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, based on the 12 labors of Hercules, films are being created and books are being written. Ready to find out summary each of them?

The story starts like this. Hera decides to teach Zeus a lesson for treason, and while Hercules is due to be born, she 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 Ephristheus, who was born at that hour, received all power. Further, the ruler, together with the Hero, decide to get rid of the threat forever. Thus, a dispute took place, in which Hercules had to fulfill 12 difficult tasks. How this happened, read on.

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 can't 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 most courageous warrior to the battle with the left. Of course, not without despicable intentions. Fortunately, Hercules possessed no less monstrous strength. He strangled the lion and became the hero of Nemia, among whom he found many friends and allies.

The second feat of Hercules took place on the territory of the Lernean swamp, where the son of Zeus had to fight with mythical creature called the Lernaean Hydra. Whenever a demigod cut off her head, two new ones would appear at the site of the wound. Then Hercules called his ally from Nemia, who managed to cauterize the wound with a torch. Thus, after the felling of the head, new ones stopped growing. Having defeated the hydra, Hercules covered her with sand, and moistened her with his arrows with blood. Thus, he obtained poisonous arrows for which no one had an antidote...

Realizing that in the battles Hercules has no equal, Ephrystheus decided to go for a trick. He proposed the most outstanding run. As part of the third feat, Hercules was forced to fight in the race with the fastest animal in ancient Greek mythology. The uniqueness of this mission of the 12 labors of Hercules lies in the complexity of the task. You can't kill 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 up to him and threw a rope around the doe. On the way down, the heroes met Artemis, the daughter of Zeus, and gave Lan to her. But Hercules completed the mission.

Another interesting myth from the 12 labors of Hercules is the battle of Hercules with the Erymanthian boar. A huge animal for a long time prevented hunters from getting food for their families. Allegedly with noble goals, Efriseus 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, Hercules managed to climb the hills and slay the monster. Slowly but surely, the son of the thunderer gained fame, destroying all the cunning plans of Hera. And then...

Realizing all the power of Hercules, the king decided to go to another meanness. In ancient Greek mythology, Ares, the god of war, had his own legion of dangerous warriors - Stymphalian birds. By their looks alone, they induced 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 thanks to the joint efforts with Iolaus, he managed to hit all the predators. To complete this mission, he needed the skin of a lion from the first feat. And, of course, the accuracy of the faithful assistant Iolaus.

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, involving the manifestation of completely different qualities, not military ones.
As part of the 6 feat of Hercules, the hero had to go to the proud king named Avgiy. 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 - to prevent the loss of one horse with a brilliant star in its forehead.

Of course, not without effort, he managed to cope with the goal. After that, the king instructed him to clean the stables, promising a tenth of the state. He did it. Then Avgiy was angry that he could not fulfill the instructions of Ephrystheus and deceived Hercules, for which he lost his head.

The 7th feat of Hercules provides for a battle on the island of Crete. In this place, King Minos saved his people from the curse of Poseidon for a long time. Once 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 really interesting and instructive feat of Hercules from 12 famous adventures. Talks about the most unpleasant mission for a demigod. This time, the king told him to steal the horses, which attracted even the gods. Hercules was angry for a long time, but did not go against the will of the king.

To get horses in an honest way, Hercules went to realm of the dead, from where he brought his late wife to the king. Thus, he managed to offer a compromise and deliver valuable horses to his dastardly king.

It is time to consider the 9 feat of the 12 adventures of Hercules. For a long time, Ephrystheus' daughter asked for the belt of Hippolyta herself. So I decided to remember the vile enemy of Hercules about the request of his daughter. Then he decided to send his son Zeus to the 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 the belt by the god of war - 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 did not dare to put on herself.

The myth of Hercules begins with his unusual birth. The thunder god Zeus had a penchant for earthly women. The beautiful Alcmene, the wife of the king of Mycenae, he liked. Zeus, with affectionate speeches, tried to convince her to cheat on her husband. But Alcmene was adamant. Then the Thunderer decided to cheat. He drove all the animals of Hellas into the forest, where the king of Mycenae hunted. Carried away by hunting, he did not return home to spend the night. And Zeus, in the form of a spouse, appeared to Alcmene.

On the day when Hercules was to be born, the Thunderer swore in the presence of the gods that the boy would become the ruler of Mycenae. But Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, realized that we are talking about an illegitimate child. She postponed the birth of Alcmene for a day. At the hour appointed by Zeus, Eurystheus was born. It was he who became the ruler of Mycenae, in the service of which Hercules performed well-known feats.

Myths about Hercules: 12 labors

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

The myth of Hercules tells that Hera later sent madness on the hero. The man's mind was clouded when he played with his sons. He mistook the children for monsters. When the attack of madness passed, Hercules was horrified by his own act. Full of remorse, he decided to go to overseas countries.

Hercules sailed with the Argonauts on a ship to distant Colchis for the Golden Fleece. But his path did not last long - the god Hermes appeared to the hero on the very shores of Greece. He conveyed the will of the gods: let Hercules humble himself and go into the service of the king of Mycenae, Eurystheus.

Jealous Hera, in her desire to get rid of the illegitimate son of Zeus, entered into an agreement with Eurystheus. She advised the ruler of Mycenae to choose the most difficult and dangerous tasks for the hero. The myths about the exploits of Hercules, one might say, appeared thanks to Hera. She herself, unwillingly, contributed to the age-old glory of the hero.

First feat

Eurystheus gave the first task to Hercules - to exterminate the Nemean lion. The monster was born from the giant Typhon and Echidna, a huge snake. The lion was striking in its size and bloodthirstiness. Its strong skin withstood the blows of swords, the arrows blunted against it.

In the vicinity of the city of Nemea, a lion lived, destroying all life in its path. Hercules searched for his lair for a whole month. Finally, he discovered a cave that served as a refuge for the Nemean lion. Hercules blocked the exit from the lair with a huge boulder, and he himself prepared to wait at the entrance. Finally there was a loud roar, and a monster appeared.

The myth of Hercules tells that the hero's arrows bounced off the skin of a lion. The sharp sword did not harm him. Then Hercules grabbed the monster by the throat with his bare hands and strangled him.

The hero returned to Mycenae with victory. When Eurystheus saw the defeated lion, he was frightened by the incredible strength of Hercules.

Second feat

Let's try to retell the second myth about Hercules briefly. Hera came up with a new deadly task for the hero. In the poisonous swamp lurked a terrible monster - the Lernean Hydra. She had the body of a snake and nine heads.

The Lernaean Hydra lived near the entrance to the world of the dead. She crawled out of her lair and devastated the surroundings. Being the sister of the Nemean Lion, she had a huge advantage - one of her nine heads was immortal. Therefore, it was impossible to kill the Lernaean Hydra.

Iolaus offered Hercules his help - he drove the hero on his chariot to a poisonous swamp. For a long time the hero fought with the hydra. But, having struck down one head of the monster, Hercules saw two new ones appear in its place.

Assistant Iolaus set fire to a nearby grove and began to cauterize the cut heads of the hydra. When Hercules cut off the last, immortal head, he buried it deep in the ground. From above, he rolled a huge rock so that the monster could never again appear on earth.

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

Third feat

Myths about the exploits of Hercules indicate his strength, dexterity, speed. For more than a year, the hero was chasing the Kerinean doe in order to catch it - this was a new task for the ruler of Mycenae.

A beautiful fallow deer appeared in the vicinity of the Kerineian mountains. Her horns sparkled with gold, and her hooves were cast with copper. The skin of the animal sparkled in the sun. The Kerinean doe was created by the goddess of hunting Artemis. She did this as a reproach to people who exterminated flora and fauna.

The deer ran faster than the wind - she rushed, running away from Hercules, through Attica, Thesprotia, Boeotia. For a whole year, the hero tried to catch up with the beautiful fugitive. In desperation, Hercules took out a bow and shot the animal in the leg. Throwing a net over the prey, he carried it to Mycenae.

Artemis appeared before him in anger. Ancient myths about Hercules tell that the hero obeyed her. He explained how the will of the gods forced him to serve Eurystheus. That it was not for himself that he pursued a beautiful doe. Artemis had mercy and allowed Hercules to take the animal to Mycenae.

Fourth feat

And Eurystheus has already prepared a new task for the hero. What is it? The fourth myth about Hercules will tell us about this. Its summary allows us to find out that a wild boar appeared in Arcadia. The Erymanthian boar destroyed livestock, forest animals, travelers with huge fangs ...

On the way, Hercules went to the familiar centaur Fall. They opened wine, had fun, sang songs. Other centaurs, attracted by the aroma of the wine, armed themselves with stones and stakes and declared that the wine had been given as a gift to the whole community. A fight ensued. Hercules put the centaurs to flight with his poisonous arrows.

Continuing the journey, the hero soon saw the Erymanthian boar. But the blows of the sword did not frighten the animal. Then Hercules raised his shield high. When the sun was reflected in it, the hero directed the beam directly into the eyes of the beast. Then he began to beat the sword on the shield. Blinded, the beast was frightened by the loud noise. He rushed high into the mountains, where he got stuck in deep snow. Then Hercules tied the boar, put it on his shoulders and brought it to Mycenae.

