The Labors of Heracles

Intro to Myth

Birth Heracles was the son of Zeus and a mortal

woman named Alcmena He had a twin brother named Iphicles who

was the son of Alcmena and her husband Amphitryon

Zeus had seduced Alcmena by taking the shape of her husband while Amphitryon was away

At 8 months old, Heracles strangled two snakes that Hera sent to kill him

1st Marriage

Heracles was given Princess Megara of Thebes as reward for saving the city

They had 3 sons Hera caused Heracles to go crazy and

kill his wife and children

Reason for the Labors

Some say the labors were given to Heracles because of deal between Zeus and Hera When Heracles refused to do the labors,

she made him go mad and kill his family Others say Heracles chose to do the

labors as penance for killing his family An oracle told him to go to King

Eurystheus for directions, and if he followed them all, he would become immortal

Role of Theseus

Theseus and Heracles were best friends

Theseus kept Heracles from killing himself after the death of his family

Nemean Lion

Nemean lion could not be harmed by any weapon

Heracles choked it to death and skinned it with its own claws

When Heracles returned to King Eurystheus, the king was so afraid that he would not let Heracles into the city

Hydra

The hydra was a 9-headed monster who lived in the swamp of Lerna

One head was immortal and the others re-grew two heads for every one that was destroyed

Heracles’ nephew Iolas helped him seal the heads and bury the immortal head

Eurystheus said this labor did not count because Heracles had help

Golden-horned Deer

Heracles hunted the deer for a whole year

He captured the deer without harming it so he wouldn’t anger Artemis

Erymanthian Boar

Heracles chased the boar into the mountains where it was slowed by the deep snow

He took it alive back to King Eurystheus

Augean Stables

Heracles was ordered to clean the stable of King Augeus in one day

He told King Augeus that he would clean the stables in return for some cattle

Heracles diverted two rivers to wash the stables clean

King Eurystheus would not accept this labor because Heracles had tried to get paid for it

Stymphalian Birds

Athena gave Heracles a rattle to frighten the birds

Heracles shot them down as they flew away

Bull in Crete

Heracles traveled to Crete to get the bull of Poseidon (father of the Minotaur, remember?)

He brought it back to Tiryns and set it free

Man-eating Mares

King Diomedes trained his horses to eat human flesh

Heracles killed Diomedes and fed him to his own horses

Heracles also rescued his friend’s wife, Alcestis, by wrestling Death for her and winning

Belt of Hippolyte

Hippolyte was the queen of the Amazons

She was willing to give her belt to Heracles without a fight

Hera made the other Amazons attack Heracles

Heracles killed Hippolyte and escaped with her belt

Cattle of Geryon

Geryon had a triple body and a two-headed dog

Heracles killed the dog with his club and then killed Geryon with one arrow

As he was returning to Tiryns, a fire-breathing giant named Cacus tried to steal the cattle

Heracles strangled him to death

Golden Apples of Hespiredes

The golden apples belonged to Atlas’ daughters and were guarded by a dragon

Heracles killed Antaeus on the way by strangling him in the air

He also freed Prometheus, who advised him to get Atlas to help

Heracles held the sky while Atlas got the apples and then tricked Atlas into taking the sky back

Cerberus

Cerberus is the 3-headed dog of Hades

Hades allowed Heracles to “borrow” Cerberus if he could capture him without any weapons

While Heracles was in the Underworld, he freed Theseus from the chair of forgetfulness

2nd Marriage

Heracles fought a river god and won the princess Deianira

At one point, she and Heracles needed a Centaur to ferry them across the river

Heracles ended up killing the Centaur, but the centaur told Deianira to take his blood as a love potion

Death

Deianira started to worry that Heracles had fallen for another woman

She took the centaur’s blood and put it on a robe

The robe burned Heracles, and he wanted to die

He convinced Philoctetes to burn him on a funeral pyre and gave him his bow as reward

Heracles was then taken to live with the gods