All the exploits of Hercules

1 - The first feat of Hercules: Nemean lion
2 - The second feat of Hercules: Lernaean hydra briefly
3 - The third feat of Hercules: Stymphalian birds
4 - The fourth feat of Hercules: the Kerineys doe
5 - The fifth feat of Hercules: the Erymanth boar and the battle with the centaurs
6 - The sixth feat of Hercules: the Animal Farm of King Avgius
7 - Seventh feat of Hercules: Cretan bull
8 - The Eighth Feat of Hercules: The Horses of Diomedes
9 - Ninth Feat of Hercules: Belt of Hippolyta
10 - Tenth Feat of Hercules: Geryon's Cows
11 - Eleventh feat eleventh Hercules - Abduction of Cerberus
12 - Twelfth Feat of Hercules - Golden Apples of the Hesperides

Even shorter about the exploits of Hercules:

• Even before he was born, this amazing boy attracted special attention to himself.
  The goddess of justice Hera once again learned that her husband had cheated on her, and, moreover, that an ordinary woman of undivine origin expecting a child from her Zeus, got angry in earnest, and decided that it was necessary at all costs, to make life accidental unbearable offspring.

Now a little more about the hero's great achievements themselves.

During the the first feat of Hercules strangled a huge Nemean lion. At first, the son of Zeus fired arrows, but they only frightened the beast a little. Then the lion was stunned with a club, and soon he was strangled by Hercules with his own hands. Mindful of Hercules, he founded the Nemean Games, named after the slain lion, subsequently this event was widely celebrated in the ancient Peloponnese every few years, with an interval of 1 year.

This event was very significant, as it became the most 1 of the 12 labors of Hercules.

Next feat (second feat) consisted in the fact that it was necessary to destroy a huge hydra, a monster with the body of a snake and the heads of a dragon. Hydra killed people and livestock, and therefore everyone was afraid of her. Hercules did not immediately manage to deal with this monster.

The hero chopped off one head, but each time two new ones appeared in place of each severed part. And so it went on until the fire was used, which burned the hydra's necks.

The third feat is associated with the Stimphalia birds. They terrorized as well as the hydra and killed people and livestock with their brass claws and sharp beak. They also threw their metal feathers from a great height, which, like arrows, were capable of killing in one second. The goddess of war gifted the hero by giving him two special musical instruments, the sounds of which made the birds fly away.

Hercules shot a little more than half of the flock from a bow, and the surviving birds, on pain of death, left their original habitat and never returned to Hellas.

What awaited our hero next? Then a fallow deer appeared on the nearby lands. Of course, not simple, but with solid copper claws and golden horns. The question arises, where did she come from there. It turns out that the goddess of the hunt was angry with people and sent them this doe as punishment. For days, the doe ran around the nearby territory, and destroyed forests and fields. The fourth feat of Hercules was precisely to pacify this same doe. After a year of unsuccessful attempts and pursuit of the animal, the Hero overtook her and shot her. Then he took it and went to Eurystheus, giving him the carcass of the killed animal, as a trophy obtained.

What was in store for Hercules in his fifth feat? It turned out that one of the representatives of the animal world, the owner of unrealistic physical strength, a wild boar instilled fear in everyone. Hercules had to deal with him. Having found a boar, the hero coped with it, driving it into a snowdrift. Hercules tied the beast and brought it to Eurystheus, who, at the sight of a huge boar, got scared and hid.

King Augean had large herds of bulls, which were kept in a rather large barnyard, which included stables. Augeus started up his economy strongly. It turned out that for almost 30 years no one cleaned there. Hercules kindly offered the king to cleanse his stables, saying that he would do it in just one day, while asking for a considerable part of his bulls from the common herd, if he succeeded in his plans. Augeas considered that Hercules would not keep his promise, the task was too unbearable, and agreed to an adventure. However, Hercules, as you know, is not so easy, if he takes up something, he is firmly confident in his own strength. With the help of a dam, he blocked the nearby rivers and directed their waters to the courtyard of Avgius. The stables were thus cleared in due time.
Only now the obscenely greedy and greedy king Augeas did not want to give Hercules what he had promised as payment for the business. Therefore, after a certain number of years, finally freeing himself from the Eurysthean oppression, Hercules gathered an army, defeating Augean in a fair fight and killed the king. After this event, as myths say, he established the famous Olympic Games for all of us.

The king of the island of Crete Minos disobeyed Poseidon and did not perform the sacrifice, did not provide him with a bull. The enraged god of the water element sent fury to the bull. The animal began to run all over Crete, simultaneously destroying everything around, as if not noticing the obstacles in its path. Hercules did the following: he managed to calm down the bull and crossed the sea with his help to the Peloponnese. Eurystheus decided not to accept this heroic deed and ordered the bull to be released. The animal, in turn, once again out of control, rushed to the north of Hellas, where he was killed by Theseus. This is the story of the seventh feat of Hercules, which he accomplished almost without difficulty.

In order to carry out his other feat, Hercules went to the king of Thrace, Diomedes. This king was distinguished by cruelty and composure. He had horses of unprecedented beauty and unsurpassed strength, but so violent that only tight iron chains could hold them. The king used human meat as food for his pets, first killing foreigners arriving in his possession for this. Hercules, with the help of his great power, took the horses from Diomedes. Of course, Diomedes resisted, but the brave Hercules defeated him.

For ninth feat Eurystheus came up with a more difficult problem. The daughter of Eurystheus wished for permanent use the belt of the Amazon, Hippolyta, who kept and protected this belt as a sign of her power, having received it from Ares. For this, Hercules with his squad went to the habitat of the Amazons. Hippolyta was ready to give up the belt of her own free will, only the other Amazons rebelled, as a result of which Hercules had to face the strongest and most cunning warriors in battle, seven of whom were killed, the rest preferred to flee. As a result, Hippolyta gave the belt to Hercules as a ransom for the Amazon, who was captured by the hero.

Then, at the direction of Eurystheus, Hercules went on his tenth feat. He needed to deliver the king's cow herds of the giant Geryon. It was not an easy matter at all. The giant had only three: three whole heads, three whole bodies, and three pairs of arms and legs, for a total of six. Although in itself the long journey behind the cows was already a real feat, because Geryon lived on the distant island of Erythia, the hero's task was different. To somehow cope with her, Hercules needed help, and none other than Helios, the very embodiment of the sun, helped him. He lent him his horses and a golden chariot, the very one on which God himself flies through the sky every day, warning that it is very difficult to drive the cart. One awkward movement and the structure will immediately collapse and crash to the ground.
Hercules, having reached their destination, killed Geryon's guards, captured the cows and led them towards the sea. But Geryon did not want to give up and began to resist Hercules. Only now Hercules was not at a loss and killed the giant, using his faithful bow and well-aimed arrows for this, and transported the cows on the raft of Helios to Mycenae. But the troubles did not end there. Hera once again decided to show her hatred towards her husband's illegitimate heir, and therefore sent out rage. Hercules with great difficulty, but still managed to pacify them and reassemble them into a single herd. The cattle were subsequently sacrificed to the goddess of marriage.

