate heritage of their father, treacherously taken from him by the cunning of the goddess Hera. In news of the captures of the Dorians, legends and myths are already mixed with memories of genuine historical events.

After his marriage with the daughter of the Theban king, Hercules lived several happy years in a happy family, near the glorious throne, and looked at the future with the brightest hopes. But Hera, who was hostile to him, could not see in such happiness a person she hated. She sent him a mind-disturbing illness; in his madness, he killed to death and threw into the fire three children born to him by Megara, and two babies of Iphicles. When his illness finally left him, he fell into deep sorrow and, in order to punish himself for this murder, retired into self-imposed exile. His friend Thespius, in the city of Thespiae, cleared him of the murder and sent Hercules to Delphi to the Apollonian oracle to ask: where should he live in the future? It must have been then that the Pythia called him Hercules - a hero to whom the persecution of Hera will bring glory; formerly they called him Alcides, that is, the son of strength. The oracle ordered him to retire to Tiryns, the ancient seat of his father, and for twelve years to serve his cousin Eurystheus, who ruled Mycenae; and then, when he successfully completes the twelve feats that Eurystheus will impose on him, he will receive immortality.

Hercules, though reluctantly, followed the oracle's command and went to Tiryns. Here the orders of Eurystheus were handed over to him by the herald, for the coward was afraid to be near his mighty servant.

Heracles' First Labor - The Nemean Lion

For the first time, Eurystheus instructed Hercules to kill the monsters that lived in the land of Argos: the Nemean lion and the Lernean hydra. Hercules was supposed to bring the skin of the Nemean lion, which descended from the fire-breathing monster Typhon and the gigantic snake Echidna and lived in the valley between Nemea and Cleanae. Even in Cleani, Hercules went to one poor man, Molarchus, who at that time was about to make a sacrifice to Zeus. Hercules persuaded him to postpone the sacrifice for thirty days, because he wanted, upon returning from a dangerous hunt, to bring with him a sacrifice to the savior Zeus; in the event that Hercules had not returned from the hunt, then Molarch had, according to the condition, to calm his shadow with a sacrifice.

Hercules went into the forest and searched for a lion for several days, finally found him and threw an arrow at him; but the lion was not wounded: the arrow rebounded from him as from a stone. Then Hercules raised his club to the lion; the lion ran away from him into a cave that had two exits. The hero blocked one exit, and approached the beast with another.

Hercules kills the Nemean Lion. Copy from the statue of Lysippus

The Second Labor of Hercules - The Lernaean Hydra

Hercules had to kill the Lernean hydra, a terrible snake with nine heads: eight were mortal, the middle one was immortal. The Hydra was also the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. She grew up in the Lernean swamp, near the spring of Amimone, and from there she attacked the herds and devastated the country. With courage in his heart, Hercules went to this fight in a chariot, which was driven by Iolaus, the courageous son of Iphicles. When he arrived at Lerna, he left behind him Iolaus with his chariot and began to look for the enemy.

Battle of Hercules with the Lernaean Hydra. Painting by G. Reni, 1617-1620

The second feat of Hercules is the fight against the Lernean Hydra. Painting by A. Pollaiolo, ca. 1475

The third feat of Hercules - the Kerinean doe

The fourth feat of Hercules - Keriney doe

The Fourth Labor of Hercules - Erymanthian Boar

When Hercules brought the doe to Mycenae, Eurystheus instructed him to catch the Erymanthian boar. This boar lived on Mount Erymanthus, between Arcadia, Elis and Achaia, and often invaded the region of the city of Psofis, where he devastated the fields and killed people. On the way to this hunt, Hercules crossed the high wooded mountains of Tholos, in which some centaurs lived since they were expelled from Thessaly by Lapith. Tired, hungry Hercules came to the cave of the centaur Fol and was cordially received by him, for although Fol was also half-man and half-horse, like other centaurs, he was not, like Chiron, as rude and brutally wild as they are. He treated Hercules to boiled meat, while he ate his portion raw.

