The 12 Labors of Hercules Complete Greek Mythology

The stories of Greek mythology are full of great heroes, but none faced such difficult challenges as Hercules. His story began when Zeus, the supreme god of Olympus, fell in love again with a beautiful young mortal, Alcmene. She was married to Amphitryon, the king of Tyrens. Amphitryon had left with his army to fight in the city of Thebes, and Zeus took advantage of the king's absence to visit the queen. The god assumed the form of Amphitryon and united with Alcmene, who suspected nothing. Upon returning home from his military campaign, Amphitryon suspected his wife's infidelity and ordered her to be burned at the stake. But Zeus emerged and salvaged Alcmene. He revealed that he was the father of one of the babies the queen was expecting, for Alcmene was also pregnant with the king's child. Amphitryon felt honored to raise the child of the god of gods and forgave his wife. Zeus had great plans for the child. A prophecy said that the first great-grandson of the hero Perseus would be king of the glorious city of Mycenae. Alcmene was the hero's granddaughter, so her child would be entitled to the crown. However, her cousin was also pregnant. The goddess Hera was furious at her husband's infidelity and forced Illythia, the goddess of childbirth, to hasten the birth of Eurystheus. Due to the premature birth of his cousin, Hercules lost his right to the crown of the glorious city of Mycenae. After a difficult labor, Hercules and his brother Iphicles were finally given birth. The baby Hercules was vigorous, and there was no doubt as to which of them was the son of the lord of the universe. Hera's jealousy became uncontrollable. Enraged, she sent two poisonous serpents to kill the babies. The serpents slithered into the cradle where Hercules and his brother were sleeping. Alcmene awoke, startled by Iphicles' cry, and found baby Hercules strangling a snake in each hand. Fearing further reprisals from the goddess, Alcmene took her son into the forest and abandoned him on a trail, hoping he would be picked up by someone. However, as fate would have it, two goddesses found the abandoned baby. They were Athena and Hera. Not knowing it was Hercules, the goddesses were impressed by the child's vigor. Athena blessed him with superior courage and cunning. Hera offered him her breast and suckled him with divine milk, food that would confer a power superior to almost all other demigods. Hercules sucked on Hera's breast with such force that, due to pain, she pushed the baby away and a gush of divine milk tinged the heavens, giving birth to the Milky Way. Athena recognized the baby as her brother and said she would return him to his mother. Hera, realizing the mistake she had made in nursing her rival's child, became even angrier and with an enormous desire for revenge. Upon hearing of Hercules' return to his home, the seer Tiresias said, Let's celebrate the return of the child who will one day rid the world of all monsters and, by his great deeds, secure a place in Olympus alongside his father. Hercules, the mighty son of Zeus, had shown signs of becoming a great hero since his youth, but fate would force him to overcome great challenges. Hercules was the subject of King Eurystheus, who was his cousin. He had only obtained the crown thanks to the goddess Hera, who did not want the bastard son of Zeus to inherit the crown. Hercules obeyed his cousin with frustration, but when the monarch decided to impose his first labors on him, the dismayed hero decided to consult the oracle at Delphi to find out whether he should continue to obey a man he The oracle told him that, with each labor he completed, the power usurped by Eurystheus would be diminished and Hercules' glory would grow. Hercules, hoping that the oracle told him that he would not need to obey Eurystheus, was appalled. Taking advantage of the hero's vulnerability, the goddess Hera planted the seed of madness in Hercules began to see the most terrible creatures and fought great battles with them, but it was all hallucinations. When he recovered from that wild madness, Hercules had blood on his hands, and his children and his wife Megara laid dead at his feet. Upon realizing what had happened, Hercules left for exile and went into a great depression in distant lands. Hercules was found by Theseus, a great admirer of the hero. He reached out his hand to raise the son of Zeus. Time healed the wounds of the mighty hero, and he decided to return to Mycenae to serve King Eurystheus. Therefore, he would cleanse himself of the horrific sins committed against his family. Hercules