Once again, on behalf of Eurystheus, Hercules went to fulfill his penultimate eleventh feat.

This time he had to get to find the great titan Atlas, or as he was also called, Atlanta, who had been performing one important task all his life, independently holding the firmament, and was at the very end of the earth. Eurystheus wished Hercules to deliver him three golden apples from the golden tree of the Atlas garden. Along the way, the hero expected difficulties, with which he courageously coped and reached the final goal. Atlas agreed that he himself could get to his own and bring golden apples, but only Hercules at that time had to replace him at his post, and hold the firmament on his shoulders, just as the titan did, otherwise he would collapse down ... But not everything was so simple, in fact, Atlas wanted to lead Hercules. He offered to personally take the apples to Eurystheus, while Hercules continued to fulfill his duties. But the hero, having seen through the not too tricky, but still rather cunning plan of the titan, did not succumb to his tricks and did not fall for anything. Hercules asked Atlas to hold the sky for a few minutes to rest, while he himself took the apples and fled. And so the last of the many exploits of Hercules was accomplished.

So, Hercules came to the end of his 12 labors.

To do this, he had to get to the dark kingdom of Hades, but the descent itself was not a feat, Hercules had a much more difficult task. He needed to deliver from there to Mycenae the chief guard and faithful companion of Hades, a three-headed dog named Cerberus, who, among other things, had the head of a dragon on its tail. The god of the dead personally gave permission to Hercules to take Cerberus into the earthly world, but the hero was obliged to calm him down on his own. Having found the monster, Hercules began to tame him. He practically strangled the dog, when the animal finally calmed down, Hercules was able to take him to the earth's surface and brought him to Mycenae. Cowardly Eurystheus, not for the first time showed his worthlessness. Barely glancing at the terrible beast, he wished Hercules to return the terrible dog back to Hades, and, of course, the hero did just that.

As soon as all the feats were over, Hercules finally freed himself from the oppression of Eurystheus forever. No obstacles prevented the hero from reaching his goal, even the supreme goddess Hera herself could not do anything. Heracles was so strong and smart that he could not care less about anything.

In addition, he knew how to find an assistant quite easily, including one of divine origin. This, of course, greatly facilitated his task, but still it is unlikely that the hero would have coped, albeit with the support of the gods, if in fact he was not so exceptional.
The sequence of the 12 exploits of Hercules can be interpreted in different ways, very often the 11th and 12th exploits change places, but this actually does not change the essence, Hercules is another real hero who was presented to us by antiquity. And this is really impossible to argue with.

Feats of Hercules- a cycle of adventures of the Thunderer's son, without which it is difficult to imagine and reflect the full completeness 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, on the basis of 12 exploits of Hercules, they create films and write books. Ready to find out a summary of each one?

The story begins as follows. Hera decides to teach Zeus a lesson for treason, and while Hercules is to be born, Heracles forces the Thunderer to promise the following: a child born at this hour will become a king. Hera specifically influenced the birth of Hercules' mother. As a result, the fragile and vile king Ephrysheus, 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, within which Hercules had to complete 12 difficult tasks. How it happened, read on.

Myths about the twelve labors of Hercules (Briefly)

The first of the twelve labors of Hercules begins with a confrontation between the demigod and the invincible Nemean lion. The thick-skinned monster has never been defeated. He cannot be wounded by any weapon. The inhabitants of Nemia have long suffered from the attacks of the monster. The king decided to send the most brave warrior to the battle with the left. Of course, not without dastardly 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 a mythical creature called the Lernaean hydra. Whenever a demigod chopped off her head, two new ones appeared at the site of the wound. Then Hercules called his ally from Nemia, who managed to cauterize the wound with a torch. Thus, after the felling of the head, new ones ceased to grow. Having defeated the hydra, Hercules covered it with sand, and moistened his arrows with blood. Thus, he obtained poisonous arrows, for which no one had an antidote ...

Realizing that in the battles of Hercules there is no equal, Ephrisfeus decided to go for a trick. He offered the most outstanding race. As part of the third feat, Hercules was forced to fight in a race with the fastest animal of ancient Greek mythology. The uniqueness of this mission of the 12 labors of Hercules lies in the complexity of the task. Doe cannot be killed. And it's almost impossible to catch. For a long time, the son of Zeus hunted an animal. As a result, he managed to drive her along a narrow path to a dead end. Then Iolaus arrived in time and threw a rope over the doe. On the way down, the heroes met Artemis, the daughter of Zeus, and gave the Lan to her. But Hercules fulfilled the mission.

Another interesting myth of the 12 labors of Hercules is the battle of Hercules with the Erymanthian boar. For a long time, the huge animal made it difficult for the hunter to get food for their families. Allegedly with noble goals, Ephrysi pointed out to Hercules the need to destroy the enemy. The difficulty was that the boar lived high in the mountains. Only with the help of Artemis, Hercules managed to climb the hills and defeat the monster. Slowly but surely, the son of the Thunderer gained fame, destroying all the cunning plans of Hera. And then...

Realizing all the power of Hercules, the king decided to go for another meanness. In ancient Greek mythology, the god of war Ares had his legion of dangerous warriors - the Stimphalia birds. Only by their species, they prompted hundreds of thousands of soldiers 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. It was only thanks to joint efforts with Iolaus that he managed to defeat all the predators. To complete this mission, he needed the skin of a lion from the first feat. And, of course, the accuracy of Iolaus's faithful assistant.

Tired of the king trying to defeat Hercules with the danger and power of ancient Greek creatures. Then he decided to give him an simply impracticable mission, providing for the manifestation of completely different qualities, not military ones.
As part of the 6 feat of Hercules, the hero had to go to a proud king named Augeas. He instructed Hercules:

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

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

7 feat of Hercules provides for the 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 saint of the seas and stole the fleece from him. Then Poseidon turned the bull into a real monster. Hercules fought with the demon for a long time, but managed to defeat him with the help of huge shackles and chains.

A truly interesting and instructive feat of Hercules from 12 famous adventures. Tells about the most unpleasant mission for a demigod. This time, the king ordered him to steal 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 the kingdom of the dead, from where he brought the king his deceased wife. Thus, he was able to offer a compromise and deliver valuable horses to his dastardly king.

Now is the time to consider 9 of the 12 adventures of Hercules. For a long time, Ephrisfei's 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 an island where only women lived. Perhaps you will now learn more about the history of the Amazons. In this place lived women who were given the belt by the god of war himself - Ares. Hercules had to fight the best warriors in history for a long and painful time. But he managed to get a belt, which Admeta did not dare to put on herself.

