The Story of Heracles

The Story of
HERACLES
In a nutshell...
Hercules (known in Greek mythology as Heracles
or Herakles) is one of the best-known heroes in
ancient mythology. His life was not easy—he
endured many trials and completed many
daunting tasks—but the reward for his suffering
was a promise that he would live forever among
the gods at Mount Olympus.
Was
Hercules
a God?
Hercules
born in Thebes
held to be the son of Amphitryon
in reality, the son of Zeus and and
Alcmene (Amphitryon’s wife and Perseus’s
granddaughter)
Hercules
demigod
“Greatest Hero of Greece”, admired for his
supreme self confidence and magnificent
physical strength
Hercules
Hera’s focus of anger amongst all the
illegitimate children of Zeus
Hera sent two snakes to kill him in his
crib. The infant Hercules was unusually
strong and fearless, however, and he
strangled the snakes before they could
strangle him.
Hercules
Hera’s focus of anger amongst all the
illegitimate children of Zeus
Hera sent two snakes to kill him in his crib
with his brother Iphicles . The infant
Hercules was unusually strong and
fearless, however, and he strangled the
snakes before they could strangle him.
Hercules
He had several teachers growing up.
Amphitryon - chariot driving
Autolycus - boxing
Castor - horse riding in battles
Chiron (centaur) - politics; manners and
wisdom
Eumolpus - playing the lyre and singing
Eurytus - archery
Hercules
killed the Thespian Lion in the woods of
Cithaeron, wore its skin and head as a
cloak when he was eighteen.
his next exploit was to conquer the
Minyans. He was rewarded the hand of the
Princess Megara, whom she married and
had three kids with.
Hercules
Hera drove Hercules to madness, making
him kill his whole family.
guilty and heartbroken, he begged to be
punished and was advised that in order to
atone for his sins and be purified by going
to King Eurystheus, subjecting Hercules to
perform the 12 Labors.
The 12
Labors of
Hercules
1: The Nemean Lion
Apollo sent Hercules to the hills of

Nemea to kill a lion that was
terrorizing the people of the region.
Hercules trapped the lion in its cave
and strangled it. For the rest of his
life, he wore the animal’s pelt as a
cloak.
2: The Lernaean Hydra
Hercules traveled to the city of Lerna to
slay the nine-headed Hydra—a poisonous,
snake-like creature who lived underwater,
guarding the entrance to the Underworld.
Hercules had the help of his nephew
Iolaus. He cut off each of the monster’s
heads while Iolaus burned each wound
with a torch. This way, the pair kept the
heads from growing back.
3: The Golden Hind
Hercules set off to capture the sacred pet of
the goddess Diana: a red deer, or hind, with
golden antlers and bronze hooves.
Eurystheus had chosen this task for his rival
because he believed that Diana would kill
anyone she caught trying to steal her pet;
however, once Hercules explained his
situation to the goddess, she allowed him to
go on his way without punishment.
4: The Erymanthean Boar
Hercules used a giant net to snare

the terrifying, man-eating wild boar
of Mount Erymanthus.
5: The Augean Stables
Hercules’ fifth task was supposed to

be humiliating as well as impossible:
cleaning all the manure out of King
Augeas’ enormous stables in a single
day. However, Hercules completed
the job easily, flooding the barn by
diverting two nearby rivers.
6: The Stymphlaian Birds
Travel to the town of Stymphalos and drive
away the huge flock of carnivorous birds
that had taken up residence in its trees. This
time, it was the goddess Athena who came to
the hero’s aid: She gave him a pair of
magical bronze krotala, or noisemakers,
forged by the god Hephaistos. Hercules used
these tools to frighten the birds away.
7: The Cretan Bull
Hercules went to Crete to capture a
rampaging bull that had impregnated the
wife of the island’s king. (She later gave
birth to the Minotaur, a creature with a
man’s body and a bull’s head.) Hercules
drove the bull back to Eurystheus, who
released it into the streets of Marathon.
8: The Horses of Diomedes
Hercules’ eighth challenge was to

capture the four man-eating horses
of the Thracian king Diomedes. He
brought them to Eurystheus, who
dedicated the horses to Hera and set
them free.
9: Hippolyte’s Belt
The ninth labor was complicated: stealing an
armored belt that belonged to the Amazon
queen Hippolyte. At first, the queen welcomed
Hercules and agreed to give him the belt
without a fight. However, the troublemaking
Hera disguised herself as an Amazon warrior
and spread a rumor that Hercules intended to
kidnap the queen. To protect their leader, the
women attacked the hero’s fleet; then, fearing
for his safety, Hercules killed Hippolyte and
ripped the belt from her body.
10: The Cattle of Geryon
Hercules was dispatched nearly to
Africa to steal the cattle of the three-
headed, six-legged monster Geryon.
Once again, Hera did all she could to
prevent the hero from succeeding,
but eventually, he returned to
Mycenae with the cows.
11: The Apples of Hesperides
Eurystheus sent Hercules to steal Hera’s
wedding gift to Zeus: a set of golden apples
guarded by a group of nymphs known as the
Hesperides. This task was difficult—Hercules
needed the help of the titans Prometheus and
Atlas to pull it off—but the hero eventually
managed to run away with the apples. After
he showed them to the king, he returned
them to the gods’ garden where they
belonged.
12: Cerberus
For his final challenge, Hercules traveled to
Hades to kidnap Cerberus, the vicious three-
headed dog that guarded its gates. Hercules
managed to capture Cerberus by using his
superhuman strength to wrestle the
monster to the ground. Afterward, the dog
returned unharmed to his post at the
entrance to the Underworld.
How did
Hercules
die?
After completing his 12 Labors, Hercules
had a number of other adventures—
rescuing the princess of Troy and battling
for control of Mount Olympus—but none
were as taxing, or as significant, as the
labors had been.
Later in his life, Hercules married his second
wife, Deianira. When a centaur (a half-man,
half-horse) attempts to steal her away,
Hercules shot him with an arrow that he had
soaked in the poison of the Hydra. As he lay
dying, the centaur, realizing that his own blood
is now also poisonous, gave his blood-stained
tunic to Deianira, lying to her that it will
forever bind Hercules to her.
Years later, when Deianira hears a
rumor that Hercules is having an affair,
she gave him the blood-stained tunic to
wear, hoping it will bring him back to
her. However, the poisoned blood on the
tunic burns Hercules’ flesh, causing
intense pain. Realizing that he has been
poisoned, Hercules builds his own
funeral pyre and burns himself to death
on it.
Hercules was the only hero to
become a fully-fledged god upon
his demise. He was given a home
in Mount Olympus and a goddess
for a wife.
He was taken to heaven, where he

has reconciled to Hera and
married her daughter Hebe.
Thank you for
listening.

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The Story of

Apollo sent Hercules to the hills of

Hercules used a giant net to snare

Hercules’ fifth task was supposed to

Hercules’ eighth challenge was to

He was taken to heaven, where he

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