Hercules (among the Romans - Hercules) was the son of Zeus. His mother Alcmene and stepfather Amphitryon belonged to the glorious Argive family of the Perseids, and both were grandchildren of the great hero Perseus. Hercules himself was the greatest of the heroes of antiquity, a man of great strength, invincible courage, who set himself the task of being invariably obedient to the will of his father Zeus and advocating for the good of people with everything unclean and evil, even if this is combined with labors and dangers. Heracles - in the highest degree an honest nature, he is worthy of the happiest fate, but an evil fate haunts him from his very birth, and only after living a life full of the greatest efforts and suffering is he rewarded for his exploits with immortality and communion with blessed gods. The misfortunes of Hercules begin from his very birth. He was born in a foreign land, in exile. His stepfather Amphitrion accidentally killed his father-in-law Electryon and for this he was expelled by his brother Sthenel from Argos - his homeland. Together with his wife, he sought refuge with his maternal uncle, the Theban king Creon, who received him in a friendly manner and washed away his grave crime. In Thebes, at the place of exile of his stepfather, Hercules was born; but his father Zeus decided to give him dominion over the land of Argos - the kingdom of the Perseids. On the day of his birth on Olympus in the assembly of the gods, full of the brightest expectations, Zeus said: "Listen to me, all the gods and goddesses! Now one will be born who will rule over all the offspring of Perseus and over all Argos." The wife of Zeus Hera, who jealously guarded her marital rights, was angry at her husband’s boast and slyly replied: “You lie, Kronion; your word will never be fulfilled. Argos, over the Perseids, descended from your blood." Zeus did not notice his wife's tricks and took an oath. Then Hera rushed from the top of Olympus to Argos, where, as she knew, Sthenel's wife was soon to give birth. Hera, as the goddess of childbirth, ordered that Sthenel's wife give birth to a live child before the term, and at the same time slowed down the birth of Alcmene. The goddess returned to Olympus and said to Zeus: "Hear me, father Zeus: Eurystheus was born, the son of Sthenel, from your family; he will rule over all the Argives." Saddened, angry Kronion that deceived him Ate (the personification of foolishness, obscuration of the mind); and in anger he grabbed Ate by the hair and threw her from Olympus, and she fell to the ground among the people; and Zeus swore a terrible oath that Ata would never return to the council of the gods. Hercules, it is true, was born on the same day; but the birthright gave Eurystheus dominion over the whole family, it became - and over him. Thus the strong was subject to the dominion of the weak; and subsequently Zeus, seeing how his son languished, serving Eurystheus, more than once repented of his fatal haste. But he turned this mistake for the benefit of his son by concluding an agreement with Hera, according to which Hercules, having completed the twelve labors that Eurystheus will entrust him with, will become involved in immortality. And so that Hercules would not be exhausted from his difficult exploits, he sends his daughter Pallas Athena as a good assistant in his labors. Together with Hercules, Iphicles, the son of Amphitryon, was born. As soon as Hera found out that two children were born into the world and lay in swaddling clothes, prompted by anger, she sent two huge snakes to destroy the little ones. Quietly they crept through open doors into the bedroom of Alcmene and were ready to grab the babies with their gluttonous mouth, but Hercules raised his head and tested his strength in the first struggle. With both hands he grabbed the snakes by the neck and strangled them: terrible monsters became lifeless. Horror seized the servants at the bedroom of Alcmene; naked, without memory, they rush from their beds to stop the monsters. Quickly, at their cry, a crowd of Cadmean knights in copper armor fled; Amphitrion also comes running in fear with a drawn sword.

Amazed, he stopped, full of fear and at the same time full of joy: he saw unheard-of courage and strength in his son. Then he ordered to call his neighbor, the great Zeus prophet Tiresias, and he predicted to him and the whole assembly the fate of the baby: how many wild animals he would destroy on land and at sea, how many wild and arrogant people he would put to death. Even when the gods begin to fight the giants on the Phlegraean field, and then many brilliant heads will be thrown into the dust with his arrows. Finally, he will enjoy eternal peace in peace - a worthy reward for his great labors. In the halls of the gods, he will marry the blooming Hebe, and Zeus, Kronos' son, will have a wedding feast, and he will enjoy a blessed life. With these few words, the prophet outlined the whole fate of our hero.