The inhabitants rejoiced at their deliverance from the formidable monster. Eurystheus, seeing the size of the boar, was so frightened that he hid in a bronze pithos.

Fifth feat

King Avgiy was famous for his herds and stables. He fenced off the barnyard with a high fence, because he was in fear around the clock that the bulls and horses might be kidnapped. For days on end Augeas tried to count the number of horses in the stables. But the herd was in motion, the horses were moving, and the count had to be started all over again.

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

Hercules realized that it was necessary to make a hole in the fence. He broke on both sides of the fence that surrounded the stables. The water flow of the mountain river immediately washed away all the impurities.

The myth of Hercules briefly reports that after this feat, the hero sacrificed to the river god for unpleasant work. Then he restored the fence and returned to Mycenae for a new task.

Sixth feat

One day, two huge birds appeared near the city of Stimfal, they tell myths about Hercules. They had copper beaks and bronze feathers. Stymphalian birds eventually multiplied and formed a flock. They destroyed seedlings in the fields. They dropped their bronze feathers like arrows at everyone who happened to be near them.

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

Stymphalian birds flew up in fright, began to shed their sharp feathers. Hercules took refuge under the shield from their onslaught. After the birds shed all their feathers, the hero shot them with a bow. And those who did not have time to hit flew away from these places.

The seventh feat

What will the seventh myth of Hercules tell about? The summary indicates that there are no more monstrous animals and birds left in Arcadia. But Eurystheus figured out where to send Hercules - to the island of Crete.

The sea god Poseidon presented King Minos with a marvelous bull, so that the ruler would sacrifice it to the gods. But the king liked the Cretan bull so much that he hid it in his herd. Poseidon learned about the deception of the king. In anger, he struck the bull with madness. The monster rushed around for a long time, killing people in a rage, dispersing the herds.

Eurystheus, on the slander of Hera, wished to see the Cretan bull alive. Hercules realized that only force can pacify the animal. He went out to fight, grabbed the bull by the horns, bent his head to the ground. The animal sensed that the enemy was stronger. The Cretan bull stopped resisting. Then Hercules saddled him and drove him into the sea. So, riding an animal, the hero returned to Arcadia.

The bull did not even try to throw off Hercules, calmly entered the stall of King Eurystheus. When the hero, tired after a new feat, went to sleep, the ruler was afraid to keep the mad bull in his place and, in fear, released him into the wild.

So the bull wandered around the outskirts of Arcadia until he was defeated by another hero of Hellas - Theseus.

Eighth feat

Myths about Hercules also tell about the demonic horses of Diomedes. These carnivorous monsters devoured wayward travelers. Sailors who were wrecked were killed. When Hercules and his assistant arrived in the country, he immediately went in search of carnivorous horses. By neighing, he realized where the stables of King Diomedes were.

With a blow of his fist on the head, he pacified the first horse and threw a bridle around his neck. When the whole herd was bridled, Hercules with an assistant drove him to the ship. And then King Diomedes stood in the way with his army. Hercules defeated everyone, and when he returned to the shore, he saw that the horses had torn to pieces his assistant and fled.

The hero fed the body of King Diomedes to his own horses, drove them onto a ship and took them to Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus, at the sight of carnivorous horses, in horror, ordered them to be released into the forest. There they were dealt with by wild animals.

The ninth feat

12 myths about Hercules are extremely interesting. All of them tell about the strength and courage of the son of Zeus, about the amazing adventures that fell to his lot. The ninth tells about the girdle of Hippolyta. He wanted to get the daughter of Eurystheus Admet. She heard that the belt was given to the Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta by Ares himself, the god of war.

Hercules went on a journey with companions. The Amazons greeted them friendly and asked about the purpose of the trip. Hercules honestly told Queen Hippolyta about how the daughter of Eurystheus wanted to receive her belt as a gift.

Hippolyta agreed to give the jewelry to Hercules. But the goddess Hera interfered. She did not like the peaceful solution of the issue - she wanted to destroy the hero. Hera, transformed into one of the Amazons, spread the rumor that Hercules wants to sell them into slavery.

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

Tenth feat

The tenth myth about Hercules continues our story. King Eurystheus thought for a long time before giving the hero a new task. He wanted to send his hated half-brother to a distant country, so far away that it would take a month or more to sail there.

Hercules traveled a long way. He defeated the son of the god Vulcan - the monster Kakus. Later, the city of Rome was founded on the site of their battle.

In the green meadows of Erithia, the cows of Geryon, a giant with three bodies, three heads and three pairs of arms and legs, grazed. They were guarded by a two-headed dog. At the sight of Hercules, he growled and rushed at him. The hero quickly defeated the dog, but then the giant shepherd woke up. The goddess Athena doubled the strength of Hercules, and he knocked down the giant with several blows of the club. The hero won another victory.

Sailing on a ship to Iberia, Hercules lay down to rest, letting go of the herd to graze. With the first rays of the sun, he decided to drive the herd overland. Cows went through Iberia, Gaul, Italy. Near the sea, one of them rushed to the water and swam. She ended up on the island of Sicily. The local ruler Eriks did not want to give the cow to Hercules. I had to defeat him too.

With the fugitive, the hero returned to the herd and led him to King Eurystheus. The latter sacrificed cows to Hera, hoping to get rid of Hercules.

Eleventh feat

And again a long road awaited the hero. Eurystheus sent Heracles for the golden apples of the Hesperides. They gave immortality and eternal youth. In the garden of the Hesperides, only nymphs guarded the apples. And the garden itself was on the edge of the earth, where Atlas held the vault of heaven on his shoulders.

On the way to the end of the world, Hercules freed Prometheus in the mountains of the Caucasus. He fought with the son of the land of Gaia - Antey. Only by tearing the giant off the ground, could his hero defeat him. Having reached Atlanta, Hercules told him about the purpose of his journey. They agreed that the hero would hold the heavens on his shoulders, and Atlas would ask the nymphs for apples.

Hercules was already exhausted under the weight of the vault, and Atlas returned. The giant did not want to again take on his shoulders an exorbitant burden. The cunning man suggested that Hercules hold the sky for more while he himself reached Mycenae and gave the apples to the king. But our hero is not so stupid. He agreed, but on the condition that the giant hold the heavens, and Hercules, in the meantime, make himself a grass pillow - the burden is very heavy. Atlas believed and stood in his place, and the hero took the apples and returned home.

Twelfth feat

The last task of Eurystheus was the most difficult, according to myth 12. The exploits of Hercules (they are summarized in this article) take the reader into the amazing world of the mythology of Ancient Greece, a world full of amazing adventures, powerful and insidious gods and strong, brave heroes. But we digress. So, 12 feat. Hercules was to descend into the realm of the dead and kidnap the dog Cerberus. Three heads, a tail in the form of a snake - at the sight of this fiend, the blood ran cold in the veins.

He descended into Hades Hercules and fought with Cerberus. Having defeated the dog, the hero brought him to Mycenae. The king did not allow the gate to be opened and shouted that Hercules let the terrible monster go back.

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

The thirteenth feat and the death of Hercules

The legends of Hellas say that there are 13 feats of Hercules. The myth has conveyed to this day the story of King Thespia. Hercules stopped in his house when he hunted the Kiferon lion. Thespius was worried that his daughters would choose unsightly suitors for themselves, give birth to ugly grandchildren. The king offered Heracles to impregnate his 50 daughters. So the hero hunted a lion during the day, and spent the nights with the royal daughters.

Many years later, Hercules married Dejanira. They had many children. One day the couple were crossing a fast river. Dejanira was transported by the centaur Ness. He was seduced by the beauty of the woman and wanted to take possession of her. Hercules hit him with a poisonous arrow. Experiencing terrible torment, Ness decided to take revenge on the hero. He persuaded Dejanira to draw his blood. If Heracles falls out of love with her, you just need to soak his clothes with the blood of a centaur, and then the husband will not look at any more women.

Dejanira kept the bottle with the gift of Nessus. Returning from a military campaign, Hercules brought a young captive princess into the house. In a fit of jealousy, Dejanira soaked her husband's clothes with blood. The poison quickly acted and began to deliver Hercules severe torment, and it was not possible to take off his clothes. The eldest son carried his father in his arms to Mount Etu, where he made a funeral pyre. When the flame flared up, a huge cloud covered Hercules. So the gods decided to take the hero to Olympus and grant him immortal life.

Hercules grew up in the forests of Cithaeron and became a powerful young man. He was a full head taller than everyone else, and his strength far exceeded that of a man. At first glance, one could recognize in him the son of Zeus, especially by the eyes that shone with some kind of extraordinary, divine light. No one was equal to Hercules in dexterity in military exercises, and he owned a bow and a spear so skillfully that he never missed. While still a young man, Hercules killed the formidable Cithaeron lion that lived on the tops of the mountains. Young Hercules attacked him, killed him and skinned him. He put this skin on himself, threw it like a cloak over his mighty shoulders, With his paws he tied it on his chest, and the skin from the head of a lion served him as a helmet. Hercules made himself a huge club from an ash tree, hard as iron, uprooted by him with roots in the Nemean grove. Hercules gave Hercules a sword, Apollo gave him a bow and arrows, Hephaestus made him a golden shell, and Athena herself wove clothes for him.

