Let us briefly recall the biography of Hercules, the illegitimate son of Zeus, the main god of Greece, the leader of the Olympians. The goddess Hera, the very evil, capricious and jealous wife of the Thunderer, disliked her stepson. Hera's jealousy manifested itself in the behavior of her husband, who had dozens of illegitimate children. They also suffered from the waywardness of the “stepmother” for their origin. Since Hercules was his father's favorite, he got more than others. And then read the 12 labors of Hercules in full in order.
In this regard, the hero went to Delphi to the soothsayer of the god Apollo to ask him: what to do next? Apollo recommended leaving Thebes and going to his brother Eurystheus for twelve years of hard work. Read the 12 Labors of Hercules online in full below.

Victory One: Death of the Nemean Lion

Nemean lion

The current location of Greek Nemea is the north-west of the Peloponnese peninsula. There, in ancient times, this huge mythical monster destroyed everything around it. When Hercules went in search of him to destroy him, there were no animals or people there, even the birds were silent. Shepherds and farmers were afraid to leave their homes.

The lion was enormous in size and descended from the hundred-headed dragon Typhon and the anthropomorphic (half beautiful woman and half snake) Echidna. Day after day, the son of Zeus searched for the lion's den and one evening he discovered a cave in the rock with two exits. The hero quickly blocked one exit with stones.

And so, against the background of the darkening sky, a huge shadow of a shaggy animal grew, which then approached the cave.
Hercules sent several arrows at him. But the lion's skin turned out to be so strong that the arrowheads bounced off the beast as if from a stone.
Finally, Hercules came into the lion's field of vision. The jump that followed with lightning speed almost knocked him off his feet. Hercules knocked the monster over with his club, then strangled it with his hands and brought the carcass to Eristheus, frightening him even more.

Second victory: the Lernaean hydra lost its head

Lernaean Hydra

This mythical hydra also lived in the Peloponnese. Near one lake there were karst holes in the ground, in which there was an entrance to the underground kingdom. It was guarded by the Lernaean monster, which had to be destroyed.
The hydra crawled out of its lair, destroyed herds of animals and ravaged the fields of farmers. Our hero found her and immediately attacked with fire arrows. She knocked Hercules off his feet, capturing his legs in her rings. But the brave hero stubbornly held on, knocking off all the snake’s heads with a huge club. Finally he got to the very dangerous head and took it off. The monster went limp and collapsed at his feet.

The last head was buried deep and covered with rock. Then Hercules dipped his arrows in the bile of the hydra, which inflicted mortal wounds in further campaigns.

Victory three: birds with steel feathers

Every bird is a real onion! They threw down their feather-arrows made of durable metal and killed everyone who attacked as they went.
Hercules felt that this task would be difficult to complete. He called for help, the deity of war and at the same time wisdom, Pallas Athena. She suggested that these birds are scary, but timid, afraid of even the slightest noise. Pallas Athena gave Hercules two metal plates - tympanums. If you bang them against each other, you can make incredible noise. Near the birds' nest, he struck his kettledrums. The Stymphalian birds flew into the sky in fear in a huge flock and sent their weapons—feather-arrows—at the rock. But they did not bother Hercules. In response, he began to kill the bloodthirsty birds with his arrows. Many birds died, and the living ones instantly flew away from this region, and even from Greece. They didn't appear here again.

Fourth victory: the Kerynean doe is wounded

Kerynean fallow deer

Eurystheus directed Hercules to Arcadia, where the fleet-footed deer lived. The illegitimate daughter of Zeus and the sister of Apollo sent her cult animal here. She took revenge on both people and her brother.

For twelve months Hercules ran after the beautiful and fast animal. It never got tired. The doe turned fertile fields into deserts, people went hungry. But Hercules did not lose sight of her and constantly pursued her. The fallow deer was close to being captured in the far north, in the land of the Hyperboreans. As soon as the young man tried to capture the doe, she turned sharply to the south. Hercules almost caught up with the nimble animal in the same Arcadia where the chase began.
And here he decided to take up arms and wounded the doe in the leg.

Fifth victory: battle with the Erymanthian boar

Erymanthian boar

The new task was difficult and dangerous. On the lands of Arcadia, the evil Erifman wild boar gave no rest to anyone. He destroyed everything in his path. Whoever was caught was torn to shreds with his fangs.

The son of the thunderer Olympus came to the indicated mountain. There he drove the boar out of the rookery and chased it for a long time until it became exhausted on the top of the mountain. Hercules tied him up alive and took him to the city to Eurystheus. Seeing the terrible boar, albeit tightly tied, the king, out of fear, managed to climb into the neck of the metal barrel.

Victory six: cleaning the Augean stables

Augean stables

On this campaign, Hercules did not take his traditional weapons with him for the first time. Because he received a purely economic task: to clear the premises for the bulls of King Augeas, who was also the son of one of the main mythical gods of Greece, from accumulated manure. Therefore, Hercules could not refuse dirty work.

Hercules promised Augeas to make the courtyard clean in just a day. But for this he asked for payment - a tithe from the herd. The king agreed because he thought there would be enough work here for months. Hercules did not need a shovel, otherwise he would have really had to work for many months. That’s why he turned into the yard to water the rivers flowing nearby. They washed away all the manure by evening.

But the cunning king did not pay for the work, as agreed. So the son of Zeus took revenge on Augeas for violating the agreement when he left Eurystheus. He went with an army to Aegis, and Augeas came to an end in battle.

Victory seven: taming the Cretan bull

Cretan bull

This was an overseas assignment. Hercules took a long time to get to the island of Crete, where he had to tame a rabid animal. There was such a cunningly wise interweaving here: according to the myth, one owner sends this bull to another. The animal must then be sacrificed back to its owner. But the first one felt sorry to part with the bull of amazing constitution, so he replaced the Cretan bull with his ordinary bull, which he gave as a sacrifice. The one for whom the sacrifice was intended took offense and sent a mad bull to Crete.
The bull rushed around the island, sweeping away everything in its path with its hooves. Hercules tamed the rabid animal. Together they crossed the sea from the island to the Peloponnese. The bull was released into the field here. He ran free until he was killed by someone else.

Victory Eight: Diomedes' Cannibal Horses

Horses of Diomedes

The son of the Thunderer had to complete his next task in the region in the eastern Balkans. King Diomedes had beautiful and hardy horses there. But they constantly stood in the stable in chains, since no fetters held them back. These were cannibal horses that were fed on the corpses of foreigners approaching the capital.

Hercules was able to successfully lead the horses out of the stable and drove them to the ship, but they were overtaken by pursuit. Leaving the horses under the guard of an assistant, Hercules began the battle. He won the battle. But, returning to the ship, he learned that the cannibal horses had torn apart Abder’s assistant. He was buried with honors.
Then the horses were no longer needed by anyone and scattered around the surrounding area.

Victory ninth: the Amazon belt is won

Belt of Hippolyta

One powerful woman wanted to get Hippolyta’s belt - a symbol of power. According to mythology, she was the queen of the Amazons, who lived somewhere on the far shore of the Black Sea. After a long sea voyage, the detachment of Hercules reached this land.

The myth of Hercules begins with his unusual birth. The thunder god Zeus had a penchant for earthly women. He liked the beautiful Alcmene, the wife of the king of Mycenae. Zeus, with gentle speeches, tried to convince her to cheat on her husband. But Alcmene was adamant. Then the Thunderer decided to cheat. He drove all the animals of Hellas into the forest where the king of Mycenae was hunting. Carried away by hunting, he did not return home to spend the night. And Zeus in the form of a husband appeared to Alcmene.

On the day when Hercules was to be born, the Thunderer swore in the presence of the gods that the boy would become the ruler of Mycenae. But Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, realized that we were talking about an illegitimate child. She pushed back Alcmene's birth by a day. At the hour appointed by Zeus, Eurystheus was born. It was he who became the ruler of Mycenae, in whose service Hercules accomplished famous feats.

Myths about Hercules: 12 labors

Hera, having learned about the birth of the future hero, vowed to kill him. She sent two poisonous snakes into the cradle. But Hercules showed strength and agility from birth. He strangled the reptiles with his hands.

The myth of Hercules tells that Hera later sent madness to the hero. The man's mind became confused as he played with his sons. He mistook the children for monsters. When the attack of madness passed, Hercules was horrified by his own action. Full of remorse, he decided to go to overseas countries.

Hercules sailed with the Argonauts on a ship to distant Colchis for the Golden Fleece. But his journey did not last long - the god Hermes appeared to the hero near the very shores of Greece. He conveyed the will of the gods: let Hercules humble himself and go into the service of the Mycenaean king Eurystheus.

Jealous Hera, in a desire to get rid of the illegitimate son of Zeus, entered into an agreement with Eurystheus. She advised the ruler of Mycenae to choose the most difficult and dangerous tasks for the hero. The myths about the exploits of Hercules, one might say, appeared thanks to Hera. She herself, unwittingly, contributed to the hero’s centuries-long glory.

First feat

Eurystheus gave the first task to Hercules - to destroy the Nemean lion. The monster was born from the giant Typhon and Echidna, a huge snake. The lion amazed with its size and bloodthirstiness. Its durable skin withstood the blows of swords, and arrows dulled on it.

A lion lived in the vicinity of the city of Nemea, destroying all living things in its path. For a whole month Hercules searched for his lair. Finally he discovered a cave that served as a refuge for the Nemean Lion. Hercules blocked the exit from the lair with a huge boulder, and he himself prepared to wait at the entrance. Finally there was a loud roar and a monster appeared.

The myth of Hercules tells that the hero's arrows bounced off the skin of a lion. The sharp sword did not harm him. Then Hercules grabbed the monster by the throat with his bare hands and strangled him.

The hero returned victoriously to Mycenae. When Eurystheus saw the defeated lion, he was afraid of the incredible strength of Hercules.

Second feat

Let's try to retell the second myth about Hercules briefly. Hera came up with a new deadly task for the hero. A terrible monster was lurking in the poisonous swamp - the Lernaean Hydra. She had the body of a snake and nine heads.

The Lernaean hydra lived near the entrance to the world of the dead. She crawled out of her lair and devastated the surrounding area. Being the sister of the Nemean Lion, she had a huge advantage - one of her nine heads was immortal. Therefore, it was impossible to kill the Lernaean Hydra.

Iolaus offered his help to Hercules - he took the hero to the poisonous swamp on his chariot. The hero fought the hydra for a long time. But, having struck down one head of the monster, Hercules saw two new ones appear in its place.

Assistant Iolaus set fire to a nearby grove and began to cauterize the severed heads of the hydra. When Hercules cut off the last, immortal head, he buried it deep in the ground. He laid a huge rock on top so that the monster could never appear on earth again.

Hercules soaked the arrowheads with the poisonous blood of the hydra. And then he returned to Mycenae, where Eurystheus’ new task awaited him.

Third feat

Myths about the exploits of Hercules indicate his strength, agility, and speed. For more than a year the hero chased the Kerynean doe in order to catch it - this was a new task for the ruler of Mycenae.

A beautiful fallow deer appeared in the vicinity of the Kerenean Mountains. Her horns sparkled with gold, and her hooves shone with copper. The animal's skin sparkled in the sun. The Kerynean fallow deer was created by the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. She did this as a reproach to people who exterminated flora and fauna.

The doe ran faster than the wind - she rushed, running away from Hercules, through Attica, Thesprotia, Boeotia. For a whole year the hero tried to catch up with the beautiful fugitive. In desperation, Hercules took out his bow and shot the animal in the leg. Throwing a net over the prey, he carried it to Mycenae.

Artemis appeared in front of him in anger. Ancient myths about Hercules say that the hero bowed to her. He explained how the will of the gods forced him to serve Eurystheus. That he was not chasing the beautiful doe for himself. Artemis had mercy and allowed Hercules to take the animal to Mycenae.

Fourth feat

And Eurystheus has already prepared a new task for the hero. Which one? The fourth myth about Hercules will tell us about this. Its brief content allows us to find out that a wild boar appeared in Arcadia. The Erymanthian boar used its huge tusks to destroy livestock, forest animals, and travelers...

On the way, Hercules visited his acquaintance, the centaur Pholus. They opened the wine, had fun, sang songs. Other centaurs, attracted by the aroma of the wine, armed themselves with stones and stakes and declared that the wine was a gift to the entire community. A fight ensued. Hercules put the centaurs to flight with his poisonous arrows.

Continuing his journey, the hero soon saw the Erymanthian boar. But the blows of the sword did not frighten the animal. Then Hercules raised his shield high. When the sun was reflected in it, the hero directed the beam directly into the eyes of the beast. Then he began to hit the shield with his sword. Blinded, the animal was frightened by the loud noise. He rushed high into the mountains, where he got stuck in deep snow. Then Hercules tied the boar, put it on his shoulders and brought it to Mycenae.

The inhabitants rejoiced at their deliverance from the formidable monster. Eurystheus, seeing the size of the boar, was so frightened that he hid in a bronze pithos.

Fifth feat

King Augeas was famous for his herds and stables. He fenced off the barnyard with a high fence, because he was in fear around the clock that the bulls and horses might be kidnapped. All day long Augeias tried to count the number of horses in the stables. But the herd was in motion, the horses moved, and the count had to start over.

The accumulated sewage from the horses filled all the stables. The smell from them permeated the whole of Arcadia, says the 5th myth. Hercules sent Eurystheus to clear the Augean stables of manure. The king thought that a strong and brave hero would disdain such a task.

Hercules realized that it was necessary to make a hole in the fence. He broke the fence surrounding the stables on both sides. The water flow of the mountain river immediately washed away all the impurities.

The myth of Hercules briefly reports that after this feat, the hero made a sacrifice to the river god for the unpleasant work. Then he restored the fence and returned to Mycenae for a new assignment.

The sixth feat

One day, two huge birds appeared near the city of Stymphalus, the myths about Hercules are told. They had copper beaks and bronze feathers. The Stymphalian birds multiplied over time and formed a flock. They destroyed seedlings in the fields. They dropped their bronze feathers like arrows on everyone who came near them.

Hercules, before entering into battle, studied the habits of the creatures for a long time. He realized that, having shed their feathers, birds become defenseless until new ones grow. The warrior goddess Athena appeared to Hercules and presented him with copper rattles as a gift. Hercules was delighted with the help and made a loud noise with the instrument.

The Stymphalian birds flew up in fear and began to shed their sharp feathers. Hercules took refuge under a shield from their onslaught. After the birds dropped all their feathers, the hero shot them with a bow. And those that I didn’t manage to hit flew away from these places.

Seventh feat

What does the seventh myth about Hercules tell about? The summary indicates that there are no more monstrous animals and birds left in Arcadia. But Eurystheus came up with an idea where to send Hercules - to the island of Crete.

The sea god Poseidon gave King Minos a wonderful bull so that the ruler would sacrifice it to the gods. But the king liked the Cretan bull so much that he hid it in his herd. Poseidon found out about the king's deception. In anger, he struck the bull with madness. The monster ran around for a long time, killing people in a frenzy and scattering herds.

Eurystheus, at the behest of Hera, wished to see the Cretan bull alive. Hercules realized that only force can pacify the animal. He went out to fight, grabbed the bull by the horns, and bent his head to the ground. The animal sensed that the enemy was stronger. The Cretan bull stopped resisting. Then Hercules saddled him and drove him into the sea. So, riding on an animal, the hero returned to Arcadia.

The bull did not even try to throw Hercules off, he calmly entered the stall of King Eurystheus. When the hero, tired after a new feat, went to bed, the ruler was afraid to keep a maddened bull and in fear released him into the wild.

So the bull wandered around the outskirts of Arcadia until he was defeated by another hero of Hellas, Theseus.

Eighth feat

The myths about Hercules also tell about the demonic horses of Diomedes. These carnivorous monsters devoured lost travelers. Shipwrecked sailors were killed. When Hercules and his assistant arrived in the country, he immediately went in search of carnivorous horses. By neighing, he realized where the stables of King Diomedes were.

With a blow to the head, he subdued the first horse and threw a bridle around its neck. When the entire herd was bridled, Hercules and his assistant drove him to the ship. And then King Diomedes and his army stood in the way. Hercules defeated everyone, and when he returned to the shore, he saw that the horses had torn his assistant to pieces and fled.

The hero fed the body of King Diomedes to his own horses, drove them onto a ship and took them to Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus, at the sight of the carnivorous horses, in horror, ordered them to be released into the forest. There wild animals dealt with them.

Ninth feat

The 12 myths about Hercules are extremely interesting. They all talk about the strength and courage of the son of Zeus, about the amazing adventures that befell him. The ninth tells about Hippolyta's belt. Eurystheus's daughter Admeta wanted to get it. She heard that the belt was given to the queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta, by Ares himself, the god of war.

Hercules went on a journey with his companions. The Amazons greeted them friendly and asked about the purpose of the trip. Hercules honestly told Queen Hippolyta about how Eurystheus’s daughter wanted to receive her belt as a gift.

Hippolyta agreed to give the jewelry to Hercules. But the goddess Hera interfered. She didn’t like the peaceful solution to the issue - after all, she wanted to destroy the hero. Hera, transforming into one of the Amazons, spread the rumor that Hercules wanted to sell them into slavery.

The militant women believed the evil slander, and a battle ensued. Hercules and his companions defeated the Amazons. The son of Zeus completed this task with a heavy heart. Hercules, the hero of myth, did not want to fight with women, even if they were warriors.

Tenth feat

Our story continues with the tenth myth about Hercules. King Eurystheus thought for a long time before giving the hero a new task. He wanted to send his hated half-brother to a distant country, so distant that it would take a month or more to sail there.

Hercules traveled a long way. He defeated the son of the god Vulcan - the monster Kakus. Later, the city of Rome was founded on the site of their battle.

On the green meadows of Erythia, the cows of Geryon, a giant with three bodies, three heads and three pairs of arms and legs, grazed. They were guarded by a two-headed dog. At the sight of Hercules, he growled and rushed at him. The hero quickly defeated the dog, but then the giant shepherd woke up. The goddess Athena doubled the strength of Hercules, and he knocked the giant down with several blows of his club. The hero won another victory.

Having sailed by ship to Iberia, Hercules lay down to rest, letting the herd go to graze. At first light, he decided to drive the herd overland. Cows traveled through Iberia, Gaul, and Italy. Near the sea, one of them rushed to the water and swam. She ended up on the island of Sicily. The local ruler Eryx did not want to give the cow to Hercules. I had to defeat him too.

The hero returned with the fugitive to the herd and led it to King Eurystheus. The latter sacrificed cows to Hera, hoping to get rid of Hercules.

Eleventh feat

And again a long road awaited the hero. Eurystheus sent Hercules to fetch the golden apples of the Hesperides. They gave immortality and eternal youth. In the garden of the Hesperides, only nymphs guarded the apples. And the garden itself was located at the edge of the earth, where Atlas held the firmament on his shoulders.