Baby Hercules strangling snakes

Amphitryon was convinced of the great destiny of his pet and gave him an upbringing worthy of a hero. He instructed the most excellent experts in the field to teach Hercules the art of war. Archery was taught to him by Eurytus, the most famous archer of his time; martial arts - the cunning and skillful Autolycus, the son of Hermes, the grandfather of the cunning Odysseus; to wield heavy weapons - Castor, one of the Dioscuri. Amphitrion himself taught him to drive a chariot: he was especially experienced in this art. Then the warrior needed the ability to drive a chariot, since in battles they fought from war chariots. In addition to this physical and military education, the boy's spirit was to be developed by the arts and sciences. But it seems that the young Hercules did not make the desired success in them. At least the teacher often had reason to censure and punish him. Once he hit Hercules, which caused him to become very angry and hit the teacher on the head with a cithara. The blow was so strong that Lin fell dead on the spot. The boy was brought to trial for murder; but he justified himself with the saying of Rhadamanthus: the struck must return the blow, and he was acquitted.

Amphitrion was afraid that the boy would not do any more such tricks in the future tense, removed him from the city and sent him to his herds on the Kiferon mountains. Here he grew up as a strong young man and surpassed everyone both in size and strength. From the first time it was possible to recognize in him the son of Zeus. He was six feet tall and had powerful limbs. His eyes shone with a fiery gleam. In archery and javelin throwing, Hercules was so skilled that he never missed.

While Hercules was on Cithaeron, still an eighteen-year-old youth, he killed the terrible Cithaeron lion, which often, descending into the valley, strangled his father's bulls. Hercules threw the skin of the slain lion over himself so that it descended from his back, with his front paws tied at his chest, while his mouth served as a helmet. This was the first feat performed by Hercules for the benefit of people. When Hercules was returning from this hunt, he met the ambassadors of the Orchomenian king Ergin, who were going to Thebes to collect tribute, which the Thebans were supposed to hand over to them. For the fact that one Theban killed the father of Ergin Klimen, the Orchomenian king went to war against Thebes and forced them to pay 100 bulls annually for twenty years. When Hercules met the ambassadors, he began to torment them: he cut off their noses and ears, and, tying their hands behind their backs, sent them with this tribute to Orchomenus to the king.

This insult led, of course, to a war between Orchomenus and Thebes. Ergin set out with a large army, but Hercules, in marvelous, brilliant armor, presented to him by his assistant and friend Athena, became the head of the Theban army, defeated the enemy army and killed the king with his own hand. With this victory, Hercules not only freed the Thebans from the shameful tribute, but also forced the Orchomenians to pay (the Thebans) a double tribute. Amphitryon fell in battle. He distinguished himself with courage in the same way as Hercules' brother Iphicles. Both brothers were rewarded by the grateful King Creon for their heroic deeds. He gave Hercules his eldest daughter Megara in marriage, Iphicles his youngest daughter.

When Hercules celebrated his marriage to Megara, the celestials descended from Olympus and took part in a brilliant festival, as in the old days in the wedding feast of Cadmus and Harmony, and gave the hero the most excellent gifts. Hermes gave him a sword, Apollo - a bow and arrows, Hephaestus - a golden shell. Athena - beautiful clothes. Heracles later cut down his club for himself in the Nemean grove.

Hercules, aka Hercules, is one of the most famous heroes of ancient Greek myths. His father was Zeus, and his mother was a mere mortal woman named Alcmene.

Life before exploits

The young man was a full head taller than the tallest of men, and possessed strength that surpassed that of a human. Yet strangled two snakes as a child, sent to him by the vengeful Hero.