Hercules, who loved to drink good wine at a meal after labors and worries, expressed a desire to drink; but the owner was afraid to open a vessel with wine, a precious gift to the centaurs from Dionysus, who was in his custody: he was afraid that the centaurs would come and break hospitality in their wild anger. Hercules encouraged him and opened the vessel himself; they both drink merrily with full cups, but soon the centaurs appear: having heard the sweet aroma of wine, they rush from all sides to the cave of Fola, in a wild fury they arm themselves with rocks and pine trunks and attack Hercules. He repels the attack, throws hot brands into their chest and face and drives them out of the cave. Then he pursues them with his arrows and drives the last remaining ones to the Cape Malea, where they seek refuge at Chiron, who was driven here from the Pelion Mountains. While they, seeking shelter, crowd around him, an arrow of Hercules hits him in the knee. Only then did the hero recognize his old friend; with great sorrow, he ran to him, applied healing herbs to the wounds, given to him by Chiron himself, and bandaged them, but the wound inflicted by a poisoned arrow is incurable, so Chiron subsequently voluntarily accepted death for Prometheus, Hercules returned to the cave of Fola and, to to his great grief, he also found him dead: Fall took an arrow from the wound of one killed centaur and, looking at it, marveled at how such a small thing could put such a giant dead; suddenly an arrow fell out of his hand, wounded him in the leg, and immediately he fell dead.

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

The Fifth Labor of Heracles - The Stymphalian Birds

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

The sixth feat of Hercules - the stables of Augius

Hercules cleared the Augean stall in one day - this was his sixth feat. Avgiy was the son of the radiant sun god Helios and the king of Elis. He became famous for his immense wealth, which he owed to his loving father. Countless as the clouds of heaven were his herds of bulls and sheep. Three hundred bulls had wool on their legs like snow; two hundred were purple; twelve bulls, dedicated to the god Helios, were white as swans, and one, named Phaethon, shone like a star. In the large barnyard where all these animals were collected, so much manure had accumulated over time that it seemed impossible to clean it out. When Hercules appeared, he suggested that Augeas clear the courtyard in one day if the king would give him a tenth of his herds. Augeas willingly accepted the condition, for he doubted the feasibility of this matter. Hercules called the son of Avgiev to witness the contract, took Alpheus and Peneus to the side of the rivers Alpheus and Peneus and, having broken the wall of the barnyard in two places, passed these rivers through him; the pressure of water in one day carried away all the impurities from the yard, and Hercules did his job. But Augeas does not pay the contractual payment and locks himself even in his promise. He is even ready to take the matter to court.

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

A court was held, and Filey began to testify against his father.

Then Avgiy, before the decision of the court took place, expels Phileaus and Hercules from his country. Philaeus went to the island of Dulilihy and settled there; Hercules returned to Tiryns.

Subsequently, when Hercules was freed from the service of Eurystheus, he took revenge on Augeas: he gathered a large army and attacked Elis. But the nephews of Augean, the twins, the sons of Actor and Molion, who are therefore called Aktorides and Molionides, ambushed his army and defeated it. Hercules himself was ill at that time. Soon afterwards, he himself ambushed the Molionides at the Cleons, while they were going to the Isthmian games, and killed them. Then he again went to Elis and betrayed her to fire and sword. Finally, with his arrow, he killed Avgeas as well. And when he gathered all his army in Pisa and brought rich booty there, he measured out to his father Zeus a sacred piece of land and planted olive trees on it. Then he made a sacrifice to the twelve Olympic gods and the god of the river Alfea and established the Olympic Games. After the best of his troops had tested their strength in various competitions, in the evening, under the charming moonlight, they celebrated a wonderful feast and sang victorious songs.