On the way to the end of the world, Hercules freed Prometheus in the Caucasus Mountains. He fought with the son of the land of Gaia - Antaeus. Only by tearing the giant off the ground could the hero defeat him. Having reached Atlas, Hercules told him about the purpose of his journey. They agreed that the hero would hold the heavens on his shoulders, and Atlas would ask the nymphs for apples.

Hercules was already exhausted under the weight of the arch, and Atlas returned. The giant really didn’t want to take on an exorbitant burden on his shoulders again. The cunning man invited Hercules to hold the sky for a while until he himself reached Mycenae and gave the apples to the king. But our hero is not so stupid. He agreed, but on the condition that the giant would hold up the heavens, and in the meantime Hercules would make himself a grass pillow - the burden was too heavy. Atlas believed and took his place, and the hero took the apples and returned home.

Twelfth labor

The last task of Eurystheus was the most difficult, says the 12th myth. The Labors of Hercules (a brief summary of them is presented in this article) takes the reader into the amazing world of the mythology of Ancient Greece, a world full of amazing adventures, powerful and treacherous gods and strong, brave heroes. But we digress. So, 12 labors. Hercules had to descend into the kingdom of the dead and kidnap the dog Cerberus. Three heads, a tail in the shape of a snake - at the sight of this fiend of hell, the blood froze in my veins.

Hercules went down to Hades and fought with Cerberus. Having defeated the dog, the hero brought him to Mycenae. The king did not allow the gates to be opened and shouted for Hercules to release the terrible monster back.

But the myths about Hercules do not end there. The 12 feats that the hero performed in the service of Eurystheus glorified him for centuries. Later, he distinguished himself in military campaigns and arranged his personal life.

The Thirteenth Labor and Death of Hercules

Legends of Hellas say that there is also a 13th labor of Hercules. The myth has brought to this day the story of King Thespia. Hercules stayed in his house while hunting the Lion of Cithaeron. Thespius was worried that his daughters would choose unsightly grooms and give birth to ugly grandchildren. The king invited Hercules to impregnate his 50 daughters. So the hero hunted a lion during the day, and spent the night with the king’s daughters.

Many years later, Hercules married Deianira. They had many children. One day the couple were crossing a fast river. Dejanira was transported by the centaur Nessus. He was seduced by the beauty of the woman and wanted to take possession of her. Hercules struck him with a poisonous arrow. Experiencing terrible torment, Ness decided to take revenge on the hero. He persuaded Deianira to draw his blood. If Hercules stops loving her, all he has to do is soak his clothes in the blood of the centaur, and then the husband will not look at any woman again.

Dejanira kept the bottle with Nessus' gift. Returning from a military campaign, Hercules brought a young captive princess to the house. In a fit of jealousy, Dejanira soaked her husband's clothes in blood. The poison quickly took effect and began to cause Hercules severe pain, and it was impossible to remove his clothes. The eldest son carried his father in his arms to Mount Etu, where he made a funeral pyre. When the flame flared up, a huge cloud covered Hercules. So the gods decided to accept the hero to Olympus and grant him immortal life.

Labors of Hercules- a cycle of adventures of the son of the Thunderer, without which it is difficult to imagine and reflect the fullness of ancient Greek mythology. Today they are not only included in general education textbooks, but are also the property of the people. They reflect the essence of many phenomena and concepts. In Ancient Greece, Hercules was a hero who was not afraid to go against the will of his father Zeus and managed to prove to everyone that willpower is the main tool in performing the most difficult, sometimes unimaginable tasks. To this day, films and books are written based on the 12 labors of Hercules. Ready to find out a brief summary of each of them?

The story begins as follows. Hera decides to teach Zeus a lesson for treason and, just as Hercules is about to be born, forces the Thunderer to promise the following: a child born at this hour will become king. Hera specifically influenced the birth of Hercules' mother. As a result, the fragile and vile King Ephrystheus, who was born at that hour, received all power. Next, the ruler and Hero decide to get rid of the threat forever. Thus, a dispute took place in which Hercules had to complete 12 difficult tasks. Read on to see how this happened.

Myths about the twelve labors of Hercules (Briefly)

The first of the twelve labors of Hercules begins with the confrontation of the demigod with the invincible Nemean lion. The thick-skinned monster never knew defeat. He cannot be hurt by any weapon. The inhabitants of Nemia suffered for a long time from the attacks of the monster. The king decided to send the bravest warrior to battle with the left. Of course, not without vile intentions. Fortunately, Hercules had no less monstrous strength. He strangled the lion and became the hero of Nemia, among whom he found many friends and allies.

The second labor of Hercules took place on the territory of the Lernaean swamp, where the son of Zeus had to fight a mythical creature called the Lernaean Hydra. Every time the demigod cut off her head, two new ones appeared at the site of the wound. Then Hercules called his ally from Nemia, who managed to cauterize the wound with a torch. Thus, after cutting down the heads, new ones stopped growing. Having defeated the hydra, Hercules covered it with sand and moistened his arrows with its blood. Thus, he acquired poisonous arrows, for which no one had an antidote...

Realizing that Hercules had no equal in battles, Ephrystheus decided to use cunning. He offered the most outstanding run. As part of the third labor, Hercules was forced to compete in a race with the fastest animal in ancient Greek mythology. The uniqueness of this mission from the 12 labors of Hercules lies in the complexity of the task. You can't kill a doe. And it's almost impossible to catch. For a long time, the son of Zeus hunted the animal. As a result, he managed to drive her along a narrow path to a dead end. Then Iolaus came to him and threw a rope over the doe. On the way down, the heroes met Artemis, the daughter of Zeus, and gave the Hind to her. But Hercules completed his mission.

Another interesting myth from the 12 labors of Hercules is the battle of Hercules with the Erymanthian boar. For a long time, the huge animal prevented hunters from getting food for their families. Supposedly with noble goals, Ephriseus pointed out to Hercules the need to destroy the enemy. The difficulty was that the boar lived high in the mountains. Only thanks to the help of Artemis did Hercules manage to climb the hills and defeat the monster. Slowly but surely, the son of the Thunderer gained fame, destroying all the cunning plans of Hera. And then...

Having realized all the power of Hercules, the king decided to commit another meanness. In ancient Greek mythology, the god of war Ares had his own legion of dangerous warriors - the Stymphalian birds. Just by their looks they encouraged hundreds of thousands of warriors to lower their weapons. This flock lived in the depths of a mountain gorge, where Hercules went.
This feat of Hercules, of the 12 known, is one of the most interesting and impressive. Only through joint efforts with Iolaus did he manage to defeat all the predators. To complete this mission, he needed the skin of a lion from his first labor. And, of course, the accuracy of Iolaus’s faithful assistant.

The king was tired of trying to defeat Hercules with the danger and power of ancient Greek creatures. Then he decided to give him a simply impossible mission, which required the manifestation of completely different qualities, not military ones.
As part of the 6th Labor of Hercules, the hero had to go to a proud king named Augeas. He instructed Hercules:

• keep track of three hundred horses;
• feed two hundred red horses;
• catch twelve white horses;
• and another important part of the 12 labors of Hercules is to prevent the loss of one horse with a shining star in its forehead.

Of course, not without effort he managed to achieve his goal. After this, the king instructed him to clean the stables, promising a tenth of his fortune. He did it. Then Augeas became angry that he could not carry out the instructions of Ephrystheus and deceived Hercules, for which he lost his head.

The 7th labor of Hercules involves the battle on the island of Crete. In this place, King Minos saved his people from the curse of Poseidon for a long time. One day he promised the god of water an amazing bull with golden horns, but later decided to deceive the patron of the seas and stole the fleece from him. Then Poseidon turned the bull into a real monster. Hercules fought with the demon for a long time, but managed to defeat him with the help of huge shackles and chains.

A truly interesting and instructive labor of Hercules from 12 famous adventures. Talks about the most unpleasant mission for a demigod. This time, the king ordered him to steal horses, which even attracted the gods. Hercules was angry for a long time, but did not go against the will of the king.

To get horses honestly, Hercules went to the kingdom of the dead, from where he brought his late wife to the king. Thus, he was able to offer a compromise and deliver valuable horses to his vile king.

It's time to consider the 9th labor of the 12 adventures of Hercules. For a long time, Ephrystheus’s daughter asked Hippolyta herself for the belt. So the vile enemy of Hercules decided to remember his daughter’s request. Then he decided to send his son Zeus to an island where only women lived. Perhaps now you will learn more about the history of the Amazons. In this place lived women who were given a belt by the god of war himself, Ares. For a long time and painfully, Hercules had to fight with the best warriors in history. But he managed to get a belt, which Admeta never decided to put on herself.

Ancient Greece became the birthplace of many heroes who are known throughout the world. Among them, Hercules, the hero, son of the god Zeus and the earthly woman Alcmene, occupies a place of honor.

The twelve labors of Hercules entered the history of mankind. Some scientists believe that many heroes of ancient times, sailors, and city founders bore the name Hercules, and then the stories about them were combined into one story.

The main god Zeus, who was considered the father of Hercules, always helped his son, but his wife, the goddess Hera, did not love him. One night, when Hercules and his brother Iphicles were sleeping in a carriage, Hera sent two huge snakes to them to strangle the children. But Hercules woke up and killed the creeping enemies. So people realized that he had extraordinary power.

Many gods, friends of Zeus, taught Hercules useful skills. Amphitryon gave him the opportunity to drive a chariot, Castor taught him to fight, Lin gave him knowledge of music, and the centaur Chiron told him a lot. All this gave him the opportunity to perform 12 feats. Hercules was feared and respected.

Fighting the Nemean Lion

The hero Hercules all his life was forced to obey the small, puny king Eurystheus, who ruled Mycenae. He was always looking for an opportunity to get rid of Hercules, but could not put him to death, because the people loved Hercules for his good deeds.

The first labor of Hercules involved the victory over a terrible lion who lived in the vicinity of Mycenae. This lion prevented Greek parishioners from coming to the temple of Zeus. Born of Echidna and Typhon, the lion was invulnerable; ordinary people could not do anything with it.

Upon learning of this, King Eurystheus immediately sent Hercules to fight the lion in the hope that he would not be able to win. The hero went to the lion's den.

The 1st labor of Hercules involved the fact that he had to fill up one of the entrances to the cave with stones (there were two in total). Hiding, he began to wait for the lion. He came back from hunting in the evening. Creeping up, Hercules hit him on the head with a stick, but could not kill him. As a result, Hercules strangled the lion and skinned it.

This skin then served the hero in all his campaigns; he laid it under himself when he slept. Wrapped in this skin, Hercules then came to the gates of Mycenae, which terribly frightened King Eurystheus, and he preferred to communicate with him only through his servants.

Lernaean Hydra

Hercules did not have to rest for long after the battle with the lion. On the second day, a messenger from King Eurystheus came to him demanding that the hero again set off to perform feats.

The Twelve Labors of Hercules include his battle with the Lernaean Hydra. She was also the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. The hydra had the body of a snake and nine heads, and they had one feature - new ones grew in place of the cut off or felled heads.

The Labors of Hercules, a summary of which was given by ancient Greek historians, says that the strong man came to the swamp where the hydra lived and teased it. The monster crawled out of the cave and began to strangle the hero. In addition, a huge crayfish appeared from the swamp and pierced his leg. Hercules tirelessly chopped off the hydra's heads, but new ones constantly grew. As a result, he called an assistant, the shepherd Iolaus. He set the forest on fire, and with the help of fire began to cauterize the places on the hydra’s body where the heads were cut off. They stopped growing, and Hercules finally destroyed the hydra. He chopped her body up and threw it into a swamp, and soaked his arrows in the blood of the hydra. Since then, the wounds caused by these arrows have become fatal to his enemies.

Stymphalian birds

After killing the hydra, the hero was given the opportunity to rest for a year. Then King Eurystheus again called him to himself and ordered him to go into the forest near Stymphalus.

The Arcadian city of Stymphalus had long suffered from terrible birds. These large creatures attacked people, carried away livestock and plundered fields. The 3rd feat of Hercules is associated with the victory over these creatures.

These birds were also dangerous because their long bronze feathers inflicted mortal wounds on people. It was impossible for an ordinary person to cope with them. But the friendly gods came to Hercules' aid.

Pallas Athena gave the hero a special rattle made by Hephaestus. She made such sounds that everyone ran away from them in horror.

The Labors of Hercules, a summary of which is outlined in a school textbook, says that this time Hercules stood near the forest where the birds lived and began to ring the rattle. There was such a roar that all the birds flew out of the thicket. Then the hero began to shoot at them with a bow. He killed some, the rest flew far, far away.

The birds settled on the shores of the Euxine Pont, and the hero went to his home. However, he was soon called again to carry out an urgent assignment.

Kerynean fallow deer

The goddess Hera kept looking for ways to annoy her stepson. The 12 labors of Hercules, a summary of which all the Greeks retold to each other, appeared because the hero constantly had to carry out the orders of King Eurystheus, Hera’s protege.

So, Hera decided to quarrel between the hero and the gods. Eurystheus gave Hercules the task of bringing a beautiful doe living in Arcadia. The thirteenth labor of Hercules, a brief summary of which interests many, is associated with the hero’s hunt for this doe, which was devastating the villagers’ crops.

The doe was very beautiful, she had golden horns. She ran fast, Hercules chased her for a whole year. In the end, he got tired of the pursuit and shot the animal. At the same time, they pierced her legs, the doe could no longer run.

Hercules put the doe on his shoulder and was just about to carry it away when the indignant goddess Artemis appeared before him and demanded that the doe be returned. Hercules apologized and said that he caught the doe not by his own will, but by the will of King Eurystheus, who sent him here. The goddess forgave him, and the hero took the doe to Mycenae.

Erymanthian boar

The labors of Hercules, a summary of which many of us read in children's books, did not end there. Eurystheus gave him the task of killing the Erymanthian boar.

This animal lived on Mount Erymanth; it had huge fangs, with which it destroyed people.

On the way, Hercules decided to visit his friends the centaurs, they were half-humans, half-horses who lived in a cave. Many believe that there were thirteen labors of Hercules, since they also include the destruction of evil centaurs. The fact is that half-humans, half-horses, in honor of the hero’s arrival, opened wine, got drunk and began to attack Hercules.

He threw smoking brands at the centaurs and also shot poisonous arrows. They ran home to Chiron, the oldest of the centaurs. The hero wounded Chiron with a shot in the knee. And he later voluntarily went to Hades.

This was the 13th labor of Hercules, but the hero was upset that he had to do this to his friend, but he needed to complete the task of King Eurystheus. The Labors of Hercules, a summary of which is interesting to everyone, tells the story of how a strong man came into the forest, found a boar and drove it to the top of a mountain in deep snow. Then he tied up a boar and brought it to Mycenae. King Eurystheus was terribly frightened and hid in a bronze cauldron.

Augean stables

The twelve labors of Hercules were not always associated with taming wild animals. There are also feats of a different kind among them.

King Augeas of Elis was the son of the radiant god Helios. He was very rich, and was immensely proud of his herds of bulls and horses. Three hundred bulls from his herd were considered the adornment of the country. Of these, two hundred were red, and one hundred were white. But there was a problem: the premises in which his animals were kept were very dirty, no one knew how to clean them.

Hercules offered Augeas a deal: he would clean out the stables in one day, and in return he would give him a tenth of the herds. Augeas agreed. He believed that it was impossible in principle to do this.

The hero, without thinking twice, broke the walls of the stables and brought the waters of two rivers there. These waters rushed into the premises, and the next day all the manure was washed away. Then Hercules restored the walls.

Augeas refused to pay the hero the promised reward. Tom had to leave just like that, but then he took revenge on Augeas. He gathered an army, killed Augeas and his sons, and destroyed the city. Subsequently, the Olympic Games were established at the site of the battle with Augeas.

Cretan bull

The strongman did not have to rest for long. Until all the wild animals and fierce monsters were exterminated, King Eurystheus could not calm down. And now he sent Hercules to Crete, where at that time there lived a ferocious bull. For the seventh time the hero had to perform a feat.

The Labors of Hercules, a summary of which many studied in childhood, tell the story that Hercules went to Crete, obeying orders.

The Cretan bull was originally intended to be sacrificed to the god Poseidon. But the king of the island, Minos, did not want to give such a beautiful bull to the gods, he sent it to pasture, and sacrificed another.

Poseidon became angry, and the beautiful bull became a ferocious monster that attacked people and destroyed crops. The economy of the island of Crete was under threat. It took another labor of Hercules to return everything to normal.

Some believe that this was the thirteenth labor of Hercules. The hero caught a bull and rode on it. Then the bull became a means of transportation for crossing from Crete to the Peloponnese. Hercules brought him to Mycenae, but King Eurystheus was afraid and did not want to bring such an animal into the city. Then the hero released the terrible beast, and he fled to Attica, where he was killed by Theseus.

Horses of Diomedes

The thirteen labors of Hercules are associated with the hero’s victory over the forces of wild nature, over the ferocious creatures that then inhabited Greece.

The eighth labor was associated with the taming of horses that belonged to King Diomedes, who lived in Thrace. These horses were chained to the wall with iron chains, everyone was afraid of them. They ate people. King Diomedes caught foreigners and fed them to horses.

Hercules came to Thrace, took the animals and took them to his ship, entrusting their guard to Abdera, the son of Hermes. Diomedes and his army caught up with the hero and tried to attack, but Hercules killed many, and Diomedes had to flee. At this time, wild horses ate Abdera, everyone grieved for a long time about this. But still, the feat of Hercules was accomplished.

As usual, Hercules brought his booty to Mycenae to show it to King Eurystheus. He ordered the horses to be released, and they ran away into the forest. Somewhere there they died.

Rescue of the wife of King Admet

The ninth labor of Hercules marked his struggle with death, his victory over the god of death Tanat.

It is possible that the thirteenth labor of Hercules, a summary of which is outlined in collections of myths and legends, is connected with the victory of man over the dark forces of nature. Hercules was the first to break the rule according to which the ancient gods of death had the right to take any person they needed.

King Admetus knew that he must go to his grave, to Hades, since the gods had ordained this for him. But he didn’t want to die; he had colossal plans. He asked his elderly parents to go to Hades in his place. The parents refused.

Then the wife of King Admetus Alcestis agreed to sacrifice herself. It was hard for her to leave her husband and two children, but she knew that one of them had to leave. She prayed to the goddess of the hearth, Hestia, so that she would not leave her children unattended. Alcestis prepared for death and put on funeral attire. Her servants began to mourn.

At this time, Hercules was passing by the city, who was in a cheerful state of mind. He came home to Admetus and began to feast. But the servants told him that it was inappropriate to have fun now, since the queen, Admetus’s wife, had died.

Hercules learned the details and went to the tomb in which Alcestis lay. At night, the god of death Tanat came to the tomb. A fight ensued between them. The son of Zeus won this fight. He recaptured Alcestis and took her back to Admetus. At first he did not recognize his wife, but then he was very happy. All the residents of the city rejoiced. The hero moved on.

Belt of Hippolyta

The tenth feat is the strongman's trek to the land of the Amazons. The Labors of Hercules, a brief summary of which interests many, became a symbol of the victory of cultured Greeks over the barbarians.