Having matured, Hercules defeated the king Orchomenus Ergin, to whom Thebes paid a large tribute every year. He killed Ergin during the battle, and imposed a tribute on the Minian Orchomenus, which was twice as much as that paid by Thebes. For this feat, the king of Thebes Creon gave Hercules his daughter Megara as a wife, and the gods sent him three beautiful sons.

Hercules lived happily in the seven gates of Thebes. But the great goddess Hera still burned with hatred for the son of Zeus. She sent a terrible disease to Hercules. Lost my mind great hero, madness took hold of him. In a fit of rage, Hercules killed all his children and the children of his brother Iphicles. When the attack passed, deep grief seized Hercules. Purified from the filth of the involuntary murder he had committed, Hercules left Thebes and went to the sacred Delphi to ask the god Apollo what to 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 the twelve great labors at the command of Eurystheus.

Labors of Hercules

Hercules settled in Tiryns and became the servant of the weak, cowardly Eurystheus. Eurystheus was afraid of the mighty hero and did not let him into Mycenae. He transmitted all his orders to the son of Zeus in Tiryns through his herald Koprey.

Nemean lion (first labor)

Hercules did not have to wait long for the first order of King Eurystheus. He instructed Hercules to kill the Nemean lion. This lion, begotten by Typhon and Echidna, was of monstrous size. He lived near the city of Nemea and devastated all the surroundings. Hercules boldly set out on a dangerous feat. Arriving in Nemea, he immediately went to the mountains to find the lion's lair. It was already noon when the hero reached the slopes of the mountains. There was not a single living soul to be seen anywhere: neither shepherds nor farmers. All living things fled from these places in fear of the terrible lion. Hercules searched for a long time on the wooded slopes of the mountains and in the gorges of the lion's lair, finally, when the sun was already leaning towards the west, Hercules found the lair in the gloomy gorge; it was in a huge cave, which had two exits. Hercules blocked one of the exits with huge stones and began to wait for the lion, hiding behind the stones. Towards evening, when dusk was already approaching, a monstrous lion with a long shaggy mane appeared. Hercules pulled the string of his bow and shot three arrows at the lion one after another, but the arrows bounced off his skin - it was hard as steel. The lion roared menacingly, his growl rolled like thunder through the mountains. Looking around in all directions, the lion stood in the gorge and searched with eyes burning with rage for the one who dared to shoot arrows at him. But then he saw Hercules and rushed at the hero with a huge leap. Like lightning, the club of Hercules flashed and fell like a thunderbolt on the head of a lion. The lion fell to the ground, stunned by a terrible blow; Hercules rushed at the lion, grabbed him with his mighty arms and strangled him. Having shouldered a dead lion on his mighty shoulders, Hercules returned to Nemea, sacrificed to Zeus and established Nemean games in memory of his first feat. When Hercules brought the lion he had killed to Mycenae, Eurystheus turned pale with fear, looking at the monstrous lion. King Mycenae realized what superhuman strength Hercules possesses. He forbade him even to approach the gates of Mycenae; when Hercules brought evidence of his exploits, Eurystheus looked at them with horror from the high Mycenaean walls.

Lernaean Hydra (second labor)

After the first feat, Eurystheus sent Hercules to kill the Lernean hydra. It was a monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon. Like the Nemean lion, the hydra was spawned by Typhon and Echidna. The hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna and, crawling out of its lair, destroyed entire herds and devastated all the surroundings. The fight against the nine-headed hydra was dangerous because one of its heads was immortal. Hercules set out on his journey to Lerna with Iphicles' son Iolaus. Arriving at the swamp near the city of Lerna, Hercules left Iolaus with a chariot in a nearby grove, and he himself went to look for the hydra. He found her in a cave surrounded by a swamp. Having red-hot his arrows, Hercules began to let them go one by one into the hydra. The hydra was enraged by the arrows of Hercules. She crawled out, wriggling her body covered with shiny scales, from the darkness of the cave, rose menacingly on her huge tail and already wanted to rush at the hero, but the son of Zeus stepped on her body with his foot and crushed her to the ground. With its tail, the hydra wrapped itself around the legs of Hercules and tried to knock him down. Like an unshakable rock, the hero stood and, with a wave of a heavy club, knocked down the heads of the hydra one after another. Like a whirlwind, a club whistled through the air; the heads of the hydra flew off, but the hydra was still alive. Then Hercules noticed that in the hydra, two new ones grow in place of each knocked down head. The help of the hydra also appeared. A monstrous cancer crawled out of the swamp and dug its tongs into Hercules' leg. Then the hero called his friend Iolaus for help. Iolaus killed the monstrous cancer, set fire to a part of the nearby grove and burned the necks of the hydra with burning tree trunks, from which Hercules knocked down their heads with his club. New heads have ceased to grow from the hydra. Weaker and weaker she resisted the son of Zeus. Finally, the immortal head flew off the hydra. The monstrous hydra was defeated and collapsed dead to the ground. The conqueror Hercules buried her immortal head deeply and piled a huge rock on it so that it could not come out into the light again. Then the great hero cut the body of the hydra and plunged his arrows into her poisonous bile. Since then, the wounds from the arrows of Hercules have become incurable. With great triumph Hercules returned to Tiryns. But there, a new assignment from Eurystheus awaited him.

Stymphalian birds (third labor)

Eurystheus instructed Hercules to kill the Stymphalian birds. Almost all the neighborhoods of the Arcadian city of Stimfal turned these birds into the desert. They attacked both animals and people and tore them apart with their copper claws and beaks. But the most terrible thing was that the feathers of these birds were made of hard bronze, and the birds, having taken off, could drop them, like arrows, on the one who would take it into his head to attack them. It was difficult for Hercules to fulfill this order of Eurystheus. The warrior Pallas Athena came to his aid. She gave Hercules two copper tympanums, the god Hephaestus forged them, and ordered Hercules to stand on a high hill near the forest where the Stymphalian birds nested and strike the tympanums; when the birds take off - shoot them with a bow. So did Hercules. Climbing the hill, he struck the tympanum, and such a deafening sound arose that the birds flew over the forest in a huge flock and began to circle in horror over it. They rained down their feathers, sharp as arrows, on the ground, but the feathers did not fall into Hercules standing on the hill. The hero grabbed his bow and began to strike the birds with deadly arrows. In fear, the Stymphalian birds soared beyond the clouds and disappeared from the eyes of Hercules. The birds flew away far beyond the borders of Greece, to the shores of the Euxine Pontus, and never returned to the vicinity of Stymphal. So Hercules fulfilled this order of Eurystheus and returned to Tiryns, but he immediately had to go on an even more difficult feat.

When Alcmene was to give birth to Hercules and his brother Iphicles, Zeus gathered the gods on Olympus and said that his son, a warrior who would command all the descendants of Perseus, should be born that day. His jealous wife tricked him into taking an oath that the first born child would become the ruler of the Perseus clan. She hastened the birth of another woman, and the sickly and weak king Eurystheus was the first to be born. Zeus was angry with his wife and the goddess of deceit Ata and concluded an agreement with Hera, according to which Hercules would be under the rule of Eurystheus until he completed twelve labors.

nemean lion

The first command of the weak king was to kill a huge monstrous lion - the offspring of Echidna and Typhon, who lived near the city of Nemea. Hercules found the lair of the beast and blocked the entrance to it with a huge stone. When the lion returned from hunting, Hercules shot him, but the arrows bounced off the thick hide of the monster, then Hercules hit the lion with a club and stunned him. Seeing that the enemy fell, Hercules attacked him and strangled him.

Lyrnaean Hydra

After defeating the Nemean lion, Eurystheus sent Hercules to kill another offspring of Echidna and Typhon - a nine-headed hydra that lived in a swamp near the city of Lirna. To lure the hydra out of the swamp cave, Hercules heated his arrows red-hot and began shooting into the lair. When the monster crawled out, the hero began to knock down her heads with a club, but two heads grew in place of each severed head. A giant cancer came to the aid of the hydra and grabbed Hercules in the leg. Hercules called the hero Iolaus, who killed the cancer and began to cauterize the places of the heads cut down by Hercules for the hydra. After cutting off the last immortal head, Hercules cut the body of the hydra in two.

Stymphalian birds

Near the city of Stimfal lived a flock of birds, whose claws, beak and feathers were made of bronze, they attacked people and animals and tore them apart. Eurystheus sent Hercules to exterminate these birds. Athena Pallas came to the aid of the hero, she gave Hercules tympanums, hitting which Hercules frightened the birds and began to smash them with arrows, the frightened flock flew away far from the city and never returned.

kerinean fallow deer

The deer sent by the goddess Artemis to people as punishment, Hercules had to deliver Eurystheus alive. Her horns were golden and her hooves were copper. He pursued her for a whole year until he overtook her in the far north. There he wounded a doe in the leg and, having put it on his shoulders, brought it alive to Mycenae.

Erymanthian boar

A huge boar lived on Mount Erimanf, this boar killed all living things in the vicinity, giving people no rest. Hercules drove the boar out of the lair with a loud cry and drove him high into the mountains. When the tired beast got stuck in the snow, Heeracles tied him up and brought him alive to Eurystheus.