had made himself available to serve his cousin Eurystheus, king of Mycenae, but the king feared that his powerful cousin would try to take his throne in the future, so Eurystheus set him a seemingly impossible job. He was to annihilate a gigantic lion which terrorized the forests of Argolis. The beast attacked the region's herds and, after devouring some men, began to enjoy human flesh. People said that the beast was the offspring of the monstrous Typhon and the evil Echidna. Therefore, it was rumored that its hide was indestructible to traditional weapons. Armed with bow and arrow, in addition to his powerful club, Hercules set out to hunt the creature. The hero spent some time in the forests of Nemea searching for the lion. Finally, he found tracks that led him to the cave where the monstrous feline was hiding. Hercules entered the monster's lair, which was filled with animal bones and human skulls. Deep in the cave, it was possible to hear the great beast's breathing. Hercules found the beast on a rock, and the animal let out a powerful roar that would make anyone tremble. But Hercules was no ordinary man, as the blood of Zeus flowed strongly in his veins. The demigod fired an arrow at the animal's head, but it bounced off the impenetrable hide. Furious, the gigantic lion leaped on Hercules to devour him. Hercules and the lion leapt against each other. The lion showed his powerful claws as the hero raised his club. Hercules struck the creature's head with a devastating blow. Despite the force, the lion resisted unharmed. Realizing that weapons were useless, Hercules and the lion fought hand to hand. The lion drove its claws into his opponent, who suffered the excruciating pain of his wounds. Hercules put his arms around the animal's neck and began a deadly stranglehold. The lion of Nemea could not withstand the hero's strength and perished. The strong lion was dead. Using the animal's claws, Hercules ripped off its hide and returned to Mycenae. Upon seeing Hercules approach, wearing the animal's skin, Eurystheus feared being killed and ran to hide inside a metal vat. Hercules concluded his first labor, taking an important step toward glory. As his second labor, Hercules was ordered by King Eurystheus to put an end to a creature that lived in the region of Linnaeus. This creature was a dreadful monster, son of Typhon and Echidna, known by the name Hydra. The brave hero was assisted by his nephew Aeolus, his companion since his youth. On the way, they stumbled upon a village raised to the ground by the creature, and a survivor pointed the way to the creature's lair. The Hydra inhabited Lerna's ominous swamp. Hercules and his nephew scoured the pestilent swamp for the beast's hiding place. The Hydra was entombed in a cave. Hercules used his bow to draw the creature out of its lair, firing flaming arrows into the cave. Then, the mighty Hydra appeared from the cave, enraged and thirsty to devour those who dared to interrupt its rest. The monster had multiple heads and out of its gullets oozed deafening roars. Despite his large size, Hercules was remarkably agile and dodged the beast's attacks. With a powerful club blow, the hero smashed one of the beast's heads. To his surprise, two others quickly spawned in its place. With a sword, the angered hero started to chop off the Hydra's heads. Soon after, twice as many heads were born again. Aeolus shouted for Hercules to stop, as he was only making the task even more difficult. They came up with the idea of cauterizing the necks out of which the new heads were born. While Hercules cut off the heads, his nephew cauterized the wounds with a torch. One head after the other was defeated. The goddess Hera, Hercules' enemy, watching the defeating one more creature, sent crabs to help Hydra, but they only succeeded in distracting the hero for a short time and were eventually crushed. Hercules and Aeolus conquered the last head. Albeit severed, the creature was still alive. The hero threw it into a hole and buried it with a huge stone. The Hydra had exceedingly toxic blood. Aware of this, Hercules dipped his arrows in the monster's poisonous blood and was equipped with yet another terrific weapon. Hercules and Aeolus were set to return victorious to Mycenae. The goddess Hera honored the efforts of her minions, who had fought on her behalf, by registering them in the stars, creating the Cancer Constellation. Hercules had previously defeated the Nemean Lion and the Hydra of Lerna. These were two very powerful opponents. Eurystheus' plan to finish Hercules' life was not working, and his rival was becoming more