This feat was connected with the fact that the daughter of King Eurystheus wanted to have the belt of Queen Hippolyta, who ruled the Amazons, warlike women who led a nomadic lifestyle.

Hercules went to the land of the Amazons, and along the way he fought several battles. He was attacked by wild bebriks, from whom he fought off. Arriving in the land of the Amazons, he came to Queen Hippolyta and asked to be given the belt.

Hippolyta initially wanted to give him the belt voluntarily, but the Amazons did not like it. Or rather, Hera arranged it so that the Amazons attacked the army of Hercules. The battle has begun. Many of the Amazons were killed.

Hercules took their leader Melanippe prisoner, but Hippolyta ransomed her, giving the winner a belt.

Cows of Geryon

The 12 labors of Hercules helped ancient people free themselves from the shackles of natural forces. Moreover, thanks to this strongman, they learned how to tame them.

The 13th labor of Hercules involved the capture of the cows of Geryon, who lived on the westernmost edge of the earth. The hero received an order from Eurystheus to bring these cows. He traveled west through Africa and Libya, where he erected two pillars as proof of his arrival.

There he had to fight with the dog Ortho and the giant Geryon, who had three mouths and six arms. Pallas Athena helped him in this struggle. On the ocean shore, Hercules thought about how to get to Erythea. There he met Helios, the god of the sun, and he invited him to ride in the chariot on which Helios made detours across the sky every day. So Hercules reached the island.

After killing Geryon, Hercules captured the cows and drove them to Greece through Africa, Italy and Spain. The goddess Hera pursued him here too and sent the cows mad. The cows ran away, so Hercules had to collect them again.

He brought the cows to Mycenae, and there King Eurystheus sacrificed them to the goddess Hera. This is how the thirteenth labor of Hercules, a summary of which became known to the whole world, was completed. But there is controversy over whether this can really be considered the hero's last deed. Some people name a few more.

Dog Kerber

The taming of the dog Cerberus became the most outstanding feat of Hercules. To do this, he had to go down to Hades and negotiate there with the god of death himself.

The goddess Pallas Athena helped Hercules descend into the underworld, and on the way he freed Theseus. King Hades set a condition for Hercules: he would take Kerberus with him if he defeated him without using weapons.

It was difficult for Hercules, but he defeated Kerberus and brought him to King Eurystheus. He was terribly scared and the hero had to take the dog back.

The 12 labors of Hercules, a brief summary of which we already know, end with the story of how Hercules obtained the apples of the Hesperides. These apples grew in orchards guarded by a never-sleeping dragon. The 6th labor of Hercules was also associated with overcoming the monster. Apples had miraculous powers - they brought eternal youth to everyone who ate them.

On the way to the gardens, Hercules encountered Atlas, who held the entire firmament on his shoulders, and asked him for help. Atlas agreed to bring the apples, but in return he ordered Hercules to hold the firmament. It was hard for our hero, but Pallas Athena again helped him hold the firmament.

Atlas brought apples, but did not want to take the sky back. Then Hercules resorted to a trick: he said that he wanted to make himself a pillow, and yet he gave Atlas the vault of heaven, asking him to hold it for a minute.

In modern research, there is disagreement about how many labors Hercules had. The 13th labor of Hercules raises doubts among many. What exactly it is connected with, no one still knows for sure. The thirteenth labor of Hercules, the content of which is given in literature, is more intended for study by adult readers. That’s why there is no description of it in school textbooks.

In general, the twelve labors of Hercules are the most widely known, and are mentioned in world literature. These acts became the basis of various works; many writers worked with these plots. In short, the 13th labor of Hercules became the embodiment of his mighty strength in relationships with representatives of the opposite sex, and here the Greek hero remains a role model.

A person who loves fairy tales remains a child at heart throughout his life. Plunge into the magical world of fairy tales yourself and open it to your children. Fairy tales leave no place for evil in our everyday lives. Together with fairy-tale heroes, we believe that life is beautiful and amazing!

Twelve Labors of Hercules

King Perseus and Queen Andromeda ruled the gold-abundant Mycenae for a long time and gloriously, and the gods sent them many children. The eldest of the sons was called Electrion. Electryon was no longer young when he had to take his father’s throne. The gods did not offend Electryon with their offspring: Electryon had many sons, one better than the other, but only one daughter - the beautiful Alcmene.
It seemed that in all of Hellas there was no kingdom more prosperous than the kingdom of Mycenae. But one day the country was attacked by the Taphians - fierce sea robbers who lived on the islands at the very entrance to the Gulf of Corinth, where the Aheloy River flows into the sea.
The king of the Taphians was Pterelai, a man endowed with superhuman strength. Poseidon, who was Pterelai's grandfather, gave him a golden hair, which, while growing on the head of the Taphian king, made him invincible.
The land of Argolis groaned from the invasion of these robbers. The Taphians burned villages, stole cattle, and trampled fields. Electrion sent his sons against them, but they all died at the hands of Pterelaus. Electryon turned in one day from a blessed father into an unhappy old man. Only Alkmena's beloved daughter remained from her former happiness.
Amphitryon, the king of the neighboring city of Tiryns, had long ago wooed Alcmene, and although he was Alcmene’s cousin, such marriages were not prohibited by Hellenic customs. Electryon agreed to give his only daughter in marriage to his nephew, but set a condition: before Alcmene becomes Amphitryon’s wife, he must avenge the death of his sons. “First - the death of Pterelai, then - the wedding,” said Electrion.
Amphitryon immediately went to battle with the Taphian king. But he failed to fight Pterelaus - he had already loaded the loot onto the ships and, raising the sails, went to sea. And the cattle stolen by Pterelaus were found: there was so much loot from the Taphians that they had to abandon the cattle.
Amphitryon drove the herd back to Mycenae and called his uncle to count all the returned animals. Electrion began to count. I counted for a long time, got lost and started again. Suddenly one cow, straying from the herd, wandered towards a steep cliff. “Stop, you foolish creature! You’ll fall! You’ll break your legs!” - Amphitryon shouted and threw a heavy club at her. At the same moment, a cry of unbearable pain was heard - the club, bouncing off the cow’s horns, hit Electryon right in the forehead. When Amphitryon ran up to his uncle, he was already dead.
Spilled blood stains the killer, whether the killing was intentional or not. Exile was the mildest punishment for Amphitryon. On the same day, Amphitryon left along the Theban road to seek shelter and cleansing from the filth of the shed blood, and Alcmene, promised to him as his wife, followed him.
The Mycenaean throne was orphaned. All the direct heirs of Electrion went into the kingdom of shadows. Sfenel, the younger brother of the ingloriously deceased Mycenaean king, took advantage of this. He sat on the throne of Mycenae, and then subjugated Tiryns, the city of the exile Amphitryon, to his power.
Amphitryon himself, and with him Alcmene, found shelter with the king of Boeotian Thebes, Creon. Creon performed a rite of purification over Amphitryon and invited the exiles to settle in his city forever. But true to the oath given to Electryon, Amphitryon, leaving Alcmene in Thebes, set off against Pterelaus.
This campaign was long - Pterelai with his golden hair was invincible. Only once did Cometo, the daughter of Pterelai, see her father’s sworn enemy from the heights of the fortress wall. At first sight, she fell in love with Amphitryon with a crazy passionate love and decided that for his great service he would not refuse her his love. At night, sneaking into her father’s chambers, she pulled out his magical golden hair - a guarantee of invincibility. And then the power of Poseidon’s grandson left. Suspecting nothing about his daughter’s betrayal, Pterelai went out to single combat with Amphitryon and immediately fell by his hand.
The Taphians saw the death of their king, threw down their weapons, and surrendered to the mercy of the winner. And Cometo came out to meet Amphitryon and, proud, began to tell him that he owed her the victory. Amphitryon looked at her sternly. It was not a fire of love, but a fire of anger that awakened the story of the traitor in his heart. Unable to listen to the speeches of Pterelaus’ daughter any longer, Amphitryon said to his soldiers: “Send this parricide to Hades, for she is more to blame for the death of King Pterelaus than I am.”
Without delay, Cometo was executed, and then, having divided the spoils of war, Amphitryon and his warriors headed to Thebes.
Amphitryon did not know that when he was returning home, the Lord of Olympus himself turned his gaze to the beautiful Alcmene. Taking the guise of Amphitryon, he appeared in Thebes, and, convincing Alcmene that her brothers had already been avenged, he spent the whole night with her. Alcmene accepted Zeus as her legal husband. She joyfully accepted the caresses of the Lord of Olympus, and listened with bated breath to the story of the victory over Pterelaus...
The next day, Amphitryon, who returned victorious to his home, noticed with surprise that Alcmene was not at all surprised and delighted by his arrival. He asked her: “Why do you greet me as if I had not left home since yesterday?” Alkmena was surprised: “Meeting you? But you returned yesterday! And weren’t you the one who spent last night with me?”
The world grew dim in Amphitryon’s eyes: he realized that Alcmene had violated the vow of marital fidelity and inflicted on him the greatest insult that a wife can inflict on her husband.
The law of Hellas was harsh: the wife’s infidelity placed her entirely in the hands of her husband - he was free to either execute for treason or forgive. Alkmena did not feel any guilt, but in fear for her life, she ran to the altar of Zeus to seek refuge. The right of refuge was sacred: anyone who touched the altar with his hand was considered inviolable. Amphitryon could not violate this divine right. But his anger was so great that he ordered to surround the altar with dry branches and set them on fire. Then Alcmene had one of two options: either voluntarily leave the altar, or suffocate in the flames and smoke of the fire.
When the fire was built, Amphitryon himself brought the torch to it. The fire instantly blazed. But the next moment the sky over Thebes turned black with clouds, and torrential rain poured down. The flame of the fire went out. Under the deafening peals of thunder, three lightning bolts fell right at Amphitryon’s feet.
“This is a sign! The gods do not want Alcmene to die! Call blind Tiresias! Tiresias will interpret the will of the gods!” - shouted the people gathered at the altar. When they brought Tiresias, an old man endowed with the prophetic gift, Alcmene, standing in front of him, told him about everything that had happened: about the return of Amphitryon, about the night spent with him and his accusations of treason.
Tiresias listened to Alcmene and plunged into deep thought. But then joy lit up his face, and he said: “Amphitryon, give your hand to your wife, she is pure before you. Soothsayers are not free to reveal to mortals the secret thoughts of the gods. Know one thing: when the time is up, Alcmene will give birth to two twin boys. Of them, your son "There will be only one. He will be powerful and fair, like you. The other will be the son of Zeus and will surpass all the heroes who lived before him. Hera, his persecutor, will not be able to prevent him from gaining immortality."
"Persecutor?" - Alcmena asked in fear.
“Yes,” Tiresias continued, “the plans of Zeus are inaccessible not only to mortals, their meaning is incomprehensible even to the gods. Hera does not know the secrets of fate. She is a strict guardian of monogamy. She does not tolerate the chosen ones of her divine spouse, and her anger goes to the children born by them from Zeus. Your son, Alcmene, cannot escape the wrath of Hera."

Birth of Hercules

On the top of Olympus, where the protected garden of the gods was laid out among the inaccessible cliff, the celestials feasted under the crowns of evergreen trees.
Zeus looked into the distance, where in distant Boeotia, in the sacred city of Thebes, his beloved son was to be born that day. Favorite of favorites.
“Gods and goddesses of Olympus, listen to my word,” said Zeus, “that child of my blood, who will soon be born in the offspring of Perseus, will receive from me power over all of Argolis and all the peoples around.”
The cup of nectar shook in Hera’s hands, and the sacred drink spilled onto the white marble of the banquet table. “I don’t believe your word, Olympian,” she said, “you won’t keep it!” Oh, if Zeus had looked back, he would have noticed the goddess of insanity Atu behind him. But he didn't look back.
“No, Hera,” Zeus answered, “although you are smart, still much is hidden from your mind, and you will be in vain to contradict me. I will fulfill my word. I swear by the waters of the Styx.”
After these words, a subtle smile flashed on Hera’s lips - this was the oath she needed. Without answering her husband a word, she left the banquet table. Hera knew that on this day two women were supposed to give birth: Nikippa, the wife of the king of Mycenae Sthenel, and Alcmene, the wife of Amphitryon. Hera also knew that Alcmene would give birth to twins, two twin boys - one from Zeus, the other from her husband, Amphitryon.
The day, declared by the Thunderer to be the birthday of the future greatest hero, was setting, and with her power Hera delayed Alcmene’s birth and accelerated it for Nikippa6.
So, when the chariot of Helios sank into the waters of the Western Sea, a frail baby was born with a plaintive cry - the son of Nikippa, and the twin sons of Alcmene were born when the next day dawned.
In the morning, the gods of Olympus gathered again at the banquet table. Joy shone in Hera's eyes. She raised the cup with nectar and said: “I congratulate you, my divine husband, yesterday was born in the house of Sthenel, the son of your son Perseus, the future king of Argolis and all the peoples around. His parents named him Eurystheus. See, keep your oath - an oath with terrible water Styx."
Zeus understood the deceit of his wife. The bright face of the Cloudrunner was shrouded in black darkness. Fearing his anger, even the guests, the gods of Olympus, became silent, expecting a thunderstorm. Only Ata chuckled evilly behind the back of the ruler of the world.
“It is you, vile deceiver,” exclaimed Zeus, “who helped Hera deceive me so cleverly! You love to confuse not only mortals, but also gods with the creations of your insidious mind! You dared to deceive even me! But this deception will be your last deception here, on Olympus!"
The Thunderer fell upon the goddess Atu. He threw her from Olympus to earth and forever forbade her to appear among the gods. Then Zeus turned to Hera and told her: “I know that now you will pursue the son of Alcmene, you will prepare many intrigues for him... But he will overcome all obstacles, all trials, and your efforts will only exalt him and increase his glory. When he finishes his earthly path, I will ascend him to Olympus, and you yourself will accept the son of Alcmene into the circle of immortals."

Childhood of Hercules

Almost a whole year has passed since Alcmene gave birth to her babies. The one who was born first was named Alcides, the second - Iphicles.
The twin brothers grew up strong and healthy. But Zeus, knowing the bad character of his wife, never ceased to fear the machinations of Hera. “What will Hera come up with to destroy my son from the mortal Alcmene? What can I do so that she cannot harm him? What trick can I come up with against her hatred?” - thought the Thunderer.
“We need to make Hera the adoptive mother of the future hero,” Zeus decided. To do this, he ordered Hermes to secretly, in the dead of night, bring the baby to Olympus, and with his own hands he placed him on the chest of the sleeping Hera. The baby began to suck with such force that Hera woke up and pushed him away from her. A stream of milk spread across the sky and became the Milky Way9.
“Little monster!” Hera shouted. “I will not become your nurse! I hate you! I have been and will be your persecutor!”
Before dawn, Hermes carried the future great hero of Hellas back to the house of Amphitryon and placed him in a cradle next to his brother Iphicles. When Alcmene got up early in the morning to check on the kids, both of them were sleeping peacefully, and no one in the world except Zeus, Hermes and Hera knew what happened that night.
A month passed, maybe two. One evening, Alcmene, having washed and fed the twins, laid them under a blanket of sheep's wool on a wide battle shield, which Amphitryon had taken from Pterelaus in battle.
Soon Amphitryon's house fell into sleep. In the dead of midnight, two huge snakes sent by Hera silently slid into the room where the kids were sleeping. The cold of the kingdom of the dead wafted from the slippery snake bodies. Two terrible heads, two mouths, from which long forked tongues protruded with a hiss, bent over the sleeping babies. Feeling the icy breath of the monsters, Iphicles was the first to wake up. Out of fear, he screamed at the top of his lungs, but the snakes needed another victim - they wrapped their rings around the body of the son of Zeus and began to strangle him.
Alcmene woke up to Iphicles’ cry and woke up her husband. “I hear the cry of a child,” she said to Amphitryon, “it seems that something terrible is happening to children!” Amphitryon tore his sword from the wall and rushed into the children's room. There, huddled in the farthest corner, Iphicles screamed heart-rendingly. Alcides, tightly clutching the snakes he had strangled in his hands, proudly showed them to his parents.
While Alcmene calmed the fear-stricken Iphicles, Amphitryon sent for the soothsayer Tiresias. When Tiresias was brought in, Amphitryon and Alcmene, interrupting each other, told him what had happened. “Isn’t what happened a sign from the gods, and if so, then how should we understand it?” - Amphitryon asked the soothsayer.
“No, Amphitryon, this is not a sign, but Hera’s hatred of one of your sons,” answered Tiresias. “You know that Alcides is not your son, he is the son of Zeus. Hera is the guardian of marriage ties, and therefore she hates the illegitimate son his divine spouse and wants his death. But Hera is not able to destroy the one whom Zeus himself protects. The wrath of Hera is the greatness of Hercules. From now on Alcides will bear this name, for the name Hercules means “Illustrious Hero.”
From that day on, Alcidas began to be called Hercules. The snakes he strangled were burned, and the ashes were scattered to the wind, the house desecrated by monsters was fumigated with sulfur smoke and washed with spring water.
When Hercules grew up a little, Amphitryon taught him how to drive a chariot, one of the sons of Hermes taught him fist fighting, and Eurytus, the best shooter in Hellas, taught him the art of using a bow.
All these activities gave young Hercules great pleasure, and he only hated singing and playing the cithara lessons. Often the singing teacher Linus, who was Orpheus’ brother, had to punish his student. One day during a lesson, Lin hit Hercules, irritated by his reluctance to learn. Enraged by the insult inflicted on him, Hercules grabbed the cithara and hit Lin on the head with it. The blow was so strong that Lin fell dead.
Hercules was called to court for this murder. Justifying himself, the son of Alcmene said: “After all, Rhadamanthus, the fairest of judges, says that anyone who is struck can return blow for blow.” The judges acquitted Hercules, but Amphitryon, fearing that something similar would happen again, sent him to graze herds on the slopes of Cithaeron.