Hercules is a mighty ancient Greek hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene. Legends about him were extremely popular in the ancient world. The ancient Romans called Hercules Hercules. The hero's mother was the daughter of the Mycenaean king Electrion. Her husband Amphitryon was the son of the king of Tiryns Alkeus. Once, during the absence of Amphitryon, Zeus appeared to Alcmene, assuming the image of her husband, and lay down with her on the marriage bed. So Hercules was conceived. When the legal spouse returned, the wife conceived Iphicles from him.

So two twin boys were born. But Iphicles was much weaker than his brother, so he did not show himself anything outstanding. But he was always devoted to Hercules and helped him in all matters. It should be noted here that the twins of the ancient Greeks were inextricably linked with the mystical component. The Greeks believed that one of the twins born is always the father's half-son, but the second was conceived by a divine essence. It is this worldview that is reflected in the legend of Hercules and his twin brother.

Zeus's wife Hera hated Hercules and a few months after his birth sent two snakes to the baby to kill him. But the baby lying in the cradle grabbed the poisonous reptiles with his hands and strangled them. Thus began the exploits of Hercules. But the victory over the snakes was only a minor prelude. The main feats, of which there were 12, were accomplished in adulthood, when Hercules became a powerful athlete. What are these feats and why did they have to be performed at all?

Twelve labors of Hercules

At the age of 16, Hercules married Megara, the daughter of the king of Thebes, Creon. The woman at the time of her marriage was 33 years old, at least so the ancient Greek playwright Euripides claimed. Megara gave birth to 3 sons, and the marriage promised to be happy, but everything ended tragically.

Hera sent madness to Hercules, and he killed all his children and 2 children of his brother Iphicles. As for his wife, according to some myths he killed her, and according to others he gave her as a wife to his charioteer Iolaus. When the madness passed, the powerful athlete realized what he had done and fell into a state of unbridled grief. He went into the desert and began to live there. But soon his brother Iphicles found him and convinced him to go to the Delphic oracle to find out how to atone for his guilt.

Heartbroken, Hercules went to Delphi, where the Pythia Xenoclea was broadcasting at that time. At first, she did not want to see the child killer at all, but then she took pity on him and gave out a prophecy. According to him, the mighty athlete had to perform ten feats, which were ordered by Eurystheus - the grandson of Perseus, the cousin of Hercules and the king of Argolis. He hated the powerful athlete, and he had similar feelings for his cousin.

But prophecy is prophecy, and it had to be strictly fulfilled. However, the Oracle said about ten exploits, and there were twelve of them. How did it happen? Here the fact is that in some myths the number 10 was mentioned, and in others the number 12. To smooth out the discord and make it believable, they came up with the following: the legendary athlete performed ten feats, but Hera persuaded the Pythia not to recognize two of them - the 2nd and 5th. Therefore, the indefatigable hero had to perform two more feats. And in total, just the required amount turned out. So, what are these feats of Hercules?

The first feat - killing and skinning the Nemean lion

In Nemea lived a huge lion with a very hard skin. He was the son of the giant Typhon and the half-woman, half-snake Echidna. It is quite understandable that this terrible monster terrified the surrounding area. A cave with 2 exits served as a dwelling for the Nemean lion. Hercules appeared near the cave and blocked one of the exits with stones. A huge lion emerged from the remaining free passage and entered into a fight with the mighty athlete.

Defeating the Nemean Lion

He did not use the weapon, as it was pointless. He strangled the ferocious beast with his hands. But there was still a very strong skin to be removed. She did not take a sharp knife, and our hero pulled out incredibly sharp teeth from the lion's mouth and with their help butchered a huge carcass. The legendary athlete brought the skin off to Eurystheus as proof of the victory over the Nemean lion.

The second feat - the murder of the hydra Lerna

Hydra Lerna was also the daughter of Typhon and Echidna. She was a snake-like monster with several dozen heads. Poisonous breath emanated from this monster, and new ones immediately grew in place of the lost heads. And it was with such a terrible monster that a powerful mythological hero had to fight.

The hydra's task was to guard the underground entrance to the kingdom of Hades. The entrance was located under water in Lake Lerna. The monster itself lived in a cave on the shore. From time to time it got out and terrified the surroundings. And in this terrain saturated with fear, our hero appeared, accompanied by his henchman Iolaus. He began to shoot flaming arrows into the cave, and soon the disturbed hydra jumped out of her hideout.

Fearless Hercules began to chop off the hydra's heads, and Iolaus immediately cauterized the resulting wounds so that new heads would not grow in their place. Thus, the hydra of Lerna was destroyed. The mighty athlete buried the most important immortal head in the ground by the road and piled a huge stone on top. But as everyone noticed, in this case, the fearless hero was helped by his henchman Iolaus. Therefore, the insidious Hera persuaded the Pythia not to recognize the 2nd feat of Hercules, since he did not accomplish it alone.

The third feat - the destruction of the Stymphalian birds

Stymphalian birds lived near the city of Stymphala in Arcadia. They had bronze beaks, wings and claws. With their poisonous droppings, they destroyed crops, attacked and killed people and animals. It was extremely difficult to destroy such monsters. But the goddess Athena came to help the mighty athlete. She gave him 2 drums, which Hephaestus himself forged. Our hero came to the mountain where terrible birds nested and hit the drums.

Stymphalian birds and Hercules

From the eerie noise, the bronze monsters rose into the air. The athlete struck some of them with arrows, while others left Greece forever and flew to the Black Sea coast. There they were met by the Argonauts much later. Thus, the task was completed, and the exploits of Hercules continued.

The fourth feat - the capture of the Kerinei fallow deer

The Kerinean fallow deer is an extremely hardy and fast animal. Once upon a time she was one of the seven Pleiades, but had a falling out with the eternally young Artemis, and she turned her into a swift and unaware of fatigue doe. According to another version, there were 5 such fallow deer. They were larger than bulls. They had golden horns and brass hooves. Artemis caught 4 and harnessed them to her chariot. But Hera helped one animal to escape, and the doe settled well in Arcadia, where she began to devastate agricultural fields.

It was almost impossible to catch the Kerinean doe. Hercules began to chase her day and night and approached the animal in the far north. But he needed to be caught, not killed, and not a drop of blood was spilled. The powerful athlete waited until the doe stopped to drink water, and shot 2 arrows at her legs. Each pierced one hind leg, but passed between the tendon and bone without damaging the blood vessels. After that, the ancient hero caught the immobilized animal and brought it to Eurystheus.

The fifth feat - cleaning the Augean stables in one day

The Augean stables belonged to King Augeus, who was the son of the sun deity Helios. This king owned a huge number of livestock. Large stables were built for them in the barnyard. They contained bulls, cows, goats. As for the horses, there were few of them, but for some reason the spacious premises were called "stables."