Hera, the wife of Zeus, was angry with her husband for treason, and pursued Hercules, sending all sorts of misfortunes. Deciding to take revenge, Hera sent a curse on Hercules - she made him insane. When the hero came to his senses, he realized that in a fit of madness he had killed his children.

When Hercules realized what he had done, he left the city of Thebes and went to Apollo.

The god Apollo ordered the young hero to go to Tiryns, enter the service of King Eurystheus for 12 years and perform 12 feats.

Hercules was told that at the end of the service to the king, he would become immortal. King Eurystheus (who was Hercules' cousin) was cowardly and dishonest, but Hercules did the will of Apollo and became his servant.

12 Labors of Hercules

Total about a hundred feats are known, committed by Hercules, but the main ones in myths Ancient Greece these twelve are counted:

1. Strangulation of a lion.
2. Hydra kill.
3. Expulsion of the Stymphalian birds.
4. Kerinian deer.
5. The capture of the Erymanthian boar.
6. Stables cleaning.
7. Taming of the Cretan bull.
8. Stealing horses and defeating Diomedes.
9. Victory over the Amazons.
10. Construction of the Pillars of Hercules.
11. Taming the dog Cerberus with three heads.
12. Victory over Antaeus and golden apples.

nemean lion was huge and dangerous, often attacking Argolid (the city ruled by Eurystheus). Hercules tried to kill the lion by shooting him with a bow, but the arrows could not pierce the lion's thick skin. Then Hercules began to fight and strangled the predator with his hands. After this feat, the hero of ancient Greek myths established the festive Nemean Games, which were held in the Peloponnese.

Giant lernaean hydra- a creature with a snake body and nine dragon heads, killed all life in the vicinity of the city of Lerna. It was very difficult to kill the hydra, because instead of a severed head, it grew two. In battle, Hercules was helped by his assistant Iolaus, who guessed to cauterize his neck after beheading.

Huge Stymphalian birds with copper claws and bronze feathers attacked cattle and people, killing them with their claws. Athena helped Hercules by giving him two tympanums (a musical instrument like a tambourine). The sounds of the tympanum scared away the birds, they left Greece forever.

kerinean fallow deer- a large and fast animal that was sent to Earth by Artemis. Doe destroyed the fields of Arcadia. Hercules tried to catch up with her for a whole year, and when he caught up, he easily wounded her with a bow shot. He brought the animal to his master Eurystheus.

Erymanthian boar possessed great power and terrified the locals. Hercules was able to capture him and deliver to Eurystheus. While hunting a boar, Hercules accidentally killed the centaur Chiron - in the past his mentor and friend.

Avgiy was the king of Elis, he owned huge herds of amazing red and white bulls. Augean stables, in which the bulls lived were not cleaned for 30 years. Hercules said that he could cleanse them in a day if Avgiy gave him part of the herds. Avgiy agreed, Hercules kept his promise by cleaning the stables with the waters of the rivers Alpheus and Peneus. Avgiy deceived Hercules, after a while the hero returned and killed the dishonest Avgiy. In honor of his victory, he established.

Poseidon gave King Minos of Knossos a large bull to be sacrificed in Crete. But the king deceived the master of the seas and kept the bull for himself. The angry god sent rabies on the bull, and he began to destroy everything around. Hercules caught the Cretan bull and delivered to his owner.

King Diomedes kept wonderful horses in the stables, but fed them with human meat. Hercules stole the horses of Diomedes. The owner tried to stop the hero, but he fought with Diomedes and won.

Admeta, daughter of Eurystheus, wanted to get the belt worn by Hippolyta - the leader of the Amazons. Hippolyta did not want war and gave the belt, but her Amazons attacked the hero and his friends. In battle, Hercules captured one of the Amazons, Hippolyta redeemed her subject, again giving the hero a belt. On the way back, he saved Hesion, the daughter of the Trojan king, who was chained to a rock, from a sea monster.