At the crossroads

Hercules grew up in the forests of Cithaeron and became a mighty young man. He was a whole head taller than everyone else, and his strength exceeded human strength. At first glance one could recognize him as the son of Zeus, especially by his eyes, which shone with an extraordinary divine light. No one was equal to Hercules in athletic competitions, and he wielded the bow and spear so skillfully that he never missed.
While still very young, Hercules killed a formidable lion that lived in the wilds of Cithaeron. He took off his skin, threw it over his shoulders like a cloak, and began to wear it instead of copper armor. Hercules’ weapon was a huge club, which he made from an ash tree, hard as stone, torn out by its roots.
Having matured, Hercules defeated the king of the city of Orchomen Ergin, to whom Thebes paid a large tribute annually. Since then, Orchomenos paid tribute to Thebes, only twice as much. For this feat, the king of Thebes, Creon, gave Hercules his daughter Megara, and the gods sent him three beautiful sons.
Hercules would have lived happily in the seven-gate Thebes, but Hera still burned with hatred for the son of Zeus. She sent a terrible illness to Hercules: at times the great hero was overcome by sudden insanity. One day, Hercules, overtaken by such a fit, killed his sons and his brother Iphicles. When Hercules' reason returned, he fell into deep sorrow. He left Thebes and went to the sacred Delphi to ask the god Apollo how he should live further.
When no more than half a day's journey remained to the famous sanctuary of Apollo, Hercules fell asleep. He lay down on the skin of the Lion of Cithaeron in the shade of a hundred-year-old olive tree, and had a prophetic dream.
Hercules dreamed that he was standing at a crossroads, not knowing which road to choose from the two that lay in front of him. Hercules sees: two women are walking towards him, one along the road on the left, the other along the one on the right. One was in a bright, colorful outfit, her face was whitened and rouged, her lips were painted, her hair was skillfully braided into many small braids, and gold bracelets jingled on her hands. The other, with her hair combed smoothly, was dressed in a simple white chiton.
A luxuriously dressed beauty walked up to Hercules with a dancing gait, gently took his hands and, looking into his eyes, said: “You doubt, you think, your face is gloomy, your eyebrows are frowned... Why are you bothering yourself with thoughts? Look at me and smile quickly! Life is beautiful. , there are so many joys in it! Life is a holiday, the only concern is to get as much pleasure as possible: eat deliciously, sleep sweetly and have fun with friends and girlfriends. Happy is the one who lives like a guest at a feast. My name is Nega. Come with me, and you will be happy! Your whole life will pass like a light, enchanting dream, and you will leave it with gratitude, like a guest leaving a pleasant meal."
This is what the beauty said and pulled Hercules along with her. Fascinated by her beauty, he was ready to follow her. But then another woman, the one who was in formal clothes, turned to him: “Shame!” she said. “The gods gave you mighty strength, and you want to sit back and feast, taking advantage of the labors of others, like a helpless child. The strong make life themselves.” "beautiful - he fights evil and injustice, he clears the earth of monsters. Strength and intelligence are given to man for the fight. The stronger a person, the more difficult his life."
“Do you hear?” the beauty laughed. “Go, follow her, and you will not know joy, you will have neither peace nor rest.”
“Rest is good after work,” objected another. “Today is a holiday, tomorrow is a feast, and the day after tomorrow boredom will creep into the heart. From abundant food, the desire to eat disappears. The sad fate of a person who all his life is only a guest at someone else’s feast: when the feast is over, the servants send him away those who have stayed too long on the street. Just as no one needs a guest who has stayed too long, no one needs a slacker. Only the one who has worked without sparing his strength all his life deserves honor in old age and good memory after death."
After these words, the woman’s face shone with divine light, and Hercules suddenly saw a helmet on her head, a spear in her hand, the head of the gorgon Medusa on her scaly aegis... “Athena! Is it you? I’m coming for you!” - Hercules exclaimed and woke up.
He lay in the shadow of a hundred-year-old olive tree on the skin of the Lion of Cithaeron. Before him lay the road to sacred Delphi, to the temple of Apollo. “There are many paths and roads on earth, but there are only two lives: the road of Idleness and the road of Labor. I have chosen my path in life,” thought Hercules and set off.
In Delphi, the oracle of Apollo, through the mouth of the priestess Pythia, predicted to Hercules that he would gain great glory, gain immortality and grateful memory for centuries if he performed twelve great labors at the command of King Eurystheus.
“I’m going to Mycenae,” Hercules said to his family and friends when he returned to Thebes. “I must fulfill the will of the gods and perform the twelve labors that King Eurystheus will require of me.”
No one dared to dissuade him. And Iolaus, Hercules’ closest friend, went with him.

Nemean Lion (first labor)

From the day Prince Eurystheus was born, he was surrounded by care and affection. True, nature did not give him intelligence, strength, or courage, but she gave him no small amount of power. When Sthenel died, the still young Eurystheus inherited his father's power and became king of all Argolis.

Surrounded by a crowd of courtiers, Eurystheus arrogantly received Hercules. “By the oath of Zeus,” he said, “I have been given power over all of Argolis and, above all, over all the descendants of Perseus, among whom I am the eldest by birth. Everyone serves me in whatever way they can. The gods gave you strength, you will serve me with strength. In our land there is a glorious temple of Zeus in Nemea. But lately, pilgrims no longer visit it with the same zeal. They are frightened by the monstrous lion, who has chosen the Nemean grove as his abode. I command you to clear the land of Nemea from this uninvited guest. How will you eliminate this monster - "It's your business. But know that a sword and a spear are unlikely to help you, for this lion, born of Typhon and Echidna, is reputed to be invulnerable." Hercules listened to King Eurystheus in silence, only nodded his head in agreement.
On the same day, leaving Iolaus in Mycenae, Hercules went to Nemea to accomplish his first feat - to kill the Nemean lion.
The land of Nemea greeted Hercules with silence and desolation: only weeds grew in the fields, the vineyards withered. So great was the fear of the monstrous lion that the inhabitants of the city were afraid to leave their homes. Hercules tried to find out the way to the lion’s lair, but heard only one answer: “The lion itself will find you as soon as you enter the forest.” People did not believe that a mortal, no matter how powerful a hero he might be, could defeat a terrible beast.
For a long time Hercules searched through wooded slopes and remote gorges for the lion’s den. Only in the evening, having heard a menacing growl coming from the gloomy cave, Hercules realized: the hour of the duel with the monster had come.
Slowly, moving his eyes angrily and forcefully lashing his sides with his tail, a huge lion emerged from the cave. Immediately, three arrows of Hercules sang in the air and bounced off the monster’s skin, as hard as a bronze shell. The lion crouched down, preparing for a deadly leap, but the son of Zeus managed to get ahead of him: like lightning, the heavy club of Hercules flashed and its crushing blow landed right in the head of the beast. The lion fell, but immediately got up and threw himself on the chest of Hercules. The mighty hands of Hercules closed on the shaggy lion's neck, squeezed, and released only when the lion was already dead.
The lion's carcass was so large that Hercules did not want to carry it to Mycenae. He tore off the lion's skin along with its head, threw off the old skin of the Lion of Cithaeron, which he had worn since early youth, from his shoulders, and put on the new skin of the Nemean lion, invulnerable to spears and arrows.
People ran away screaming at the sight of Hercules with a bared lion's mouth on his head, and King Eurystheus, huddled in the far corner of the throne room, shouted: “Go away! Go away! And in the future, don’t you dare approach my palace! My orders will be conveyed to you by a herald!”

Lernaean Hydra (second labor)

Hercules did not have to rest for long after defeating the Nemean Lion. The very morning of the next day, Copreus, the herald of Eurystheus, announced to Hercules that, by order of the king, he must go to a source near the city of Lerna, where a ten-headed monster, the Hydra, had settled in a nearby swamp.
“This time, I hope you will take me with you,” Iolaus told Hercules. “We will go there in a chariot, and I will be your driver.”
“I agree, but on one condition: you will only be a spectator. I will fight the Hydra one on one,” Hercules answered him.
Not far from Argos, a source of crystal clear water emerged from the ground. But the weak stream could not make its way to the river or the sea and spread around in the lowlands. The water stagnated, became overgrown with reeds, and the valley turned into a swamp. The bright greenery that always covered the swamp beckoned the tired traveler, but as soon as he stepped onto the green lawn, with a hiss and whistle, a ten-headed hydra emerged from the bog, wrapped its long slippery necks around the man, pulled him into the swamp and devoured him.
This Hydra was the Nemean Lion’s sister, the same monstrous offspring of Typhon and Echidna. In the evening, when the hydra, having had enough, fell asleep, the poisonous breath of its ten mouths rose over the swamp and poisoned the air. Anyone who breathed this air inevitably fell ill, was ill for a long time and died. Therefore, people tried not to get close to the swamp, much less settle near this terrible place.
At the hour when Hercules and Iolaus reached the Lernaean swamp, the Hydra was well-fed and dozing. To lure the monster out of the swamp, Hercules began to shoot burning arrows into the middle of the swamp, lighting their ends with a torch held by Iolaus. Having teased the Hydra, he forced it to crawl out of the swamp. With a cold tail, covered with a fetid liquid, the Hydra wrapped itself around Hercules’ leg and all ten heads hissed around him at once. Hercules wrapped himself more tightly in the lion's skin, a reliable protector from poisonous teeth and snake stings, took out his sword and began to chop off the terrible heads of the Hydra one by one.
But as soon as the black blood flowed from the wound, two new ones grew in place of the severed head, even angrier, even more terrible. Soon Hercules was surrounded, like a living bush, by hissing heads, and they all reached out to him, opening their mouths splashing with poison.
Hercules could not move from his place - one of his legs was in the ring of the snake’s tail, the other was stuck in the swamp slurry. His hand is already tired of chopping off more and more Hydra heads. Suddenly Hercules felt a sharp pain in his right leg and, bending down, saw a crayfish, which clawed into his heel. Hercules laughed: “Two against one? This is not fair! The fight is not equal. Now I have the right to call a friend for help! Help me, Iolaus! Burn the wound with fire as soon as my sword blows off the head of this creature!”

Iolaus didn't bring himself to ask a second time. The Hydra's head flew off - Iolaus burned the wound with a torch. And where the fire touched the headless neck, a new head no longer grew. Soon the last head of the Hydra fell into the swamp. But she didn't want to die. Her severed heads opened their mouths, moved their evil eyes and spat poisonous black blood.
Hercules carried the Hydra's body and many of its severed heads out of the swamp and buried them deep in the ground. Then he soaked the tips of his arrows in the black blood of Hydra, and they became deadly.
On the way back to Mycenae, Iolaus asked his powerful friend: “Aren’t you, Hercules, proud of your victories? Your great-grandfather Perseus, the winner of the Gorgon Medusa, said that mortals die not only from a lack of strength, but also from its excess.” Hercules just laughed in response.

Keryneian hind (third labor)

For a whole year after the extermination of the Lernaean Hydra, Hercules and Iolaus enjoyed peace in Mycenae, amusing themselves with hunting and competitions. When the year had passed, Copreus appeared to Hercules.
“Listen to the new order of King Eurystheus,” he said to Hercules. “A doe with golden horns and copper hooves began to appear on the slopes of the Arcadian mountains. The peasants call her Keryneia, after the name of the city near which she was first seen. Many tried to catch her, but barely "Seeing people, the doe instantly disappears into the impenetrable forest. Bring this doe alive to King Eurystheus. For the winner of the Nemean Lion and the Lernaean Hydra, doing this will be simple fun."
With these words, Koprey left.
Hercules thought. “Catching the Kerynean doe is more difficult than defeating the Nemean Lion and destroying the Lernaean Hydra,” he told Iolaus. “I have heard many stories about this doe. She is the sacred animal of the hunter goddess Artemis. That is why Eurystheus ordered to catch the doe, but not kill her. He fears the wrath of Artemis. Get ready, Iolaus, for a long journey. We will carry out this order of Eurystheus."
And Hercules went with Iolaus to the wild mountains of Arcadia. Hercules did not take his heavy club or bow with poisonous arrows, but he took with him a strong ax and a sharp knife.
The inaccessible mountain steeps of Arcadia, overgrown with impenetrable forest, were the main obstacle on the path of true friends. They cut clearings, felled trees and threw them over deep chasms, made steps on steep cliffs, rising higher and higher. Snow avalanches showered them with icy dust, and thunderclouds rushed right above their heads...
One day, when the first rays of the rising sun painted the snow of a mountain peak soft pink, Hercules saw a doe with golden horns. “Look, here it is, the Kerenean doe,” Hercules whispered to Iolaus.
The doe was so close that it would have been easy to kill her, but they had to take her alive. It seemed to Hercules that the doe was looking at him with mockery: try, catch me, catch me if you can.
But as soon as Hercules moved, the doe ran away faster than the wind. How could the hero miss her? What labor and hardships it took to find this doe! Hercules rushed after her. He chased the elusive animal all day, then a second, a third... Iolaus was left somewhere far behind. And the doe, not knowing fatigue, rushed through the mountains, across the plains, jumped over chasms, swam across rivers, running further and further north - to the land of the Hyperboreans. At the source of the Istr River, the doe finally stopped and again looked straight into the eyes of her pursuer. Only this time Hercules saw reproach in her eyes.
They stood opposite each other for a long time - a mighty hero and a fleet-footed animal. Then Hercules took a step, then another, approaching the doe closer and closer. Now they are separated by the distance of an outstretched hand: all that remains is to grab the doe by the horns. But the doe, jumping to the side, rushed again, like an arrow shot from a bow, now back, to the south.
And again the chase began through the plains and forests. Hercules guessed: the doe was striving for her native mountains of Arcadia, under the protection of her patroness Artemis. Hercules despaired - Artemis would not give him the sacred animal, but the son of the Thunderer could not stop and give up the chase.
Thrace, Thessaly, and Boeotia were left behind, and the chase continued. The mountains of Arcadia were very close when the doe submitted to Hercules: maybe her strength left her, or maybe she realized that it was impossible to escape from fate. Hercules tied up a golden-horned doe, put it on his shoulders and walked slowly to Mycenae.
Suddenly, on a forest path, a beautiful maiden appeared in front of him in a short light tunic, with a hunting bow in her hands and a quiver over her shoulders. Her face was angry, her eyes sparkled with indignation. With an imperious gesture, she stopped Hercules and said: “O greedy mortals! Are there not enough roads and fields in wide valleys for you? Why are you disturbing the silence of my protected forest? What harm has this defenseless doe done to you, man?”
Hercules recognized the beautiful maiden - Artemis the huntress.
“Don’t be angry with me, goddess!” he answered her. “I didn’t come here of my own free will. King Eurystheus ordered me to catch the Cerynean doe, and I serve him by the will of almighty Zeus. So I’m here because Zeus wants it. Whether you are a goddess or not, sooner or later people will come to these heights. It is so beautiful here, from here you can see far around, here the air is clean, and the person himself, having risen here, will become cleaner and better."
The goddess's gaze softened. She approached the tied doe, patted her affectionately and said: “Well, Hercules, go your way. I will not take your prey from you. And you, my friend, will soon return to me!” With these words, Artemis disappeared, as if she had disappeared into thin air.
Arriving in Mycenae, Hercules, at the special request of Eurystheus, showed him the Kerynean doe - the cowardly king was not afraid of the doe. “Take it for yourself, Hercules. You can roast it and eat it. I don’t need this doe,” said Eurystheus.
Hercules remembered the words of Artemis: “Soon you will return to me!” To make these words come true, he sacrificed a doe to the huntress goddess.

Erymanthian boar (fourth labor)

Both in summer and autumn, when the harvest was ripening in the fields, the peasants who lived at the foot of Mount Erymanths anxiously examined their plots in the morning and each time found traces of terrible devastation: the ground was dug up, the crops were trampled and uprooted, and the fruits in the gardens crushed by someone's brute force.
People said that on the slopes of the mountain, covered with a dense oak forest, a wild boar settled, which at night descended from the mountain and devastated the fields. But its fangs and hooves were so terrible that no one dared to go into the forest and kill the beast.
And so for the fourth time Copreus appeared to Hercules and conveyed to him the next order of Eurystheus: to catch the Erymanthian boar.
“Catching the Erymanthian boar is not a tricky thing,” Hercules said to Iolaus when Copreus left, “but getting to him is not easy: the approaches to Erymanthus are blocked by centaurs, and passing through the possessions of these unbridled, lawless half-humans, half-horses is more difficult than catching some wild boar".
"Where did these centaurs come from?" - Iolaus asked.
“I’ll tell you, friend, what I know about them... There once lived a king of the Lapith tribe, Ixion,” Hercules began the story. “Ixion was the first among mortals to defile himself with kindred blood. Not wanting to pay Dioine, his father-in-law, a ransom for his wife, he pushed him into the wolf a pit full of hot coals. Dioineus met a terrible death. Ixion turned to Zeus himself for cleansing, and Zeus not only cleansed the murderer, but also brought him closer to his throne. There, on Olympus, the mortal Ixion began to seek the love of Hera, the divine wife of the greatest of gods. To find out the extent of Ixion's dishonor, Zeus gave the appearance of Hera to the Cloud-Nephele, who stopped over Olympus. From this lawless union of the imaginary Hera and Ixion, the lawless centaurs came. Thus, the dishonor of the king of the Lapiths was proven. By the verdict of Zeus, Ixion was cast into the darkest depths of Hades and forever chained to the ever-spinning fiery wheel. And the cruel, merciless centaurs, having moved from Thessaly to the north of the Peloponnese, still live near Mount Erymanthus. Among all this lawless brethren, only the wise centaur Chiron, who has the gift of immortality, and the hospitable centaur Pholus are friendly to people, and the rest are just waiting for an opportunity to trample with their hooves anyone who walks on two legs. These are the ones I have to fight with."
“We have to fight,” Iolaus corrected Hercules.
“No, my friend, you will have to stay,” Hercules objected. “I can handle the centaurs alone.”
Hercules walked for many days to Mount Erymanthus to fulfill the fourth order of Eurystheus. Several times he saw from afar herds of centaurs rushing madly, as if in a fit of madness. Only the gods know what day of the journey Hercules saw a cave in front of which an already middle-aged centaur stood unusually calmly and calmly.
“Who are you, daredevil, who is not afraid to wander into our domain?” - asked the centaur.
“I am a royal hunter,” answered Hercules. “The king ordered me to get a wild boar that lives on this mountain. Can you show me how to find it?”
“Oh, this boar greatly annoys us, the inhabitants of this mountain. I will show you its trail. But first, be my guest. My name is Phol. I, unlike my brothers, honor the law of hospitality. Come into my cave, I will pour you a cup of good wine."
Hercules accepted Fol's invitation, and, calling his name, entered the centaur's dwelling. A huge wineskin of wine was immediately opened and the cups were raised. The fragrance of wonderful wine spread far away. Other centaurs smelled this fragrance and came to Fola's cave. They were terribly angry with Fol because he opened a wineskin with the treasured wine for a man. Threatening Hercules with death, they demanded that he leave the cave and surrender.
Hercules was not afraid. From the depths of the cave, he began to throw burning brands from the hearth at the centaurs. "Call Chiron! Chiron here!" - the centaurs shouted. Hercules was surprised: is it really the wise Chiron among this herd? He left the cave to greet the noble centaur, and at the same moment stones flew at the son of Zeus, which were thrown at him by half-horses, half-people, maddened with anger.
What could Hercules do? He pulled his bow, which never missed, and began shooting arrows poisoned with the blood of the Lernaean Hydra at the centaurs.
One by one, the dead centaurs fell to the ground. Cloud-Nephele took pity on her children and rained heavily. It is easy for four-legged centaurs to jump on wet soil, but Hercules slipped, and for the first time his arrow flew past the target. The hero aimed at the most ferocious and powerful centaur, but hit an old, gray-haired man standing at a distance who did not take part in the battle. The centaurs heard the sorrowful groan of their wounded comrade and fled. The battle is over. Everything around became quiet, only the wounded old centaur moaned barely audibly. Fol, who had been hiding there, came out of the cave.
"Gods! Yes, this is Chiron!" - he shouted when he saw the wounded centaur.
“Chiron?” asked Hercules. “Oh, what have I done! I so longed to meet you, the wisest of the wise, I so wanted to listen to your speeches. And now - I see you dying, and I am your killer!”
“An involuntary murderer,” Chiron replied, “and I absolve you of the blame. There is only one thing bad: I am the son of Cronus and the nymph Philyra, a centaur who absorbed immortality with his mother’s milk. I cannot die, but the poison of the Lernaean Hydra, with which the arrow was saturated, who wounded me, brings me unbearable suffering. Will they really last forever? Gods, let me die! I return my immortality to you and pray to you: take my life and let my voluntary death become the key to the liberation of the most just titan Prometheus22. There is no guilt behind Prometheus "Great Zeus! Calm your unrighteous anger!"
These were the last words of the wise Chiron. The ground shook. Zeus heard Chiron's plea. Peace spread across the wounded man’s face and his breathing stopped.
Pholus and Hercules carried the body of dead Chiron into the cave. Fol removed the arrow from his wound. “How does this little piece of wood strike death?” asked Fol. "Carefully!" - Hercules shouted. But it was too late: Fol dropped the arrow, and it stuck in his leg. The centaur opened his mouth to scream in pain, but without even groaning, he fell dead.
Hercules carried the killed centaurs into a cave, covered it with a large stone, like a tomb, and headed into the thicket of the Erymanthian forest.
He tracked the boar without difficulty, caught it, took it to Mycenae and showed it to Copreus. Eurystheus did not even want to look at Hercules’s prey. As soon as he heard the roar of the Erymanthian boar, the cowardly king hid in a large copper water vessel.
Hercules laughed, ordered the boar to be roasted and a treat for the people.

