The Twelve Labours Of Hercules : Greek Myth

Hercules was the greatest hero in all of Greek Mythology. He was the son of the King of the Gods, Zeus. Although he was strong Hercules was driven mad by Hera and in a frenzy he killed his wife and kids. As a result he was sentenced to perform ten labors but once he had them done he was ordered to do another two. These labors were given to him by King Eurystheus. For twelve years he travelled all around the world to complete these incredible tasks.


Labour 1 - The Nemean Lion
Setting out on such a seemingly impossible labor, Hercules came to a town called Cleonae, where he stayed at the house of a poor workman-for-hire, Molorchus. When his host offered to sacrifice an animal for Hercules for good luck he told him to wait thirty days. Hercules said that if he returned with Nemean Lion's skin they could sacrifice it. He also said that if he was killed that he was to be sacrificed, as a hero. When Hercules got to the Nemean Lion he began following it and soon discovered that his arrows were useless against the beast. Hercules followed it to a cave which had two entrances. He blocked one of the entrances and approached the Lion. Grasping the lion in his arms, and ignoring its powerful claws, he held it tightly until he'd choked it to death. Hercules returned to Cleonae, carrying the dead lion, and found Molorchus on the 30th day after he'd left for the hunt. On this day they sacrificed the animal together and celebrated that Hercules was not dead. When Hercules made it back to Mycenae, Eurystheus was amazed that Hercules succeeded and became afraid of him. The King forbade Hercules from entering through the gates of the city. After that, Eurystheus sent his orders to Hercules through a herald, refusing to see the powerful hero face to face.

Labour 2 - The Lernean Hydra
From the murky waters of the swamps near a place called Lerna, the hydra would rise up and terrorize the countryside. It had nine heads and attacked with poisonous venom and one of its nine heads was supposedly indestructible. Hercules set off after the Hydra with his trusty nephew Iolaus. Iolaus accompanied Hercules on many of his twelve labours. The pair drove a chariot to Lerna and by the springs of Amymone, they discovered the lair of the fearsome hydra. First, Hercules lured the creature from the safety of its den by shooting flaming arrows at it. Once the Hydra emerged Hercules seized it but it was not easy to control. It rapped its tail around Hercules and squeezed him tightly. Hercules began cutting its heads of but every time he did two more heads grew back in its place! So Hercules called on his nephew Iolaus to help. Now when Hercules cut off one of the Hydra's heads Iolaus burned the tendons on the neck so it couldn't grow back. Eventually they had the better of the Hydra and with a final blow Hercules chopped off its last immortal head, buried it at the side of the road leading from Lerna to Elaeus and then put a large rock over it just in case. Eurystheus was not impressed with Hercules feat and said that since Iolaus helped it should not count as one of the ten labours however ancient authors gave Hercules the credit as they still saw the Hydra as a fierce and mighty creature.

Labour 3 - The Hind Of Ceryneia
For the third labor, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring him the Hind of Ceryneia. A hind is a female red deer and Ceryneia is a town in Greece, about fifty miles from Eurystheus's palace in Mycenae. This deer would be difficult to catch. This was a special deer, because it had golden horns and hoofs made of bronze. Not only that, the deer was sacred to the goddess of hunting and the moon, Diana; she was Diana's special pet. Because of this Hercules could not kill the deer. He was already in enough trouble with Heraand could not have another God out to kill him. Hercules set out after the deer and hunted it for a whole year. Finally the deer got tired and looked for a place to rest on a mountain called Artemisius, and then made her way to the river Ladon. Hercules shot the deer as he realized it was about to get away across the stream. Hercules put the dead deer on his shoulders and turned back for Mycenae. On his journey back to Mycenae he was met by Diana and Apollo. Diana was very angry at the sight of the dead deer as it was her sacred animal. She was about to take the deer and punish Hercules, but he was quick to explain what happened. He told her that the deer was going to get away and that he had to obey the oracle and do the labors Eurystheus had given him. Diana forgave Hercules and healed the deers wound and Hercules carried the deer alive to Mycenae.

Labour 4 - The Erymanthian Boar
For the fourth labor, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring him the Erymanthian boar alive. Boars were huge wild pigs with large tusks and a bad temper. But this pig was bigger, much bigger. This boar was called 'The Erymanthian Boar' because it lived in a mountain called Erymanthus. With each new day the boar would come tearing down from its lair in the mountain and kill all men and animals it saw. It would roam the countryside and charge at all other animals living there. On his way to the boar, Hercules stopped to visit a friend called Pholus. He was a centaur and lived in a cave near Mount Erymanthus. Hercules was very hungry and thirst so the centaur cooked for him and gave him something to drink.