popular every day. Unable to defeat his cousin, Eurystheus came up with a great idea and assigned the hero two new jobs. Hercules was to bring back two creatures alive to Mycenae, the Erymanthian boar and the Cyrenian hind. The Cyrenian hind was one of the wildest animals in existence. Capturing it would be almost impossible, and bringing back the mighty boar without killing it was even more unlikely. Eurystheus knew that Hercules would never return without the animals, because admitting failure was inconceivable for the hero. Hercules left, and the king was confident he would never see him again. More than a year had passed without the ever finding the Cyrenian hind. This was no ordinary hind. She was nothing short of splendid, with golden horns and iron hooves. The creature was one of the five holy hinds created by the goddess Artemis, but it was the only one that lived free, while the others served the goddess pulling her chariot. Hercules finally managed to get close to the hind and shot one of her legs with an arrow. Wounded, the hind could no longer run and was grabbed by the hero. The goddess Artemis showed up and questioned why the hero was committing such sacrilege. Hercules told her that, by order of the Oracle of Delphi, he was at the service of King Eurystheus. He would be freed after presenting the hind to the king. The goddess allowed Hercules to continue his journey. The hero would now try to capture the mighty Ermanthean boar. The creature was extremely strong, so Hercules would have to use his wit to capture it. Hercules fought the boar, but its great strength prevented the hero from catching it. Since he couldn't kill it, he decided to just tire it out. The hero then chased the boar, leading it to an area where snow was piling up on the ground. The mighty boar had to make a huge effort to go through the high snow and was ultimately overcome by fatigue. After the animal tumbled down exhausted, Hercules bound its legs and captured it. To everyone's shock, Hercules arrived at the palace of Mycenae, carrying the hind and the boar. Eurystheus, terrified at the sight of such a creature, again hid inside the bronze barrel. Hercules had now accomplished one more of his tasks. King Eurystheus of Mycenae was feeling frustrated at his inability to get rid of Hercules. The hero was piling up more glory with every labor he did. Therefore, the king decides to force Hercules to do a degrading job, unworthy for a son of Zeus. In one day, the hero had to clean the great stable of King Aegeus in Elis. The stable had not been cleaned for a long time and had accumulated tons of animal dung. Eurystheus thought that, aside from the task's difficulty, Hercules would refuse to perform such an indecent job. But the hero bowed humbly to his king's wish and set out for the kingdom of Aegeus. The need to be cleansed of his sins was more important than his pride. Hercules stood before King Aegeus and offered his services to clean the stables, but he didn't inform him that he was there at the service of King Eurystheus. Zeus' son bargained with Aegeus for payment for this work, and they reached an agreement. The king believed that cleaning the stable in just one day would be impossible, so he promised to deliver a If Hercules failed to complete the job in only one day, he would get nothing. The king called his son to testify to the agreement. Hercules was given a shovel, but he put it aside and headed towards the river Alpheus. With immense strength, Hercules threw large rocks into the river, diverting its course toward Aegeus' stable. The river waters went through the stable doors and washed away all the filth. Hercules then allowed the river to flow back into its natural course. King Aegeus, seeing that the stables were clean and Hercules hadn't even soiled his hands, was astonished. When Hercules went to collect his payment, the king claimed that he had never made such an agreement. But Phineas, his own son, asserted that he had witnessed the deal. Enraged by such treachery, the king expelled Hercules and his son, but Hercules would not take such humiliation. He gathered an army of Thebans and dethroned King Aegeus, installing the honorable Prince Phineas on his father's seat. Another one of his labors was now done. After cleaning out Aegeus' stables, Hercules had to go to Arcadia and finish off the Stemphalian, gigantic birds of prey that terrorized the area near Lake Stemphalia. After a long journey, the hero arrived at the lake. He was amazed by the sheer number of birds. These terrible birds had iron beaks and feathers. They attacked their victims by throwing their sharp metallic feathers. It seemed impossible to accomplish that task with brute force. So, he tried to solve the situation with guile. Hercules asked his sister Athena for help, and the goddess of wisdom was decisive. The goddess offered him a musical iron instrument, made by the god Hephaestus in his sacred forge. With these divine drums, Hercules made a deafening noise that drove the birds away. Hercules even managed to shoot down a few birds in mid-flight with his bow and arrows, bathed in the blood of the Hydra. Hercules accomplished one more feat, and the hero then set off towards the island of Crete. