Hercules' Fifth Labor: the Augean Stables The Augean Stables Hercules Cleans Up For the fifth labor, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to clean up King Augeas' stables. Hercules knew this job would mean getting dirty and smelly, but sometimes even a hero has to do these things. Then Eurystheus made Hercules' task even harder: he had to clean up after the cattle of Augeas in a single day. Now King Augeas owned more cattle than anyone in Greece. Some say that he was a son of one of the great gods, and others that he was a son of a mortal; whosever son he was, Augeas was very rich, and he had many herds of cows, bulls, goats, sheep and horses. An aerial view of Olympia in Elis, where Augeas ruled his kingdom. Photograph by Raymond V. Schoder, S.J., courtesy of Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers Every night the cowherds, goatherds and shepherds drove the thousands of animals to the stables. Boston 13.195, Attic red figure lekythos, c.

530-500 B.C. People leading cows. From Caskey & Beazley, plate IV. With permission of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Hercules went to King Augeas, and without telling anything about Eurystheus, said that he would clean out the stables in one day, if Augeas would give him a tenth of his fine cattle. Munich 2412, Attic red figure stamnos, c. 440-430 B.C. A bull drinking water from a basin. From Furtwängler & Reichhold, pl. 19 Augeas couldn't believe his ears, but promised. Hercules brought Augeas's son along to watch. First the hero tore a big opening in the wall of the cattle-yard where the stables were. Then he made another opening in the wall on the opposite side of the yard. Next, he dug wide trenches to two rivers which flowed nearby. He turned the course of the rivers into the yard. The rivers rushed through the stables, flushing them out, and all the mess flowed out the hole in the wall on other side of the yard.

Mount Holyoke 1925.BS.II.3, Attic black figure skyphos, c. 500 B.C. Hercules takes a break. The goddess Athena pours him a cup of wine. Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum When Augeas learned that Eurystheus was behind all this, he would not pay Hercules his reward. Not only that, he denied that he had even promised to pay a reward. Augeas said that if Hercules didn't like it, he could take the matter to a judge to decide. The judge took his seat. Hercules called the son of Augeas to testify. The boy swore that his father had agreed to give Hercules a reward. The judge ruled that Hercules would have to be paid. In a rage, Augeas ordered both his own son and Hercules to leave his kingdom at once. So the boy went to the north country to live with his aunts, and Hercules headed back to Mycenae. But Eurystheus said that this labour didn't count, because Hercules was paid for having done the work.

(wpm) The Twelve Labors of Hercules Arts and Entertainment > Mythology The Twelve Labors of Hercules Hercules performed twelve labors given to him by King Eurystheus of Tiryns. For twelve years, he traveled all over to complete these incredible tasks. NOTE: Because different ancient poets gave their own accounts of Hercules's labors, some details may vary. One: Kill the Nemean Lion This monster of a lion had a hide was so tough that no arrow could pierce it. Hercules stunned the beast with his olive-wood club and then strangled it with his bare hands. It is said that he skinned the lion, using the lion's sharp claws, and ever after wore its hide. Two: Kill the Lernean Hydra The evil, snakelike Hydra had nine heads. If one got hurt, two would grow in its place. But Hercules quickly sliced off the heads, while his charioteer, Iolaus, sealed the wounds with a torch. Hercules made his arrows poisonous by dipping them in the Hydra's blood. Three: Capture the Cerynian Hind The goddess Artemis loved and protected this stubborn little deer, which had gold horns.

Hercules found it a challenge to capture the delicate hind without hurting it (and making Artemis angry). After following the hind for an entire year, he safely carried it away. Four: Capture the Erymanthian Boar The people of Mount Erymanthus lived in fear of this deadly animal. Hercules chased the wild boar up the mountain and into a snowdrift. He then took it in a net and brought it to King Eurystheus, who was so frightened of the beast that he hid in a huge bronze jar. Five: Clean the Augean Stables Thousands of cows lived in these stables belonging to King Augeas . They had not been cleaned in 30 years, but Hercules was told to clean them completely in a single day. To do so he made two rivers bend so that they flowed into the stables, sweeping out the filth. Six: Kill the Stymphalian Birds These murderous birds lived around Lake Stymphalos. Their claws and beaks were sharp as metal and their feathers flew like darts. Hercules scared them out of their nests with a rattle and then killed them with the poison arrows he had made from the Hydra 's blood.

Seven: Capture the Cretan Bull This savage bull, kept by King Minos of Crete, was said to be insane and breathe fire. Hercules wrestled the mad beast to the ground and brought it back to King Eurystheus. Unfortunately, the king set it free, and it roamed Greece, causing terror wherever it went. Eight: Capture the Horses of Diomedes King Diomedes , leader of the Bistones, fed his bloodthirsty horses on human flesh. Hercules and his men fought and killed King Diomedes and fed the king to his horses. This made the horses tame, so that Hercules was able to lead them to King Eurystheus. Nine: Take the Girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyte Hercules went to the land of the Amazons , where the queen welcomed him and agreed to give him her girdle for Eurystheus's daughter. But Hera spread the rumor that Hercules came as an enemy. In the end he had to conquer the Amazons and steal the golden belt. Ten: Capture the Cattle of Geryon Geryon , a winged monster with three human bodies, had a herd of beautiful red cattle.

He guarded his prized herd with the help of a giant and a vicious two-headed dog. Hercules killed Geryon, the giant, and the dog and brought the cattle to King Eurystheus. Eleven: Take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides The Hesperides were nymphs. In their garden grew golden apples protected by Ladon , a dragon with a hundred heads. Hercules struck a bargain with Atlas , who held up the earth. Hercules shouldered the earth while Atlas, the nymphs' father, fetched the apples. Twelve: Capture Cerberus Hercules was ordered to capture Cerberus , the three-headed guard dog of the underworld, without using weapons. Hercules wrestled down the dog's wild heads, and it agreed to go with him to King Eurystheus. Cerberus was soon returned unharmed to the underworld. Greek Mythology: Twelve Labors of Hercules Twelve Labors of Hercules 12 Labors of Hercules Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmene , granddaughter of Perseus .

Zeus swore that the next son born of the Perseid house should become ruler of Greece, but by a trick of Zeus’s jealous wife, Hera , another child, the sickly Eurystheus, was born first and became king; when Hercules grew up, he had to serve him and also suffer the vengeful persecution of Hera . His first exploit, in fact, was the strangling of two serpents that she had sent to kill him in his cradle. Later, Hercules waged a victorious war against the kingdom of Orchomenus in Boeotia and married Megara, daughter of Creon, king of Thebes. But he killed her and their children in a fit of madness sent by Hera. In desperate remorse he sought the advice of the oracle at Delphi where the Pythian priestess told him to expiate his crime by serving King Eurystheus for 12 years. During this 12-year period Hercules had to perform the 10 labors the king would require of him. Labor 1 - Slay the Nemean Lion. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring him the skin of the Nemean Lion.