Eurystheus wished to take possession of the cows that Geryon, a monster with several heads and torsos, pastured. To do this, the hero had to go on a long dangerous journey. In honor of him Hercules two stone pillars were erected, called the Hercules. believed that Atlantis was immediately behind the pillars. Hercules stole the cows, but he had to fight with the owner of the animals. The hero defeated him and set off on his way back. Later, Hera sent rabies on the cows, and one of them fled to Thrace. Hercules caught her and delivered her to his king.

Hercules went to Hades (the realm where the dead live) to tame Cerberus, a dog with three heads. On the way, he freed Theseus, a hero from Ancient Rome immured in a rock. Hercules tamed Cerberus and delivered to the owner, but he, frightened, ordered to carry the monster back.

A titan named Atlas held on his shoulders the vault of the sky, on which a magical garden was located. Golden apples did not grow in. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring three fruits. Hero defeated Antaeus, and came to Atlas. He went to the trick so as not to give the apples, but Hercules turned out to be more cunning and got golden apples.

Hero's death, ascension and deification

The hero lived for about 50 years. There are two versions of the death of Hercules. According to the first, when the hero realized that he could no longer draw the bow, he threw himself into the fire. The second legend says that Hercules was accidentally poisoned by his wife Dejanira, and, unable to withstand the torment, he threw himself into the fire.

After death, the hero ascended to heaven. As the myths tell, Hercules began to live on Mount Olympus among other gods, reconciled with Hera and married her daughter, the goddess Hebe. And in the realm of the dead Hades lives the ghost of this great hero of Ancient Greece.

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3 - Stymphalian birds. They killed people and animals with their copper feathers, tore them apart with copper claws and beaks, then devoured them. They lived in the vicinity of the city of Stimfal. Hercules was able to kill the birds with the help of Pallas Athena, who gave him two brass tympanums forged by Hephaestus. From the deafening ringing that rose from the tympanums, the birds flew over the forest, and Hercules was able to shoot them with a bow.

4 - Kerinean doe. She had golden horns and copper hooves. Belonged to the goddess of hunting Artemis. She was sent by the goddess as a punishment to people and devastated the fields. Hercules was ordered to catch her alive. He chased the doe for a year and was only able to catch it after he wounded it in the leg.

5 - Erymanthian boar (boar) and the battle with the centaurs. The boar, possessing monstrous strength, lived on Mount Erimanthe and devastated the surroundings of the city of Psofis. Hercules drove the monster into deep snow and carried him bound to Mycenae.

6 - Augean stables. Hercules had to clean the stables of Avgius, the king of the Epeian tribe in Elis, from manure in one day. Augeus had innumerable herds of cattle, which were given to him by his father (Helios or Poseidon). The barnyard has not been cleared for 30 years. To fulfill the assignment, Hercules blocked the Alpheus River and directed its waters to the barnyard.

7 - Cretan bull. The fire-breathing bull was sent by Poseidon to King Minos of Crete, who was supposed to sacrifice the bull to the god of the seas. Minos left the bull in his herd and sacrificed another. Poseidon got angry and sent rabies on the donated bull. Hercules was supposed to catch the bull and bring him to Mycenae. To accomplish this, Hercules sat on the broad back of a bull and swam across the sea on it.

8 - Horses of King Diomedes. Horses of wondrous beauty and strength. They lived in Thrace with King Diomedes, who fed them human meat, throwing them all the strangers to eat. Hercules tamed the cannibal horses and delivered them to Eurystheus, who set them free. In the mountains the horses were torn to pieces by wild beasts.

9 - Belt of Hippolyta. The belt was presented to the queen of the Amazons Hippolyta by the god of war Ares and served as a symbol of power over the Amazons. This belt Hercules was supposed to bring to Eurystheus for his daughter, the priestess of the goddess Hera.

10 - Cows of Gerion. The giant Geryon had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs. Hercules was supposed to drive the cows of the giant Gerion to Mycenae. Helios helped Hercules to reach the island of Eritheia, where Geryon pastured her flocks, delivering him on his golden boat, and Pallas Athena helped Gerion to defeat.