The seventh feat of Hercules - the Cretan bull

The seventh feat - Hercules and the Cretan bull. Roman mosaic of the 3rd century. according to R. H. from Valencia

The eighth feat of Hercules - the horses of Diomedes

Diomedes being devoured by his horses. Painter Gustave Moreau, 1865

The ninth feat of Hercules - the girdle of Hippolyta

The once warlike people of the Amazons were ruled by Queen Hippolyta. A sign of her royal dignity was a belt given to her by Ares, the god of war. The daughter of Eurystheus Admet wished to have this belt, and Hercules instructed Eurystheus to get it. Hercules sailed along the Euxine Pontus [Black Sea] to the capital of the Amazons, Themiscyra, at the mouth of the Fermodon River, and camped near it. Hippolyta came to him with her Amazons and asked about the purpose of his arrival.

The tenth labor of Hercules - the bulls of Gerion

From the distant eastern countries, Hercules arrived in the extreme west. Eurystheus ordered him to drive to Mycenae the herds of the three-headed giant Geryon, who were grazing on the island of the western ocean of Erifia. Purple, shiny bulls were guarded by the giant Eurytion and the terrible dog Ort. Before Erifia, Hercules had a long and difficult path through Europe and Libya, through barbarian countries and deserts. Having reached the strait that separates Europe from Libya [the Strait of Gibraltar], Hercules, in memory of this farthest journey, erected a pillar-shaped rock on both sides of the strait - and since then these rocks have been called "pillars of Hercules." Soon afterwards he arrived at the ocean shore, but Erifia, the destination of the journey, was still far away: how to reach it, how to cross the world ocean-river? Not knowing what to do, tormented by impatience, Hercules sat on the ocean shore until evening, and now he sees: on his radiant chariot, Helios is rolling towards the ocean from the high sky. It was hard for the hero to look at the near sun, and in anger he pulled his bow on the radiant god. The god marveled at the courage of the wondrous husband, but was not angry with him, even gave him his cuboid boat, on which every night he went around the northern half of the earth. On this canoe, Hercules arrived on the island of Erifia. Here the dog Ort immediately rushed at him, but the hero killed him with his club. He killed Eurytion and drove the flocks of Gerion. But Menetius, who was tending the flocks of Hades not far off, saw what was stolen and told Geryon about it. The giant chased the hero, but died from his arrow. Hercules placed the bulls on the boat of the sun and sailed back to Iberia, where he again handed the ship over to Helios. And he drove his herds through Iberia and Gaul, through the Pyrenees and the Alps. Having overcome many dangers, Hercules arrived at the Tiber River, to the place where Rome was subsequently built.

Stopping in the beautiful valley of the Tiber, Hercules carelessly indulged in sleep, and at that time the two most beautiful bulls from the herd were kidnapped by the fire-breathing giant Kak, who lived in the cave of the Aventian Mountain and made terrible devastation throughout the surrounding country. The next morning, Hercules already wanted to drive further his bulls, but he noticed that not all of the herd was intact. And he followed the trail of the lost bulls and reached the cave, pushed back by a huge, heavy rock. The heads and smoldering bones of the slain people were hung on the rock at the entrance and scattered on the ground. Hercules wondered if the inhabitant of a suspicious cave had stolen his bulls, but - a wonderful thing! - the trail did not lead into the cave, but out of it. He could not understand this and hurried with his flock from an inhospitable country. Then one of the bulls of Hercules roared, as if lamenting about the rest, and the same roar was heard in response to him from the cave. Full of anger, Hercules returns to Kaka's dwelling, with mighty shoulders rolls off the heavy stone of the entrance and breaks into the cave. The giant throws fragments of rocks and tree trunks at him, but can neither frighten nor hold the enemy. Like a volcano, with a terrible roar, he spews smoke and flame at him, but this will not frighten the angry hero. Leaping over a stream of flame, he hit Kaka three times in the face, and a terrible monster fell to the ground and expired.

While, in gratitude for the victory, Hercules sacrificed a bull to Zeus, the surrounding inhabitants came to him, and among others - Evander, who migrated from Arcadia and laid the first principles of higher culture here. All of them hailed Hercules as their deliverer and benefactor. Evander, recognizing Zeus's son in Hercules, erected an altar to him, made a sacrifice, and for all eternity established a cult for him on the site of the last feat of Hercules - a place that the Romans later considered sacred.