In Greek mythology, the Nemean lion took women as hostages to its lair in a cave near Nemea, luring warriors from nearby towns to save the damsel in distress. After entering the cave, the warrior would see the woman (usually feigning injury) and rush to her side. Once he was close, the woman would turn into a lion and kill the warrior, devouring his remains and giving the bones to Hades. Hercules wandered the area until he came to the town of Cleonae. There he met a boy who said that if Heracles slew the Nemean lion and returned alive within 30 days, the town would sacrifice a lion to Zeus; but if he did not return within 30 days or he died, the boy would sacrifice himself to Zeus. According to other version, Hercules met Molorchos, a shepherd who had lost his son to the lion, saying that if he came back within 30 days, a ram would be sacrificed to Zeus. If he did not return within 30 days, it would be sacrificed to the dead Hercules as a mourning offering. Hercules and Nemean Lion Hercules wondered for many a days before he came to the cave of the Nemean lion.

Hercules hid behind a rock and laid in wait for the lion to return home. Later in the evening the lion returned home. Hercules jumped out from his hiding and shot the lion with his bow and arrow. Hercules was shocked and surprised when the arrow hit the lion and bounced off. Hercules ran and the lion chased. Eventually Hercules was able to get away from the lion. The next day the Nemean lion left his cave and Hercules blocked off the back entrance to the lions cave and hid waiting for the lion to return. Later that night the lion returned home and went into his cave. Hercules jumped into the cave and stood between the lion and the front entrance. Already blocking off the back entrance the lion had no place to go. In the dark of the cave Hercules wrestled the lion and eventually slayed the lion with his bare hands. After slaying the lion, when Hercules tried to remove the lions fur he could not cut it. Hercules sharpened his knife with a rock and tried again, he even tried the rock, but nothing would cut the lions fur. Eventually Athena showed up and told Hercules to use the lions own claws to remove the fur.

With great success with the help Athena's advice, Hercules was able to remove the lion's fur. Hercules left and headed back to the king to show him the lions pelt as proof of his task being complete. When Hercules showed the lion's fur to the king, the king was afraid and forbid Hercules from coming into the city again. Hercules was told that he could prove the remained of his tasks outside the city gates. The king warned Hercules that the tasks would become harder and harder. He then sent Hercules off to complete his next quest, which was to destroy the Lernaean hydra. Labor 2 - Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra. After the slaying of the Nemean lion, Eurystheus sent Hercules to slay the Hydra, which Hera had raised just to slay Hercules. Hercules set off with a bow and arrows and his magic gold sword (a gift from the goddess Athena) to find and slay the hydra. Hercules came across the swamp where the hydra lived. Hercules covered his mouth and nose with cloth so he wouldn't get harmed (or have to smell) the nasty hydra breath.

He shot a flaming arrow and the hydra, and the hydra came after Hercules. Hercules made quick work of the 8 magic heads, and went to strike the final blow when the magic heads sprung back to life now 16 heads. Hercules tried again, and each time he cut a head of 2 more heads appeared. Hercules realizing that this wasn't going to work retreated into the forest. Hercules and Hydra Hercules found his nephew Lolous and asked him to help. The plan was Hercules would cut off the head, and before 2 more would grow back it was Lolous job to burn the cut neck of the hydra. So Hercules with his nephew in toe traveled back to the swamp to beat the hydra. Hercules and his nephew arrived at the swamp and were met by the hydra that had too many heads to count. Hercules sprang to work cutting off the heads of the hydra with his magic gold sword. Right behind him with a torch was his nephew Lolous who would then burn the necks. Enraged with Hercules’s progress of slaying the hydra Hera sent a giant crab to distract and pinch Hercules’s.

The crab was no match for the hero and he quickly crushed the crab with his foot. When all but one head was gone, Hercules dipped an arrow into the poisonous blood of the hydra, and shot the hydra's last remaining head. With the poisoned arrow piercing the hydra's last neck, it died. Hercules collected the poisonous blood of the hydra to add to his arsenal of magical tools. Hercules returned to the king to tell him of his victory. The king told Hercules that because he received help that slaying the Hydra didn't count and he would have to do another labor. Hera was so upset about her special "pets" she decided to immortalize the hydra and the crab in the stars, and that’s why how we have the constellations cancer and the hydra. Labor 3 - Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis. After Hercules successfully slayed the Nemean Lion and the Nine-Headed Hydre of Lerneaen he returned to the king for his 3rd task. King Eurystheus and goddess Hera , were angry that Hercules was able to escape his death both times. After some consideration they decided to give Hercules the task of hunting down the special gold deer of Artemis .

The golden deer was very sacred to goddess Artemis, and Eurystheus and Hera hoped that by having Hercules capture her sacred golden deer, that this would anger Artemis and she would put an end to Hercules. Golden stag of Artemis Hercules set out to hunt down and capture the golden stag of Artemis. Hercules spent many days and nights wondering the forest in search of the stag. One morning he was awoken by the glistening rays of the sun of the stags antlers. Hercules took chase after the deer. He chased the deer for a year all around Greece and the neighboring countries. Finally one night while the deer was sleeping, Hercules crept up to the sleeping animal and was able to catch him by throwing a net over the sleeping animal. At once Artemis appeared before Hercules. Hercules begged forgiveness from the goddess. Hercules explained how he needed to capture Artemis deer for redemption of his crimes. He promised to let the stag go once he had shown it to the king. Artemis forgave Hercules and said as long as he lets the deer go she will not harm him. Hercules returned to the city gates with the deer.

The king told Hercules that the deer was to become part of the kings pets, Hercules knew if the deer didn't return Artemis would hurt Hercules. So thinking fast Hercules agreed to give the king the deer under one condition, that the king come outside the city gates and get the deer himself. The king agreed. When Hercules let the deer go to hand to king Eurystheus the deer sprinted back to Artemis. King Eurystheus was furious, but Hercules told the king the reason the deer got away was the king was not fast enough. Eurystheus, upset that Hercules had managed to overcome yet another creature, told him to bring the fearsome Erymanthian Boar back to him alive. Labor 4 - Capture the Erymanthian Boar. In Greek mythology, the Erymanthian Boar was a giant wild boar, which was also sacred to Artemis at one time. The boar lived high on top the Mount Erymanthos. This boar was a favorite of the gods. The Erymanthian boar was sent to do all of the gods and goddess dirty work.

The Erymanthian Boar killed Adonis and would be sent to destroy villages for not paying homage to certain gods. Winter had come and Hera and King Eurystheus decided that for Hercules next task he would have to capture the Erymanthian Boar. In terms of difficulty this labor turns out to be pretty easy. Hercules and Erymanthian Boar So Hercules set off to capture this boar. Along the way Hercules decided to stop by and visit his friend Pholus, a friendly centaur. Pholus and Hercules sat down to dinner and talked. Hercules asked Pholus for advice on how to defeat and capture The Erymanthian Boar. Pholus told Hercules that he would be able to capture the boar if he chased him into the deep snow. With his friend’s advice, Hercules set off to find the boar. With some searching and a little luck Hercules found the boar. Hercules charged the boar and sent it running. Hercules did just as his friend had suggested and chased the giant boar into the deep snow. The Erymanthian Boar became stuck within the deep snow and was unable to move.

Hercules moved in and captured the boar. Hercules took the boar back to King Eurystheus. When the king saw the boar he became frightened and told Hercules to get rid of the Erymanthian Boar. As commanded Hercules picked up the boar and hurled it into the sea. Labour 5 - Clean the Augean stables in a single day. The fifth Labor of Hercules was to clean the Augean stables. This assignment was intended to be both humiliating (rather than impressive, as had the previous labors) and impossible. These particular stables housed thousands of cattle, sheep, goats, and horses and the stable had not been cleaned in 30 years. The Augean king was said to have more cattle then any man in Greece. When Hercules showed up he offered to clean the stables in a single day for one tenth of the Augean king's entire cattle. Hercules did not say anything about how he was sent by Eurystheus or about his labors of redemption. The Augean King was so shocked at his fortune he agreed to pay Hercules, if he could do it in one day.