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to go to the island of King Minos, to capture and tame the fearsome bull of Crete. This was no ordinary bull. The animal was supposed to be sacrificed in honor of the god Poseidon. But because of its qualities, Minos did not want to sacrifice it. Out of revenge, Poseidon caused the bull to feel an uncontrollable rage. Hercules faced the mighty bull, father of the terrible Minotaur. The bull was incredibly strong, and he contended with the hero. But the bovine beast was not strong enough to defeat Zeus' son. Hercules grabbed him by the horns and threw him to the ground. After tying him up, Hercules put the animal on a ship, heading for the Peloponnese. Upon arriving in Mycenae, the bull was presented to Eurystheus. The latter, after confirming that the task had been accomplished, released the animal. The bull roamed around Greece, causing terror wherever it went. On the plains of Marathon, he met yet another formidable opponent. His name was Theseus. Hercules was given his eighth labor. He had to travel to Thrace and bring with him the famous anthropophagous mares of Diomedes. The latter was the son of Ares, the god of war, and ruled over the Bystonians, a barbaric and cruel people. Diomedes would certainly be the cruelest of the Thracians. He captured the foreigners who entered his lands, taking them to the royal granary. That was the home of the mighty mares. They were so strong that they had to be tied with iron chains. The mares would not eat oats or other grains, for they had acquired a taste for human flesh. Diomedes used the visitors as a meal for his terrible equines. On the journey to Thrace, Hercules was joined by some friends, such as his nephew Aeolus, and also Abderus, son of Hermes. Upon arriving in Diomedes' kingdom, Hercules was informed of the atrocities the king was committing against visitors to the realm. Diomedes flouted the duty of hospitality, a demand from Zeus. Upon learning of the new visitor's arrival, the king and his guards ambushed the new victims. Hercules defeated the royal guard with relative ease. The hero wanted to punish the king for his many crimes. He grabbed the monarch and threw him out to be devoured by his mares. Properly fed, the mares calmed down, and Hercules led them to his ship. But more soldiers appeared, trying to avenge the king. Hercules asked Hermes' son to hold the mares, while the hero and Aeolus fought the soldiers. Once again, the guards were defeated by Hercules with ease. But, upon returning to the ship, Hercules found Abderus dead, being devoured by the mares. Hercules mourned his friend's death. After burying him, he declared that the city of Abdera would be founded there in tribute. In Mycenae, King Eustreus consecrated mares in honor of the goddess Hera. The horses descended from these mares were extraordinary animals. According to legend, Bucephalus, Alexander the Great's horse, had the blood of these mares in its veins. Under Alexander the Great, it took part in the conquest of almost the entire known world. Hercules had gathered some heroes to follow him to Themyscira, the kingdom of the Amazons, to accomplish yet another task. The spoiled daughter of King Eurystheus demanded from her father Hippolyta's girdle as a gift. Hippolyta was the Amazonian queen, and, due to her achievements in the battlefield, received the girdle from the gods as an honor. To fulfill her daughter's desire, the king sent Hercules to use everything he deemed necessary to bring the girdle to his daughter. Themyscira was a women-only kingdom, and they were famous for being excellent warriors. When he arrived in the kingdom of the Amazons, Hercules was received by Hippolyta, who was stunned by the size of the son of Zeus. Hercules was diplomatic as he talked to the queen, and she retributed the courtesy. They seemed to be coming to an agreement, and Hippolyta would give her girdle to the hero without a drop of blood. But the goddess Hera, the enemy of