Augean stables

The sixth feat of Hercules was the command of Eurystheus to clear the huge barnyard of King Avgiy. Hercules promised Avgius that he would do all the work in one day, in exchange, the king had to give the son of Zeus a tenth of his flock. Hercules broke the walls of the yard from two sides and directed the waters of two rivers into the stables, which quickly carried away all the manure from the barnyard.

Cretan bull

Poseidon sent a beautiful bull to the king of Crete so that the king would sacrifice it to the ruler of the seas, but Minos took pity on such a handsome man and sacrificed another bull. Enraged, Poseidon sent rabies on the bull so that the bull rushed around Crete and did not give its inhabitants peace. Hercules tamed him, climbed on the back of the bull, swam across it to the Peloponnese and brought Eurystheus.

Horses of Diomedes

After the return of Hercules with a bull, Eurystheus ordered the hero to bring the wonderful horses of Diomedes, which the Thracian king fed with human flesh. Hercules and his companions stole the horses from the stall and brought them to their ship. Diomedes sent an army after him, but Hercules and his friends won and returned to Mycenae with horses.

Belt of Hippolyta

The magnificent belt was presented by the god Ares to his favorite lady of the Amazons, as a symbol of strength and power. Eurystheus sent Hercules to bring this belt to Mycenae. Theseus also went on this campaign along with the Heracles army. The Amazons met Hercules with interest, and their queen liked the son of Zeus so much that she was ready to voluntarily give her belt to him. But Hera took the form of one of the Amazons and turned them all against Hercules. After a bloody battle, Hercules captured two Amazons, one of them Hippolyta redeemed for his belt, the other Hercules gave to his friend Theseus.

Cows of Geryon

After returning from the Amazons, Hercules received a new task - to drive the cows of the two-headed giant Geryon. In the battle with the giants, Athena Pallas helped Hercules, having taken possession of the herd, he returned to Mycenae and gave the cows to Eurystheus, who sacrificed them to Hera.

Cerberus

On the eleventh feat, Eurystheus sent Hercules to the underworld of Hades, so that he would bring him the three-headed guardian of the world of the dead - huge dog Cerberus. Hercules saw many miracles and horrors in the underworld; finally, he appeared before Hades and asked to give him his dog. The king agreed, but Hercules had to tame the monster with his bare hands. Returning to Mycenae, Hercules gave Cerberus to Eurystheus, but the king, frightened, ordered the dog to be returned back.

Apples of the Hesperides

The last feat was the campaign of Hercules to the titan Atlas for apples, which were guarded by the daughters of Atlas - the Hesperides. Hercules came to the titan and asked him for three golden apples, the titan agreed, but in return Hercules had to hold the vault of heaven on his shoulders instead of Atlas. Hercules agreed and took the place of the titan. Atlas brought apples, and Hercules went to Eurystheus, gave the apples and freed himself from his power.

The name speaks for itself...

Who is Eurystheus?

Eurystheus, in Greek mythology, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae, the great-grandson of Zeus, the grandson of Perseus, the son of Sthenelus and Nikippa, who was born earlier than Hercules and therefore received power over Mycenae and neighboring peoples. Fulfilling the orders of Eurystheus, Hercules performed his twelve labors. After Hercules ascended to Olympus, Eurystheus began to pursue his mother Alcmene and the sons of Hercules Heraclides; in the ensuing battle, Eurystheus and his sons (Alexander, Ifimedon, Eurybius, Mentor and Perimedes) were killed.

First Labor: Nemean Lion

Hercules did not have to wait long for the first order of King Eurystheus. He instructed Hercules to kill the Nemean lion. This lion, begotten by Typhon and Echidna, was of monstrous size. He lived near the city of Nemea and devastated all the surroundings. Hercules boldly set out on a dangerous feat. Arriving in Nemea, he immediately went to the mountains to find the lion's lair. It was already noon when the hero reached the slopes of the mountains. There was not a single living soul to be seen anywhere: neither shepherds nor farmers. All living things fled from these places in fear of the terrible lion. Hercules searched for a long time on the wooded slopes of the mountains and in the gorges of the lion's lair, finally, when the sun was already leaning towards the west, Hercules found the lair in the gloomy gorge; it was in a huge cave, which had two exits. Hercules blocked one of the exits with huge stones and began to wait for the lion, hiding behind the stones. Towards evening, when dusk was already approaching, a monstrous lion with a long shaggy mane appeared. Hercules pulled the string of his bow and shot three arrows at the lion one after another, but the arrows bounced off his skin - it was hard as steel. The lion roared menacingly, his growl rolled like thunder through the mountains. Looking around in all directions, the lion stood in the gorge and searched with eyes burning with rage for the one who dared to shoot arrows at him. But then he saw Hercules and rushed at the hero with a huge jump. Like lightning, the club of Hercules flashed and fell like a thunderbolt on the head of a lion. The lion fell to the ground, stunned by a terrible blow; Hercules rushed at the lion, grabbed him with his mighty arms and strangled him. Having shouldered a dead lion on his mighty shoulders, Hercules returned to Nemea, sacrificed to Zeus and established the Nemean games in memory of his first feat. When Hercules brought the lion he had killed to Mycenae, Eurystheus turned pale with fear, looking at the monstrous lion. King Mycenae realized what superhuman strength Hercules possesses. He forbade him even to approach the gates of Mycenae; when Hercules brought evidence of his exploits, Eurystheus looked at them with horror from the high Mycenaean walls.

Second Labor: Lernaean Hydra

After the first feat, Eurystheus sent Hercules to kill the Lernean hydra. It was a monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon. Like the Nemean lion, the hydra was spawned by Typhon and Echidna. The hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna and, crawling out of its lair, destroyed entire herds and devastated all the surroundings. The fight against the nine-headed hydra was dangerous because one of its heads was immortal. Hercules set out on his journey to Lerna with Iphicles' son Iolaus. Arriving at the swamp near the city of Lerna, Hercules left Iolaus with a chariot in a nearby grove, and he himself went to look for the hydra. He found her in a cave surrounded by a swamp. Having red-hot his arrows, Hercules began to let them go one by one into the hydra. The hydra was enraged by the arrows of Hercules. She crawled out, wriggling her body covered with shiny scales, from the darkness of the cave, rose menacingly on her huge tail and already wanted to rush at the hero, but the son of Zeus stepped on her body with his foot and crushed her to the ground. With its tail, the hydra wrapped itself around the legs of Hercules and tried to knock him down. Like an unshakable rock, the hero stood and, with a wave of a heavy club, knocked down the heads of the hydra one after another. Like a whirlwind, a club whistled through the air; the heads of the hydra flew off, but the hydra was still alive. Then Hercules noticed that in the hydra, two new ones grow in place of each knocked down head. The help of the hydra also appeared. A monstrous cancer crawled out of the swamp and dug its tongs into Hercules' leg. Then the hero called his friend Iolaus for help. Iolaus killed the monstrous cancer, set fire to a part of the nearby grove and burned the necks of the hydra with burning tree trunks, from which Hercules knocked down their heads with his club. New heads have ceased to grow from the hydra. Weaker and weaker she resisted the son of Zeus. Finally, the immortal head flew off the hydra. The monstrous hydra was defeated and collapsed dead to the ground. The conqueror Hercules buried her immortal head deeply and piled a huge rock on it so that it could not come out into the light again. Then the great hero cut the body of the hydra and plunged his arrows into her poisonous bile. Since then, the wounds from the arrows of Hercules have become incurable. With great triumph Hercules returned to Tiryns. But there, a new assignment from Eurystheus awaited him.

Third Labor: The Stymphalian Birds

Eurystheus instructed Hercules to kill the Stymphalian birds. Almost all the neighborhoods of the Arcadian city of Stimfal turned these birds into the desert. They attacked both animals and people and tore them apart with their copper claws and beaks. But the most terrible thing was that the feathers of these birds were made of hard bronze, and the birds, having taken off, could drop them, like arrows, on the one who would take it into his head to attack them. It was difficult for Hercules to fulfill this order of Eurystheus. The warrior Pallas Athena came to his aid. She gave Hercules two copper tympanums, the god Hephaestus forged them, and ordered Hercules to stand on a high hill near the forest where the Stymphalian birds nested and strike the tympanums; when the birds take off - shoot them with a bow. So did Hercules. Climbing the hill, he struck the tympanum, and such a deafening sound arose that the birds flew over the forest in a huge flock and began to circle in horror over it. They rained down their feathers, sharp as arrows, on the ground, but the feathers did not fall into Hercules standing on the hill. The hero grabbed his bow and began to strike the birds with deadly arrows. In fear, the Stymphalian birds soared beyond the clouds and disappeared from the eyes of Hercules. The birds flew away far beyond the borders of Greece, to the shores of the Euxine Pontus, and never returned to the vicinity of Stymphalus. So Hercules fulfilled this order of Eurystheus and returned to Tiryns, but he immediately had to go on an even more difficult feat.