Hercules took the Augean king's son (Phyleus) with him to witness the stables being cleaned. Hercules set to work tearing a big hole in the front of the stable yards. Next Hercules made a hole in the back wall of the stable yards. Hercules then dug a trench between 2 rivers flowing nearby. He then diverted the 2 rivers into the front of the stable yards and out the rear of the stable yards and back into the river with taking all the filth along with it. Hercules returned to the Augean King to collect his payment. The Augean king had found out that Eurystheus had been the one to send Hercules and refused to pay him saying that if Hercules did not agree he could always take the Augean King to court. So Hercules did just that. Hercules even had the Augean King's son testify that his father did indeed promise to pay Hercules one tenth of all his cattle. The King reluctantly paid Hercules and then promptly banished him from his kingdom. Hercules returned to Eurystheus to inform the king of the completion of Hercules labor.

Eurystheus had found out that Hercules was paid for his cleaning out of the stables, and therefore told Hercules that this labor (just like the 2nd labor) didn't count. Labor 6 - Slay the Stymphalian Birds. After cleaning the Augean Stables, Eurystheus sent Hercules to defeat the Stymphalian birds, man-eating birds with beaks of bronze and sharp metallic feathers they could launch at their victims. Furthermore, their dung was highly toxic. They had migrated to Lake Stymphalia in Arcadia, where they bred quickly and took over the countryside, destroying local crops, fruit trees and townspeople. Hercules could not go too far into the swamp, for it would not support his weight. Goddess Athena, noticing the hero's plight, gave Hercules a special noise maker which Hephaestus had made especially for the occasion. Hercules arrived at Lake Stymphalia and hundreds of Stmphalian birds, nesting all over the lake, and in the trees. Hercules pulled out his new gift and filled the air with the loud and melodious sound. The Stymphalian birds where scared and took flight into the air.

Hercules pulled out his bow and Arrow, and set the arrows on fire. He then shot the Stymphalian birds while in the air. One by one the Birds fell dead. Hercules slayed 100 of the Stymphalian birds, and the rest flew off into the sky never to be heard of or seen again. According to some versions, Argonauts would later encounter them. Hercules picked up a dozen of the birds, and took them back to King Eurystheus. Labour 7 - Capture the Cretan Bull. Hercules was then sent to capture the Cretan Bull by Eurystheus as his seventh task. In Greek mythology, the Cretan Bull was a gift from Poseidon to King Minos of Crete. The Cretan Bull also was father of the Minotaur by Pasiphae . The Cretan bull was a very sweet and gentle beast that is until king Minos upset Poseidon. Poseidon struck the bull driving the bull insane and then the Cretan bull ran wild through all Crete knocking down orchard walls, and destroying crops.

Hercules and Cretan Bull Hercules sailed to Crete, whereupon the King Minos gave Hercules permission to take the bull away and offered him assistance, but Hercules refused King Minos help. Hercules set off to find the bull. He found the bull drinking from a water spring, and snuck up behind the bull. Grabbing the bull by the horns, Hercules wrestled the bull to the ground and tied the bull up so it could not escape. With the bull successfully subdue, Hercules took the bull with him and sailed back to King Eurystheus. When the king saw how massive the bull was he was frightened. He told Hercules, that they should sacrifice the bull to goddess Hera. Hera refused the sacrifice because it reflected glory on Hercules. The bull was released and wandered into Marathon, becoming known as the Marathonian Bull. In some versions, Theseus later sacrifice the bull to Athena or Apollo. Eurystheus next sent Hercules to bring back the man-eating Mares of Diomedes. Labor 8 - Steal the Mares of Diomedes. After capturing the Cretan Bull, Hercules was than sent to steal the Mares of Diomedes.

Hercules travelled to the shores of the Black Sea to meet King Diomedes. Diomedes was the son of the god Ares and Cyrene . King Diomedes was a savage. Diomedes mares were four man eating horses - Podargos (swift-footed), Lampon (the shining), Xanthos (the blond) and Deinos (the terrible). Diomedes enjoyed feeding strangers and prisoners to his mares. His mares could not be controlled, they were savage, just like the King. The mare needed to be tethered to a bronze manger by chains, so they would not escape. Upon arrival Hercules, knowing how King Diomedes treats strangers, wrestles with him, trying to bring King Diomedes to the stables, where the mares live. Even though Heracles is said to have unmatched strength, it is a long and reasonably even match, since Diomedes himself is the son of the god of war. He soon loses to Hercules. Hercules then feed Diomedes to his own man eating horses. Being half god the flesh of Diomedes made the horses calm and wild no more.

Hercules was easily able to bring the mares back to King Eurystheus. Eurytheus dedicates the mares to goddess Hera. According to other version, the mares were released and free to roam Argos. One of their descendants was said to be the horse of Alexander the Great. Labor 9 - Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Eurystheus' daughter Admete wanted the belt of Hippolyta, a gift to the queen of the Amazons from the war god Ares. To please his daughter, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to retrieve the belt as his ninth labour. Taking a band of friends with him, Hercules set sail, stopping at the island of Paros, which was inhabited by some of Minos' sons. The sons killed two of Hercules' companions, an act which set Hercules on a rampage. He killed two of Minos ' sons and threatened the other inhabitants until he was offered two men to replace his fallen companions. Hercules agreed and took two of Minos' grandsons, Alcaeus and Sthenelus.

They continued their voyage and landed at the court of Lycus, whom Hercules defended in a battle against the king of the Bebryces, Mygdon. After killing King Mygdon, Hercules gave much of the land to his friend Lycus. Lycus called the land Heraclea. The crew then set off for Themiscyra where Hippolyta lived. Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, impressed with Hercules and his exploits, agreed to give him the belt and would have done so had Hera not disguised herself and walked among the Amazons sowing seeds of distrust. She claimed the strangers were plotting to carry off the queen of the Amazons. Alarmed, the women set off on horseback to confront Hercules. When Hercules saw them, he thought Hippolyta had been plotting such treachery all along and had never meant to hand over the belt, so he killed her, took the belt and returned to Eurystheus. Eurystheus, shocked that Hercules survived his encounter with the Amazons, immediately sent him to capture the cattle of Geryon. Labour 10 - Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon.

Hercules was required to travel to the far-off western Mediterranean island of Erytheia, in order to obtain the Cattle of Geryon as his tenth labour. On the way there, he crossed the Libyan desert and became so frustrated at the heat that he shot an arrow at Helios, the Sun. Helios "in admiration of his courage" gave Hercules the golden cup he used to sail across the sea from west to east each night. As soon as Hercules landed at Erytheia, he was confronted by the two-headed dog, Orthrus. With one huge blow from his olive-wood club, Hercules killed the watchdog. Eurytion the herdsman came to assist Orthrus, but Hercules dealt with him the same way. Hercules and Geryon On hearing the commotion, Geryon sprang into action, carrying three shields, three spears, and wearing three helmets.