Eleventh feat of Hercules - apples of the Hesperides

Hercules was carried away to the far west by his eleventh feat. Here, on the edge of the earth, on the shore of the ocean, there was a marvelous, golden-fruited tree, which the Earth had once grown and presented to Hera during her marriage to Zeus. That tree was in the fragrant garden of Atlas the sky-bearer; the nymphs of the Hesperides, the daughters of the giant, followed him, and the terrible dragon Ladon guarded him, whose eye never closed with sleep. Hercules was supposed to bring three golden apples from a wonderful tree: a difficult matter, especially since Hercules did not know which side the Hesperides tree was on. Overcoming incredible difficulties, for a long time Hercules wandered around Europe, Asia and Libya and finally arrived in the far north, to the nymphs of the Eridanus River. The nymphs advised him to sneak up on the old man of the sea, the seer god Nereus, attack him and find out from him the secret of golden apples. So did Hercules: he forged the god of the sea and only then released, as he learned from him the path to the Hesperides. The path went through Libya, and there Hercules attacked the son of the Earth, the giant Antaeus, and challenged him to fight. While Antaeus touched Mother Earth with his feet, his strength was irresistible: but when Hercules, embracing Antaeus, lifted him from the ground, all the power of the giant disappeared: Hercules defeated him and killed him. From Libya, Hercules arrived in Egypt. Egypt was ruled at that time by Busiris, who sacrificed all foreigners to Zeus. When Hercules arrived in Egypt, Busiris chained him and led him to the altar: but the hero broke the shackles and killed Busiris along with his son.

Hercules fighting Antaeus. Artist O. Coudet, 1819

Photo - Jastrow

The twelfth labor of Hercules - Cerberus

The most difficult and most dangerous feat of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus was the last. The hero had to descend into the gloomy tartar and get out the terrible dog Cerberus. Cerberus was a terrible, three-headed beast, whose tail had the shape and ferocity of a living dragon; on the mane of the beast, all kinds of snakes swarmed. Before performing the feat, Hercules visited Eleusis, and there the priest Eumolpus initiated him into the Eleusinian sacraments, which freed a person from the fear of death. Then the hero arrived in Laconia, from where, through one gloomy crevice, lay the path to the underworld. On this gloomy path, Hermes - the guide of the dead - and led Hercules. Shadows fled in horror at the sight of a mighty husband: only Meleager and Medusa did not budge. Hercules had already raised a sword at Medusa, but Hermes stopped him, saying that this was no longer a terrible petrifying gorgon, but only a shadow devoid of life. The hero had a friendly conversation with Meleager and, at his request, promised to marry his sister Dianira. Near the gates of Hades (Aid's) dwelling, Hercules saw Theseus and Pirithous, rooted to a rock for daring to descend into the underworld in order to kidnap the majestic wife of Hades, Persephone. And they stretched out their hands to the hero, praying to tear them off the rock, to save them from torment. Hercules gave Theseus a hand and freed him; but when he wanted to take Pirithous from the rock, the earth trembled, and Hercules saw that the gods were not pleased to release this criminal. To revive the lifeless shadows with blood, the hero killed one of the cows of Hades, which Menetius pastured.

They fought because of the cow: Hercules hugged Menetius and broke his ribs.

Hercules finally reached the throne of Pluto (Hades). As an initiate in the Eleusinian secrets, the god of the underworld graciously accepted him and allowed him to take the dog with him to earth, if he could only defeat him without weapons. Covered with a shell and a lion's skin, the hero went out to the monster, found him at the mouth of Acheron and immediately attacked him. With mighty hands, Hercules grabbed the triple neck of the terrible dog, and although the dragon, which served as the tail of the monster, stifled him unbearably painfully, the hero strangled Cerberus until, defeated, trembling with fear, he fell at his feet. Hercules chained him and brought him to earth. The dog of hell was horrified when he saw the light of day: poisonous foam poured onto the ground from his triple mouth, and from this foam a poisonous wrestler grew. Hercules hurried to take the monster to Mycenae and, showing him in horror to the coming Eurystheus, took him back to the region of Hades.