Fourth feat: Keriney doe

Eurystheus knew that a wonderful Kerinean doe lives in Arcadia, sent by the goddess Artemis to punish people. This deer devastated the fields. Eurystheus sent Hercules to catch her and ordered him to deliver the doe to Mycenae alive. This deer was extraordinarily beautiful, her horns were golden, and her legs were copper. Like the wind, she rushed through the mountains and valleys of Arcadia, never knowing fatigue. For a whole year, Hercules pursued the Kerinean doe. She rushed through the mountains, through the plains, jumped over the abyss, swam across the rivers. Farther and farther north ran the doe. The hero did not lag behind her, he pursued her, not losing sight of her. Finally, Hercules reached the extreme north in pursuit of the pad - the country of the Hyperboreans and the sources of Istra. Here the deer stopped. The hero wanted to grab her, but she slipped away and, like an arrow, rushed back to the south. The chase began again. Hercules managed only in Arcadia to overtake a doe. Even after such a long chase, she did not lose her strength. Desperate to catch a doe, Hercules resorted to his arrows that did not know a miss. He wounded the golden-horned doe with an arrow in the leg, and only then did he manage to catch it. Hercules shouldered a wonderful doe on his shoulders and was about to carry it to Mycenae, when an angry Artemis appeared before him and said: “Didn’t you know, Hercules, that this doe is mine? Why did you insult me ​​by hurting my beloved doe? Don't you know that I do not forgive insults? Or do you think that you are more powerful than the Olympian gods? With reverence, Hercules bowed before the beautiful goddess and answered: - Oh, the great daughter of Latona, do not blame me! I have never offended the immortal gods living on the bright Olympus; I always honored the celestials with rich sacrifices and never considered myself equal to them, although I myself am the son of Zeus the Thunderer. I did not pursue your doe of my own free will, but at the command of Eurystheus. The gods themselves commanded me to serve him, and I dare not disobey Eurystheus! Artemis forgave Hercules for his guilt. The great son of the Thunderer Zeus brought the Kerinean fallow deer alive to Mycenae and gave it to Eurystheus.

Fifth feat: Erymanthus boar and the battle with the centaurs

After hunting for a copper-footed doe, which lasted a whole year, Hercules did not rest long. Eurystheus again gave him a commission: Hercules was supposed to kill the Erymanthian boar. This boar, possessing monstrous strength, lived on Mount Erimanthe and devastated the surroundings of the city of Psofis. He did not give mercy to people either and killed them with his huge fangs. Hercules went to Mount Erimanfu. On the way, he visited the wise centaur Fall. Phol accepted the great son of Zeus with honor and arranged a feast for him. During the feast, the centaur opened a large vessel of wine to treat the hero better. The fragrance of marvelous wine wafted far away. Heard this fragrance and other centaurs. They were terribly angry with Phol because he opened the vessel. Wine belonged not only to Foul, but was the property of all centaurs. The centaurs rushed to Fall's dwelling and attacked him and Hercules by surprise, when the two of them were feasting merrily, decorating their heads with wreaths of ivy. Hercules was not afraid of the centaurs. He quickly jumped up from his bed and began to throw huge smoking brands at the attackers. The centaurs fled, and Hercules wounded them with his poisonous arrows. The hero pursued them all the way to Malea. There the centaurs took refuge with a friend of Hercules, Chiron, the wisest of the centaurs. Following them, Hercules burst into the cave. In anger, he pulled his bow, an arrow flashed in the air and pierced the knee of one of the centaurs. Hercules did not strike the enemy, but his friend Chiron. Great Tribulation seized the hero when he saw whom he had wounded. Hercules hurries to wash and bandage his friend's wound, but nothing can help. Hercules knew that the wound from the arrow, poisoned by the bile of the hydra, was incurable. Chiron also knew that he was in danger of a painful death. In order not to suffer from a wound, he subsequently voluntarily descended into the gloomy kingdom of Hades. In deep sadness, Hercules left Chiron and soon reached Mount Erimanth. There, in a dense forest, he found a formidable boar and drove him out of the thicket with a cry. Hercules pursued the boar for a long time, and finally drove him into deep snow on the top of the mountain. The boar got stuck in the snow, and Hercules, rushing at him, tied him up and carried him alive to Mycenae. When Eurystheus saw the monstrous boar, he hid in a large bronze vessel out of fear.

The sixth feat: Animal farm of king Avgiy

Soon, Eurystheus gave a new assignment to Hercules. He had to clear the entire barnyard of Avgius, the king of Elis, the son of the radiant Helios, from manure. The sun god gave his son innumerable riches. The flocks of Avgeas were especially numerous. Among his herds there were three hundred bulls with snow-white legs, two hundred bulls were red like Sidon purple, twelve bulls dedicated to the god Helios were white like swans, and one bull, distinguished by its extraordinary beauty, shone like a star. Heracles suggested that Avgius clean up his entire vast barnyard in one day, if he agrees to give him a tenth of his herds. Augius agreed. It seemed impossible for him to do such a job in one day. Hercules, on the other hand, broke the wall that surrounded the barnyard from two opposite sides, and diverted the water of two rivers, Alpheus and Peneus, into it. The water of these rivers in one day carried away all the manure from the barnyard, and Hercules again laid down the walls. When the hero came to Avgiy to demand a reward, the proud king did not give him the promised tenth of the herds, and Hercules had to return to Tiryns with nothing. The great hero took terrible revenge on the king of Elis. A few years later, already freed from the service of Eurystheus, Hercules invaded Elis with a large army, defeated Avgius in a bloody battle and killed him with his deadly arrow. After the victory, Hercules gathered an army and all the rich booty near the city of Pisa, made sacrifices to the Olympic gods and established the Olympic Games, which since then have been celebrated by all Greeks every four years on the sacred plain, planted by Hercules himself dedicated to the goddess Pallas Athena. The Olympic Games are the most important of all Greek festivities, during which universal peace was declared throughout Greece. A few months before the games, ambassadors were sent out all over Greece and the Greek colonies, inviting them to the games at Olympia. Games were held every four years. There were competitions in running, wrestling, fisticuffs, discus and spear throwing, as well as chariot races. The winners of the games received an olive wreath as a reward and enjoyed great honor. The Greeks kept track of the Olympic Games, considering the first to take place in 776 BC. e. There were Olympic Games until 393 AD. e., when they were banned by the emperor Theodosius as incompatible with Christianity. After 30 years, Emperor Theodosius II burned the temple of Zeus at Olympia and all the luxurious buildings that adorned the place where the Olympic Games took place. They turned into ruins and were gradually covered by the sand of the Alfea River. Only excavations carried out at the site of Olympia in the 19th century. n. e., mainly from 1875 to 1881, gave us the opportunity to get an accurate idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe former Olympia and the Olympic Games. Hercules took revenge on all the allies of Avgius. The king of Pylos, Neleus, paid especially. Hercules, having come with an army to Pylos, took the city and killed Neleus and his eleven sons. The son of Neleus, Periklimen, was not saved either, to whom Poseidon, the ruler of the sea, gave the gift of turning into a lion, a snake and a bee. Hercules killed him when, turning into a bee, Periclymenes mounted one of the horses harnessed to Hercules' chariot. Only Neleus' son Nestor survived. Subsequently, Nestor became famous among the Greeks for his exploits and great wisdom.

Seventh feat: Cretan bull

To fulfill the seventh order of Eurystheus, Hercules had to leave Greece and go to the island of Crete. Eurystheus instructed him to bring a Cretan bull to Mycenae. This bull was sent to the king of Crete by Minos, the son of Europe, Poseidon, the shaker of the earth; Minos was supposed to sacrifice a bull to Poseidon. But Minos is sorry to sacrifice such a beautiful bull - he left him in his herd, and sacrificed one of his bulls to Poseidon. Poseidon was angry with Minos and sent rabies on the bull that came out of the sea. A bull rushed all over the island and destroyed everything in its path. The great hero Hercules caught the bull and tamed it. He sat on the broad back of a bull and swam on it across the sea from Crete to the Peloponnese. Hercules brought the bull to Mycenae, but Eurystheus was afraid to leave the bull of Poseidon in his herd and set him free. Sensing freedom again, a mad bull rushed through the entire Peloponnese to the north and finally ran to Attica on the Marathon field. There he was killed by the great Athenian hero Theseus.

Eighth Labor: Horses of Diomedes

After taming the Cretan bull, Hercules, on behalf of Eurystheus, had to go to Thrace to the king of the bistones, Diomedes. This king had marvelous beauty and strength of horses. They were chained with iron chains in their stalls, since no fetters could hold them. King Diomedes fed these horses with human meat. He threw them to be eaten by all the foreigners who, driven by the storm, stuck to his city. It was to this Thracian king that Hercules appeared with his companions. He took possession of the horses of Diomedes and took them to his ship. Diomedes himself overtook Hercules on the shore with his warlike bistones. Entrusting the protection of the horses to his beloved Abder, the son of Hermes, Hercules entered into battle with Diomedes. Hercules had few companions, but Diomedes was still defeated and fell in battle. Hercules returned to the ship. How great was his despair when he saw that the wild horses had torn to pieces his beloved Abder. Hercules arranged a magnificent funeral for his favorite, poured a high hill on his grave, and next to the grave he founded a city and named it Abdera in honor of his favorite. Hercules brought the horses of Diomedes to Eurystheus, and he ordered them to be released into the wild. The wild horses fled to the mountains of Lycaion, covered with dense forest, and were there torn to pieces by wild beasts.