He pursued Hercules at the River Anthemus but fell victim to an arrow that had been dipped in the venomous blood of the Lernaean Hydra, shot so forcefully by Hercules that it pierced Geryon's forehead, "and Geryon bent his neck over to one side, like a poppy that spoils its delicate shapes, shedding its petals all at once". Hercules then had to herd the cattle back to Eurystheus. To annoy Hercules, Hera sent a gadfly to bite the cattle, irritate them and scatter them. The hero was within a year able to retrieve them. Hera then sent a flood which raised the level of a river so much, Hercules could not cross with the cattle. He piled stones into the river to make the water shallower. When he finally reached the court of Eurystheus, the cattle were sacrificed to Hera. Labor 11 - Steal the apples of the Hesperides After Hercules completed his first ten Labours, Eurystheus gave him two more claiming that neither the Hydra counted (because Iolaus helped Hercules) nor the Augean stables (either because he received payment for the job or because the rivers did the work).

The first of these two additional Labours was to steal the apples from the garden of the Hesperides. Hercules first caught the Old Man of the Sea, the shape-shifting sea god, to learn where the Garden of the Hesperides was located. In some versions, Hercules, either at the start or at the end of his task, meets Antaeus, who was invincible as long as he touched his mother, Gaea , the earth. Hercules killed Antaeus by holding him aloft and crushing him in a bearhug. In some versions, Hercules stopped in Egypt, where King Busiris decided to make him the yearly sacrifice, but Hercules burst out of his chains. Hercules and Atlas Finally making his way to the Garden of the Hesperides, Hercules tricked Atlas into retrieving some of the golden apples for him, by offering to hold up the heavens for a little while. This would have made this task – like the Hydra and Augean stables – void because he had received help.

Upon his return, Atlas decided that he did not want to take the heavens back, and instead offered to deliver the apples himself, but Hercules tricked him again by agreeing to take his place on condition that Atlas relieve him temporarily so that Hercules could make his cloak more comfortable. Atlas agreed, but Hercules reneged and walked away, carrying the apples. According to other version, Hercules slew Ladon, the dragon-like guardian of the apples. Furious that Hercules had accomplished something that Eurystheus thought could not possibly be done, he sent Hercules off to his final task, the capture of Cerberus, the three-headed guardian hound of the gates of the Underworld. Labor 12 - Capture and bring back Cerberus. Capturing Cerberus alive, without using weapons, was the final labour assigned to Hercules by Eurystheus, in recompense for the killing of his own children by Megara after he was driven insane by Hera, and therefore was the most dangerous and difficult. After having been given the task, Hercules went to Eleusis to be initiated in the Eleusinian Mysteries so that he could learn how to enter and exit the underworld alive, and in passing absolve himself for killing centaurs.

He found the entrance to the underworld at Tanaerum, and Athena and Hermes helped him to traverse the entrance in each direction. He passed Charon with Hestia's assistance and his own heavy and fierce frowning.Whilst in the underworld, Hercules met Theseus and Pirithous . The two companions had been imprisoned by Hades for attempting to obtain Persephone. In some versions, the snakes coiling around their legs then turning into stone. In other version, that Hades feigned hospitality and prepared a feast inviting them to sit. They unknowingly sat in chairs of forgetfulness and were permanently ensnared. When Hercules had pulled Theseus first from his chair, but the earth shook at the attempt to liberate Pirithous, whose desire to have the wife of a god for himself was so insulting he was doomed to stay behind. Hercules and Cerberus Hercules found Hades and asked permission to bring Cerberus to the surface, which Hades agreed to if Hercules could overpower the beast without using weapons.

Hercules was able to overpower Cerberus and proceeded to sling the beast over his back, dragging it out of the underworld through a cavern entrance in the Peloponnese and bringing it to Eurystheus. Eurystheus asked Hercules to return it to the underworld in return for releasing him from his labors. After completing the labours Hercules joined the Argonauts in the search for the Golden Fleece.

Twelve Labors of Hercules Instigators: Eurystheus , Hera Purpose: Hercules' penance for the slaying of his sons Allies: Abderus, Apollo , Argonauts , Artemis , Brittanus, Copreus, Dexamenus, Helios, Hephaestus , Hermes , Hylas, Iolaus, Jason , Lycus, Minos, Molorchus, Nereus, Pholus, Phyleus, Poltys, Prometheus , Pylius, Sylea, Location: Mobile over the Mediterranean countries in the 13th Century BC First Appearance: (Mentioned) Avengers I#39 (April, 1967), (recounted) Hercules III#1 (June, 2005) History: (Greek Myth/Legend) Hercules was born the son of Zeus , King of the Olympian Gods, and Alcmene, a Mycenaean princess and heiress to the House of Perseus. Hera, Queen of the Olympian Gods, hated all of Zeus's children by extra-marital affairs, but Hercules received the full brunt of most of her wrath.

Endowed with great strength, Hercules used his godly attributes to slay a lion that had been menacing Cithaeron near Thebes. King Creon of Thebes, grateful to Hercules for slaying the lion, allowed him to marry his daughter, Megaera. They had several sons, but years afterward, upon returning from war with the Minyans, the battle-fatigued Hercules slew his sons after mistaking them for enemy soldiers who had entered his home. Megaera was horror struck at the act, not realizing it had been an illusion created by Hera. Hercules left Thebes to be purified of the murders by King Nausithous of Drepane. During his stay here, Hercules slept with a minor goddess named Melite and she bore him a son named Hyllus (not to be confused with Hyllus, Herculesï¿½ son by Deianeira). Hercules then went to Delphi where the oracle revealed to him that he was the son of Zeus and revealed as well that as punishment he had to carry out whatever ten labors his weak cousin King Eurystheus imposed upon him. If Hercules carried out these ten labors, he would gain immortality.

(Greek/Roman Myth, Hercules III#1 (fb)) King Eurystheus dispatched Hercules on his first labor to slay the Nemean Lion, a spawn of Typhon and Echidna. Hercules found it to be invulnerable to weapons and had to kill it by strangulation. On his route to kill the lion, Hercules had stayed the night with a poor laborer named Molorchus who wanted to make a sacrifice to him as the son of Zeus. Hercules had told him to wait until he was successful, but after the lionï¿½s death, Molorchus sacrificed to Hercules. As Hercules brought the dead lion to Eurystheus in Mycenae, the cowardly king hid in a bronze storage jar. He then arranged for Hercules to take all his orders through a messenger named Copreus. Not wanting anything to do with the lionï¿½s carcass, Eurystheus allowed Hercules to skin it. Hercules turned its pelt into another tunic to replace his previous one.

(Greek/Roman Myth, Thor I#356 (fb), Hercules III#1 (fb)) Eurystheus then sent Hercules on his second labor to kill the nine-headed Hydra, which dwelled in the swamp at Lerna. Driving it out of the swamp with burning arrows, he quickly learned it grew two new heads for each one severed. With the help of Iolaus, the son of Iphicles, Hercules used heated brands to cauterize each head and prevent new heads from forming. Burning the rest of the creatureï¿½s body, he collected enough of its venom to dip its arrows within and render them that much more potent. (Greek/Roman Myth, Hercules III#1 (fb)) Eurystheus then sent Hercules on his third labor to capture alive a Cerynein Stag, a deer sacred to Artemis, hoping he would earn dishonor from the goddess for harming it. Hercules pursued it for a full year and finally subdued it in Arcadia when it stopped to drink by the river Ladon by sneaking up and throwing a net over it. Apollo and Artemis appeared to stop him as he tried to carry it back to Mycenae.

