Heracles (Hercules) and the Twelve Labors

The greatest of the divine heroes in Greek mythology, Heracles, known in the west by his Roman name
Hercules, was the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Alceme. There are many stories of Heracles'
strength and heroism but the most well-known one centers around the twelve labors he was forced to
perform. Driven mad by the goddess Hera, Heracles slew his own children and to atone for his crimes he
had to perform ten tasks or labors set by his archenemy Eurystheus, who eventually raised the number
to twelve.

The Twelve Labors of Heracles

Slay the Nemean Lion: With his bare hands, Heracles kills the lion that was attacking the city of Nemea,
wearing the fur as a cloak to demonstrate his victory.

Slay the Hydra: A fire-breathing monster with the body of a lion and nine serpent heads, the Hydra was
considered unbeatable. Heracles, along with Iolaus, was able to kill it, but it was not easy. Every time
they cut off a head, another two would grow in its place. Eventually, Heracles and Iolaus cut off all of the
heads and sealed the wounds with fire, preventing the Hydra from regenerating.

Capture the Golden Hind: Instead of killing the hind, Heracles had to capture it alive and present it to
Eurystheus.

Capture the Erymanthian Boar: A wild and powerful boar was on the loose and had to be captured and
brought to Mycenae, with Heracles successfully capturing the beast.

Clean the Augean Stables in one day: King Augeas had a stable of divine cattle whose feces was
poisonous and voluminous. By rerouting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus, Heracles was able to clean the
stables.

Slay the Stymphalian Birds: Sacred to Ares, the Stymphalian Birds had beaks of bronze and were
incredibly violent, overrunning Arcadia. Since the birds had migrated into a swamp, Heracles had to get
creative, utilizing a rattle given to him by Hephaestus to scare the birds into the air, shooting them down
with his bow and arrow.

Capture the Cretan Bull: A wild bull was causing havoc on the island of Crete and Heracles was tasked
him capturing the beast. With his bare hands, he wrestled the bull to the ground, successfully capturing
it and sending it back to the mainland.

Steal the Mares of Diomedes: King Diomedes of Thrace had trained his horses to eat human flesh and
Heracles was tasked with bringing back these mares. Heracles headed to Thrace and stayed awake all
night until Diomedes fell asleep before cutting the bronze manger the horses were tied to. Heracles
chased the mares to the end of the peninsula before digging a ditch around them, creating an island.
Eventually, Diomedes appeared and Heracles slew him, feeing him to the mares and calming them down
so that he could sew their mouths shut and take them back to Eurystheus.

Obtain the belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons: Next Heracles was tasked with retrieving the belt of
the Queen of the Amazons, a fearsome group of warrior women. Hippolyta was impressed with the
exploits of Heracles and was ready to give him the belt. However, Hera, who despised Heracles, had
appeared before the Amazons, saying that someone wanted to steal the queen away. The Amazons
confronted Heracles, who then believed this had all been a plot by Hippolyta to kill him. Heracles killed
the Amazons, including Hippolyta, and took the belt.

Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon: Heracles traveled west to steal the cattle from the massive
giant Geryon. The giant attacked Heracles but it was no match for his skills at archery, with one of his
arrows piercing Geryon's forehead. Heracles obtained the cattle and despite more interference from
Hera, he was able to take the cattle to Eurystheus.

Steal the apples of the Hesperides: Eurystheus claimed that slaying the Hydra (because Iolaus helped
him) and cleaning the Augean stables (because the rivers did the work) did not count and gave Heracles
two more labors. Heracles was tasked with stealing the apples of the evening nymphs, the Hesperides.
After finding the garden of the Hesperides, Heracles found the god Atlas there holding up the heavens.
Since Heracles could not reach the apples himself, he asked Atlas to grab them while he held up the
heavens. Atlas agreed and got the apples, however, he then decided that he did not want to return to
holding up the heavens. Heracles tricked Atlas into giving him the apples, saying that he would remain to
hold up the heavens but first he needed Atlas to hold the heavens while he adjusted his cloak.

Capture and bring back Cerberus: For the final labor, Heracles was tasked with bringing back the three-
headed dog, Cerberus, who guarded the gates of the underworld. Heracles asked Hades if he could bring
Cerberus with him and the god agreed if Heracles could subdue the beast with only his bare hands.
Heracles was successful and slung Cerberus on his back, before walking back from the underworld and
presenting the beast to Eurystheus.