HERCULES AT ADMET
Mainly based on the tragedy of Euripides "Alcestis"
When Hercules sailed on a ship across the sea to the shores of Thrace for the horses of King Diomedes, he decided to visit his friend, King Admet, since the path lay past the city of Ther, where Admet ruled.
Hard times for Admet chose Hercules. Great grief reigned in the house of King Fer. His wife Alcestis was to die. Once the goddesses of fate, the great moiras, at the request of Apollo, determined that Admet could get rid of death if, in the last hour of his life, someone agreed to voluntarily descend instead of him into the gloomy kingdom of Hades. When the hour of death came, Admet asked his elderly parents that one of them agreed to die in his place, but the parents refused. None of the inhabitants of Fer agreed to die voluntarily for King Admet. Then the young, beautiful Alcestis decided to sacrifice her life for her beloved husband. On the day when Admet was to die, his wife prepared for death. She washed the body and put on burial clothes and ornaments. Approaching the hearth, Alcestis turned to the goddess Hestia, who gives happiness in the house, with an ardent prayer:
- Oh, great goddess! Last time I kneel here before you. I pray you, protect my orphans, because today I must descend into the kingdom of gloomy Hades. Oh, do not let them die, as I die, untimely! May their life here, at home, be happy and rich.
Then Alcestis went around all the altars of the gods and decorated them with myrtle.
Finally, she went to her chambers and fell into tears on her bed. Her children came to her - a son and a daughter. They sobbed bitterly at their mother's breasts. The maids of Alcestis also wept. In desperation, Admet embraced his young wife and begged her not to leave him. Already ready for the death of Alcestis; the god of death Tanat, hated by the gods and people, is already approaching with inaudible steps to the palace of Tsar Fer, to cut a lock of hair from the head of Alcestis with a sword. The golden-haired Apollo himself asked him to postpone the hour of death of the wife of his beloved Admet, but Tanat is inexorable. Alcestis feels the approach of death. She exclaims in horror:
- Oh, the two-oared boat of Charon is already approaching me, and the carrier of the souls of the dead shouts menacingly to me, ruling the boat: “Why are you delaying? Oh let me go! My legs are getting weak. Death is coming. Black night covers my eyes! Oh children, children! Your mother is no longer alive! Live happily! Admet, I was dearer than mine own life Your life. Let the sun shine on you, not on me. Admet, you love our children as much as I do. Oh, do not take a stepmother into their house, so that she does not offend them!
The unfortunate Admet suffers.
- You take all the joy of life with you, Alcestis! - he exclaims, - all my life now I will grieve for you. Oh, gods, gods, what a wife you are taking from me!
Alcestis says in a barely audible voice:
- Goodbye! My eyes have already closed. Farewell, children! Now I am nothing. Farewell, Admet!
- Oh, look again at least once! Don't leave the kids! Oh, let me die too! Admet exclaimed with tears.
Alcestis' eyes closed, her body grows cold, she died. Weeps inconsolably over the dead Admet and bitterly complains about his fate. He tells his wife to prepare a magnificent funeral. For eight months he orders everyone in the city to mourn for Alcestis, the best of women. The whole city is full of sorrow, as everyone loved the good queen.
They were already preparing to carry the body of Alcestis to her tomb, as Hercules comes to the city of Thera. He goes to the palace of Admetus and meets his friend at the gates of the palace. With honor Admet met the great son of the auspicious Zeus. Not wanting to sadden the guest, Admet tries to hide his grief from him. But Hercules immediately noticed that his friend was deeply saddened, and asked about the reason for his grief. Admet gives an unclear answer to Hercules, and he decides that Admet's distant relative died, whom the king sheltered after the death of his father. Admet orders his servants to take Hercules to the guest room and arrange a rich feast for him, and lock the doors to the female half so that groans of grief do not reach Hercules' ears. Unaware of the misfortune that befell his friend, Hercules feasts merrily in the palace of Admetus. He drinks cup after cup. It is hard for servants to wait on a cheerful guest - because they know that their beloved mistress is no longer alive. No matter how hard they try, on the orders of Admet, to hide their grief, yet Hercules notices tears in their eyes and sadness on their faces. He calls one of the servants to feast with him, says that the wine will give him oblivion and smooth out the wrinkles of sadness on his forehead, but the servant refuses. Then Hercules guesses that grievous grief befell the house of Admet. He starts asking the servant what happened to his friend, and finally the servant tells him:
- Oh, stranger, Admet's wife descended today into the kingdom of Hades.
Heracles was saddened. It hurt him that he feasted in a wreath of ivy and sang in the house of a friend who suffered such great grief. Hercules decided to thank the noble Admet for the fact that, despite the grief that befell him, he nevertheless received him so hospitably. The decision quickly matured in the great hero to take away from the gloomy god of death Tanat his prey - Alcestis.
Having learned from the servant where the tomb of Alcestis is located, he hurries there as soon as possible. Hiding behind the tomb, Hercules is waiting for Tanat to fly in to get drunk at the grave of sacrificial blood. Here the flapping of the black wings of Tanat was heard, there was a breath of grave cold; the gloomy god of death flew to the tomb and greedily pressed his lips to the sacrificial blood. Hercules jumped out of the ambush and rushed to Tanat. He seized the god of death with his mighty hands, and a terrible struggle began between them. Straining all his strength, Hercules fights with the god of death. Tanat squeezed the chest of Hercules with his bony hands, he breathes on him with his chilling breath, and from his wings the cold of death blows on the hero. Nevertheless, the mighty son of the Thunderer Zeus defeated Tanat. He tied Tanat and demanded as a ransom for freedom that the god of death be returned to life by Alcestis. Tanat gave Hercules the life of Admet's wife, and the great hero led her back to her husband's palace.
Admet, returning to the palace after the funeral of his wife, bitterly mourned his irreplaceable loss. It was hard for him to stay in the deserted palace, Where should he go? He envies the dead. He hates life. He calls death. Tanat stole all his happiness and took him to the kingdom of Hades. What could be harder for him than the loss of his beloved wife! Admet regrets that she did not allow Alcestis to die with her, then their death would have united them. Hades would have received two faithful souls instead of one. Together these souls of Acheron would have crossed. Suddenly, Hercules appeared before the mournful Admet. He leads by the hand a woman covered with a veil. Hercules asks Admet to leave this woman, which he inherited after a hard struggle, in the palace until he returns from Thrace. Admet refuses; he asks Hercules to take the woman to someone else. It is hard for Admet to see another woman in his palace when he lost the one he loved so much. Hercules insists and even wants Admet to bring a woman into the palace himself. He does not allow the servants of Admet to touch her. Finally, Admet, unable to refuse his friend, takes the woman by the hand to lead her into his palace. Hercules tells him:
- You took it, Admet! So protect her! Now you can say that the son of Zeus is a true friend. Look at the woman! Doesn't she look like your wife Alcestis? Stop mourning! Be happy with life again!
- Oh, great gods! - Admet exclaimed, lifting the woman's veil, - my wife Alcestis! Oh no, it's only a shadow of her! She stands silently, she did not say a word!
- No, it's not a shadow! - answered Hercules, - this is Alcestis. I got it in a hard fight with the lord of souls Tanat. She will be silent until she is freed from the power of the underground gods, bringing them redemptive sacrifices; she will be silent until night changes day three times; Only then will she speak. Now farewell, Admet! Be happy and always observe the great custom of hospitality, consecrated by my father himself - Zeus!
- Oh, great son of Zeus, you gave me the joy of life again! - exclaimed Admet, - how can I thank you? Stay my guest. I will order in all my possessions to celebrate your victory, I will order great sacrifices to be made to the gods. Stay with me!
Hercules did not stay with Admet; a feat awaited him; he had to fulfill the order of Eurystheus and get him the horses of King Diomedes.

