Heracles was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, a mortal woman rather than a god. Heracles was the strongest Man in the world.

Hera and Heracles

Hera, wife of Zeus, hated Heracles as Zeus had fathered him with another woman. Hera was going to kill him right there, but Zeus would be mad at her so she was patient. As time went by he had three children and was very happy. One day Hera went down to the earth and put a drug in Heracles’ drink which made him go mad. He killed his wife and his three children before the drug wore off. To gain forgiveness he had to go to King Eurystheus and complete twelve tasks or labours. He also got immortality in Mount Olympus for the twelve tasks.

The 12 Labours of Heracles

1. Kill the Nemean Lion

Heracles first task was to kill the Nemean Lion. The Nemean Lion couldn’t be killed by weapons (spears, knives ect.) Heracles had to kill the Nemean Lion by using its own claws to scrape itself. After the Nemean Lion had been killed Heracles used the fur to protect him.

2. Slay the Many Headed Hydra

His next task was to kill a serpent called the Hydra with more heads than anyone could count. Whenever Heracles cut off one head another two popped up. Heracles got the idea of burning the heads and sealing the wounds with fire when they were cut off so that they couldn’t grow back. It worked but it was evening before all the heads were cut off.

3. Bring back the Ceryneian Hind alive

Heracles was strong but not fast. It took him a year and a day before he finally caught up with the Ceryneian Hind. He could not shoot the stag as he needed to bring it back alive. Heracles shot an arrow which clipped its ankle and slowed it down which meant he could catch the stag and bring it back alive to King Eurystheus.

4. The Giant Wild Boar of Erymanthos

Heracles next task was to bring back the Erymanthian Boar unharmed. It lived on Mt. Erymanthos. Only one hour later Heracles came back with the boar tied up.

5. The Stinking Stables of King Aegus

Heracles next task was to clean the King of Athens (Aegus’) stables. As he came closer to the stables the smell got worse and worse. When he got there, the stable was so bad that he asked King Aegus for a quarter of his herd in exchange for cleaning out his stables. The king agreed. Heracles used his brain as well as his strength to clean the stables. He dug ditches and redirected water from nearby rivers to wash away all the mounds of animal dung away. He went to King Aegus to ask for a quarter of his herd, however, King Aegus refused to give them to him.

6. Kill all the Stymphalian birds

Heracles next task was to kill all of the Stymphalian birds. The birds eat all the fruit grown by the local farmers. Heracles made a large noisy rattle to scare all the birds and make them fly up into the air and then he killed them with his bow and arrow.

7. The Bull from Crete

Heracles next task was to bring back the bull which Queen Pasiphae of Crete fell in love with when she was cursed by Poseidon ,which he did easily.

8. Man-Eating Mares of Thrace

Heracles next task was to stop the man-eating mares owned by the King of Thrace. The King fed his enemies to the horses. Heracles visited the King who offered to take Heracles horse riding in the country-side. When they went to the stable the King tried to feed Heracles to the horses but Heracles was stronger and pushed the King into the stable and locked the stable. When the mares had finished their meal they were sick and Heracles gave them some grass and from then on they were normal.

9. Belt from the Queen of the Amazons

Heracles next task was to bring back the belt from the Queen of the Amazons. The belt made the wearer invincible. It was a gift from her father Ares. The Amazons were a group of strong warrior women. Heracles won the Belt from the Queen after a long arm-wrestling competition

10. Geryon’s Red Cattle

Heracles next task was to bring back Geryon’s red cattle. Geryon was a monster with three bodies. The cattle were also guarded by a dog with two heads. When Heracles got onto the island the two-headed dog came and leaped at Heracles but he just hit it and it flew five miles into the ocean. Then he just shot an arrow through Geryon’s three hearts and killed it. He brought the cattle back to King Eurystheus.

11. Atlas and the Three Golden Apples

Heracles’ next task was to bring back 3 golden apples from the garden of Hesperides. Heracles met the Titan Atlas, who held up the sky for eternity as a punishment for leading the Titans against the gods. Atlas offered to get the apples for Heracles if Heracles took his place holding up the sky while he got the apples. When Atlas returned with the golden apples, he did not want to relieve Heracles of his burden as he enjoyed his new freedom too much. Heracles agreed to take over Atlas’ job but asked Atlas to hold the sky up one last time while he got into a more comfortable position. Atlas swapped places and Heracles ran off with the apples.

12. Cerberus, 3 headed guard dog of the Underworld

Heracles last task was to bring back Cerberus from the underworld. It was an easy task as Persephone had heard of Heracles and his labours and let him have Cerberus as long as he brought the dog back to her.