No one has ever cleaned them, and a myriad of manure has accumulated in the buildings. Hercules was asked to remove all this manure in one day. But in this situation, the mythological hero showed a commercial sense and asked Avgius for a tenth of the cattle if he cleared all the premises in a day. The son of Helios agreed, and the mighty athlete destroyed in 2 places the wall that surrounded the barnyard. In the formed openings, he diverted water from the rivers flowing nearby - Penea and Alfea.

River streams rushed into the Augean stables and carried away all the manure with them. Thus, the king's stockyard was cleared in just 1 day. But Augeas did not fulfill his promise and did not give the promised cattle to Hercules. This became the reason for a long conflict, and the feat itself, again with the participation of the vengeful Hera, was not credited to our hero, since he demanded a reward.

The sixth feat - victory over the Erymanthian boar

The Erymanthian Boar was a huge boar that lived on Mount Erimanth in Arcadia. He annoyed people by constantly devastating agricultural fields and orchards. The mighty athlete was instructed to capture this beast alive and bring it to Eurystheus in Mycenae.

Hercules defeated the Erymanthian boar

Hercules found a boar and chased him. But the boar was fast, and therefore the pursuer could not catch up with him. However, the couple soon found themselves in an area covered with deep snow. The boar noticeably slowed down, struggling through the snow cover. The athlete caught up with him, jumped on his back and fettered him with chains. After that, he lifted the huge animal on his shoulders and carried it to Mycenae.

The seventh feat - taming the Cretan bull

The Cretan bull lived on the island of Crete and belonged to King Minos. In due time Poseidon sent this bull to the king to sacrifice it. But Minos, seeing a large and strong bull, did not want to kill him. An ordinary bull from the royal herd was sacrificed. Poseidon was angry and sent madness to the bull. He began to rush around the island, destroying everything in his path. It was this crazy animal that our hero needed to pacify.

A mighty athlete landed in Crete, found a bull, jumped on his back and swam across the Aegean Sea on a mad animal, reaching the Peloponnese. There he brought the bull to Eurystheus, who decided to sacrifice it to Hera. But the goddess did not want to accept the mad bull. Therefore, he was released and rushed to run, wreaking havoc around him. He rushed towards Athens, but was met by the Athenian hero Theseus. He killed the bull on the Marathon Plain, and the exploits of Hercules continued.

The eighth feat - the abduction of the horses of Diomedes

The king of Thrace, Diomedes, had 4 mares that ate human meat. The mighty athlete sailed to Thrace on a ship, kidnapped the mares and took them to his ship. But Diomedes with his warriors rushed in pursuit. Our hero left the ship, went out to the pursuers and defeated them. Diomedes himself was captured and thrown to be devoured by the mares. But those, while Hercules fought, ate the watching over them Abder - the son of Hermes.

The mighty athlete delivered the horses to Eurystheus, and he, not knowing what to do with the cannibals, set them free. The mares fled to the mountains and began to attack animals, as they ate only meat. In the end, the beasts of prey tore the mares to pieces, and for Hercules it was the turn of the ninth feat.

The ninth feat - theft of Hippolyta's belt

Hippolyta is the queen of the Amazons, daughter of the god of war Ares and the Amazon Otrera. She owned a magic belt that her father gave her. The daughter of Eurystheus Admet laid eyes on him. Therefore, the powerful athlete was instructed to steal the belt.

I must say that there are many variants of the ninth feat. According to one of them, the ancient hero kidnapped Melanipa (sister of Hippolyta), and had to give him the belt for her release. According to another version, Hippolyta herself was kidnapped, and the Amazons tried to save her. During the fight, the owner of the belt was killed, and Hercules sailed away on a ship with a magic trophy. Whatever it was, but he coped with the ninth task.

The tenth feat - the theft of Geryon's cows

The giant Geryon, born of Chrysaor and Kalliroi, lived on the island of Garida behind the Pillars of Hercules. He owned a herd of cows, each of which had 3 bodies, 3 heads and 3 pairs of legs. These cows were ordered to be kidnapped by the ancient hero.

The mighty athlete reached the ocean shore, and then swam on a golden boat presented to him by Helios. He arrived on the island, but the herd was guarded by a dog named Ortro and a shepherd Eurytion. The ancient hero entered into a battle with them, defeated and drove the cows to the golden boat. But then an angry Geryon appeared. He threw himself at the thief, but lost the battle. The boat departed, and the cow-stealer sailed safely to Greece.

However, while Hercules drove the herd to Mycenae, Hera sent rabies on the cows. The animals fell into madness and scattered in different directions. The athlete had to spend a lot of time and effort to bring the herd back together. In the end, Geryon's cows ended up in Mycenae and were sacrificed to the formidable Hera.

Eleventh feat - stealing golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides

The Hesperides are forest nymphs who tend a beautiful garden near the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. The garden was guarded by the dragon Ladon, as golden apples grew in it. The father of the Hesperides was Hesperus - the son of Atlas. The mother was Nikta - the goddess of the night. There were 7 Hesperides in total, but in this narration it makes no sense to give their names.

A powerful athlete was assigned to steal apples, which was an extremely difficult task. However, chance intervened. By order of the Egyptian king Busirid, the forest nymphs were kidnapped by sea robbers. They landed on a small peninsula to have a feast to mark the completion of a successful business. But then Hercules appeared absolutely by accident.

He quickly realized what was the matter, killed all the robbers, and took the freed Hesperides to Atlanta. He, as a token of gratitude, handed over golden apples to the mighty athlete, which were delivered to Mycenae and presented to the insatiable Eurystheus, who had lost all sense of proportion. After that, the ancient hero set off to perform his last twelfth feat.

Feat twelve - taming the dog Cerberus

The dog Cerberus was the son of Typhon and Echidna. He guarded the gates to the kingdom of Hades (the kingdom of the dead). This creepy dog ​​was a real monster. He had 3 heads, and Hesiod claimed that he had as many as 50 of them, and a serpentine tail. A poisonous mixture was constantly flowing from the monster's mouth. Cerberus did not let the dead out of their kingdom and did not let the living in there if they were overwhelmed by curiosity.

Hercules taming the dog Cerberus

This feat of Hercules has many variations. According to one of them, a mighty athlete simply asked permission from the god Hades to take the dog for a while and take him to Mycenae. He agreed, and the ancient hero brought the monster to Eurystheus, showed him, and then took him back. According to another version, he conquered a terrible monster with the kindness, and he meekly followed him.