Labor 9: Hippolyta's Belt

The ninth feat of Hercules was his campaign in the country of the Amazons for the belt of Queen Hippolyta. This belt was given to Hippolyta by the god of war Ares, and she wore it as a sign of her power over all the Amazons. The daughter of Eurystheus Admet, the priestess of the goddess Hera, wanted to have this belt without fail. To fulfill her desire, Eurystheus sent Hercules for the belt. Having gathered a small detachment of heroes, the great son of Zeus set off on a long journey on a ship alone. Although the detachment of Hercules was small, there were many glorious heroes in this detachment, I was in it the great hero of Attica Theseus.
The heroes have a long way to go. They had to reach the farthest shores of the Euxine Pontus, since there was a country of the Amazons with the capital Themyscira. On the way, Hercules landed with his companions on the island of Paros, where the sons of Minos ruled. On this island, the sons of Minos killed two companions of Hercules. Hercules, angry at this, immediately began a war with the sons of Minos. He killed many of the inhabitants of Paros, while others, having driven into the city, kept under siege until the besieged ambassadors were sent to Heracles and began to ask him to take two of them instead of the dead companions. Then Hercules lifted the siege and instead of the dead he took the grandsons of Minos, Alcaeus and Sthenelus.
From Paros, Hercules arrived in Mysia to King Lycus, who received him with great hospitality. The king of the Bebriks unexpectedly attacked Lik. Hercules defeated the king of the Bebriks with his detachment and destroyed his capital, and gave all the land of the Bebriks to Lik. King Lik named this country in honor of Heracles Heraclea. After this feat, Hercules went on, and finally arrived at the city of the Amazons, Themyscira.
The fame of the exploits of the son of Zeus has long reached the country of the Amazons. Therefore, when the ship of Hercules landed at Themyscira, the Amazons came out with the queen to meet the hero. They looked with surprise at the great son of Zeus, who stood out, like an immortal god, among his fellow heroes. Queen Hippolyta asked the great hero Hercules:
- Glorious son of Zeus, tell me what brought you to our city? Do you bring us peace or war?
So Hercules answered the queen:
- Queen, it was not of my own free will that I came here with an army, having made a long journey across a stormy sea; I was sent by the ruler of Mycenae, Eurystheus. His daughter Admet wants to have your belt, a gift from the god Ares. Eurystheus instructed me to get your belt.
Hippolyta was unable to refuse anything to Hercules. She was already ready to voluntarily give him the belt, but the great Hera, wanting to destroy the hated Hercules, took the form of an Amazon, intervened in the crowd and began to convince the warriors to attack the army of Hercules.
“Hercules is not telling the truth,” Hera said to the Amazons, “he came to you with insidious intent: the hero wants to kidnap your queen Hippolyta and take her as a slave to his house.
The Amazons believed Hera. They grabbed their weapons and attacked the army of Hercules. Ahead of the Amazon army rushed Aella, fast as the wind. She attacked Hercules first, like a stormy whirlwind. The great hero repulsed her onslaught and put her to flight, Aella thought to escape from the hero with a quick flight. All her speed did not help her, Hercules overtook her and struck her with his sparkling sword. Fell in battle and Protoya. She slew seven heroes from among the companions of Hercules with her own hand, but she did not escape the arrow of the great son of Zeus. Then seven Amazons attacked Hercules at once; they were companions of Artemis herself: no one was equal to them in the art of wielding a spear. Covering themselves with shields, they launched their spears at Hercules. but the spears flew past this time. All of them were slain by the hero with his club; one after another they burst to the ground, flashing their weapons. The Amazonian Melanippe, who led the army into battle, was captured by Hercules, and together with her captured Antiope. The formidable warriors were defeated, their army fled, many of them fell at the hands of the heroes pursuing them. The Amazons made peace with Hercules. Hippolyta bought the freedom of the mighty Melanippe with the price of her belt. The heroes took Antiope with them. Hercules gave it as a reward to Theseus for his great courage.
So Hercules got the girdle of Hippolyta.

HERCULES SAVE HESYONE, LAOMEDON'S DAUGHTER

On the way back to Tiryns from the country of the Amazons, Hercules arrived on ships with his army to Troy. A heavy sight appeared before the eyes of the heroes when they landed on the shore near Troy. They saw the beautiful daughter of the king of Troy, Laomedont, Hesion, chained to a rock near the seashore. She was doomed, like Andromeda, to be torn to pieces by a monster emerging from the sea. This monster was sent as a punishment to Laomedon by Poseidon for refusing to pay him and Apollo a fee for the construction of the walls of Troy. The proud king, who, according to the verdict of Zeus, had to serve both gods, even threatened to cut off their ears if they demanded payment. Then, the angry Apollo sent a terrible pestilence to all the possessions of Laomedont, and Poseidon - a monster that devastated, sparing no one, the surroundings of Troy. Only by sacrificing the life of his daughter could Laomedon save his country from a terrible disaster. Against his will, he had to chain his daughter Hesion to a rock by the sea.
Seeing the unfortunate girl, Hercules volunteered to save her, and for the salvation of Hesion, he demanded from Laomedont as a reward for those horses that the Thunderer Zeus gave to the king of Troy as a ransom for his son Ganymede. He was once kidnapped by the eagle of Zeus and carried to Olympus. Laomedon agreed to Hercules' demands. The great hero ordered the Trojans to build a rampart on the seashore and hid behind it. As soon as Hercules took cover behind the rampart, a monster emerged from the sea and, opening its huge mouth, rushed at Hesion. With a loud cry, Hercules ran out from behind the shaft, rushed at the monster and plunged his double-edged sword deep into his chest. Heracles saved Hesiona.
When the son of Zeus demanded the promised reward from Laomedont, it became a pity for the king to part with the marvelous horses, he did not give them to Hercules and even drove him away with threats from Troy. Hercules left the possession of Laomedont, holding his anger deep in his heart. Now he could not take revenge on the king who had deceived him, since his army was too small and the hero could not hope to soon capture impregnable Troy. The great son of Zeus could not stay under Troy for a long time - he had to rush with Hippolyta's belt to Mycenae.

Tenth feat: Cows of Gerion

Shortly after returning from a campaign in the country of the Amazons, Hercules set off on a new feat. Eurystheus instructed him to drive to Mycenae the cows of the great Geryon, the son of Chrysaor and the Oceanid Kalliroi. Far was the way to Geryon. Hercules had to reach himself western edge earth, those places where the radiant sun god Helios descends from the sky at sunset. Hercules went on a long journey alone. He passed through Africa, through the barren deserts of Libya, through the countries of wild barbarians, and finally reached the ends of the earth. Here he erected two giant stone pillars on both sides of the narrow sea strait as an eternal monument to his feat.
After this, Hercules had to wander a lot more, until he reached the shores of the gray Ocean. In thought, the hero sat on the shore near the ever-noisy waters of the Ocean. How was it possible for him to reach the island of Eritheia, where Geryon pastured his flocks? The day was already drawing to a close. Here appeared the chariot of Helios, descending to the waters of the Ocean. The bright rays of Helios blinded Hercules, and an unbearable, scorching heat enveloped him. Hercules jumped up in anger and grabbed his formidable bow, but bright Helios did not get angry, he smiled affably at the hero, he liked the extraordinary courage of the great son of Zeus. Helios himself invited Hercules to cross to Eritheia in a golden boat, in which the sun god sailed every evening with his horses and chariot from the western to the eastern edge of the earth to his golden palace. The delighted hero boldly jumped into the golden boat and quickly reached the shores of Eritheia.
As soon as he landed on the island, the formidable two-headed dog Orfo sensed him and rushed at the hero with barking. Hercules killed him with one blow of his heavy club. Not only Orfo guarded the herds of Gerion. Hercules also had to fight with the shepherd of Gerion, the giant Eurytion. The son of Zeus quickly coped with the giant and drove the cows of Gerion to the seashore, where the golden boat of Helios stood. Gerion heard the lowing of his cows and went to the herd. Seeing that his dog Orfo and the giant Eurytion were killed, he chased after the stealer of the herd and overtook him on the seashore. Gerion was a monstrous giant: he had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs. He covered himself with three shields during the battle, he immediately threw three huge spears at the enemy. Hercules had to fight with such a giant, but the great warrior Pallas Athena helped him. As soon as Hercules saw him, he immediately shot his deadly arrow at the giant. An arrow pierced the eye of one of Gerion's heads. The first arrow was followed by the second, followed by the third. Hercules waved menacingly with his all-destroying club, like lightning, the hero Geryon struck it, and the three-bodied giant fell to the ground like a lifeless corpse. Hercules transported the cows of Geryon from Eritheia in the golden boat of Helios across the stormy Ocean and returned the boat to Helios. Half of the feat was over.

Much work lay ahead. It was necessary to drive the bulls to Mycenae. Through all of Spain, through the Pyrenees, through Gaul and the Alps, through Italy, Hercules drove the cows. In southern Italy, near the city of Rhegium, one of the cows escaped from the herd and swam across the strait to Sicily. There, King Eriks, the son of Poseidon, saw her, and took the cow into his herd. Hercules searched for a cow for a long time. Finally, he asked the god Hephaestus to guard the herd, and he crossed over to Sicily and there he found his cow in the herd of King Eriks. The king did not want to return her to Hercules; hoping for his strength, he challenged Hercules to single combat. The winner was to be rewarded with a cow. Eriks could not afford such an opponent as Hercules. The son of Zeus squeezed the king in his mighty arms and strangled him. Hercules returned with a cow to his herd and drove him further. On the shores of the Ionian Sea, the goddess Hera sent rabies to the whole herd. The mad cows ran in all directions. Only with great difficulty Hercules caught most of the cows already in Thrace and finally drove them to Eurystheus in Mycenae. Eurystheus sacrificed them to the great goddess Hera.