Stymphalian Birds (Fifth Labor)

The death of Chiron and his voluntary departure from life shocked Hercules. He never left the house, having an endless conversation with Iolaus about two worlds: the world of the living and the world of the dead.
“What is the meaning of life? What is its Truth?” Hercules asked Iolaus, and answered himself. “Living life fights with dead life, and this is the whole truth - in their struggle. Truth is only in living life, where there are joys, and sadness. In the world of dead life, there is no Truth - there is only oblivion. I am mortal, but there is a thought in me. Isn’t it fighting death? But to fight you need strength. But isn’t thought strength? Doesn’t thought conquer both the big and the small? The higher the thought, the stronger it is. Thought feeds on knowledge, and knowledge always serves people - otherwise it dies. But what do I know? My knowledge is no more than a spark in the radiance of star rain. When this spark goes out, the truth will disappear for me, and darkness will come."
“Or maybe darkness is also the truth?” - asked Iolaus.
The friends talked like this all day and night.
One evening, their conversation was interrupted by Koprey, who appeared with a new order from Eurystheus.
“The king,” said Copreus, “instead of another feat, Hercules, invites you to hunt wild ducks or something like that. There is a rumor that birds called Stymphalidae have appeared on Lake Stymphalidae. You must shoot them - that’s all.” .
When the herald of Eurystheus left, Hercules said to Iolaus: “I also heard about these birds. These are the birds of Ares, the god of war. They have copper beaks and claws. But their main strength is not in their beaks and claws, but in the copper feathers that they throw, like arrows, and, killing people with them, they feed on human flesh. And yet I think that the real danger for us is not in the copper-feathered Stymphalids, but we’ll see what.”
“You said it well,” Iolaus replied, “I see that you want to take me with you!”

Lake Stymphalos, although located in Arcadia, was not far from the borders of Argolis. After two days of travel, Hercules and Iolaus came to a gloomy hollow, at the bottom of which Lake Stymphalus glittered.
Everything around was deserted and wild: bare stones, no grass, no flower, no tree. The wind did not ripple the smooth surface of the lake, the lizard did not bask in the sun. There was dead silence.
Hercules and Iolaus sat on the stones near the water and silently looked at the motionless lake. Melancholy attacked them, fatigue seized their bodies, and it became difficult to breathe.
“Something wrong is happening to me,” said Hercules. “It’s hard for me to breathe, and the bow falls out of my hands... This lake breathes with the poisoned darkness of the underworld. I feel the musty air of the kingdom of the dead... Oh, Zeus! Let me die not here, but on some mountain peak!"
“The sleep of death is taking over me too,” Iolaus whispered barely audibly.
Suddenly, a simple wooden rattle, like the kind peasants use to drive birds out of their gardens, fell from the sky at Iolaus’s feet. She was sent by Athena, a wise teacher and helper of people. Iolaus grabbed her and began to shake her. It crackled loudly over the sleeping lake, and the echo multiplied the noise it made a hundredfold. And then a huge bird rose from the poplar grove, followed by another, a third, many... In a long line, blocking the sun, they glided over the surface of Lake Stymphalian. Another moment and a hail of sharp copper feathers fell on the shore where Hercules was sitting with his friend.
It’s good that Hercules did not part with his cloak made of the skin of the Nemean lion - he managed to cover himself with it and cover Iolaus. Now they were not afraid of the deadly feathers of the Stymphalids. Hercules grabbed his bow and from under his cloak began to kill the monstrous birds one after another.
Many Stymphalidae, struck by the arrows of Hercules, fell into the black waters of the lake. Now it was no longer calm, the water was bubbling in it, white steam was rising to the sky. The surviving birds soared under the clouds and disappeared from view. In fear, they flew far beyond the borders of Hellas - to the shores of the Euxine Pontus and never returned.
“Let’s quickly leave here before we are again covered in a poisonous haze,” said Hercules and, throwing Athena’s rattle into the boiling water, he walked away.
The farther the friends went from the sworn place, the more cheerful they felt. But for a long time a strange languor and aching bones reminded them of the deadly breath of Lake Stymphal.

Augean stables (sixth labor)

The Stymphalian birds were the last generation of monsters in the Peloponnese, and since the power of Eurystheus did not extend beyond the Peloponnese, Hercules decided that his service to the king was over.
But the mighty strength of Hercules did not allow him to live in idleness. He longed for exploits and even rejoiced when Koprey appeared to him.
“Eurystheus,” said the herald, “orders you to clear the stables of the Elisian king Augeas from manure in one day.”
“He’d better entrust this task to you,” Iolaus grumbled, “by the way, you have a suitable name.”
“You can’t insult the herald,” Hercules interrupted him sternly. “I don’t think Eurystheus only wanted to insult me ​​by forcing me to remove manure. Something else is hiding here. We’ll see.”
Augeas really owned countless herds of beautiful horses. They grazed in the fertile valley of the Alpheus River, and the stables, which had not been cleaned for years, were full of manure.
Hercules came to Elis and said to Augeas: “If you give me a tenth of your horses, I will cleanse the stables in one day.”
Augeas laughed: he thought that the stables could not be cleaned at all. “A tenth of my herds is yours, Hercules,” Augeas agreed, “but if all the stables are clean tomorrow morning.”
Hercules demanded that he be given a shovel, and Augeas ordered it to be brought to the hero. “You’ll have to work with this shovel for a long time!” - he said. “Only one day,” answered Hercules and went to the shore of Alpheus.
Hercules worked diligently with a shovel for half a day. He dammed the river bed and diverted its waters directly to the royal stables. By evening, the rapid stream of Alpheus had carried away all the manure from the stables, and along with the manure, the stalls, feeding troughs, and even dilapidated walls.
“Don’t blame me, king,” said Hercules, “I cleared your stables not only of manure, but also of everything that had long since rotted. I did more than I promised. Now you give me what you promised.”
Augeas was greedy; he did not want to give up his horses. He ordered his two nephews to ambush Hercules and kill him. How could two mere mortals cope with the son of Zeus! And the ambush they set did not help - Augeas’s nephews fell at the hands of Hercules.
Hercules was greatly indignant at the treachery of the Elis king. “It is impossible, while punishing the instrument of a crime, to leave the culprit unpunished,” thought Hercules. “Let people know that my calling is to cleanse the earth from all lawlessness, both in animal and human form.”
Having dispersed the palace guards, Hercules killed Augeas in a fair duel. The inhabitants of Elis began to ask the winner to take the throne of Augeas and become their king. But Hercules indignantly rejected this request. “I defeated Augeas,” he said, “not in order to take possession of his kingdom. There is a son of Augeas, who has not been guilty of anything before the gods. Let him rule over you. But before I leave, I want to make a grateful sacrifice to Zeus of Olympia and establish games in his honor. From now until the end of time, let athletes from all over Hellas gather here for competitions every four years. And while the Olympic Games last, may peace reign on earth."

Cretan bull (seventh labor)

Hercules had already returned to Mycenae six times and, on the orders of Ephrystheus, set off on a journey full of dangers. He accomplished six glorious deeds: he killed the Nemean lion, destroyed the Lernaean hydra, caught the Cerynean hind, defeated the Erymanthian boar, drove the Stymphalian birds out of Hellas, and cleaned out the stables of King Augeas in one day.
Days dragged on, and Eurystheus seemed to have forgotten about the existence of Hercules. One day a messenger came to Hercules from Jason, the son of the king of Iolkos, from whom his relative Pelias had taken away power over the city of Iolkos.
“My lord Jason,” the envoy said, “is gathering the most courageous heroes of Hellas, so that together with them they can go by sea to the end of the world, to Colchis, for the skin of the golden fleece ram. King Eetus of Colchis does not rightfully own this fleece. Return the golden fleece to Hellas "A matter of valor and honor. Do you accept Jason's invitation?"
“Go to waste this service to the cowardly Eurystheus!” cried Hercules. “I am not his slave! I am going with you!”
So Hercules came to Iolcus in Thessaly. The best sons of Hellas had already gathered there to set sail on a strong, fast ship called the Argo to the kingdom of Eeta.
When the Argo passed the halfway point to distant Colchis, a misfortune happened: Hylas, the youngest among the Argonauts and a great friend of Hercules, disappeared.
For a long time Hercules searched for his pet on the inhospitable shore where the Argonauts landed to replenish their supplies of fresh water, but he never found him. Saddened by the loss of his friend, Hercules refused to sail further with the Argonauts and returned to Mycenae.

And there a new order from Eurystheus awaited him: to tame the Cretan bull and deliver it to Argolis. This bull once sailed to the island of Crete, and the Cretan king Minos promised the god of the seas Poseidon to sacrifice the bull to him. But Minos liked the snow-white bull with golden horns so much that the king kept it for himself, and sacrificed another bull to Poseidon. The god of the sea became angry and sent fury upon the handsome golden-horned man. A mad bull broke out of his stall, ran away from the royal court and became a threat to the entire island.
Having received the order of Eurystheus, Hercules went to the seashore and boarded a Phoenician ship bound for Crete.
Whether it was the machinations of Hera or the dictates of fate, but as soon as the ship entered the open sea, a fierce storm came. The ship rushed for a long time among the raging waves until it crashed on the shore of a strange, unfamiliar country.
Trees grew here that looked like bunches of large feathers: thick stems emerged straight from the trunk, on which swayed leaves so large that a person could hide under each one.
Hercules and his surviving companions walked along the shore along the hot yellow sand and came to a large city by the sea. “You are in Egypt,” said the inhabitants of the city, “and Egypt is ruled by the great Busiris, a powerful and formidable king.”
Hercules asked to be taken to the king. But as soon as he entered the palace, he was captured and chained.
“You have come at the right time, stranger,” the ruler of Egypt told him. “Today is a holiday in my country, and I will sacrifice you and your companions to our gods.”
“The gods do not accept human sacrifices,” Hercules objected to him.
Busiris laughed: “For hundreds of years in Egypt they have been sacrificing all foreigners, and the gods have not yet become angry with us. We, the Egyptians, have surpassed all nations in piety, and it is not for you to teach us.”
When Hercules was brought to the altar and the priest in a long white robe raised a sacrificial knife over him, the mighty son of Zeus easily broke the chains with which he was chained. He hit the priest with a piece of chain, scattered the royal guard, then took the sword from Busiris and stabbed the cruel king.
Struck by the hero's strength, the Egyptians did not dare touch him. Hercules freed his companions and hurried with them to the harbor. There they found a ship that, for a modest fee, took them to the island of Crete.
The accomplishment of the very feat for which he was sent was not difficult for Hercules. Having met with a mad Cretan bull, Hercules jumped on its back, wrapped a chain around its horns and tightened it tightly. The bull tried in vain to throw off the unexpected burden from his back - Hercules sat tightly, squeezing his ribs with his legs more and more tightly. Mooing pitifully, the bull ran to the sea, threw himself into the waves and swam. At sea, the fury left him, and he became calm, like a working ox in the field. Guided by the hand of Hercules, the bull swam across the sea to the Peloponnese.
Hercules himself took the bull to Eurystheus's barnyard. But the shepherds could not keep him in the stable. The bull broke free and went for a walk throughout the Peloponnese, not giving in to anyone, until he was caught by young Theseus, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus.

Horses of Diomedes (eighth labor)

And again Eurystheus ordered him to set off on a long journey, this time to the north - to Thrace. “You must take the horses away from the Thracian king Diomedes and drive them to Mycenae,” said Copreus, “this is the king’s new order.”
Hercules was indignant: “I am not a robber, not a thief! Fighting evil is my lot, and Eurystheus forces me to commit an evil deed myself!”
“Calm down, Hercules! By stealing horses you will not tarnish your honor, for these horses are cannibals. Diomedes feeds them with human meat, and stopping this blasphemy is a godly deed,” said Copreus and left.
I had to obey Hercules. With a heavy heart, he set off on the road, deciding that the journey to Thrace was long, and he would have time to think about what to do.
Hercules first came to the seven-gate Thebes, the city in which he was born, and visited the old king Creon and his former friends. Then he moved further through Thermopylae to Thessaly. Here he was warmly received by Admet, the king of the city of Fera. He ordered Hercules to prepare a room in the palace and treat the guest well, but for some reason he himself refused to take part in the meal.
Hercules did not know that on this day the house of Admetus suffered great grief: Admetus’s wife, Queen Alceste, died untimely. And it happened like this...
When Apollo killed the monstrous serpent Python, generated by Gaia, Zeus ordered the radiant god to serve the mortal for a whole year and thereby atone for the filth of the shed blood. Apollo appeared to King Admetus and tended his flocks for a whole year. Happiness came to the king's house: the fields yielded a bountiful harvest, the herds multiplied. But dearer than all the riches was the young queen Alcesta, whom Apollo helped Admetus get as his wife.
Alceste's father, the ruler of Iolcus Pelius, announced that he would marry his daughter only to the one who came for the bride in a chariot drawn by a lion and a bear. Apollo tamed the wild animals - they obediently harnessed themselves to the chariot and took Admetus to Alceste’s father. Alcesta became the wife of Admet.
There was no happier married couple in all of Hellas than Admetus and Alcesta. When Apollo's term of service ended, the god of light wanted to give Admetus another gift. At the request of Apollo, Moira, the goddess of fate, who holds the thread of every human life in their hands, agreed to delay Admet’s death hour if there is a person who wants to voluntarily die in Admet’s place.
And then the day came when the demon of death Thanatos came for Admet. The Moiras asked: “Who wants to die instead of Admet?..” But neither friends, nor faithful servants, nor elderly parents - no one wanted to give up their lives and die for another.
Then the beautiful Alceste said: “Admet! I will gladly go to the kingdom of the dead in your place. All the same, I can’t live in this world without you. Live, Admet, but never bring another woman into our house. And now let Thanatos come for me ". Immediately a black shadow fell on the queen’s face, and her breathing froze.
They dressed Alcesta in clean white clothes, laid her on a stretcher and carried her body to the royal tomb. Her husband, her children and close relatives stood for a long time at Alceste’s body, looking for the last time at the face of the person dearest to them. Then they closed the stone doors of the royal tomb and left.
And Hercules at this time, alone in a cool, clean room, ate delicious dishes. The old servant who served him the wine looked at him sternly and sadly.
“Why are you looking at me so strictly?” asked Hercules. “Your master accepted me as a friend, but you look at me as an enemy.” But the old servant shook his head reproachfully and said: “It is not good to laugh and drink when there is grief in the house.”
Hercules was surprised: “Woe? What happened in this happy house?” And he heard in response that Admetus’s wife had died, and at that hour Thanatos must take her shadow to the abode of Hades. Then Hercules decided on an unprecedented task: to snatch Alcesta from the hands of the demon of death.
Night has already fallen to the ground. Hercules, unnoticed by anyone, left the palace and quietly made his way to the royal tomb. There he hid behind a tree and waited. And then the flapping of the black wings of Thanatos was heard, flying to the tomb to drink the sacrificial blood and carry the pale shadow of the deceased into the underworld. Hercules prepared for battle with the demon of death himself.
As soon as Thanatos sank to the ground, Hercules grabbed him with his mighty hands, and a merciless struggle began between them: Hercules strangled Thanatos, Thanatos strangled Hercules. The cold of death wafts from the demon’s wings, Hercules’ strength fades, but Thanatos also weakens, wheezing with a constricted throat.
The son of Zeus turned out to be stronger than the demon of death. Thanatos begged: “Let me go, mortal! Ask for whatever ransom you want for my freedom!” “Give Alceste life back,” Hercules answered. And the half-strangled Thanatos wheezed: “I agree...”.
Admet sat alone in his empty house. Thanatos stole all his happiness. What could be harder for him than the loss of his beloved wife. “It would be better if I died with her,” thought Admetus, “our shadows would swim across the underground rivers together, and Hades would receive two shadows instead of one.”
Admetus' mournful thoughts were interrupted by Hercules who suddenly entered. A woman came in with him, covered from head to toe with a thick blanket.
“Enough, Admetus,” said Hercules, “comfort yourself, it’s enough for you to indulge in sadness. Look what kind of woman I brought you! I got her for you in a duel. She will make you happy again.”
“Take this woman away from my house, Hercules,” answered Admetus. “I promised Alceste that I would never take another wife.”
Then Hercules took off the woman’s veil, and Admetus saw Alceste. He rushed to her, but stopped in fear: after all, he himself closed the doors of her tomb...
“Don’t be afraid,” Hercules reassured him. “She’s alive, Thanatos gave her to me, and I’m returning her to you. Live and be happy for many years to come!”
“Oh, great son of Zeus!” exclaimed Admetus. “You have returned to me the joy of life! How can I thank you? Remain forever an honored guest in my house! I will command that your victory be celebrated in all my domains!”
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Hercules replied. “I would have stayed with you for another day or two. But... Oh, these horses of Diomedes!”
Fun replaced sadness. In Admet's house they took off their mourning clothes and feasted merrily, and Hercules already walked on, pleased that he managed to make Admet happy.
Having reached the sea, Hercules boarded a ship and reached the shores of Thrace by sea. Along the way, he learned a lot about the horses of Diomedes. When an unfamiliar ship approached the Thracian shores, Diomedes sent his servants to invite the newcomers to visit. He generously treated them and boasted of his four miracle horses, telling them that no one could curb them, and therefore they were chained to the stalls with strong chains. Of course, the guests expressed a desire to see the extraordinary horses. Then the cruel king took the guests to the stables and gave them to his favorites to be eaten.
Now all Hercules’ doubts were dispelled: ridding the world of man-eating horses and a bloodthirsty king was a deed worthy of a hero.
Hercules came to the palace of Diomedes and demanded that the king give him the horses voluntarily. But Diomedes sent an entire army against Hercules. The hero easily scattered this army, and gave Diomedes himself to be devoured by his own cannibal horses. Then he loaded the horses onto the ship and delivered them safely to King Eurystheus. Eurystheus ordered the horses to be taken to the Lycean Mountains and released into the forest. There the cannibal horses were torn to pieces by wild animals.