There is also an option that Hermes and Athena helped the mighty athlete. They let daylight on the dog, and the poisonous mixture made him vomit from his mouth. After that, the monster was taken out of the kingdom of Hades, shown to Eurystheus and returned back. That is, there are many mythological options, but in all cases the athlete does not harm the dog and again takes him to the underworld. But it could not be otherwise, since someone had to guard the entrance to the world of the dead. As for Eurystheus, he was satisfied with the appearance of a terrible dog, and on this the exploits of Hercules ended.

- a cycle of legends about 12 exploits performed by Hercules when he was in the service of the Mycenaean king Eurystheus. Each feat of Hercules is a separate, unlike all others, history. The hero of Ancient Greece had to go through many trials, incomprehensible to a mere mortal.

The fourth feat of Hercules (summary)

The Erimanth boar (boar), possessing monstrous strength, terrified all the surroundings. Hercules, on the way to fight him, visited his friend, the centaur Fall. There he had a quarrel with the other centaurs over the wine that Foul had offered him. In pursuit of the centaurs, Hercules burst into Chiron's cave and accidentally killed him with an arrow. Finding the Erymanthian boar, Hercules drove him into deep snow, where he got stuck. The hero took the tied boar to Mycenae, where, at the sight of this monster, the frightened Eurystheus hid in a large jug.

The fifth feat of Hercules (summary)

The sixth feat of Hercules (summary)

However, the greedy Augeas did not give the promised payment for the work to Hercules. Having already freed himself from service with Eurystheus, a few years later Hercules gathered an army, defeated Augeus and killed him. After this victory, the hero established the famous Olympic Games in Elis, near the city of Pisa.

Seventh feat of Hercules (summary)

The tenth feat of Hercules (summary)

On the westernmost end of the earth, on the island of Erythia, the giant Geryon grazed, with three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs. Hercules, on the orders of Eurystheus, went after these cows. After killing the guards of Geryon - the giant Eurytion and the two-headed dog Orff, and then Geryon himself, Hercules transported the cows on the boat of Helios across the Ocean. Eurystheus, having received Geryon's cows, sacrificed them to Hera.

Eleventh feat of Hercules (summary)

Eurystheus ordered Hercules to take three golden apples from the golden tree of the Atlanta garden. Atlas held the firmament on his shoulders. He promised to go for apples himself, if Hercules would hold the firmament at that time.

Bringing apples, Atlas offered to take them to Eurystheus himself. But Hercules, realizing the deception, asked Atlant to change him under the sky for a short rest, and he himself took the apples and left.

Twelfth feat of Hercules (summary)

Hercules descended on the orders of Eurystheus into the dark kingdom of the god of the dead, Hades, in order to take away from there his guard - the three-headed dog Cerberus. The ruler of the underworld, Hades, himself allowed Hercules to take Cerberus away - but only if the hero is able to tame him. Having found Cerberus, Hercules began to fight him. He half-strangled the dog, pulled him out of the ground and brought him to Mycenae. At one glance at the terrible dog, the cowardly Eurystheus began to beg Hercules to take her back, which he did.

Myths about the exploits of Hercules

Nemean lion - the first feat of Hercules

Hercules was supposed to bring the skin of a Nemean lion, which came from the fire-breathing monster Typhon and the gigantic serpent Echidna and lived in the valley between Nemea and Cleans. Back in Cleans, Hercules went to one poor man, Molarch, who was going to make a sacrifice to Zeus at that time. Hercules persuaded him to postpone the sacrifice for thirty days, for he wished, upon returning from a dangerous hunt, to bring with him a sacrifice to the savior of Zeus; if Hercules had not returned from the hunt, then Molarch had, according to the condition, to calm his shadow with a sacrifice. Hercules went into the forest and searched for a lion for several days, finally found him and threw an arrow at him; but the lion was not wounded: the arrow bounced off him like a stone. Then Hercules raised his club to the lion; the lion ran away from him into a cave that had two exits. The hero blocked one exit, and the other approached the beast. In an instant, the lion jumped on his chest. Hercules grabbed the lion with his mighty arms and strangled him, then put him on his shoulders and carried him to Mycenae. He came to Molarch on the thirtieth day after his departure and found him about to bring the funeral sacrifice for Hercules. Here both made a sacrifice to Zeus the savior and thus laid the foundation for the Nemean games. When Hercules brought the lion to Mycenae, Eurystheus, at the sight of a powerful hero and a terrible beast, was terrified and gave the following order: from now on, Hercules will show evidence of his exploits from the city gates.

Lernean hydra - the second feat of Hercules

Hercules had to kill another Lernaean hydra, a terrible snake with nine heads: eight were mortal, the middle one is immortal. Hydra was also the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. She grew up in the Lernaean swamp, near the source of Amimone, and from there attacked the herds and devastated the country. With courage in his heart, Hercules went to this fight in a chariot ruled by Polai, the courageous son of Iphicles. When he arrived in Lerna, he left Iolaus with the chariot behind him and began to look for the enemy. He found the hydra in a cave that was in one rock, and drove her out of there with his arrows; it came to a dangerous fight. The beast rushes madly at him; but Hercules steps on him and holds him under him; while the hydra with its long tail knocked him down the other leg, Hercules with his club boldly began to strike the monster on the hissing heads. But Hercules could not kill the monster; instead of every broken head, two others grew out of the body. In addition, another enemy appeared: a huge sea cancer, pinching the legs of Hercules. Hercules crushed him and called for help against the hydra of Iolaus. Iolaus occupied a part of the nearest forest and burned the wounds with hot brands so that new heads could not grow from them. Finally, only one undying head remained: Hercules took it off and buried it near the road under a heavy rock. Then he cut the body of the monster and dipped his arrows into its poisonous liver. Since then, Hercules began to inflict incurable wounds with his arrows.

Capturing the Kerinean fallow deer - the third feat of Hercules

The third feat of Hercules was the delivery of the Kerinean fallow deer to Mycenae alive. It was a beautiful golden-horned and copper-footed doe dedicated to Artemis, tireless and incredibly fast. Since Hercules did not want to kill or injure her, he chased her for a whole year to the Hyperborean country and the springs of Istria, and then drove her back to Arcadia; finally, tired of a long hunt, Hercules shot at the doe while she wanted to cross the Ladon River, wounded her in the leg and, grabbing her, put her on his shoulders and carried her to Mycenae. Artemis met him with her brother Apollo, began to reproach him for having caught her sacred doe, and wanted to take it away from him, Hercules made excuses and blamed Eurystheus, whose command he obeyed, and Artemis calmed down. So he brought the deer alive to Mycenae.