Artemis tried to take the deer from him, but Hercules appeased her by laying the blame on Eurystheus. She permitted him to carry the unharmed deer back to Mycenae where it was released once more unharmed. (Greek/Roman Myth, Hercules III#1 (fb)) Hercules was then sent back to Arcadia by Eurystheus on his fourth labor to capture alive the Erymanthian Boar ravaging the city of Psopkis near Mount Erymanthus. On his way to Arcadia, Hercules was a guest of the centaur Pholus, but upon smelling the wine being served, the other centaurs behaved badly and Hercules drove them off. Pholus was accidentally grazed by one of Herculesï¿½ arrows dipped in the blood of the Hydra during the melee and suffered from several years afterward from this wound because of his immortality. Hercules applied medicines to him to waylay the pain for the time and then went on to capture the Erymanthian boar. Trapping the boar in deep snow on the mountain, he took it to King Eurystheus who again hid in a jar on his approach.

During this labor, Hercules had heard that Jason had called upon every hearty young man to become Argonauts in a quest for the golden fleece, Hercules could not bear to be left out and joined the adventure even going as far as favoring Jason as leader in the endeavor. Hercules took the young man Hylas as his ward and spurred the Argonauts on into the quest when they became distracted at Lemnos. With the Argonauts, he slew giants that attacked them at the Port of Fair. In Mysia, however, Hylas was abducted by faerie spirits, which presided in a local well. Hercules refused to depart without him and departed the Argonauts to find him. Jason refused to leave without him, but Zetes and Calais spurred him on. Hercules contracted an oath from the Mysians to always search for Hylas. (Greek/Roman Myth, Hercules III#1 (fb)) Hylasï¿½ departure had been engineered by Zeus to remind Hercules of his labors, and Eurystheus angry at Herculesï¿½s temporary defection assigned him the fifth labor of cleaning out the vile stables of King Augeas of Elis.

The dung was so thick across the land that it was almost untellable. Hercules even went as far as bargaining with Augeas that he could clean the stables within one day if Augeas would give him one tenth of the cattle as payment. Not trusting Augeas, Hercules had Augeasï¿½ son, Phyleus, witness the wager. Hercules then redirected the Alpheus and Peneius Rivers through the land to clean it. Augeas refused to honor the wager and exiled his son Phyleus to keep him from testifying against him. Vowing revenge, Hercules became a guest of King Dexamenus of Olenus. He killed the Centaur Eurytion to keep him from marrying the kingï¿½s daughter out of request. (Greek/Roman Myth, Hercules III#1 (fb)) Eurystheus meanwhile did not count that labor because Hercules had tried to get payment for it. He sent Hercules to slay the Stymphalian birds raised by Ares the war-god and taught to eat human flesh.

The birds had made Lake Stymphalus in Arcadia their home in order to avoid the wolves, but Hercules espoused them from the area with noises from brass castanets created by Hephaestus for Athena. Athena lent them to Hercules for the occasion and with the birds in retreat, Hercules shot them out of the sky. (Greek/Roman Myth, Thor I#356 (fb), Hercules III#1 (fb)) For his seventh labor, Hercules was sent out of the Peloponessus for the first time by Eurystheus who hoped he would meet dire ends in foreign lands. Sent to Crete, Hercules was sent to slay the Cretan Bull, which had fathered the Minotaur and was now terrorizing the island. The bull had become an embarrassment to King Minos because of his dealings with it. Minos gave Hercules permission to Hercules to slay it, but Hercules instead brought it to Mycenae and freed it there out of spite. (Greek/Roman Myth, Hercules III#1 (fb)) Eurystheus proved to be just as vindictive by sending Hercules to Thrace on his Eighth Labor to claim the man-eating mares of King Diomedes.

During his journey, Hercules stayed for lodgings with King Admetus as his wife Alcestis was being buried upon her death. She had given her life up for her husband, but Hercules fought Thanatos, the grim reaper himself, in order to get the god of dead to free her from taking his place in the afterlife. Alcestis returned to life as a result. A young man named Abderus joined Hercules with several volunteers to help drive the man-eating mares into the sea, and Diomedes and his soldiers then attacked Hercules. The mares ate Abderus while Hercules was distracted, but Hercules tamed the mares by throwing them their own master, Diomedes, to feast upon. The act repulsed the Thracian army and Hercules brought the tamed mares to Mycenae and abandoned them there. (Greek/Roman Myth, Hercules III#1 (fb)) Admete, daughter of Eurystheus, meanwhile, heard of the golden belt of Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons, and Eurystheus sent Hercules to fetch it for her for his Ninth Labor.

Accompanied by Theseus and a team of companions, Hercules sailed east for the land of the Amazons. On the way, Hercules and his hearty band stopped at Paros for supplies and were attacked by the Parians. He took hostage Alcaeus and Sthenelus, two grandsons of Cretan King Minos who had ruled the island in the siege in order to quell the attack. Herculesï¿½ voyage to the land of the Amazons remained uneventful until he reached Mysia where Lycus, King of the Mariandyni, treated him royally. Hercules repaid his kindness by slaying King Mygdon, King of the Bebryces, and surrendered his land to Lycus. Lycus renamed the land Heracleia out of his generosity. Hercules eventually reached Themiscyra and encountered Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, and received her golden belt without incident, but Hera frustrated by the ease of this encounter incited the Amazons against the invaders by convincing them that Hercules planned to kill Hippolyta.

Hippolyta was erroneously reported as killed in the resulting battle and Theseus abducted Hippolytaï¿½s sister, Antiope, as a bride when she surrendered herself to prevent further bloodshed. On Herculesï¿½ homeward journey home, King Laomedon of Troy beseeched him for help rescuing his daughter, Hesione, who had been promised as a sacrifice to a sea serpent named Delphyne over an insult to the god Apollo. Hercules promised to save the girl, but he wanted Hesione and Laomedonï¿½s prize mares as a reward. Laomedon promised, but once his daughter was safe, he reneged on the deal. The betrayal incensed Hercules, but not having enough of a force after the Amazons to claim his payment, he backed off. On the journey home, Hercules was warmly received by King Poltys of Thrace. He abandoned his Parian refugees on the nearby island of Thasus which Alcaeus and Sthenelus then claimed as their own.

At the port of Torone, Hercules was challenged to a wrestling match by Polygonus and Telegonus, sons of the sea-god Nereus and killed them both. He then returned to Mycenae to present Hippolytaï¿½s belt to Admete where a very frustrated Eurystheus once again sought more means to lead Hercules to his death. (Greek/Roman Myth, Hercules III#1 (fb)) Always desiring the cattle of King Geryon of Erytheia (modern Cadiz, Spain), he dispatched Hercules to retrieve them for his tenth labor. Hercules set sails for Erytheia, but became shipwrecked by storm in Libya. Killing more wild beasts along his way, he set up a set of pillars to mark how far he had come. Wearied by heat on his way, he drew his bow and arrow on Helios the sun god out of annoyance, but the sun god amused by his nature surrendered him a great cup to sail through the straits of Gibraltar to land on the east coast of Britain ruled by Albion, son of Poseidon.

