Hercules or Heracles is one of the most remarkable Heroes and Demigods of Greco-Roman Mythology. Manly looking, he was a great warrior.
The Story of Hercules
Hercules was born from the union between Alcmene and Jupiter. However, Jupiter was married to Juno who, for a long time, showed dislike to the bastard son.
So Juno tries to kill him with a snake even when he was little. However, in the cradle and fearless since childhood, the hero strangled the snakes and saved the life of his brother Iphicles.
Later, Hercules married Megara, daughter of Creon, and with her he had several children.
They lived happily for a while, however, Juno still unsatisfied with her husband's bastard's life, decides to cast a spell on him.
That's how for one day he went mad and ended up killing all his children and his wife. During his madness, Hercules saw his sons and Megara as enemies in battle.
When he regains his sanity, the goddess Minerva tells him what has happened. Since then, Hercules becomes a passerby. He wanders the streets of Greece, until one day he finds an oracle.
The oracle tells the hero that he would have to meet Euristeus, king of Mycenae and Tyrinth, cousin of Hercules. So, upon meeting his cousin, he informs him that Hercules would have to perform “twelve jobs” for his guilt to be redeemed.
After carrying out the work, Hercules was forced to marry Ônphale, Queen of Lydia. That's because he was punished in Delphi for killing his friend Ifitus.
After the event, he was sentenced to three years of slavery, at which time he was sold by Mercury to Omphales.
When he was granted his freedom, Hercules went to meet Dejanira, daughter of the king of Calidon. He had promised the Greek hero Meleager, her brother, that he would marry his sister.
However, when he found her she was already betrothed to Achelous, son of the Ocean and of Thetis. Certain that he would fulfill his promise, Hercules fought against Achelous and won the fight. So he married Dejanira.
The Twelve Labors of Hercules
For having murdered his wife and children, Hercules was given twelve difficult tasks:
- Kill the terrible and monstrous lion of Nemea.
- Kill Lema's hydra, a gigantic multi-headed snake. They were reborn as soon as they were cut. For that, the middle head was immortal.
- Capture the beautiful golden-horned doe of the hunting goddess Diana and take her to Euristeus. The doe roamed loose in the woods.
- Capture the monstrous and ferocious wild boar of Erymantus and bring it to Euristeus.
- Clean the stables of Augeas, the owner of a huge herd. This place had never been cleaned and therefore was full of animal manure.
- Exterminate the deadly birds that ravaged Lake Stynphale. These birds were black and had wings, heads and beaks of iron. They inhabited a thorny swamp.
- Deliver the belt and veil of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, to Euristeus' daughter. Mars, the god of war, offered Hippolyta these objects in recognition of his bravery in combat.
- Capture the four beautiful horses of Diomedes, son of Mars and king of Thrace, which gave off fire from their nostrils and fed on human flesh.
- Steal the blood-colored oxen from the three-bodied giant Gerião and deliver them to Euristeus.
- Tame the bloodthirsty beast and the fearsome Cretan bull.
- Deliver the valuable golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides to Euristeus. Next to this tree was an immense dragon, which guarded the fruits.
- Reach hell (realm of shadows) and bring to Euristeus the three-headed hellhound Cerberus. To accomplish this last task Hercules had as guides the goddess Minerva and the god Mercury.
Hercules Films
The legend of Hercules has become one of the most famous in mythology. For this reason, many movies, series and cartoons were based on the hero figure.
In 1997, Walt Disney Pictures released the animation “Hercules” which was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements.
In 2014, the movie “Hercules” directed by the American Brett Ratner.
"The Twelve Labors of Hercules": work by Monteiro Lobato
The Brazilian writer Monteiro Lobato wrote a children's work published in 1944 and called “The Twelve Labors of Hercules”. Based on the story of the Greek hero, the work is divided into two volumes.
Want to know more about other mythological legends? Read the articles:
- Greek mythology
- Roman Mythology
- Norse mythology
- Greek gods
- Roman gods
- Egyptian gods