Hercules, would not allow the bastard son of Zeus to accomplish that task so easily. Disguised, she joined the Amazons and spread the rumor that Hercules had planned to kidnap the queen. To protect Hippolyta, the Amazons armed themselves and attacked Hercules and his fellows. The battle was bloody. Many Amazonians fell on the battlefield. Among the fallen Amazons was the queen Hippolyta. Hercules picked her girdle up and started his return to Mycenae. On the way back, the hero passed through Troy, and the city was in terrible trouble. The Trojan king Laomedon was being punished since he had refused to pay the tribute agreed with Poseidon, who had built the legendary walls of Troy for the king. And because of that, his daughter was being delivered as a sacrifice to a terrible sea monster. The king promised a reward to the hero if he managed to save his daughter. So Hercules went to fight the creature. It was no match for the mighty son of Zeus and ended up destroyed. Laomedon increased his reputation as a deadbeat and failed to the prize to the hero. Hercules was expelled from Troy, but before leaving, he swore revenge and returned to Greece to deliver the girdle of queen Hippolyta to the sovereign's daughter. King Eurystheus wanted to see Hercules as far away as possible. In the tenth labor, the hero was to steal the cattle of the giant Gerion. The giant lived on the mythical island of Erithea near the Iberian Peninsula. The journey was very long and no Greek had ever traveled so far and returned. Hercules sailed a long time until he reached a large mountain, which separated the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. But not even a huge mountain could stop Zeus' son. Hercules used all his strength to split the mountain in two and pulled the halves apart. Thus, the hero connected the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and went on his way. The two great mountains created by the hero became known as the Pillars of Hercules. Today, this place is known as the Strait of Gibraltar. Finally, Hercules reached the island of Eurythea. No Greek had ever dared to approach the oxen of the giant son of Chrysor, for Gerion was a hideous creature that had several bodies in one. The giant also had a two-headed guard dog named Orthros, brother of Cerberus, the infernal dog. Hercules fought the dog, which, besides having two heads, had a serpent's tail. But not all this ferocity was an obstacle for Hercules. He slaughtered the dog-son of Echidna with his mighty club. Hercules stealthily began driving the cattle without attracting the giant's attention. But Hercules' actions did not go unnoticed by Gerion, who attacked him furiously. The fight between Hercules and Gerion was intense and the hero seemed finally defeated. Hercules realized that the goddess Hera, his enemy, was helping the giant by increasing his courage and strength. Hercules used his bow to shoot an arrow at the goddess. She, wounded, fled to Olympus. The demigod took one of his special arrows, soaked with Hydra's poisonous blood. Even the immortals were not immune to the strong poison of the monster son of Typhon and Echidna. The giant Gerion was slaughtered after undergoing terrible agony. Hercules was finally able to return to Greece, driving the famous Gerion's oxen. Hercules was again traveling the world to perform another labor for King Eurystheus. This time he was to find the famous garden of the Hesperides, bringing back one of their famous golden apples from it. When the goddess Hera married Zeus, she received from Gaia a beautiful tree, from which golden apples grew. This tree was tended by the beautiful and delicate Hesperides and watched over by the huge dragon Laedon. In his quest into the garden, Hercules found the titan Prometheus chained to a rock, his liver devoured by a great eagle. During the night, his liver regenerated. The next day, the bird would return to feed again. Prometheus had been punished by Zeus for stealing the sacred fire and giving it to men. Hercules decided that Prometheus had already suffered too much. Something had to be done. He shot down the hateful bird with his bow and broke the chains that bound the titan to the rock, and Prometheus was finally free from his ordeal. As a form of gratitude, Prometheus advises Hercules not to face the mighty dragon. Instead, he should meet with Atlas. Continuing his journey, the hero met the mighty titan Atlas, who was also suffering a punishment imposed by Zeus. Atlas had fought against Zeus during the Titanomachy, the great confrontation between gods and titans. The defeated Atlas was forced to bear the