Eleventh feat: Cerberus (Cerberus)

As soon as Heracles returned to Tiryns, Eurystheus sent him again to the feat. This was already the eleventh feat that Hercules was to perform in the service of Eurystheus. Hercules had to overcome incredible difficulties during this feat. He was supposed to descend into the gloomy, full of horrors, the underworld of Hades and bring to Eurystheus the guardian of the underworld, the terrible hell hound Kerber. Kerberos had three heads, snakes wriggled around his neck, his tail ended in the head of a dragon with a huge mouth. Hercules went to Laconia and through the gloomy abyss at Tenar descended into the darkness of the underworld. At the very gates of the kingdom of Hades, Hercules saw the heroes Theseus and Perithous, king of Thessaly, rooted to the rock. The gods punished them so because they wanted to steal his wife Persephone from Hades. Theseus prayed to Hercules:
- Oh, great son of Zeus, free me! You see my suffering! You alone can save me from them!
Hercules extended his hand to Theseus and freed him. When he wanted to free Perifoy as well, the earth trembled, and Hercules realized that the gods did not want his release. Hercules submitted to the will of the gods and went on into the darkness of eternal night. The herald of the gods Hermes, the conductor of the souls of the dead, entered the underworld kingdom of Hercules, and the beloved daughter of Zeus herself, Pallas Athena, was the companion of the great hero. When Hercules entered the kingdom of Hades, the shadows of the dead scattered in horror. Only the shadow of the hero Meleager did not run at the sight of Hercules. With a prayer she turned to the great son of Zeus:
- O, great Hercules, I beg you one thing in memory of our friendship, take pity on my orphaned sister, beautiful Dejanira! She remained defenseless after my death. Take her as your wife, great hero! Be her protector!
Hercules promised to fulfill the request of a friend and went further after Hermes. The shadow of the terrible Gorgon Medusa rose towards Hercules, she menacingly stretched out her copper hands and waved her golden wings, snakes stirred on her head. grabbed the sword fearless hero, but Hermes stopped him with the words:
- Do not grab the sword, Hercules! After all, it's just an ethereal shadow! She doesn't threaten you with death!
Hercules saw many horrors on his way; finally, he appeared before the throne of Hades. The ruler of the kingdom of the dead and his wife Persephone looked with delight at the great son of the Thunderer Zeus, who fearlessly descended into the kingdom of darkness and sorrow. He, majestic, calm, stood before the throne of Hades, leaning on his huge club, in a lion's skin draped over his shoulders, and with a bow over his shoulders. Hades graciously greeted the son of his great brother Zeus and asked what made him leave the light of the sun and descend into the kingdom of darkness. Bowing before Hades, Hercules answered:
- Oh, the ruler of the souls of the dead, the great Hades, do not be angry with me for my request, all-powerful! You know, after all, that it was not of my own free will that I came to your kingdom, that it was not of my own free will that I would ask you. Let me, Lord Hades, take your three-headed dog Kerberos to Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to do this, whom I serve at the command of the bright Olympian gods.
Hades replied to the hero:
- I will fulfill, son of Zeus, your request; but you must tame Cerberus without weapons. If you tame him, then I will let you take him to Eurystheus.
For a long time Heracles searched for Kerberos in the underworld. Finally, he found him on the banks of the Acheron. Hercules wrapped his arms, strong as steel, around the neck of Cerberus. The dog Aida howled menacingly; the whole underworld was filled with his howl. He struggled to escape from the arms of Hercules, but only the mighty hands of the hero squeezed the neck of Kerberos more tightly. Kerber wrapped his tail around the hero's legs, the dragon's head dug its teeth into his body, but all in vain. The mighty Hercules squeezed his neck harder and harder. Finally, the half-strangled dog Aida fell at the feet of the hero. Hercules tamed him and led him from the kingdom of darkness to Mycenae. Frightened by daylight Kerberos; he was covered with cold sweat, poisonous foam dripped from his three mouths onto the ground; wherever a drop of foam dripped, poisonous herbs grew.
Hercules brought Kerberos to the walls of Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus was horrified at one glance at scary dog. Almost on his knees, he begged Hercules to take back to the kingdom of Hades Kerberos. Hercules fulfilled his request and returned Hades to his terrible guard Cerberus.

Labor 12: Apples of the Hesperides

The most difficult feat of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus was his last, twelfth feat. He had to go to the great titan Atlas, who holds the vault of heaven on his shoulders, and get three golden apples from his gardens, which were watched by the daughters of Atlas, the Hesperides. These apples grew on a golden tree grown by the goddess of the earth Gaia as a gift to the great Hera on the day of her wedding with Zeus. To accomplish this feat, it was necessary first of all to find out the way to the gardens of the Hesperides, guarded by a dragon who never closed his eyes to sleep.
Nobody knew the way to the Hesperides and Atlas. Hercules wandered for a long time through Asia and Europe, he passed through all the countries that he had passed before along the way for the cows of Geryon; everywhere Hercules asked about the way, but no one knew him. In his search, he went to the extreme north, to the Eridanus River, eternally rolling its stormy, boundless waters. On the banks of Eridanus, beautiful nymphs met the great son of Zeus with honor and gave him advice on how to find out the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Hercules was supposed to surprise the prophetic old man Nereus when he came ashore from the depths of the sea, and learn from him the way to the Hesperides; except Nereus, no one knew this way. Hercules searched for Nemeus for a long time. Finally, he managed to find Nereus on the seashore. Hercules attacked the sea god. The struggle with the sea god was difficult. To free himself from the iron embrace of Hercules, Nereus took on all sorts of forms, but still the hero did not let him out. Finally, he tied the weary Nereus, and in order to gain freedom, the sea god had to reveal to Hercules the secret of the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Having learned this secret, the son of Zeus released the sea elder and set off on a long journey.
Again he had to go through Libya. Here he met the giant Antey, the son of Poseidon, the god of the seas, and the goddess of the earth, Gaia, who gave birth to him, nurtured and raised him. Antaeus forced all travelers to fight him and mercilessly killed everyone he defeated in the fight. The giant demanded that Hercules also fight him. No one could defeat Antaeus in single combat, not knowing the secret from where the giant received more and more strength during the struggle. The secret was this: when Antaeus felt that he was beginning to lose strength, he touched the earth, his mother, and his strength was renewed: he drew them from his mother, the great goddess of the earth. But as soon as Antaeus was torn off the ground and lifted into the air, his strength disappeared. Hercules fought for a long time with Antaeus. several times he knocked him to the ground, but only Antaeus's strength increased. Suddenly, during the struggle, the mighty Hercules Anthea lifted high into the air - the strength of the son of Gaia dried up, and Hercules strangled him.
Then Hercules went and came to Egypt. There, tired from the long journey, he fell asleep in the shade of a small grove on the banks of the Nile. The king of Egypt, the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Epaphus Lysianassa, Busiris, saw the sleeping Hercules, and ordered to bind the sleeping hero. He wanted to sacrifice Hercules to his father Zeus. For nine years there was a crop failure in Egypt; the soothsayer Thrasius, who came from Cyprus, predicted that the crop failure would stop only if Busiris annually sacrificed a foreigner to Zeus. Busiris ordered the soothsayer Thrasius to be seized and was the first to sacrifice him. From that time on, the cruel king sacrificed to the Thunderer all the strangers who came to Egypt. They also brought Hercules to the altar, but the great hero tore the ropes with which he was bound, and killed Busiris himself and his son Amphidamantus at the altar. So the cruel king of Egypt was punished.
Hercules had to meet a lot more on the way of his dangers, until he reached the ends of the earth, where the great titan Atlas stood. With amazement, the hero looked at the mighty titan, holding the entire heavenly vault on his broad shoulders.
- Oh, the great titan Atlas! - Hercules turned to him, - I am the son of Zeus, Hercules. I was sent to you by Eurystheus, the king of the rich gold of Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to get three golden apples from you from a golden tree in the gardens of the Hesperides.
“I will give you three apples, son of Zeus,” Atlas replied, “while I go after them, you must take my place and hold the vault of heaven on your shoulders.
Hercules agreed. He took the place of Atlas. An incredible weight fell on the shoulders of the son of Zeus. He exerted all his strength and held the vault of heaven. The weight was terribly pressing on the mighty shoulders of Hercules. He bent under the weight of the sky, his muscles swelled like mountains, sweat covered his entire body from tension, but superhuman strength and the help of the goddess Athena gave him the opportunity to hold the vault of heaven until Atlas returned with three golden apples. Returning, Atlas said to the hero:
- Here are three apples, Hercules; if you want, I myself will take them to Mycenae, and you hold the vault of heaven until my return; then I will take your place again.
Hercules understood the cunning of Atlas, he realized that the titan wanted to completely free himself from his hard work, and applied cunning against cunning.
- All right, Atlas, I agree! Hercules answered. “Just let me first make myself a pillow, I will put it on my shoulders so that the vault of heaven does not press them so terribly.
Atlas stood back in his place and shouldered the weight of the sky. Hercules raised his bow and quiver of arrows, took his club and golden apples and said:
Farewell, Atlas! I held the vault of the sky while you went for the apples of the Hesperides, but I do not want to carry the entire weight of the sky on my shoulders forever.
With these words, Hercules left the titan, and again Atlas had to hold, as before, the vault of heaven on his mighty shoulders. Hercules returned to Eurystheus and gave him the golden apples. Eurystheus gave them to Hercules, and he gave the apples to his patroness, the great daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athena. Athena returned the apples to the Hesperides so that they would forever remain in the gardens.
After his twelfth feat, Hercules was freed from the service of Eurystheus. Now he could return to the seven gates of Thebes. But the son of Zeus did not stay there for long. Waiting for his new exploits. He gave his wife Megara as a wife to his friend Iolaus, and he himself went back to Tiryns.
But not only victories awaited him, but Hercules and serious troubles awaited him, as the great goddess Hera still pursued him.