Belt of Hippolyta (ninth labor)

King Eurystheus had a young daughter, Admet. One day she came to her father and said: “They say that far in the east there is a kingdom where women rule. Armed with arrows, they ride on war horses and bravely fight their enemies. They call themselves Amazons, despise men and are proud of their invincibility. My patroness is Hera. revealed to me that all the power of the Amazons is hidden in a simple leather belt, which the god of war Ares gave to his daughter, the queen of the Amazons Hippolyta. As long as she wears this belt, no one can defeat her, and with her all the Amazons. Father! I want to be invincible, like this woman, and reign without sharing power with anyone. I want to get Hippolyta's belt!"
Thus, another task was found for Hercules, worthy of his strength and courage. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to go after the belt of the Amazon queen.
It's a long way to the land of the Amazons. To reach the kingdom of Hippolyta, it was necessary to cross the Middle Sea to its eastern shores, and there, having passed through two narrow straits, sail further east along the waters of another sea - the Pontus Euxine. Where the hot river Thermodon flows into the Euxine Sea, stands Themiscyra, the main city of the country of the Amazons.
Hercules equipped a ship and called with him his faithful friends - Iolaus, the Athenian prince Theseus and others. On the appointed day, Hercules' ship raised its sail and went to sea.
The ship's first stop was on the island of Paros, where the sons of the Cretan king Minos ruled. On this island, the sons of Minos killed two companions of Hercules. Hercules became angry with the princes. He killed many of the inhabitants of Paros, but drove others into the city and kept them under siege until the besieged sent envoys to Hercules with a request that he take any two inhabitants of the city instead of the killed companions. Then Hercules lifted the siege and took Minos’s grandsons Alcaeus and Sthenelus instead of those killed.
From Paros, Hercules arrived in Mysia to King Lycus, who received him with great hospitality. In gratitude, Hercules helped Lycus defeat the tribe of lawless Bebriks, with whom Lycus had long been at enmity.
Further, the ship's path ran to Troy. The Trojan kingdom was ruled at that time by Laomedon, one of the most arrogant kings, who despised even the gods. One day he decided to strengthen the already impregnable Trojan walls. To test the Trojan king, Apollo and Poseidon offered him their help for a very small fee. For a whole year, the gods worked like simple masons, strengthening the fortress walls of Troy, but they never received the promised reward. The arrogant king even threatened to cut off their ears if they demanded payment for their work. Then the angry Apollo sent a plague to the possessions of Laomedon, and Poseidon sent a monster that devastated the surroundings of Troy, sparing no one. The king called the soothsayers, and they announced to him: “Give your beloved daughter Hesion to be devoured by the monster, and the gods will tame their anger.” Laomedont, at the request of the people, had to leave young Hesione on the shore, tightly tying her to a sea cliff.
Here Hercules saw Hesione when his ship approached the Trojan shore. He removed the shackles from the young maiden, doomed to a terrible death, and took her to her father. “I am returning to you, king, your beloved daughter. On the way to your palace, I learned that she is an atoning sacrifice for your arrogance. And aren’t you sorry for giving your beloved child to the sea monster to be devoured? I would like to fight this monster, and, If my strength is enough, I will defeat him. And for this I ask a small payment: just four good horses."
Laomedon gladly accepted Hercules' offer, and promised not ordinary horses as a reward, but immortals, which he received from Zeus as a ransom for the son of Ganymede, carried away by the Thunderer to Olympus.
Hercules went to the seashore. He began to wait for the monster to come out of the sea. I waited all day. Only in the evening the monster crawled onto land. It opened its gigantic mouth and rushed at Hercules. And that’s all Hercules needed: he himself jumped into the monster’s throat and began to strike its insatiable womb from the inside with a sharp sword.

The monster died. Hercules got out of his womb, washed off the disgusting thick mucus from himself with sea water and went for the promised reward.
“The dead monster lies on the shore,” Hercules said to Laomedon. “Go and look at it if you want. Where are your four immortal horses?”
The Trojan king laughed: “Why do you need horses, Hercules? You have a ship. So sail on it. Zeus himself gave these horses to me, is it good to give what was given?”
“Okay,” Hercules answered, restraining his anger, “I really do have a ship, and soon I will return on it to continue the conversation with you about what can be called good and what is bad.”
And again the ship of Hercules went to sea. His path lay through the narrow strait separating Europe from Asia, through the Hellespont into the stormy Pontus Euxine.
This part of the journey was well known to Hercules: he passed here together with Jason on the high-speed Argo. But then the death of his favorite, young Hylas, forced Hercules to return halfway back to Mycenae.
Hercules looked sadly at the shore where his young friend had disappeared. And the ship, cutting through the green waves, quickly rushed further and further to the east.
Finally, the fresh wind of the Euxine Pontus, tirelessly filling the sail, brought Hercules' ship to the mouth of the river swirling with steam. This was Thermodon. From here it was already a stone's throw to the capital of the Amazons, Themiscyra.
The gates of Themiscyra were locked when Hercules and a small detachment approached the city. The gate was guarded by an Amazon guard in a leather helmet, a short chiton, with a small, moon-shaped shield in her hands and an ax with two semicircular blades.
“Why did you, strangers, come to our lands? What do you need in the kingdom of female warriors?” - asked the guard.
“I did not come here with my friends of my own free will,” Hercules answered her. “The king of Mycenae, Eurystheus, sent me. His daughter Admeta wants to own the belt of your queen. If your queen gives me this belt, I will do her any service.”
“The queen will be informed about this,” said the guard, “wait.”
Soon a detachment of horsewomen emerged from the city gates. It was Queen Hippolyta and her inner circle. “Who needs my belt? Isn’t it you, bearded giant?” asked Hippolyta, turning to Hercules. “Why do you need it, it’s a woman’s, and besides, it’s too small for you! However, if you need it so much, you can get it, but only in battle."
Without saying another word, Hippolyta turned her horse and headed into the city, followed by her armed detachment. Only Hippolyta’s closest friend, the beautiful Antiope, hesitated a little: she could not take her eyes off the stately companion of Hercules, the Athenian prince Theseus.
Like an uncontrollable forest fire, love for Theseus flared up in Antiope’s heart. She knew that the Amazons were invincible as long as Hippolyta held the coveted belt, she knew that a battle with the aliens was inevitable and that Theseus would inevitably die in this battle.
Late at night, Antiope sneaked into Hercules' camp, quietly entered Theseus's tent and laid Hippolyta's belt, which she had stolen, at his feet.
And early in the morning a battle broke out under the walls of Themiscyra. The Amazons flew into the camp of Hercules like a whirlwind. Ahead of everyone was the fastest of the Amazons, Aela. It was with her that Hercules fought. Having repelled her onslaught, he put her to flight and struck her with a sword. Another Amazon, Protoya, defeated the seven companions of Hercules, but she herself fell at the hands of the son of Zeus. Then three Amazons attacked Hercules at once, three magnificent hunters, whom Artemis herself took with her on the hunt - they had no equal in throwing a spear. Three spears immediately flew at Hercules, but all missed the target.
The Amazons were filled with fear. "Woe to us! Where is your belt, Hippolyta!" - they shouted.
Remorse squeezed the heart of Antiope, who betrayed her friends, but love for Theseus defeated all other feelings in her.
With despair in her soul, Queen Hippolyta rushed into the thick of the battle. She knew that her treasured belt was in the hands of the enemy. Hercules struck her down with his arrow.
Seeing the death of their queen, the Amazons fled. Many of them were captured, many were killed.
Hercules gave the captive Antiope to Theseus. Here the reason for such an easy victory over the Amazons was revealed. “Take, friend, the belt of Hippolyta,” Theseus said to Hercules, “and say thank you to my captive Antiope.” Hercules did not answer, for there was something dishonest in the victory over the Amazons.”
In Mycenae, Hercules gave the belt of Hippolyta to Eurystheus, and he gave it to his daughter Admeta, but she was afraid to own it. “Let this divine belt return to the gods,” Admeta decided and gave it to the temple of Hera as a gift to the goddess.
Hercules did not forget the insult inflicted on him by Laomedon. Now, having fulfilled the next order of Eurystheus, Hercules decided that the time had come to take revenge on the Trojan king for his treachery. With a small squad he landed on the Trojan shore. After a short siege, proud Troy fell. Laomedon and his sons were put to death, except for the youngest, named Podarcus. “I give life to the last of the line of Trojan kings,” said Hercules, “but first he must be sold as a slave.” When Podarko was put up for sale, his sister Hesione, saved by Hercules from a sea monster, ransomed her brother, giving for him the gilded veil that adorned her head. So the Gift received the name Priam, which means “bought.” As fate would have it, he really turned out to be the last Trojan king.

Geryon's flock (tenth labor)

Hercules did not have to wait long for a new order from Eurystheus. This time he had to go to the west, where the sun chariot descends in the evening, to the Crimson Island in the middle of the ocean, where the three-headed giant Geryon grazes his herd of purple cows. The king ordered these cows to be driven to Mycenae.
And Hercules went to sunset. He passed through many countries and finally came to high mountains at the edge of the earth, and began to look for a way out to the ocean. High granite mountains stood in a continuous impassable ridge. Then Hercules loosened two huge cliffs and pushed them apart. Water gushed between them, and it was the water of the Ocean. The sea, which lay in the middle of the earth and which people call the Mediterranean, connected with the Ocean. The huge, majestic Pillars of Hercules still stand there on the shore of the strait, like two stone guards.
Hercules walked through the mountains and saw the endless expanse of the ocean. Somewhere there, in the middle of the ocean, lay the Crimson Island - the island of the three-headed Geryon. But where is the place where the sun goes beyond the boundless waters of the gray ocean?
Hercules waited until evening and saw: the ancient titan Helios the Sun descending on his fiery chariot drawn by four horses. He scorched the body of Hercules with unbearable heat. “Hey!” Hercules shouted to the Titan, “don’t you want to incinerate me with your rays! Beware, I am the son of Zeus! From my arrows even the gods lose immortality!” Hercules pulled his bow, placed an arrow on it and took aim at the solar titan. It suddenly became fresher around, Hercules lowered his bow - the heat began to rise again.
The unbearable light forced Hercules to close his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw Helios standing nearby. “I see now that you are truly the son of Zeus,” said Helios, “you have courage beyond human measure. I will help you. Get into my golden boat, and do not be afraid of my heat, you will not be burned by fire, but your skin will turn a little black.”
A huge golden boat, similar to a bowl, received the solar titan with his chariot and Hercules.
Soon, an island appeared among the waves—Crimson Island indeed. Everything on it was painted purple-red: rocks, sand, trunks and foliage of trees...
“Here it is, the island of Erithia,” said Helios. “This is the goal of your journey. Farewell, Hercules, I must hurry. During the night I have to circumnavigate the entire earth, so that in the morning, as always, I will ascend to the east in the sky.”
Hercules went ashore, and the dark night enveloped him - Helios sailed on a golden boat on his eternal path further. And Hercules lay down on the ground, covered himself with a lion's skin and fell asleep.
He slept soundly and woke up only in the morning from hoarse barking. A huge shaggy dog ​​with fur the color of fresh blood stood above him and barked ferociously. “Take him, Orff, rip his throat out!” Hercules heard, and the dog immediately rushed at him.
The club of Hercules was always at hand - one swing, and the monstrous dog, generated by Typhon and Echidna, rolled on the ground with a broken head. But then a new enemy appeared - a huge shepherd. His hair, beard, face, clothes, like everything on this island, were fiery red. He waved his shepherd's stick and, spewing curses, attacked Hercules. This fight did not last long. The son of Zeus hit the shepherd in the chest, so much so that he lay him dead next to the dead dog.
Now Hercules could look around. He saw a herd at the edge of the forest: the cows were red and the bulls were black. They were guarded by another shepherd, but with a black face, a black beard and black clothes. Hercules did not have to fight with him: at the sight of the hero, he rushed off screaming into the forest.
Only one opponent remained for Hercules - the three-headed giant Geryon. A terrible triple roar was heard from behind the forest, and the owner of the herd himself hurried to the pasture.
Hercules had never seen such a monster! Three bodies fused in it: three pairs of arms, three pairs of legs, three heads, and only one belly was common - huge, like a wine vat at folk games. Quickly moving his legs like a giant insect, he rushed towards Hercules.
Hercules raised his bow - an arrow soaked in the poison of the Lernaean Hydra whistled, pierced Geryon's middle chest, and his middle head bowed, and his two arms hung helplessly. After the first arrow, a second one flew, followed by a third. But Geryon was still alive - the blood of his huge body was slowly absorbing the poison. Like three lightning bolts, Hercules unleashed three crushing blows on the heads of Geryon, and only then did his end come.

The feat was accomplished. All that remained was to bring the herd to Mycenae. Near the dead shepherd, Hercules found a pipe, put it to his lips, began to play, and the herd obediently followed him to the ocean shore.
In the evening, when Helios sailed to the shore on a golden boat, Hercules asked him to transport him and his herd to the mainland. “How can I do this?” Helios was surprised. “What will people say when they see that the sun is coming back? Let’s do this: herd the herd onto a boat, get into it yourself and sail to the mainland. I’ll wait here, and the boat will be returned to me.” your intercessor Pallas Athena."
This is what Hercules did. He swam across the Ocean to the east, to the shore of the mainland and drove Geryon's herd through the mountains, through foreign countries - to Mycenae. A difficult path lay before him.
When Hercules was driving the herd through Italy, one of the cows fell into the sea, but did not drown, but, having swam across the stormy strait, got out to the opposite shore, the shore of the smoke-smoke island of Trinacria. The king of the island, Eric, was incredibly happy to see a cow of such an unusual red color and decided to keep it for himself. Hercules left the herd in the care of Hephaestus, whom Athena sent to help her favorite and, having moved to the island, began to demand the cow back. King Eric did not want to return the priceless cow. He offered Hercules a duel, and the reward for the winner was to be a cow. This single combat did not last long. Hercules defeated Eric, returned with the cow to the herd and drove him further.
Many more difficulties awaited Hercules on the way back: the robber Cacus, who lived on the Avetina Hill, stole part of the herd and hid it in his cave, but Hercules killed him and returned the stolen cows; here in Italy, he killed another robber named Croton and said over his body that the time would come when a great city would arise in this place, named after him.
Finally, Hercules reached the shores of the Ionian Sea. The end of the arduous journey was near; the native land of Hellas was very close. However, where the Adriatic Gulf protrudes most into the land, Hera sent a gadfly to the herd. As if the whole herd was enraged by his bites, the bulls and cows began to run, Hercules following them. The chase continued day and night. Epirus and Thrace were left behind, and the herd was lost in the endless Scythian steppe.
For a long time Hercules searched for the missing animals, but he could not even find a trace of them. One cold night, he wrapped himself in a lion's skin and fell fast asleep on the side of a rocky hill. Through his sleep he heard an insinuating voice: “Hercules... Hercules... I have your herd... If you want, I will return it to you...”
Hercules woke up and saw in the ghostly moonlight a half-maiden, half-snake: her head and body were female, and instead of legs there was a snake body.
“I know you,” Hercules told her. “You are Echidna, the daughter of Tartarus and Gaia. I see, and you know me. Of course! It was I who destroyed your children, and the Nemean Lion, and the Lernaean Hydra, and the two-headed dog Orpheus.”
“I hold no grudge against you, Hercules,” answered Echidna, “it was not by your will, but by the will of fate, that my children died. But be fair, hero, because your hand, even if guided by fate, took their lives. So let in exchange for the three you killed, three alive. Become my husband for just one night! Let me give birth to three sons from you! For this, I will return your herd to you." Hercules nodded his head in agreement: “Only for one night...”
In the morning, Echidna returned the herd to Hercules safe and sound - not a single cow or bull was missing.
“What should I do with the three sons I already carry in my womb,” asked Echidna. “When they grow big,” Hercules answered, “give them my bow and belt. If one of them bends my bow and girds himself the way I do, then appoint him ruler of this entire vast country.”
Having said this, Hercules gave Echidna his bow and belt. Then he played the shepherd's pipe and went his way. Geryon's herd obediently followed him.
Echidna named the triplets born on time Agathyrs, Gelon and Scythus. Only Scythian managed to pull his father's bow and only he was able to fit the belt of Hercules. He became the ruler of the free, green Black Sea steppes, giving this land his name - Great Scythia.
Hercules returned to Mycenae. He fulfilled the tenth order of Eurystheus with dignity. But, as before, Eurystheus did not even want to look at Geryon’s cows and bulls. By his order, the entire herd was sacrificed to the goddess Hera.