The Erymanthian Boar - the fourth feat of Hercules

When Hercules brought the doe to Mycenae, Eurystheus instructed him to catch the Erymanthian boar. This boar lived on Mount Erymanth, between Arcadia, Elis and Achaia, and often invaded the area of ​​the city of Psophis, where he devastated fields and destroyed people. On the way to this hunt, Hercules crossed the high wooded mountains of Folos, in which some centaurs have lived since they were expelled by Lapith from Thessaly. Tired, hungry Hercules came to the cave of the centaur Fola and was cordially received by him, for, although Foul was also half-human and half-horse, like other centaurs, he was not, like Chiron, as rude and brutally savage as they were. He treated Hercules to boiled meat, while he ate his portion raw. Hercules, who loved to drink good wine after work and cares at a meal, expressed a desire to drink; but the owner was afraid to open the vessel with wine, a precious gift to the centaurs from Dionysus, who was in his custody: he was afraid that the centaurs would come and, in their wild anger, would break the hospitality. Hercules encouraged him and opened the vessel himself; they both drink merrily in full bowls, but soon the centaurs appear: having heard the sweet aroma of wine, they rush from all sides to the cave of Fola, in a wild rage they arm themselves with rocks and trunks of pine trees and attack Hercules. He repels the attack, throws hot bunt in their chests and face, and chases them out of the cave. Then he pursues them with his arrows and drives the last remaining ones to Cape Maley, where they seek refuge with Chiron, driven here from the Pelion mountains. While they, seeking refuge, crowd around him, the arrow of Hercules hits him in the knee. Only then did the hero recognize his old friend; with great sorrow, he ran to him, applied healing herbs given to him by Chiron himself, and bandaged them, but the wound inflicted by the poisoned arrow is incurable, therefore Chiron subsequently voluntarily accepted death for Prometheus, Hercules returned to the cave of Fol and, to to his great grief, he found him dead: Foul took an arrow from the wound of one killed centaur and, looking at it, wondered how such a small thing could put such a giant down dead; suddenly an arrow fell out of his hand, wounded him in the leg, and immediately he fell dead. Hercules sadly buried his master and went to find the Erymanthian boar. With a cry, he drove him out of the thicket and chased him to the very top of the mountain, where the boar settled in deep snow. The hero got to him, fettered him and brought him alive to Mycenae. When Eurystheus saw the terrible beast, he was so frightened that he hid in a copper tub.

The extermination of the Stymphalian birds is the fifth feat of Hercules.

Stymphalian birds lived in a deep wooded valley near the lake, near the Arcadian city of Stymphala. It was a huge flock of terrible birds of prey, the size of a crane; they had brass wings, claws and beaks, and they could throw their feathers like arrows. It was unsafe from them in the whole region, they attacked people and animals and ate them. Hercules fulfilled the order, drove them out. When he came to the valley, flocks of these birds scattered through the forest. Hercules stood on one hill and frightened them with the terrible noise of two copper rattles given to him for this purpose by Athena - in order to better overtake them in the air with his arrows. But he could not kill everyone: some of them flew far away to the island of Aretia, to the Euxine Pontus, where the Argonauts later met them.

Augean stables - the sixth feat of Hercules

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

The court was assembled, and Filey began to testify against his father.

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

Subsequently, when Hercules freed himself from the service of Eurystheus, he took revenge on Augius: he gathered a large army and attacked Elis. But the nephews of Augean, the twins, the sons of Actor and Molyon, therefore called Actorides and Molyonides, ambushed his army and defeated it. Hercules himself at this time was sick. Soon then he himself trapped the Molionides at the Cleons while they were leaving for the Isthmian Games, and interrupted them. Then he again went to Elis and gave her over to fire and sword. Finally he killed Avgius with his arrow. And when he gathered all his army in Pis and brought rich booty there, he measured out a sacred piece of land to his father Zeus and planted olive trees on it. Then he made a sacrifice to the twelve Olympic gods and the god of the river Alphea and established the Olympic Games. After the elite of his troops had tested their strength in various competitions, in the evening, in a charming moonlight, they celebrated a wondrous feast and sang victory songs.

From Elis, Hercules went to Pylos against King Neleus, who gave Augius assistance in the war against Hercules. In Pylos, it came to a terrible battle, in which the gods also took part. The mighty hero fought against Ares and Hera and with his club struck the trident of Poseidon and the scepter of Hades, with which he drives the dead into his kingdom. Hercules even resisted the powerful Apollo's silver bow. With the help of Zeus and Athena, Hercules won the victory; after conquering the city of Pylos, he destroyed it and killed Neleus and his eleven beautiful young sons. Of these, he was most involved with Pericles, who received the gift of transformations from Poseidon. To Hercules, he appeared in the form of a lion, an eagle, a snake and a bee, when, intending to attack the hero, he, turning like a fly, sat on his chariot, Athena opened her hero's eyes, and he saw the true image of his enemy and shot at him from a bow ... Of the entire family of Neleus, only Nestor remained, the youngest of the twelve sons. At that time he was in Geria and that is why later he was nicknamed: Gerniyskiy.

Cretan bull - the seventh feat of Hercules

The Cretan bull was given by Poseidon to the king of Crete Minos so that he would sacrifice this bull to him. But Minos kept a beautiful and strong bull in his herd and killed another. For this, Poseidon infuriated the bull, and he made devastation throughout the island. Eurystheus instructed Hercules to catch this bull and deliver it to Mycenae. With the help of Minos, Hercules caught the bull and tamed it with a mighty hand. Then he sailed on a bull to Mycenae and brought him to Eurystheus. He released the bull and, furious, he began to wander throughout the Peloponnese and finally came to Attica; here he reached the country of Marathon, where Theseus caught him.

The mares of Diomedes - the eighth feat of Hercules

Hercules had to bring the horses of the Thracian king Diomedes to Mycenae. These horses were so wild and strong that they had to be chained to the manger with strong iron chains. They ate human flesh: the fierce Diomedes, whose fortified palace was on the seashore, threw them strangers who were washed ashore by the sea. Hercules went there on the ship, took the horses and their watchmen and led them to the ship. At the seashore, Diomedes met him with his warlike Thracians, and a bloody battle broke out here, in which Diomedes was killed; Hercules threw his body to be devoured by horses. During the battle, Hercules gave the horses to keep to his favorite Abder, but, returning from the battle, he did not find him: the beautiful youth was torn apart by horses. Hercules mourns for him, buries him and erects a beautiful mound over his grave. At the place where Abder died, Hercules established games in honor of the young man and founded the city, which he named Abdera. Eurystheus dismissed the horses, and on the Lycea mountains, in Arcadia, they were torn to pieces by wild beasts.