Albion expected Hercules to be an advanced scout for an invasion and attacked him, but Hercules slew the paranoid king and left the Ancient Britons under the rile of Brittanus, a Celtic chieftain. (They would be conquered by Brutus, a descendant of Aeneas and ancestor of King Arthur, over a century later). Since Brittanus had no sons to serve as his heir, Hercules sired Celtus with his daughter, Celtina, and eventually departed; he soon arrived on west coast of Erytheia near Mount Abas where he slew Orthrus, the two-headed hellhound and spawn of Typhon and Echidna, which guarded the cattle. Hercules also dispatched Eurytion who guarded the cattle and met King Geryon, brother of Echidna, on the river Anthemus. Slaying the three-headed ruler, Hercules began driving the prized cattle overland for Mycenae. Near Ligura (modern Marseilles), Hercules slew Ialebion and Dercynus, sons of the Ligurian King Pos for trying to steal some of the cattle. He then rained stones down upon attacking Ligurians to make his escape.

Near the future site of Rome, he slew the giant Cacus who also tried to steal some of the cattle. The natives honored Hercules for disposing of the ruthless thief. As Hercules rested, though, some of the cattle wandered off. Hercules found them in the company of Sylea, a priestess who lived in an area known only as Forest. She shared her bed with him and had three sons by him named Scythes, Agathyrsus and Gelonus. As adults, the three sons would conquer an area off the Black Sea called Scythia. (It is rumored that Sylea was actually the goddess Circe, but this is unconfirmed.) In Rhegium, Hercules left the cattle in the custody of Hephaestus, the smith-god, who owned forges on nearby Sicily. The prize bull of the herd had been lured away by King Eryx and the crafty ruler would not return it unless Hercules boxed with him through three bouts as he did with all invaders. Hercules lasted all three bouts and then killed the evil king before returning to Mycenae with the full head of cattle.

(Greek/Roman Myth, Thor I#356 (fb), Hercules III#1 (fb)) Because Eurystheus wasnï¿½t counting the Augean Stables, which Hercules had tried to get payment for, or the Hydra, which his nephew Iolaus had helped him to overtake, Eurystheus challenged Hercules with two more labors. For the eleventh labor, Hercules was sent to retrieve apples from the Garden of the Hesperides, the Garden of Hera, whose location had been forgotten and confused. As Eurystheus figured Hera would kill the hero herself for violating her garden, Hercules traveled through Ormenium on his way to Eridanus in Italy searching for Nereus, the sea-god, for the secret of the gardenï¿½s location, but King Amyntor, believing Hercules was coming to overthrow him, refused him acts of hospitality. Hercules slew the ornery king, but Amyntorï¿½s daughter, Deidameia, granted Hercules great hospitality and shared her bed with him. She sired him a son, Ctessipus.

Upset over the death of his sons killed at the port of Torone, Nereus fled far to the east than to relinquish the secret of the Hesperides. The Horae, daughters of Zeus and Themis, guided Hercules to search him out near the Black Sea. Hercules finally seized the wily sea-god as Nereus tried to sleep and held on to him as he shape-shifted through several horrible incarnations. Finally, the sea-god relented and told Hercules to search for the Hesperides in the shadow on the Atlas Mountains in Western Libya. While Hercules was in the shadow of the Caucasus Mountains, he sought out Prometheus for advice on how to handle Atlas who was the Titanï¿½s brother. He slew the eagle that terrorized the long-suffering Titan and then freed the grateful Prometheus. In Greece, Prometheus encountered the suffering Centaur Pholus stricken by Herculesï¿½ arrows and removed his immortality so that Pholus could die in peace and pass on to the afterlife. Passing through Arabia, Hercules killed the evil King Emathion of Arabia as well as King Busirus of Egypt who sacrificed all strangers to his land in the name of Zeus.

In Libya, Hercules killed King Antaeus of Libya, a son of Poseidon and Gaea. Hercules could not understand why he could not defeat Antaeus until he realized Antaeus drew power while in touch with the earth. Finally, he lifted him off the ground and squeezed the life out of him. In the Hesperides, Hercules killed Ladon, the dragon that protected the apples, but he needed Atlas to pick them for him. Offering to hold back the heavens while Atlas picked the apples, Hercules was trapped under the burden of the heavens as Atlas decided to leave him and take the apples to Mycenae himself. Using his wits, Hercules asked Atlas to hold back the heavens long enough to get a better grip on them, but as Atlas took back his place, Hercules snatched up the apples and departed in haste. Before departing entirely, he created a freshwater spring to refresh himself which in his absence also saved the Argonauts from thirst as they fought to return to Greece. (Greek/Roman Myth, Thor I#356 (fb), Hercules III#1 (fb)) Eurystheus turned over the apples to the goddess Athena who returned them to the Hesperides.

He then sent Hercules on his twelfth and last labor to fetch up from the underworld Cerberus himself. Before he could ascend into Tartarus, Hercules had to be indoctrinated into the Eleusinian mysteries. Before being initiated, he had to be purified for his previous murders by Eumolpus, but since foreigners could not be initiated, he had to be adopted by Pylius of Eleusis. Descending into Tartarus though the caves at Taenarum, Hercules was guided by Hermes himself and encountered the shades of the Argonaut Meleager, the dead Gorgon Medusa and the captive Argonauts Theseus and Peirithous who had previously arrived to abduct Persephone. Hercules rescued Theseus, but was forbidden by Hades from rescuing Peirithous who had wanted Persephone for himself. Hades allowed Hercules to try his luck with Cerberus if he used no weapons. Using his great strength, Hercules dragged the three-headed hellhound to Mycenae by force, but the sight and ferociousness of the beast so terrified Eurystheus that he rendered an end to the labors.

Cerberus, however, let loose hurriedly raced back to the underworld on his own. (Hercules III#3) - In modern years, Eurystheus, since reanimated since his death by Hera, coerced Hercules into reliving his labors with Zabu, HYDRA, Lockjaw, Dragon Man, Attuma and his hordes, the Red Skull's "Dust of Death," and the Abomination standing in for the Nemean Lion, the Lernean Hydra, Erymanthian Boar, The Cerynian Hind, Stymphalian Birds, Augean Stables and the Cretan Bull, respectively. (Hercules III#4) - From behind their facades as a mortal conglomerate, the Olympian Gods passed down new versions of the labors for Hercules. Hercules was sent after the monster rejects of the Mole Man, Captain America's shield, one of Doctor Doom's Doombots and the S.H.I.E.L.D.

Helicarrier as substitutes of the Man-Eating Mares of King Diomedes, Girdle of Hippolyta, Red Cattle of Geryon and Golden Apples of the Hesperides, but when he was sent to the Underworld to retrieve a flower from the hair of his first wife, Megara, he realized he could not force himself to face her once more. (Hercules III#5) - Drinking himself into submission back at the Extra Points Bar, Hercules was confronted by director Gordon Allsworth who talked him into being a man and finishing what he started just before he himself passed out. Accompanied by his film crew, Hercules entered the underworld and confronted Megara who didn't hold him responsible for her murder. She willingly surrendered her flower from her hair and Hercules completed his new labors. Hercules' Eleventh Labor: the Apples of the Hesperides The Apples of the Hesperides Poor Hercules! After eight years and one month, after performing ten superhuman labors, he was still not off the hook. Eurystheus demanded two more labors from the hero, since he did not count the hydra or the Augean stables as properly done.