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.

Revenge of Hera

The mother of Hercules 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 Perseus family 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 the 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 baby's cradle to kill him. The brother of Hercules, the son of Alcmene and Amphitryon, squealed with fear at the sight of snakes. And Hercules silently grabbed the monsters and strangled them with his bare hands.

Why does Hercules perform his labors?

Hercules grew up and married. But one day the vengeful Hera sends madness on him, and he kills his wife and children. When the attack of madness passes, Hercules is overcome by grief. He asks the Delphic oracle how to atone for this crime. The oracle replies that Hercules must enter the service of his relative Eurystheus and perform ten great feats within twelve years, 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 Nemeus. This lion cannot be hurt by any weapon. Hercules tries to hit him with arrows, but to no avail. Then he drives the lion into his lair, stuns him with a club, and then strangles him with his hands. To remove the skin from the beast, he uses the claws of the lion itself. The hero puts on the magic skin of a Nemean lion and becomes invulnerable.

lernaean hydra

The second feat is not easier than the first. By order of Eurystheus, Hercules must kill the hydra - a nine-headed snake that exterminates livestock and with one breath kills anyone who approaches the swamp near the city of Lerna, where she lives. Hercules cuts off several heads from the snake, but two whole ones grow in place of each! Nephew Iolaus, called by Hercules to help, cauterizes the wounds of the snake with fire so that the heads do not grow again. And Hercules, meanwhile, cuts off the main, immortal, head, cuts the body of the hydra and lubricates the tips of his arrows with her deadly bile. Eurystheus does not include this feat in the account, since Iolaus helped Hercules.

Hercules defeats the Lernean hydra - a terrible snake with nine heads

Augean stables

The third feat of Hercules is the capture of the golden-horned Kerinean fallow deer. After that, he catches the Erymanthian boar alive, which destroys the crop. His fifth feat is to clear the stables of King Avgii from huge accumulations of fetid dung. "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 gaps in the walls washes out the stalls.

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

But, despite the fact that Hercules cleared the stables in one day, Avgiy does not want to give him the cattle. Then Hercules kills the king. And the insidious Eurystheus does not include this feat in the bill, since Hercules demanded a fee 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.

The seventh feat - 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 rabies on the bull. A ferocious animal devastates 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 his back.

It takes Hercules several days to tame the ferocious Cretan bull

From feat to feat

Years go by. Performing the eighth feat, Hercules captures the mares of Diomedes, which their master feeds on human meat, and brings them to Eurystheus. The ninth feat is to steal the magical belt of the war god Ares from the Amazon queen Hippolyta.

Performing his ninth feat, Hercules must fight the warlike Amazons

Hercules then kills Geryon - a giant with three bodies and three heads - and takes possession of his cows. The eleventh feat 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 is in despair: no, he will never be able to get rid of Hercules! He makes the last, twelfth, attempt: he demands that the hero bring Cerberus to him - a three-headed dog that guards the entrance to Hades. This task is impossible, because not a single person can get 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 continues to guard the realm of shadows.

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

Hercules and Deianeira

Hercules completed his labors. However, the battles and dangerous ignorance do not end there. Hercules marries the princess Dejanira. During one of their journeys, both of them 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 Ness manages to whisper to the beautiful Dejanira: "Collect my blood, soak your husband's clothes with it - and you will keep 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 Lernean 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 the body and are torn off along with the skin. Dejanira, seeing that she has killed her beloved husband, in despair commits suicide. Hercules lays out a large fire and rushes into it to get rid of unbearable torment. He is the only hero whom the gods allow to Olympus and endow with immortality!

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