Apples of the Hesperides (eleventh labor)

A long time ago, when the gods celebrated the wedding of Zeus and Hera on bright Olympus, Gaia-Earth gave the bride a magic tree on which golden apples grew. These apples had the property of restoring youth. But none of the people knew where the garden was located in which the wonderful apple tree grew. There were rumors that this garden belongs to the Hesperide nymphs and is located at the very edge of the earth, where the Titan Atlas holds the firmament on his shoulders, and the apple tree with the golden fruits of youth is guarded by the gigantic hundred-headed serpent Ladon, generated by the sea deity Phorcys and the Titanide Keto.
While Hercules wandered the earth, carrying out the king's orders, Eurystheus became older and weaker every day. He had already begun to fear that Hercules would take away his power and become king himself. So Eurystheus decided to send Hercules for golden apples in the hope that he would not return from such and such a distance - he would either perish on the way, or die in a fight with Ladon.
As always, Eurystheus conveyed his order through the herald Copreus. Hercules listened to Copreus, silently threw the lion skin over his shoulders, took a bow and arrows and his faithful companion-club, and once again set off on the road.
Again Hercules walked through all of Hellas, all of Thrace, visited the land of the Hyperboreans and finally came to the distant river Eridanus. The nymphs who lived on the banks of this river took pity on the wandering hero and advised him to turn to the prophetic sea elder Nereus, who knew everything in the world. “If not the wise old man Nereus, then no one can show you the way,” the nymphs told Hercules.
Hercules went to the sea and began calling Nereus. Waves rushed onto the shore, and cheerful Nereids, daughters of the sea elder, swam out from the depths of the sea on playful dolphins, and behind them appeared Nereus himself with a long gray beard. "What do you want from me, mortal?" - asked Nereus. “Show me the way to the garden of the Hesperides, where, according to rumors, an apple tree grows with the golden fruits of youth,” Hercules asked.
This is how Nereus answered the hero: “I know everything, I see everything that is hidden from the eyes of people - but I don’t tell everyone about it. And I won’t tell you anything. Go, mortal, on your way.” Hercules got angry, and with the words “you will tell me, old man, when I lightly press you,” he grabbed Nereus with his powerful arms.
In an instant, the old man of the sea turned into a large fish and slipped out of the arms of Hercules. Hercules stepped on the fish's tail - it hissed and turned into a snake. Hercules grabbed the snake and it turned into fire. Hercules scooped up water from the sea and wanted to pour it on the fire - the fire turned into water, and the water ran to the sea, to its native element.
It’s not so easy to leave the son of Zeus! Hercules dug a hole in the sand and blocked the water's path to the sea. And the water suddenly rose in a column and became a tree. Hercules waved his sword and wanted to cut down the tree - the tree turned into a white seagull bird.
What could Hercules do here? He raised his bow and already pulled the string. It was then, frightened by the deadly arrow, that Nereus submitted. He took on his original appearance and said: “You are strong, mortal, and brave beyond human measure. All the secrets of the world can be revealed to such a hero. Listen to me and remember. The path to the garden in which the apple tree with golden fruits grows lies across the sea in the sultry Libya. Then follow the seashore to the west until you reach the end of the earth. There you will see the Titan Atlas, who has been holding the firmament on his shoulders for a thousand years - this is how he was punished for rebellion against Zeus. The garden of the Hesperide nymphs is nearby. In that garden "What you are looking for. But how to pick the treasured apples for you - decide for yourself. The hundred-headed serpent Ladon will not let you come close to Hera's apple tree."
“Accept my gratitude, prophetic old man,” Hercules said to Nereus, “but I want to ask you for one more favor: take me to the other side of the sea. The roundabout route to Libya is too long, and across the sea is just a stone’s throw away.”
Nereus scratched his gray beard and with a sigh offered Hercules his back.
On the same day, at midday, Hercules found himself in sultry Libya. He walked for a long time along the shifting sands under the burning rays of the sun and met a giant as tall as a ship's mast.
“Stop!” the giant shouted. “What do you want in my desert?”
“I’m going to the ends of the world, looking for the garden of the Hesperides, where the tree of youth grows,” Hercules answered.
The giant blocked the way for Hercules. “I am the master here,” he said menacingly. “I am Antaeus, the son of Gaia-Earth. I do not let anyone pass through my domain. Fight me. If you defeat me, you will move on; if not, you will stay.” And the giant pointed to a pile of skulls and bones, half-buried in sand.
Hercules had to fight with the son of the Earth. Hercules and Antaeus attacked each other at once and clasped their hands. Antaeus was huge, heavy and strong, like a stone, but Hercules turned out to be more agile: having contrived, he threw Antaeus to the ground and pressed him to the sand. But as if Antaeus’ strength had increased tenfold, he threw Hercules off of him like a feather and hand-to-hand combat began again. For the second time, Hercules knocked Antaeus over, and again the son of the Earth rose easily, as if he had gained more strength from the fall... Hercules was surprised at the strength of the giant, but before he met him in a mortal duel for the third time, he realized: Antaeus is the son of the Earth, she, the mother, Gaia gives her son new strength every time he touches her.
The outcome of the fight was now a foregone conclusion. Hercules, tightly grasping Antaeus, lifted him up above the ground and held him until he suffocated in his hands.
Now the path to the Garden of the Hesperides was clear. Without hindrance, Hercules reached the edge of the world, where the sky touches the earth. Here he saw the Titan Atlas propping up the sky with his shoulders.

"Who are you and why did you come here?" - Atlas asked Hercules.
“I need apples from the tree of youth that grows in the garden of the Hesperides,” answered Hercules.
Atlas laughed: “You can’t get these apples. They are guarded by a hundred-headed dragon. He doesn’t sleep day or night and doesn’t let anyone near the tree. But I can help you: after all, the Hesperides are my daughters. Just stand in my place and hold sky, and I'll go and bring apples. Three will be enough for you?"
Hercules agreed, put his weapon and lion skin on the ground, stood next to the titan and put his shoulders under the vault of heaven. Atlas straightened his tired back and went for the golden apples.
The crystal dome of the sky fell with a terrible weight on the shoulders of Hercules, but he stood like an indestructible rock and waited...
At last Atlas returned. Three golden apples sparkled in his hands. “Who should I give them to?” he asked. “Tell me, I’ll go and give them. I so want to walk on the earth. How tired I am of standing here, at the end of the world, and holding up this heavy sky! I’m glad that I found a replacement.”
“Wait,” Hercules said calmly, “let me just put the lion’s skin on my shoulders. Put the apples on the ground and hold up the sky until I get comfortable.”
Apparently the titan Atlas was not far off in his mind. He put the apples on the ground and again lifted the sky onto his shoulders. And Hercules picked up the golden apples, wrapped himself in a lion's skin, bowed to Atlas and left without even looking back.
Hercules continued to walk even when night fell on the ground. He hurried to Mycenae, sensing that his service to King Eurystheus was coming to an end. Stars were falling from the night sky. It was Atlas who shook the firmament in anger at Hercules.
“Here, Eurystheus, I brought you the apples of the Hesperides. Now you can become young again,” said Hercules, returning to Mycenae.
Eurystheus extended his hands to the golden apples, but immediately pulled them back. He felt scared. “These are Hera’s apples,” he thought, “what if she punishes me if I eat them.”
Eurystheus stamped his feet. “Get lost with these apples!” he shouted at Hercules. “Get out of my palace! You can throw these apples away!”
Hercules left. He walked home and thought about what to do with the apples of his youth. Suddenly the goddess of wisdom Athena appeared in front of him. “Wisdom is more valuable than youth,” as if someone whispered to him. Hercules handed the apples to Athena, she took them with a smile and disappeared.

Taming of Cerberus (twelfth labor)

A few days later, a herald entered the house of Hercules and said: “King Eurystheus sends you a new, this time the last order. Fulfill it and you are free. You must descend to the kingdom of Hades and bring the three-headed dog Cerberus, the guardian of the underworld, to Mycenae.”
This order was worth eleven previous ones. Descend into the kingdom of the dead, tame a monstrous dog and return to earth alive? Even the son of Zeus can hardly do this! Hercules walked around the entire earth from east to west, fought with monsters and fierce robbers, paved the way to the extreme limits of the earth and swam across the ocean with the Sun. Now he had to go where no mortal had ever come back - to the land of the dead.
“I will drag Cerberus on a rope, like a stray dog, straight to the palace, but after that, I am no longer Eurystheus’ servant,” Hercules said to the royal herald and, slamming his mighty fist on the table, he set off on the road.
Hercules walked, looked at the flowering land, at the blue sea, at the whole warm, sunny world, and melancholy squeezed his heart. It is terrible for the living to go into the kingdom of the dead of their own free will!
Hercules reached the very south of the Peloponnese, here in the Tenar cave there was an entrance to the monastery of Hades. He found Tenara's cave and began to descend along the bed of an underground river into the depths of the earth. Suddenly he heard light footsteps behind him. Hercules looked around and in the whitish darkness saw Hermes, the winged messenger of Zeus.
“The Lord of Olympus entrusted me with being your guide, Hercules,” said Hermes. He took the hero by the hand, and the two of them began to descend deeper and deeper into the womb of Gaia.
Soon, in the swirling fumes of the earth's breath, they saw a white rock.
“This is Lefkada,” explained Hermes, “the river of Oblivion, the quiet Lethe, flows under it. On the rock, the shadows of the dead leave memories of their earthly life, and Lethe covers them with water. Only after drinking sacrificial blood, the shadows of the dead for a short time can remember who them and what happened to them when they lived in the world of the living.
The River of Oblivion flowed into another, muddy, muddy river, Acheron. On its shore stood a frail wooden boat, and a gloomy bearded carrier was waiting for the newcomers.
“Hello, Charon!” said Hermes. “I hope you, out of old friendship, will transport us to the other side for free?”
Charon silently pointed to a place in the boat. Hermes, followed by Hercules, entered the boat, and the water gurgled quietly under its keel.
On the other bank grew a grove of black poplars. The shadows of the dead darted anxiously among the trees. Their movements were chaotic, they collided with each other like a crowd of suddenly blind people.
“These are the shadows of people over whose bodies funeral rites were not performed,” Hermes whispered.
Behind the poplar grove rose a wall with a copper gate. They were wide open, and in front of them sat a gigantic three-headed dog - the guardian of the underworld.

The dog wagged his tail quite friendly and, like an ordinary yard dog, shook his six ears. Only the balls of small black snakes that grew instead of fur on his back hissed and stuck out their forked tongues, and the dragon’s head at the tip of its tail bared its sharp teeth.
“He did not sense in you, Hercules, his mortal enemy,” said Hermes, “however, he shows complacency towards everyone who enters. But towards those who are trying to leave, he is merciless.”
Outside the gates lay an immense meadow, overgrown with pale yellow flowers. A host of shadows hovered over the meadow. Their pale, ghostly faces expressed neither joy nor suffering. Hercules recognized many, but no one recognized him.
Beyond the meadow appeared the palace of the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, Hades, and his wife Persephone. But Hermes led Hercules to a stormy stream rustling nearby.
“This is a river called Styx,” said Hermes, “an oath by the waters of this river is terrible even for the gods. It falls into the depths of the earth, into Tartarus, the most terrible place even here, in the kingdom of Hades.” No mortal has seen what I am about to show you."
Hermes picked up Hercules, and in smooth circles they sank to the very bottom of the abyss. Complete darkness reigned here, the space around was only occasionally illuminated by a crimson light, like the reflection of a distant fire.
“We are in the depths of the kingdom of Hades,” continued Hermes, “an abyss of torment. Here those who have stained themselves with crimes and unrighteous lives suffer torment. Look: there is Sisyphus from Corinth rolling a heavy stone up the mountain. His work is meaningless - at the very top the stone will fall off and will roll down, and Sisyphus, exhausted, sweating, will roll him to the top again. And so - forever. And there is Tantalus, who was once the favorite of the gods and the happiest of mortals. He stands up to his neck in water. His lips are black with thirst, but "He will never be able to get drunk: if he bends down to the water, the water will disappear. Look, Hercules, tell people about what you saw when you return to earth. Let them know that there is no crime without retribution for it."
After these words, Hermes again grabbed Hercules’s body with his hand, and they found themselves in front of the copper doors, green with age, of the palace of the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, Hades.
“Now I must leave you,” said Hermes. You must accomplish your last feat in the service of King Eurystheus without my help.” On his winged sandals, Hermes soared into the air and quickly disappeared from sight.
And Hercules picked up the club, which he never parted with, and hit it on the copper doors. They trembled, but withstood the blow. Gathering all his strength, Hercules struck a second time - a roar was heard throughout the entire underworld, but the copper doors still stood unshakable. For the third time, Hercules lowered the heavy club on the doors - the clang of broken shutters was heard, and the doors swung open.
Hercules entered the palace chambers and saw Hades himself, the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, and his wife Persephone. They sat on two gilded thrones and looked in surprise at a living person. Hercules, majestic and calm, stood fearlessly in front of them, leaning on his huge club.
“A man in a lion’s skin, with a club and a bow over his shoulders? It’s not otherwise that Hercules, the son of Zeus, came to us,” said Hades. “What do you need?” Ask. I will not refuse you anything. After all, you are my nephew on my father’s side.”
“Oh, ruler of the kingdom of the dead,” answered Hercules, “do not be angry with me for my invasion! But I have one request: give me the dog Cerberus. I must take him to King Eurystheus. This is his last order. I will fulfill it and I will be free ".
“I allow you to take Cerberus to earth,” said Hades, “if he lets you out of here and if you take him without weapons, with your bare hands.”
Hercules thanked Hades and went back to the gate, which was guarded by Cerberus. Now they were closed. Cerberus slept in front of them, placing all three of his heads on the black road.
Hearing the steps of Hercules, Cerberus woke up, jumped up, growled and quickly rushed at Hercules. Hercules put forward his left hand, wrapped in a lion's skin, and with his right grabbed the dog by the neck. Cerberus howled, his wild howl spread throughout the entire underground kingdom. With the teeth of all three heads, he dug into the lion's skin, the snakes on the dog's back began to spit poison, and the dragon's head, growing at the tip of his tail, clicked its sharp teeth at Hercules' bare feet.
But Hercules did not feel pain. He squeezed the dog’s neck tightly and dragged him along with him to the river bank, to the carriage. There, on the shore, the half-strangled Kerberus fell to the ground, his three tongues fell out of his mouth, the snake heads drooped, and the evil eyes of the dragon head closed. Hercules threw a chain around the dog’s neck, pulled it twice, and the terrible dog got up and obediently trudged after the winner.
The carrier Charon was horrified when he saw Hercules leading Cerberus on a chain. “Take me to the other side, old man,” Hercules said to Charon. “And don’t think that I stole this dog: Hades allowed me to take the dog to the ground.”
The old ferryman did not dare to contradict Hercules. Warily avoiding Cerberus, he put Hercules in the boat and quickly worked with the oars.
Having crossed the Acheron River, Hercules followed the already familiar road to the River of Oblivion. Cerberus, lowering his head to the ground, trotted dejectedly nearby.
So they reached a meadow overgrown with yellow flowers. The exit to the earth, to warmth and light, was very close. Suddenly Hercules heard a plaintive groan: “Stop, friend Hercules, help!”
Hercules sees: two people are rooted to a granite rock. He recognized one immediately. It was Theseus, the Athenian prince, with whom they once sailed to Colchis, for the Golden Fleece, and obtained Hippolyta's belt. Hercules recognized the other one, completely exhausted, with difficulty. It was Peirithous, king of Thessaly. He was never a friend of Hercules, but still they knew each other.
“Oh, great son of Zeus,” Theseus continued to moan. “Free us. Pride brought us to great torment. We dared to take our wife away from Hades himself and now we are paying for it. We have been standing here for many years, rooted to this rock. So "Hades punished us for our insolence. Free us! We no longer have the strength to stand here, either alive or dead."
Hercules extended his hand to Theseus - the rock cracked and freed Theseus. Hercules extended his hand to Peirithous - the earth shook, and Hercules realized that the gods did not want his release. Hercules submitted to the will of the gods and went with the freed Theseus to earth, to the warmth and sun.
When the exit to the ground was very close, Cerberus began to squeal pitifully and almost crawled behind Hercules. And when they came out into the open space, the sun's rays blinded the underground guard, he trembled, yellow foam dripped from his mouth, and wherever it fell to the ground, poisonous grass grew.
Theseus, gray-haired and bent like a hundred-year-old man, headed to his native Athens, and Hercules - in the other direction, to Mycenae, which he hated.
In Mycenae, Hercules, as promised, led Cerberus straight to the royal palace. Eurystheus fell into indescribable horror at one glance at the terrible dog.
Hercules laughed, looking at the cowardly king. “Well, run, go back and wait for Eurystheus at the copper gates of Hades,” said Hercules and removed the chain from Cerberus. And the dog in an instant rushed back to the kingdom of the dead.
Thus ended the service of Hercules to King Eurystheus. But new exploits and new trials awaited the hero.

In slavery to Queen Omphale

Freed from serving King Eurystheus, Hercules returned to Thebes. Here he gave his wife Megara to his faithful friend Iolaus, explaining his act by the fact that his marriage with Megara was accompanied by unfavorable omens. In fact, the reason that prompted Hercules to part with Megara was different: between the spouses stood the shadows of their common children, whom Hercules killed many years ago in a fit of insanity.
Hoping to find family happiness, Hercules began to look for a new wife. He heard that Eurytus, the same one who taught young Hercules the art of using a bow, was offering his daughter Iola as a wife to the one who surpassed him in accuracy.
Hercules went to Eurytus and easily defeated him in the competition. This outcome greatly annoyed Eurytus. Having drunk a fair amount of wine to be more confident, he said to Hercules: “I will not trust my daughter to such a villain as you. Or weren’t you the one who killed your children from Megara? Besides, you are a slave of Eurystheus and deserve only a beating from a free man.”
Hercules left Eurytus and did not take revenge on him for the offensive words: one way or another, they were still true.
Soon after this, twelve strong-legged mares disappeared from Eurytus. They were stolen by the famous thief and swindler Autolycus, but suspicion fell on Hercules. The eldest son of Eurytus, named Iphitus, caught up with Hercules near the city of Tiryns and began to demand the return of the stolen property. The hero felt offended because they called him a villain, a slave, and now they also call him a thief. He climbed with Ifit onto a high rock and asked: “Look around and tell me, do you see your mares grazing somewhere?” Ifit admitted: “I don’t see them.” Hercules roared beside himself with anger and said, “Then look for them in Hades!” pushed Ifit off the cliff.
So again the son of Zeus stained his hands with human blood. What could he do? Hercules went to the king of Pylos Neleus and asked to perform a rite of purification on him. But Neleus refused to fulfill Hercules' request.
Hercules was saddened. In his native country he became almost an outcast! Then Hercules decided to go to the Delphic oracle to ask the Pythia for advice on how to live further. But here a new blow awaited him: Pythia refused to answer his question. “I have no good advice for people like you. Go away, do not desecrate the sanctuary of Apollo with your presence,” she told Hercules. "Then I must found my own sanctuary!" - he shouted. Having pushed Pythia off the golden tripod on which she was sitting, Hercules put it on his shoulders and headed towards the exit.
But Hercules’ path was blocked by the golden-haired god Apollo himself. A struggle ensued between the sons of the Thunderer - the immortal Apollo and the mortal Hercules.
The struggle between god and hero continued until Zeus, throwing lightning between them, forced them to shake hands as a sign of reconciliation.
Hercules returned the tripod, and the Pythia, again sitting on it, gave the following prophecy: “With three years of humiliating slavery you will atone for your guilt, Hercules.”
“Whose slave should I become?” Hercules humbly asked.
“The Lydian queen Omphale will buy you,” answered Pythia.
Again Hercules had to lose his freedom. As the Pythia predicted, Hercules was bought by Queen Omphale. She inherited the kingdom from her husband Tmol, who accidentally died under the hooves of a ferocious bull.
The cheerful queen Omphale did not send Hercules on long campaigns and did not demand heroic deeds and victories from him. She took his bow and arrows from Hercules, took the lion skin from his shoulders, dressed him in a woman's dress and amused himself by rouging his cheeks, lining his eyebrows and tinting his lips.
Throughout Hellas it was said that Hercules had parted with his weapons, that instead he now wore a woman’s turban and a belt embroidered with flowers, that gold bracelets jingled on his hands, and that a pearl necklace glittered on his neck. They said that Hercules spent all his time in the circle of Ionian beauties, combing wool or spinning it, shuddering at every cry from his mistress, and that Omphale often punished her slave with a gold slipper when his clumsy fingers broke the spindle.
This is how it really happened. This captivity at Omphale was more difficult for Hercules than the most cunning orders of Eurytheus. Often Hercules was so sad and languid that, touched by his gloomy appearance, the queen gave him a bow and arrows and let him go for a walk around the surrounding area. One day, having asked for leave from Omphale, Hercules went so far that he wandered into a neighboring country. Tired, he lay down under a tree and fell asleep. In his sleep, he felt as if many ants or annoying autumn flies were crawling over his body.
Hercules opened his eyes and saw that his sleep was interrupted not by ants or flies - it was the tiny men of the Cercopes, the mischievous creatures of the Ocean and the Titanides of Tethys. They were known as the most notorious liars and deceivers in the world. Kerkops have long roamed the world and come up with more and more tricks just to annoy people with these tricks.
Without hesitation, Hercules caught all the kerkops, tied them by the arms and legs, strung them on a long stick and, putting it on his shoulder, went back to the palace of Omphale.
On the way, the kerkops squealed loudly, but not out of fear, but out of anger. They scolded Hercules, threatened him and at the same time stared their tiny eyes so menacingly that Hercules laughed.
“Oh, what fear did these little people instill in me,” said Hercules, choking with laughter, “it’s better to let them go in peace!”
He untied his tiny captives and set them free, and he returned to Omphale and began to demand freedom for himself.
But Omphale did not let Hercules go. “I bought you for three years,” she said, “you will serve them and only then will you leave.”