Eurystheus commanded Hercules to bring him golden apples which belonged to Zeus, king of the gods. Hera had given these apples to Zeus as a wedding gift, so surely this task was impossible. Hera, who didn't want to see Hercules succeed, would never permit him to steal one of her prize possessions, would she? These apples were kept in a garden at the northern edge of the world, and they were guarded not only by a hundred-headed dragon, named Ladon, but also by the Hesperides, nymphs who were daughters of Atlas, the titan who held the sky and the earth upon his shoulders. The Hesperides in the garden. Here the apples are on a tree, and the dragon Ladon looks more like a single-headed serpent. London E 224, Attic red figure hydria, ca. 410-400 B.C. Photograph courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum, London Hercules' first problem was that he didn't know where the garden was. He journeyed through Libya, Egypt, Arabia, and Asia, having adventures along the way. He was stopped by Kyknos, the son of the war god, Ares, who demanded that Hercules fight him.

After the fight was broken up by a thunderbolt, Hercules continued on to Illyria, where he seized the sea-god Nereus, who knew the garden's secret location. Nereus transformed himself into all kinds of shapes,trying to escape, but Hercules held tight and didn't release Nereus until he got the information he needed. Hercules fighting Kyknos Toledo 1961.25, Attic red figure kylix, ca. 520-510 B.C. Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Toledo Museum of Art Continuing on his quest, Hercules was stopped by Antaeus, the son of the sea god, Poseidon, who also challenged Hercules to fight. Hercules defeated him in a wrestling match, lifting him off the ground and crushing him, because when Antaeus touched the earth he became stronger. After that, Hercules met up with Busiris, another of Poseidon's sons, was captured, and was led to an altar to be a human sacrifice. But Hercules escaped, killing Busiris, and journeyed on. Hercules wrestling Antaeus Tampa 86.29, Attic black figure neck amphora, ca.

490-480 B.C. Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Tampa Museum of Art Hercules came to the rock on Mount Caucasus where Prometheus was chained. Prometheus, a trickster who made fun of the gods and stole the secret of fire from them, was sentenced by Zeus to a horrible fate. He was bound to the mountain, and every day a monstrous eagle came and ate his liver, pecking away at Prometheus' tortured body. After the eagle flew off, Prometheus' liver grew back, and the next day he had to endure the eagle's painful visit all over again. This went on for 30 years, until Hercules showed up and killed the eagle. Eagle with wings outstretched. Philadelphia MS553, Corinthian alabastron, ca. 620-590 B.C. Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the University of Pennyslvania Museum In gratitude, Prometheus told Hercules the secret to getting the apples. He would have to send Atlas after them, instead of going himself. Atlas hated holding up the sky and the earth so much that he would agree to the task of fetching the apples, in order to pass his burden over to Hercules.

Everything happened as Prometheus had predicted, and Atlas went to get the apples while Hercules was stuck in Atlas's place, with the weight of the world literally on his shoulders. Woman juggling apples. Toledo 1963.29, Attic red figure, white ground pyxis, ca. 470-460 B.C. Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Toledo Museum of Art When Atlas returned with the golden apples, he told Hercules he would take them to Eurystheus himself, and asked Hercules to stay there and hold the heavy load for the rest of time. Hercules slyly agreed, but asked Atlas whether he could take it back again, just for a moment, while the hero put some soft padding on his shoulders to help him bear the weight of the sky and the earth. Atlas put the apples on the ground, and lifted the burden onto his own shoulders. And so Hercules picked up the apples and quickly ran off, carrying them back, uneventfully, to Eurystheus. There was one final problem: because they belonged to the gods, the apples could not remain with Eurystheus.

After all the trouble Hercules went through to get them, he had to return them to Athena, who took them back to the garden at the northern edge of the world. Hercules in the garden of the Hesperides. Sometimes the hero is portrayed in the garden, even though the story we have from Apollodorus is that he sent Atlas there instead of going himself. London E 224, Attic red figure hydria, ca. 410-400 B.C. Photograph courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum, London (md) Hercules | Riordan Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Stealing the Man-Eating Mares of Diomedes . Obtaining the Girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyta . Obtaining the cattle owned by Geryon . Capturing and bringing back Cerberus from the Underworld . Stealing the apples of the garden of Hesperides . The original labors were only ten, but King Eurystheus claimed slaying the Hydra, because he had help burning the ends of the necks, and cleaning the Augean stables, because he was paid, didn't count.

Hercules had many miscellaneous adventures including: Killing Antaeus and Cacus . Going on the quest for the Golden Fleece . Besieging Troy along with Telamon (father of Ajax) and Peleus ( Argonaut and father of Achilles ). After razing Troy, Hercules slew most of the royal family and only Priam survived. This war was the predecessor of the famous Trojan War . Killing Periclymenus over his expedition against the city of Pylos. Inventing the combat art of Pankration with Theseus and later rescuing him from the underworld. Slew Kyknos, a son of Ares who decided to build a temple to his father out of the skulls of travelers he killed. Killed the Trojan Sea Monster. Battles with Gods Hercules is famous for battling (and sometimes even defeating) more gods than any other Greek hero. Ares battled Hercules several times. Once at Pylos, where Ares was completely defeated. In another, he tried to save the life of his son Kyknos who tried to murder Hercules, but the intervention of Athena delayed Ares long enough for Hercules to wound him, sending him back to Olympus.

Hercules wrestled with and overpowered Nereus , despite the latter attempting to break free via shapeshifting. Hercules is recorded to have wounded both Hera and Hades with his arrows at the battle of Pylos forcing both to retreat. He battled Apollo over the Oracle of Delphi and again at Pylos. The first time Zeus broke it up with a thunderbolt and later Apollo gained the upper hand and drove Hercules back. Hercules wrestled the river-god Achelous for the hand of Deianara. He won, even though Achelous shapeshifted into a bull and a snake. Hercules wrestled and defeated Thanatos on behalf of his friend Admetus, rescuing his wife. He fought the giant Porphyrion alongside Zeus and slew him with his arrows. He was mentioned by the kerkopes brothers Passalos and Akmon. They gave him the nickname "Black-Bottom", because his bottom had turned black from sunburn and dirt. Personality As a mortal, Hercules was renowned for his extraordinary courage and his willingness to go to great lengths to help those he cared for. Hercules was a passionate, emotionally untempered man with an impulsive nature.

Percy's vision in The Titan's Curse showed him to be both confident and proud. It is notable that Hercules was able to bear Atlas ' celestial burden, which, according to Poseidon , can only be done by one with not only great strength and courage, but also a true heart. In Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes , he was, notably, the only male Argonaut not to be swayed by the women of Lemnos. As a god, Hercules has grown bitter and resentful toward the Olympians especially Zeus and Hera . He resents having to constantly live up to expectations as the son of Zeus only for it to never be enough. After he was made immortal he was regulated to the position of a minor god eternally subservient to Hera and forced to live with the memories of his mortal life brought by her persecution. Being stuck on an island forever only increased his feelings. He strongly dislikes his reputation in the mortal world as an animal-skin wearing barbarian and his legend being tarnished in certain films.