Hippolyta's Belt - the ninth feat of Hercules

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

The majestic appearance and noble origin of the hero disposed Hippolyta in his favor: she willingly promised to give him the belt. But Hera, wishing to destroy the hated Hercules, took the form of an Amazon and spread a rumor that the stranger wanted to kidnap the queen. Then the Amazons took up arms and attacked the camp of Hercules. A terrible battle began, in which the most famous and brave Amazons competed with Hercules. Before the others, Aela attacked him, nicknamed "Whirlwind" for her wondrous speed. But in Hercules she found an even faster adversary. Defeated, Aela sought salvation in flight, but Hercules caught up with her and killed her. Protoya also fell, seven times remaining the winner in single combat. Three maidens, Artemis's friends and her hunting companions, who never missed their hunting spears, attacked the hero together, but this time did not hit the target and fell under the blows of the enemy, hiding behind their shields, to the ground. Many other warriors were put to death by Hercules, he also filled their bravest leader Melanipa; the Amazons then fled, and many of them perished in this flight. Hercules gave the captured Antiope as a gift to his friend and companion Theseus, while Melanippe released him on promise - for the belt that Hippolyta gave him before the battle.

The bulls of Geryon is the tenth feat of Hercules.

From distant eastern countries, Hercules arrived in the far west. Eurystheus ordered him to drive to Mycenae the herds of the three-headed giant Geryon, grazing on the island of the western ocean of Erythia. The purple, shiny bulls were guarded by the giant Eurytion and the terrible dog Orth. Before Erythia, Hercules lay a long and difficult path through Europe and Libya, through barbaric countries and deserts. Having reached the strait separating Europe from Libya, Hercules, in memory of this most distant journey, placed on both sides of the strait on a pillar-like rock - and since then these rocks are called "the pillars of Hercules." Soon later he arrived at the ocean shore, but Erifia, the destination of the trip, was still far away: how to reach it, how to swim across the world's ocean-river? Not knowing what to do, tormented by impatience, until the evening Hercules sat on the shore of the ocean, and now he sees: on his radiant chariot, Helios is rolling towards the ocean from the high sky. It was hard for the hero to look at the close sun, and in anger he pulled his bow over the radiant god. The god of the brave man's courage marveled, but did not get angry with him, even yielded to him his cuboid canoe, on which he bypassed the northern half of the earth every night. On this boat Hercules arrived on the island of Erifia. Here the dog Orth immediately rushed at him, but the hero killed him with his club. He killed Eurytion and drove the herds of Geryon. But Menetius, who was grazing the flocks of Hades not far off, saw what was stolen and told Geryon about it. The giant chased after the hero, but was killed by his arrow. Hercules put the bulls on the boat of the sun and sailed back to Iberia, where he again handed the ship to Helios. And he drove his flocks through Iberia and Gaul, through the Pyrenees and the Alps. Having overcome many dangers, Hercules arrived at the Tiber River, to the place where Rome was later built.

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

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

When Hercules arrived at the Strait of Sicily, one of his bulls fell into the sea and sailed to Sicily, where King Eric took him over. Having instructed Hephaestus to guard the remaining bulls, Hercules went after the lost. He agreed to give the bull to Erica only if Hercules defeated him in single combat; Hercules overpowered and killed him. On the shores of the Ionian Sea, another setback befell Hercules. Hera brought his bulls into a rage, scattered them, and it cost the hero a lot of work to collect them. Finally he collected most of them and drove them to Mycenae, where Eurystheus sacrificed them to Hera.

Apples of the Hesperides - the eleventh feat of Hercules

Hercules was carried away to the far west by his eleventh feat. Here, on the edge of the earth, on the ocean shore, there was a wondrous, golden-fruited tree, which was once grown by the Earth and presented to Hera during her marriage to Zeus. The tree was in the fragrant garden of the Atlantean-bearer; the nymphs of Hesperides, the daughters of the giant, followed him, and the terrible dragon Ladon guarded him, whose eyes were never closed by sleep. Hercules had to bring three golden apples from a wonderful tree: a difficult matter, especially since Hercules did not know in which direction the tree of the Hesperides was. Overcoming incredible difficulties, Hercules wandered for a long time across Europe, Asia and Libya and finally arrived in the far north, to the nymphs of the Eridanus River. The nymphs advised him to sneak up on the old man of the sea, the seer god Nereus, attack her and find out from him the secret of the golden apples. And so Hercules did: he bound the sea god and then only let him out, he learned from him the way to the Hesperides. The path went through Libya, and there Hercules attacked the son of the Earth, the giant Antaeus and challenged him to fight. While Antaeus touched mother Earth with his feet, his strength was irresistible: but when Hercules, embracing Antaeus, raised him from the ground, all the giant's power disappeared: Hercules defeated him and killed him. From Libya, Hercules arrived in Egypt. At that time, Busiris ruled Egypt, sacrificing all foreigners to Zeus. When Hercules arrived in Egypt, Busiris fettered him and led him to the altar: but the hero broke the chains and killed Busiris along with his son.

Finally, Hercules at Atlanta, who held the firmament on his shoulders. Atlas promised to get Hercules the apples of the Hesperides; but the hero had to hold the sky for him for this time. Hercules agreed and threw the vault of the sky onto his mighty shoulders. Returning with golden apples, Atlas offered the hero to hold the weight for some more time, he himself undertook to deliver the golden fruits to Mycenae. “I agree,” Hercules answered him, “just let me make a pillow; I'll put it on my shoulders: the firmament presses me too much ”. Atlas believed; but when he returned to his former place, crushed by a heavy burden, Hercules raised his bow, arrows and apples from the ground and said goodbye to the deceived giant. The hero gave the apples to Eurystheus, but, having received them back as a gift, sacrificed them to Pallas Athena; the goddess returned them to their original place.

The dog Cerberus - the twelfth feat of Hercules

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

They had a fight over the cow: Hercules hugged Menetius and broke his ribs.

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

Hercules performed his twelve labors. Filled with surprise at the mighty hero who disarmed death itself, Eurystheus freed him from serving himself. Hercules went to Thebes, where the faithful Megara, during the long absence of her husband, looked after his house. From that time on, Hercules could already freely dispose of himself.

The myth of Hercules begins with his unusual birth. God the Thunderer Zeus had a penchant for earthly women. The beauty Alcmene, the wife of the king of Mycenae, liked him. Zeus, with gentle 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 was hunting. 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 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 this was an illegitimate child. She postponed Alcmene's birth for the day. At the hour appointed by Zeus, Eurystheus was born. It was he who became the ruler of Mycenae, in whose service Hercules performed famous feats.

Myths about Hercules: 12 labors

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

The myth of Hercules tells that later Hera sent madness to the hero. The man's mind was clouded when he played with his sons. He mistook children for monsters. When the fit of insanity 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 - at the very shores of Greece the god Hermes appeared to the hero. 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 a 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 sturdy hide withstood the blows of swords, arrows blunt against it.

A lion lived in the vicinity of the city of Nemea, destroying all living things in its path. For a whole month, Hercules was looking for his lair. Finally, he discovered a cave that served as a refuge for the Nemean lion. Hercules filled the exit from the lair with a huge boulder, while he 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 lion's skin. The sharp sword did not harm him. Then Hercules with his bare hands grabbed the monster by the throat and strangled him.