Dejanira

Three tedious years of slave service with Queen Omphale passed, and Hercules again regained his long-awaited freedom. He was walking home. His heart rejoiced, and in time with its beating he never tired of repeating: “Free! Free!”
The life of Hercules passed in battles with monsters, on long campaigns, and wanderings around the world. He traveled all over the world, visited many cities, but did not live anywhere for a long time - he had neither a family nor his own home.
“It’s time for me, the eternal wanderer, to live a quiet life: in my own home, with a loving wife, surrounded by children and grandchildren. It’s not difficult to build a house, but where can I find a wife with whom I would be happy?” - this is how Hercules thought, returning to Hellas.
Then he remembered that several years ago he had the opportunity to take part in the hunt for a wild Calydonian boar. At the invitation of King Oeneus, many heroes came to Calydon to hunt this beast. The hunt was led by the son of Oeneus, Prince Meleager. When the boar was defeated, Hercules continued on his way and completely forgot about this hunt.
Only now, before the inner gaze of Hercules, the pure and deep eyes of Meleager’s younger sister Deianira appeared, like those of a timid mountain deer.
“Then she was just a girl, and now she’s probably a bride. Here’s who can become a good wife for me,” thought Hercules and headed to the city of Calydon in the hope of wooing Deianira.
Hercules arrived in Calydon on time - the old king Oeneus was giving his youngest daughter in marriage. Many suitors arrived in Calydon to seek the hand of Deianira. Among them was the river god Aheloy, a monster with bull horns on his head and a green beard through which water flowed all the time.
Oeneus decided that Dejanira would be given to the one who won the single combat with Achelous. Seeing such a rival, all the suitors, except Hercules, ran away in fear.
Hercules had to measure his strength with Achelous. But before the fight began, Achelous began to mock Hercules and defame his mother Alcmene.
Frowning his eyebrows, the son of Zeus listened to the offensive words, but suddenly his eyes sparkled with anger, and he said: “Ahelous, my hands serve me better than my tongue! Be a winner in words, but I will be a winner in deeds.”

Hercules grabbed Achelous and squeezed his body with his mighty hands, but the river god stood firm, like an unshakable rock. The rivals separated and came together again, like two angry bulls. No matter how much Achelous strained his strength, Hercules pushed him lower and lower to the ground. The river god's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, but in order not to be defeated, Aheloy turned into a snake.
Hercules laughed: “Even in the cradle I learned to fight snakes! True, you, Aheloy, are superior to other snakes, but you cannot compare with the Lernaean Hydra. Although it grew two heads instead of the one that was cut off, I still defeated it!”
Then Ahelous turned into a bull and again attacked Hercules. And Hercules grabbed him by the horns and threw him to the ground with such force that he broke one of the river god’s horns.
Aheloy was defeated, and Deianira became the wife of Hercules.
After the wedding, Hercules and Deianira did not stay long in the house of Oeneus. Once during a feast, Hercules struck the boy Eunom, son of Architelos, because he spilled water intended for washing his feet on his hands. The son of Zeus did not know how to measure the strength of his hands: the blow was so strong that the boy fell dead.
Hercules was saddened, and although Architelos forgave him for the involuntary murder of his son, the young couple still left Calydon and went to the city of Trakhina, where they decided to make their home.
On the way, Hercules and his wife came to the River Ever. The centaur Nessus carried travelers across this stormy river for a fee on his broad back. Dejanira sat on the centaur’s back, and Hercules, throwing his club and bow to the other bank, decided to swim across the river.
As soon as Hercules emerged from the water, he heard Deianira’s cry. She called her husband for help. The centaur, captivated by Deianira's beauty, wanted to kidnap her.
“Where are you running?” Hercules shouted to Ness. “Don’t you think that your legs will save you? No matter how fast you rush, my arrow will still overtake you!”
Hercules pulled his bow - a deadly arrow flew from a tight bowstring and overtook Nessus (according to another version of the myth, Hercules hits Nessus with a sword). Nessus fell, blood flowed from his wound in a stream, mixed with the poison of the Lernaean Hydra.

The dying centaur instantly came up with a way to take revenge on Hercules for his death. “Look, beauty,” Nessus said to Deianira, “my wound is mortal and the blood around it has already dried up. Collect it, save it - it has miraculous power. If Hercules ever stops loving you, rub his clothes with my dried blood - and he will return to you again.” his love for you.
Dejanira trusted the centaur, collected his blood and hid it.
Nessus died. Hercules and Deianira settled in Trakhini and lived there until the thirst for a new feat again called the son of Zeus on the road.

Liberation of Prometheus

Leaving Dejanira with six young children in Trakhini, Hercules again set off to the very ends of the world. He had to do something unheard of - to free the rebellious titan Prometheus, who, by the will of Zeus, was chained to the gray Caucasian rock.
Once upon a time, in ancient times, there were very few people in the world. Like wild animals, they wandered through the forests in pursuit of prey. They ate raw meat, wild fruits and roots, used animal skins as clothing, and hid in caves and tree hollows from bad weather. Their minds were like those of small children, and they were helpless and defenseless.
Prometheus took pity on people. He went to his friend the blacksmith god Hephaestus and found the divine master at work: Hephaestus was forging fiery lightning arrows for Zeus the Thunderer. Prometheus stood and looked at his skillful work. When Hephaestus began to fan the fire in the forge with his bellows, and sparkling sparks scattered throughout the forge, Prometheus caught one sacred spark and hid it in an empty reed, which he had prepared in advance and held in his hand.
Prometheus brought this reed with a spark of sacred fire to people, and people lit bonfires, hearths and lamps from it everywhere on earth. With the help of fire, people learned to heat their homes, cook food, and process metals hidden in the earth. The light of the sacred fire clarified people's thoughts and ignited the desire for happiness in their hearts.
Prometheus watched with pride as people became stronger, smarter and more skillful in any work. And Zeus, from the heights of Olympus, looked at the growing human tribe with increasing displeasure. “If things go like this, people will soon stop honoring the gods,” grumbled the Thunderer.
Then Prometheus concluded an agreement with Zeus: people, as proof of the superiority of the immortal gods over the tribe of mortals, would make sacrifices to the gods with animal meat and earthly fruits.
Prometheus himself made the first sacrifice. He killed the bull, wrapped the meat in the skin, put the not very tasty entrails on top, and next to it he put another pile - from the head and bones, which he hid under the shiny and fragrant fat. Then he asked Zeus which of the heaps he would like to receive as a sacrifice to the immortal god. Zeus pointed to a pile covered in fat. From that time on, people brought bones and fat of sacrificial animals to the altars of the gods, and prepared feast dishes for themselves from delicious meat.
The gods did not want to put up with this and asked Zeus to take revenge on Prometheus for his deception. He called Prometheus to him and said to him: “You have offended the gods twice. The first time was when you stole the sacred fire and gave it to people, the second time when you deceived us immortals by leaving us the bones of sacrificial animals instead of meat. But I am ready to forgive you. My condition is this: you tell me the name of my unborn son, who wants to deprive me of power over the world, and I will grant you my forgiveness. Just don’t say that this name is unknown to you. After all, the future is open to you, it’s not for nothing that you are called Prometheus, what does “Provider” mean?
“I know this name, Thunderer,” answered Prometheus, “but I will not name it, for this is not my secret, but that of the inexorable Fate.”
The eyes of Zeus flashed with anger, he called on his servants, Strength and Power, and ordered them to take Prometheus to a deserted mountainous country and forever chain him with indestructible shackles to a wild rock above the stormy sea.
The will of Zeus is the law even for the immortal gods. Hephaestus himself, although he was Prometheus’s friend, chained his arms and legs to a rock with chains of gray iron and pierced his chest with a sharp diamond wedge, nailing him to the rock for centuries.
Immortal, like the gods of Olympus, was the titan Prometheus, and therefore alive he was doomed to unheard of torment. The sun burned his withered body, the icy wind showered him with prickly snow dust. Every day at the appointed hour a huge eagle flew in, tore apart the titan’s body with its claws and pecked at his liver. And at night, Prometheus’s wounds healed.
For a thousand and another thousand years the torment of the rebellious titan continued, and all these long thousands of years Prometheus believed, no, he knew that the time would come and a great hero would appear among people who would come to free him.
And finally, this day has come. Prometheus heard the steps of a man walking through the mountains and saw the hero whom he had been waiting for for many centuries.
Hercules crossed wild mountains, bottomless abysses, deep snow, approached Prometheus and had already raised his sword to knock off the chains of the titan, but an eagle’s screech was heard high in the sky: it was the eagle of Zeus at the appointed hour, hurrying to his bloody feast. Then Hercules raised his bow, threw an arrow at the flying eagle and killed him. The eagle fell into the sea and was carried away by the waves into the vast distance. And Hercules broke the chains shackling Prometheus, took the diamond tip out of his chest and said: “You are free, titan martyr, people have not forgotten you. It was they who sent me to restore your freedom.”
The freed Prometheus straightened up, took a deep breath and, with enlightened eyes, looked at the earth and at the hero who brought him freedom.
Zeus reconciled with the unbending titan Prometheus. He ordered Hephaestus to make a ring from a link in the Promethean chain and insert a stone into it - a fragment of the rock to which the titan was chained. Zeus ordered Prometheus to put this ring on his finger and always wear it, as a sign that the word of the ruler of the world had not been broken and Prometheus was chained to a rock forever.

Death of Hercules and his ascension to Olympus

“So I have accomplished my last feat,” thought Hercules, returning to Trakhini to his beloved wife and children. He did not know that the gods of Olympus would demand one more feat from him. A race of giants, the sons of Gaia-Earth, rebelled against the immortal celestials. Some of them were similar to people, albeit of enormous size, while others had bodies ending in balls of snakes. There were giants who were mortals, but they were not afraid of the gods, because they knew: by the will of Providence, only a mortal man could defeat them.
The day of the battle of gods and giants has arrived. Giants and gods met on the Phlegrian fields. The thunder of this battle echoed throughout the world. Not fearing death at the hands of the gods, the giants pressed the inhabitants of Olympus. They threw at them burning trunks of centuries-old trees, huge rocks and even entire mountains, which, falling into the sea, turned into islands.
In the midst of the battle, Hercules came to the aid of the gods. He was summoned by the daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athena. She, the wisest of the Olympian gods, guessed that the hero who is capable of destroying the tribe of giants is Hercules.
The mortal Hercules stood in line with the immortals. The string of his formidable bow rang, an arrow filled with the poison of the Lernaean Hydra flashed, and pierced the chest of the mightiest of the giants, Alcyoneus. The second arrow hit the right eye of the giant Ephialtes. The giants trembled and fled. But Hercules sent death to all of them, fleeing in panic from the battlefield, with his unmissable arrows.
“My gratitude knows no bounds,” Zeus said to Hercules after the battle. “Your body is mortal, but from now on your name will be immortal.”
And again the road. Hercules walks again through the mountains, forests and roads of Hellas. He goes home to his wife Dejanira, to his sons Gill, Glen, Ctesippus, Onitus, to his curly-haired daughter Macaria...
And Deianira, accustomed to her husband’s constant absence, was very worried this time. She was about to send her eldest son Gill in search of his father, but a messenger from Hercules appeared and said that her husband was alive and well, returning home and sending home gifts: jewelry, gold dishes and a captive - a girl of extraordinary beauty.
"Who's that girl?" - Dejanira asked. The messenger replied slyly: “Oh, this is not a simple captive, but the daughter of King Eurytus Iola, whom Hercules once wanted to marry.”
Dejanira saw that Iola was younger and more beautiful than her, and thought: “It seems Hercules has stopped loving me, and if he hasn’t stopped loving me yet, then he will certainly stop loving me soon.”
It was then that Dejanira remembered the dying advice of the centaur Nessus: with his dried blood she rubbed new, festive clothes, which she herself had woven for her husband, and sent them with a messenger to meet Hercules.
Hercules accepted his wife’s gift and wanted to put it on immediately. But as soon as the clothes touched the body, the poison of Nessus’s blood, mixed with the blood of the Lernaean Hydra, penetrated the body of Hercules.
It was as if a hot flame engulfed Hercules. He began to tear his damned clothes, but they grew to his body and caused unbearable torment. Tears rolled from Hercules' eyes. He, who did not bow to the most formidable dangers, who fought with monsters and even with gods, was now broken by the suffering that a weak, loving woman had brought upon him.
But there was no salvation...
When Deianira learned that she had killed her husband with her own hands, she threw herself on the sword on her marital bed.
To the valley where Hercules was dying, all his children from Deianira came, the elderly mother of Alcmene came, friends came - Iolaus, Philoctetes... Already with cold lips, Hercules said to them: “I don’t want to die here, not in this damp valley. Take me to a high mountain , so that the sea can be seen from it. There, in the open space, lay my funeral pyre. When I go into another world, you, my son Gill, take Iola as your wife, and let my descendants - the Heraclides - always live on earth. This is mine last will."

On the celestial Mount Etna, which rises above Thermopylae, in the reserved meadow of Zeus, a funeral pyre was laid for Hercules. The still living hero was placed on the skin of the Nemean Lion.
The torment of Hercules did not stop, and the son of Zeus prayed: “The dead have no suffering! Light the fire quickly! Deliver me from unbearable torment! Gill! My son! Be brave! Bring the torch to the fire!”
The son of Hercules was horrified: “Have mercy, father, how can I become your killer!?”
“You will not be a murderer, but a healer of my suffering,” Hercules answered Gill.
Here Philoctetes, a longtime friend and comrade of Hercules, approached the funeral pyre and set fire to the resinous logs.
“Be blessed, Philoctetes, I give you my bow as a souvenir, take care of it,” Hercules’ last words were heard through the smoke rising to the sky.
The sun is already setting behind the western mountains. When it rises over the eastern sea, the daughter of Hercules, Macaria, will approach the burnt out funeral pyre and collect white ash - the remains of her father - into an urn.

**** ***

And on the bright peak of Olympus, golden tables shine. There are more of them than there were before: there will be a feast for guests of the old and new worlds. All the gods of Olympus are waiting on the threshold of their monastery for the great hero of Hellas. A golden chariot appeared high in the sky. This is Athena rushing to the sacred mountain of the new god - Hercules, born mortal, but who earned immortality with his life.
“Rejoice, persecuted by me, glorified by me, exalted by me!” Hera greets Hercules. “From now on, as the husband of my daughter, the goddess of Youth Hebe, you will also be my son.
Hera hugs Hercules, and Hebe pours the groom a cup of nectar - the drink of immortality.

Heracleidae

After Hercules completed his earthly journey, his children and mother Alcmene moved to Tiryns. They didn't live there long. Out of hatred for Hercules, Eurystheus drove the hero's children out of his possessions and pursued them everywhere they tried to hide. The children of Hercules and the elderly Alcmene wandered for a long time throughout Argolis. Finally, Iolaus, a friend and nephew of Hercules, sheltered them. But even here the hatred of Eurystheus overtook the unfortunates, and he and Iolaus had to flee to Athens, where Theseus’ son Demophon then ruled.
Having learned that the Heraclides had taken refuge in Athens, Eurystheus sent his messenger Copreus to demand from Demophon the surrender of the descendants of Hercules. Demophon refused Copreus, and Eurystheus’ threat of war did not frighten him.
Eurystheus found out about this and was even happy. “And I will destroy the Heraclides, and I will annex Athens to my possessions,” he decided.
Soon the army of Eurystheus invaded Attica. Athens faced a battle with a strong enemy. The Athenians asked the gods about the outcome of the battle, and the gods revealed to them that Athens would win only if they sacrificed an immaculate girl.
Macaria, the daughter of Hercules and Deianira, having learned about this prediction, decided to sacrifice her life to save her brothers and sisters.
Both troops met on the Marathon Plain. Before the battle, Macaria was sacrificed. That battle was cruel and bloody. The Athenians won. King Eurystheus fled. Two chariots pursued the cowardly persecutor Hercules: the chariot of Gill and the chariot of Iolaus. Gill almost overtook Eurystheus, but then Iolaus prayed to the gods of Olympus. He begged them to return to him, at least for one day, his youth and former strength. The gods heard Iolaus' prayer. Two bright stars rolled down from the sky and a cloud descended on Iolaus’s chariot, and when it parted, Iolaus appeared in all the splendor of his youth - powerful, undaunted.
Iolaus overtook Eurystheus and captured him. The bound Eurystheus was brought to Athens. Alcmene flew into a furious rage when she saw her son's sworn enemy. As if Erinyes attacked Ephrystheus, tore out his eyes and strangled him. On the same day, all the sons of Eurystheus were executed.
The throne of the ruler of Argolis was empty. The Heraclides now had all the rights to it. Gill entered Argolis with a large army. But, as a divine sign, plague broke out in the army. The eldest son of Hercules hurried to the Delphic oracle to find out when the time of return would come, and heard: “After the third fruit.”
Believing that he needed to wait three years, Gill arranged for the army to rest for three years, and then re-entered the soil of his homeland. Here he was met by Atreus, a distant relative of Eurystheus, who had seized the empty Mycenaean throne.
To avoid unnecessary bloodshed, Gill challenged any person equal to him in origin to a duel. “If I am the winner,” he set the condition, “let the throne and kingdom become mine, and if I am defeated, then we, the sons of Hercules, will return this way after three generations.” Echem, king of the city of Tegea, an ally of Atreus, accepted the challenge.
Gill misunderstood the prophecy of the Delphic oracle: not for three years, but for three whole generations, the road to the homeland of the Heraclides was closed by the will of the gods. Gill fell in a duel, and long years of wandering began for the Heraclides.
As predicted, in the fourth generation the descendants of Hercules managed to win back what belonged to them by birthright. The great-great-grandsons of Hercules Temen, Cresphont and the twins Proclus and Eurysthenes conquered the entire Peloponnese. The huge peninsula was divided by lot: Argolis went to Temen, Sparta to the twins Proclus and Eurysthenes, Messenia to Cressfont.