In The Mark of Athena , Hercules is shown to still hate Hera, to such an extent that he is willing to make the Seven Heroes of Olympus's quest "extra-hard" only because she was responsible for bringing them together, despite the fact that Hercules hates the Giants as well. He also seemed to be quite cruel, as he only wished to take Achelous' horn merely to taunt him and make him miserable. He also threatened to kill all of the questers if Jason and Piper were to fail in their quest to retrieve Achelous' horn. Appearance In Percy's dream in The Titan's Curse , Hercules is described as wearing an old-fashioned Greek tunic, and laced leather sandals, with the Nemean Lion's Pelt wrapped around his back like a cape, with the paws tied around his neck and the head covering his head, akin to a hood. His voice is described as deep and confident. In The Mark of Athena , Hercules is described as a tall and very muscular black-haired man that appears to be only in his mid-twenties.

He is barefoot (with his feet covered in white sand) and wears long flowing purple robes (which are white in his Greek form, Heracles), which, according to Piper , made him look somewhat like a Catholic bishop. Hercules's ebony-black hair is close-cropped, in a Roman style, while his beard is "fashionably scruffy", much like that of Tristan McLean , which Piper described as a "I just happened not to shave for two days and I still look awesome look." Hercules has Zeus's brilliant electric-blue eyes, coppery skin, "as if he’d spent his entire life on a tanning bed", and is overall very handsome in a rugged, but not-at-all-caveman way (contrary to most stereotypical modern re-imaginings of Hercules). His voice is once again described as deep, but also somewhat casual and very modern. When enraged, however, Hercules' neck veins turn "as purple as his robes", and his expression quickly becomes like the cliffs of Gibraltar— "a solid, unforgiving sheet of stone." Hercules wields a mighty club, which Piper describes as an oversized baseball bat: a five-foot-long polished cylinder of mahogany with a leather handgrip studded in bronze.

Due to his island warm climate, Hercules rarely wears his Nemean Lion's Pelt there. Since Hercules had once held the celestial burden of Atlas , he would have acquired a grey streak in his black hair, though, as in the case of Percy and Annabeth , it would have eventually faded overtime. Abilities Hercules, as a child of Zeus , one of the Big Three, was an extremely powerful demigod (and later, full-fledged god), with his abilities being much more potent than those of any other demigods of his era, with his half-brother Jason even going as far as calling Hercules the most powerful demigod of all time. Hercules' natural abilities included: ADHD : Like most demigods, Hercules possesses inborn supernatural battle reflexes and senses that he uses to analyze the fighting style of his opponent. Massive Strength: Hercules's signature and most famous ability was his legendary incredible superhuman strength (as well as his mental fortitude), which came from his parentage, as well as him having once drunk Hera 's breast milk as an infant.

As a result, Hercules overpowered 50 of Diomedes' men simultaneously, defeated quite a few formidably skilled Amazons , overpowered numerous fearsome monsters (most notably Cerberus himself), defeated the gods Thanatos , Nereus and Achelous , stalemated Apollo himself in a duel, helped the Olympians slay the mighty Giants (notably carrying the massive Alcyoneus outside of the latter's home territory), and even managed to take up Atlas ' celestial burden for a short while (which also requires a true heart and great courage) in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes . In The Mark of Athena , Hercules was able to hurl coconuts at the distant Argo II with enough force to have them embedded in the ship's Celestial Bronze hull. Fighting Skills: As seen in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes Hercules was an extremely skilled warrior, most frequently utilizing a heavy club in battle. He was also formidable in hand-to-hand combat, even inventing the combat art of pankration with Theseus . Archery: As seen in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes Hercules was an extremely skilled archer, rarely missing a target with his poisonous Hydra arrows (which left incurable lethal wounds).

He also notably easily defeated Eurytius in an archery contest, swiftly shot down Geryon 's three bodies simultaneously, managed to hit fast centaur Nessus, and even the the extremely fast Ceryneian Hind. Aerokinesis : As a son of Zeus , Hercules presumably has the ability to control and manipulate air. Electrokinesis : As a son of Zeus , Hercules presumably has the ability to control lightning and static electricity. Immortality: After burning in a pyre the gods made Hercules immortal. Mental Fortitude: Hercules is shown to be immune to Piper's Charmspeak in The Mark of Athena . Relationships Hercules is married to Hebe , but is known to to have other relationships outside of his marriage (a trait he inherited from his father). Partner Autonoe, daughter of Piraeus / Iphinoe, daughter of Antaeus Palaemon Malis, a slave of Omphale Acelus Phaestus or Rhopalus Heracles Hercules' original Greek name was Heracles. He was renamed Hercules by the Romans. Unlike many of the Olympians , Hercules claims he did not develop an alternate aspect.

He remains the same regardless of the pantheon and at times only suffers slight headaches. Trivia While as a demigod he could throw massive boulders and monsters, like the Hydra, around with little effort, it remains unknown how powerful his strength is as a full fledged god. It is presumably at a high level though as he said he could kill Piper with "a flick of his finger" and "break the Argo II in half with his bare hands", he was also able to throw coconuts fast enough for them to get stuck in the bronze hull of the Argo II. It was often said in the myths that he was, and possibly still is, Zeus' favorite child. Hercules was taught archery by King Eurytus of Oechalia (who was a student and grandson of Apollo ) and wrestling by Autolycus (son of Hermes and grandfather of Odysseus ). Zeus fathered Hercules to serve as Olympus' mortal champion in the first Gigantomachy . It was prophesied that without a mortal to fight beside and kill the giants , the Olympians would have lost the war. Hercules is the half-brother and great-grandson of Perseus .

Hercules is a legacy of Zeus through Perseus. In Percy Jackson and the Olympians , Hercules is called by his Roman name instead of his Greek name by everyone throughout the books. The only exception to this is in The Sea of Monsters , Hermes asks Percy which constellation he liked best, and Percy's reply was "Heracles" (though it was changed to Hercules in the paperback version). In The Lost Hero , Jason Grace , a Roman demigod, calls him by his Greek name: "Heracles". His original Greek name, Herakles, means "Glory of Hera" in honor of Hera , who (ironically) didn't show any affection towards him until his eventual death and rise to godhood. Since he is the great-grandson of Perseus , another son of Zeus , he can be said to be a son and legacy of Zeus. Of all the Seven Demigods, Percy Jackson , son of Poseidon, shares the most number of similiarities with Hercules: Both are the sons of the Big Three . Both killed a snake(s), when they were toddlers. Both were trained by Chiron . Both fought the Nemean Lion and wore its pelt for protection. Both killed the Hydra.

Both encountered the Erymanthean Boar. Both cleaned the Augean stables in one day. Both fought and killed many Stymphalian Birds. Both encountered the man eating horses of Diomedes. Hercules captured them while Percy forced them to submission. Both fought Amazons and Centaurs. Both fought and killed Geryon, Cacus and Antaeus. Both entered the Garden of the Hesperides and encountered Ladon. Both held the weight of the Sky. Both journeyed throuh the Underworld. Hercules went only once while Percy went thrice, even going as far as Tartarus. Both defeated Ares and encountered Thanatos. Both were Argonauts and fought in the Giant War. According to Annabeth Chase , Hercules appears so much in mythology because he had a really good publicist. He is mentioned to be "like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece" by Percy because "everywhere you turn, there he is." Hercules was described by Jason to be the most powerful demigod of all time. When Ares and Mars are arguing, Mars refers to Heracles, but being Roman, he should have referred to Hercules, Heracles' Roman aspect.

Tacitus, a Roman senator and historian, associated Hercules with the Norse god Thor . Gallery

Question: Whose twelve labors included slaying a hydra and cleaning stables?
Answer: Hercules