The hero returned to Mycenae victorious. 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 mission for the hero. In the poisonous swamp lurked a terrible monster - the Lernaean 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. As 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 his help to Hercules - he drove the hero to the poisonous swamp in his chariot. For a long time the hero fought with the hydra. But, having struck one head of the monster, Hercules saw two new ones appear in its place.

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

The poisonous blood of the hydra impregnated Hercules with arrowheads. And then he returned to Mycenae, where a new task of Eurystheus awaited him.

Third feat

Myths about the exploits of Hercules indicate his strength, agility, speed. For more than a year, the hero chased the Kerinean deer to catch it - this was a new task for the ruler of Mycenae.

A beautiful fallow deer appeared in the vicinity of the Kerinean Mountains. Her horns glittered with gold, and her hooves were cast in copper. The animal's skin sparkled in the sun. The Kerinean doe were created by the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. She did this in reproach to people who exterminated flora and fauna.

The doe ran faster than the wind - it rushed, fleeing 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 in the leg of the animal. 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 made him serve Eurystheus. That he was not chasing a beautiful deer for himself. 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 stopped by to the familiar centaur Foul. They opened wine, had fun, sang songs. Other centaurs, attracted by the scent of the wine, armed themselves with stones and stakes, and claimed that the wine had been donated to the entire community. A fight ensued. Hercules put the centaurs to flight with his poison arrows.

Continuing on his way, the hero soon saw the Erymanth 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 shield with his sword. 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 Augeas was famous for his herds and stables. He fenced off the barnyard with a high hedge, because he was in fear around the clock that bulls and horses might be kidnapped. For days, Augeus 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 start over.

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

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

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

Sixth feat

Once two huge birds appeared near the city of Stymphala, they tell the myths about Hercules. They had copper beaks and bronze feathers. Stymphalian birds have multiplied over time and formed a flock. They destroyed seedlings in the fields. They dropped their bronze feathers like arrows at everyone who was near them.

Hercules, before entering the battle, studied the habits of the creatures for a long time. He realized that by dropping feathers, birds become defenseless until new ones grow. The warrior goddess Athena appeared to Hercules and presented him with copper rattles. 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, however, took refuge under a shield from their onslaught. After the birds dropped all their feathers, the hero shot them with a bow. And those, in which he did not have time to get, flew away from these places.

Seventh feat

What will the seventh myth about 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 a wondrous bull to King Minos 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 king's deception. In anger, he struck the bull with madness. For a long time the monster rushed about, killing people in a frenzy, scattering herds.

Eurystheus, on the libel 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 its head to the ground. The animal sensed that the enemy was stronger. The Cretan bull stopped resisting. Then Hercules saddled him and drove into the sea. So, riding an animal, the hero returned to Arcadia.

The bull did not even try to throw Hercules off, calmly entered the stall of King Eurystheus. When the hero, tired after a new feat, went to bed, the ruler was afraid to keep a maddened bull and in fear set him free.

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

Eighth feat

The myths about Hercules tell about the demonic horses of Diomedes. These carnivorous monsters devoured lost travelers. Seafarers who were killed were killed. When Hercules arrived in the country with an assistant, he immediately went in search of carnivorous horses. By neighing, he understood 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 apart 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 to let them go into the forest. There wild animals dealt with them.

Ninth feat

The 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 belt of Hippolyta. The daughter of Eurystheus Admet wanted to get it. She heard that Ares, the god of war, gave the belt to the queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta.

Hercules went on a journey with companions. The Amazons greeted them amiably 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, transforming into one of the Amazons, spread the rumor that Hercules wanted to sell them into slavery.

The warlike women believed the evil slander, and a battle 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 a battle with women, even if they were warriors.

Tenth feat

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

Hercules has come a long way. Defeated the son of the god Vulcan - the monster Kakusa. Later, the city of Rome was founded on the site of their battle.

In the green meadows of Erythia grazed the cows of Geryon, a giant with three bodies, three heads and three pairs of arms and legs. 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 a few blows of the club. Another victory was won by the hero.

Having sailed on a ship to Iberia, Hercules lay down to rest, letting the herd graze. With the first rays of the sun, he decided to drive the herd overland. The 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 flock and led him to the king Eurystheus. The latter sacrificed the cows to Hera, hoping to get rid of Hercules.

Eleventh feat

And again the long journey awaited the hero. Eurystheus sent Hercules for the golden apples of the Hesperides. They gave immortality and eternal youth. In the garden of the Hesperides, apples were guarded only by nymphs. And the garden itself was at the end of the earth, where Atlas held the firmament on his shoulders.

On the way to the end of the world, Hercules in the Caucasus Mountains freed Prometheus. He fought with the son of the land of Gaia - Antaeus. Only by tearing the giant off the ground could the hero defeat him. Reaching 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 arch, Atlas returned. The giant really did not want to take on his shoulders an exorbitant weight again. The sly man offered Hercules to hold the sky for more while he himself reaches Mycenae and gives the apples to the king. But our hero is not that stupid. He agreed, but on condition that the giant would hold the heavens, and Hercules, in the meantime, would make himself a grass pillow - it's a very heavy burden. Atlas believed and took his place, and the hero took the apples and returned home.

Twelfth feat

The last task of Eurystheus was the most difficult, according to the 12th myth. The exploits of Hercules (a brief summary of them is presented in this article) takes the reader into the amazing world of mythology of Ancient Greece, a world full of amazing adventures, powerful and insidious gods and strong, brave heroes. But we got distracted. So, 12 feat. Hercules was to go down to 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 devil of hell, blood froze in his veins.

Hercules went down to Hades 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 for Hercules to release the terrible monster 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.

Thirteenth feat and death of Hercules

Hellas legends say that there are 13 feats of Hercules. The myth has carried the story of the king of Thespia to this day. Hercules stayed in his house when he was hunting the Kyferon lion. Thespius worried that his daughters would choose ugly suitors for themselves, give birth to ugly grandchildren. The king invited Hercules 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 Deianira. They had many children. Once the couple were crossing a fast river. Deianira was transported by the centaur Nessus. He was seduced by the beauty of a woman and wanted to master her. Hercules hit him with a poisonous arrow. Experiencing terrible torment, Ness decided to take revenge on the hero. He persuaded Deianira to draw his blood. If Hercules stops loving her, you just need to saturate his clothes with the blood of a centaur, and then the husband will not look at any woman again.

Deianira kept a vial with Ness's gift. Returning from a military campaign, Hercules brought a young captive princess into the house. In a fit of jealousy, Deianera soaked her husband's clothes with blood. The poison quickly acted and began to deliver severe torment to Hercules, and there was no way 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.