entire weight of the celestial sphere on his back for all eternity. The titan was the Hesperides' father and offered to give Hercules the apples he needed, provided he would hold the celestial sphere while the titan went to his daughter's garden. Hercules agreed and used all his strength to hold the heavy celestial dome on his shoulders. Atlas left and returned after a while. He was carrying with him the apples that Hercules needed. When he saw the hero, Atlas said, Here are the apples, but I will deliver them to King Eurystheus myself for you. Hercules realized that he had been the victim of a trick, having to bear the weight of the world on his back for all eternity. At this moment, he uses his wit. Would you do that for me? You are so kind. I'm sick of my cousin. But before you leave, I want to make a request. Can you support the vault just for a moment so that I can put on the lionskin cloak and protect my back? This is very uncomfortable, as you know. Atlas knew perfectly well the discomfort and decided to help the hero. When the titan lifted the celestial vault again, Hercules picked up the apples that had been set on the ground and turned his back, never to return. Upon returning to Mycenae with the apples, the great hero was cheered by Eurystheus' subjects. The jealous king decided that there was only one way to get rid of Hercules for good. He should be sent to the realm of the dead. After completing eleven labors that everyone thought impossible, Hercules was beloved by the people, for the hero had rid the world of the most sinister creatures. Eurystheus, whose plan was to finish off Zeus' son, only made him more glorious. The Mycenaean king could only demand one more labor from Hercules. It was his last chance to get rid of the hero. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to go to the underworld and bring with him the legendary Cerberus, Hades' three-headed dog, responsible for watching over his master's kingdom. Before leaving for the kingdom of Hades, the hero was initiated into the mysteries of Eleusis. The rituals of these cults symbolized death and resurrection. Hercules went to a secret cave that gave access to the underground world. At the entrance, he was met by his brother Hermes, the god who led souls to Hades' realm. Guided by the messenger god, Hercules entered the underworld. It was a sinister place filled with lugubriousness. In Hades' realm, the demigod found his friend Theseus still alive, chained to a rock. Theseus had been punished by Hades for trying, together with his friend Pirithous, to kidnap Persephone, the queen of the underworld. Hercules freed his friend from captivity, and Theseus returned to the world of the living. Then Hercules met the boatman Charon, who refused to help Hercules enter his master's kingdom. But the demigod was determined and threatened to destroy Charon and the boat if he did not take him to the other bank of the river Acheron. Faced with such a threat, Charon had no choice and did as Hercules demanded. On the other bank of the river, Hades, the lord of the underworld, was waiting for him. The son of Zeus came face to face with Hades, the lord of the underworld. He asked his permission to take his dog and present it to Eurystheus, with the promise that he would return the animal after completing his work. Hades allowed Hercules to try to capture the three-headed dog, but he could only use his bear to subdue the animal. The hero went after the monster. Upon spotting it, Hercules realized that the beast, besides the three heads, had a serpent's tail. The son of Zeus had already fought every kind of creature and entered the fight without fear. The struggle between the demigod and the monster was intense, but Hercules managed to defeat the creature. The hero brought Cerberus to the surface. Upon contact with sunlight, the dog became nauseous and vomited. Poisonous plants sprouted from where the animal's barf fell. Despite resistance, Hercules dragged the animal to King Eurystheus' palace and presented the creature to the lord. Faced with the monster, Eurystheus ran in terror into his bronze vat and hid there. Cerberus was released as promised and returned to the underworld. Hercules finally fulfilled his twelfth labor. Eurystheus, resigned to the idea that he could not kill Hercules, eventually released the demigod from his duties. Hercules had reached the pinnacle of glory and was seen as mankind's benefactor. But this would not be the end of his journey. The son of Zeus still had difficult adventures and trials ahead of him before finally achieving immortality at his father's side.