Introduction
Hercules was a god from Roman mythology whose character was adopted from a Greek tradition. In Ancient Greece, the hero was known under the name of Hercules. Hercules is famous for his twelve labors that gave the mortal man an opportunity to achieve divine immortality. However, the fate of the hero was tragic as he was subject to Hera’s constant dissatisfaction with her husband’s affairs. Hercules was one of the most important figures of Greek mythology, whose deeds are honored up to the present day.
Birth and Early Years
Greek mythology’s Hercules is a divine hero, and the Roman name Hercules is its equivalent. In Western literature and art, Hercules is a more well-known figure than its Greek counterpart. Despite being revered as a god in mythology, the hero was actually born as a human man and had a complicated connection with his divine family. Legend has it that Hercules’ mother was Alcmene, Perseus’ granddaughter, and his father was Zeus (Martin, 2022). It is interesting to note that Perseus is supposedly a child of Zeus as well. He decapitated the Gorgon Medusa and was a famous hero.
Hercules was not wanted as a child and was in danger from the moment of his birth. Zeus’s wife, Hera, dispatched two snakes to murder a baby in his cot. However, with his extraordinary strength, Hercules was able to strangle the snakes (Martin, 2022). Hera continued trying to assassinate a young hero after that. She cast a spell while Hercules was already an adult, driving him briefly insane (Falkner, 2020). He killed his wife and their two kids as a result. Hercules, feeling guilty, made reference to Apollo, another son of Zeus and the deity of truth and healing. He requested that Apollo punish him suitably for his actions.
The Labors of Hercules
Hercules had no responsibility for what transpired, but Apollo, who knew of Hera’s activities, made the hero undertake twelve labors for Eurystheus, the ruler of Mycenae. Apollo predicted that Hercules would atone for his sins and attain immortality after all of his labors were finished (Martin, 2022). The most well-known myths about the hero are those involving these twelve labors. Six of the deeds performed by the hero were located in the Peloponnese, but six others led him to distant lands, which often were associated with the netherworld.
First Labor
Killing the Nemean Lion, who was frightening the Nemean people, was the first assignment. Hercules strangled the lion after trapping it in the cave. For the remainder of his life, the hero also wore the lion’s pelt as a clock (Falkner, 2020).
Second Labor
Hercules journeyed to Lerna in order to complete the second job, which involved killing the nine-headed Hydra (Martin, 2022). The feature was poisonous and lived underwater, guarding the entrance to the Underworld. To finish the work, the hero asked his nephew, Iolaus, for assistance. Hercules cut off the heads of Hydra, while Iolaus burnt the cuts with a torch to prevent them from growing back.
Third Labor
Capturing the goddess Diana’s pet, a red deer with golden antlers, was the third labor. Eurystheus was positive Diana would murder Hercules when she discovered him holding her cherished pet (Falkner, 2020). But once Hercules gave the goddess an explanation of his situation, she released him from punishment.
Fourth Labor
For the fourth task, Hercules caught a giant bore of Mount Erymanthus, who was eating people. He used a net to trap the bore and kill it.
Fifth Labor
The fifth task is thought to be impossible and highly humiliating for the hero. In a single day, he was expected to remove all of the dung from King Augeas’ massive stables (Martin, 2022). Hercules, however, came up with a crafty solution to the issue: he used two adjacent rivers to flood the barn.
Sixth Labor
The sixth mission was going to the town of Stymphalos and expelling the enormous group of carnivorous birds that had settled in its trees. However, the goddess Athena came to help Hercules and gave him a pair of noisemakers made by Hephaistos (Falkner, 2020). Hercules used the tools to scare the birds away and completed the labor successfully.
Seventh Labor
For the seventh task, Hercules went to Crete to capture the bull, who had impregnated the wife of the Crete king (Falkner, 2020). Hercules delivered the bull to Eurystheus, who later released it to the streets of Marathon. The wife of the Crete king gave birth to the famous creature Minotaur.
Eighth Labor
The eighth challenge was to capture four of the Thracian ruler Diomedes’ man-eating horses. Once more, the hero took the horses to Eurystheus, who released them (Falkner, 2020).
Ninth Labor
Hercules had to steal an armored belt from the Amazon queen Hippolyte in order to complete the ninth labor. Hippolyte initially agreed to hand the hero the belt without a struggle. But the Amazons were obliged to fight Hercules when Hera began spreading a story that he had come to kidnap the queen (Martin, 2022). Consequently, Hercules murdered Hippolyte and took the belt from her body.
Tenth Labor
Hercules’ tenth labor was sending him to the regions bordering Africa to retrieve Geryon’s cattle—a monstrous creature with numerous bodies. Hera attempted to stop Hercules from finishing the work, but the hero killed the monster with an arrow and captured the herd (Falkner, 2020). The hardest part of the expedition was, however, returning to Eurystheus since he had to repel an attack by gadflies and battle the sons of Poseidon.
Eleventh Labor
Hercules’ eleventh labor task was to steal the golden apples, which were Zeus’s wedding present from Hera and were being guarded by the Hesperides (Martin, 2022). To remove the apples, the hero needed Prometheus and Atlas’ assistance. Hercules brought the apples back to the garden after he had shown them to the king.
Twelfth Labor
Hercules’ final mission required him to journey to Hades in order to apprehend Cerberus, the dog with three heads (Falkner, 2020). The hero’s great power allowed him to tame the dog. In the end, Cerberus was brought back to protect the Underworld’s entrance unharmed.
Hercules’ Death
Hercules had many more adventures after his twelve labors were over, although they were not quite as important. The hero married Deianira, but a centaur eventually made an attempt to kidnap her. Using an arrow coated in the poison of the Hydra, Hercules shot the creature (Martin, 2022). The dying centaur gave Deianira his poisoned tunic, telling her it would tie Hercules to her forever. She found out that Hercules was having an affair a few years later.
Then, in an attempt to win Hercules back to herself, Deianira handed him the tunic the centaur had given her. However, the blood on the tunic was poisoned, burning the hero’s flesh. Realizing that he was poisoned, the hero built a funeral pyre and burnt himself. Hercules achieved immortality after that as Athena took him to Olympus, where he would spend eternity among the gods.
Conclusion
The fate of Hercules was rather tragic as all his life was guided by vengeful Hera. However, the hero managed to overcome all the challenges and attain divinity after death. Although Hercules was mortal, he had extraordinary power inherited from his father, Zeus. He performed numerous labors, which are still honored by people around the world. Hercules became a god due to his will and power despite the circumstances.
References
Falkner, D. E. (2020). The mythology of the night sky: Greek, Roman, and other celestial lore. Springer International Publishing.
Martin, R. (2022). Classical mythology: The basics. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.