11 - Kerber. Kerberos (Cerberus) was the guardian of the underworld of Hades. It had three heads, snakes wriggled around its neck, and its tail ended in a dragon's head. Hercules was supposed to descend into Hades and bring Kerberos to Eurystheus. According to the condition of Hades, Hercules could take Kerberos only if he could tame him without weapons.

12 - Apples of the Hesperides. It was considered the most difficult feat. The Hesperides, daughters of the Titan Atlas, looked after the golden apples in their father's gardens. Apples, giving eternal youth, grew on a golden tree grown by the goddess of the earth Gaia as a gift to Hera on her wedding day with Zeus, and the garden was guarded by a dragon. Hercules was ordered to bring three golden apples. The difficulty was that no one, except for the prophetic old man Nereus, knew the way to the gardens. Nereus was forced to reveal the secret of the way so that Hercules, who bound him, would let him go.

Hercules the name by which Hercules was known in Ancient Rome and had the glory of a fighter against injustice. Due to his readiness to serve people and endurance, he was an ideal for the Stoics.

The Burgundian royal family was descended from Hercules and Queen Eliza.

Message about Hercules for children can be used in preparation for the lesson. The story about Hercules for children can be supplemented with interesting facts.

Report on Hercules

Hercules is a mythological hero whose father was the great Zeus, the main among the main ones. His mother was a mere mortal. Zeus had to deceive Alcmene, and in the guise of a husband, he appeared to the beauty in the middle of the night. Nine months later, Zeus had an illegitimate son - Hercules.

When Hera, who was the legal wife of the God of Olympus, found out about her husband's betrayal, she decided to destroy that child. The goddess was the patroness of marriage bonds, and tried to protect the legal marriage with Zeus, so she had to fight with the illegitimate children of her husband.
Two monstrous snakes were sent by her to the lullabies of Hercules and his brother. But the baby, who had the power, managed to get rid of them. He strangled them. Then everything was like everyone else - Hercules studied, performed several feats, got married and had offspring. But Hera could not calm down. She sent a fit of madness to Hercules, as a result of which his own children and beloved brother were killed.

In atonement for this, according to the Delphic Pythia, he must perform ten labors. But he made them 12 - and the whole world heard about them.

Labors of Hercules

1. Strangulation of the Nemean Lion
2. Killing the Lernaean Hydra (not counted due to Iolaus' help)
3. Extermination of Stymphalian birds
4. Capture of the Kerinean fallow deer
5. Taming the Erymanthian Boar
6. cleaning Augean stables(not counted due to fee requirement)
7. Taming the Cretan Bull
8. The abduction of the Horses of Diomedes, the victory over King Diomedes (who threw strangers to be eaten by his horses)
9. The Abduction of the Girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons
10. The abduction of the cows of the three-headed giant Geryon
11. The theft of golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides
12. Taming of the guardian Hades - the dog Cerberus

The life of Hercules was eventful. But the path was not so long, he died at the age of fifty. And there are different versions of his death. Most possible next option: Hercules realized that his strength was leaving him, and he could not pull the string of his own bow. And then he decides to end his journey at the stake. It's a fitting end to a hero's life.

Hercules was born in Thebes to Alcmene and Zeus. At the direction of the father, the child who was born was to rule every earthly people. Then Hera made it so that the grandson of Perseus, Eurystheus, was born before the son of Alcmene. Hercules was forced to serve Eurystheus, but the hero was able to get rid of this duty by performing a series of feats . He had to show not only strength, but also ingenuity. We briefly list all 12 labors of Hercules.

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Prince Hercules ordered to go to the temple of Zeus in Nemea to defeat a huge lion, who terrified all the inhabitants.

Attention! Throughout his life, Prince Eurystheus received care and love. He had power, but he was neither smart nor distinguished.

Hercules went to the deserted lands, walked for a long time along the gorges and slopes. Suddenly, the growl of a giant lion was heard from the cave. The hero managed to hit the monster on the head with a club just before the jump, and then squeezed his neck, and the beast stopped breathing. It was feat number 1.

The winner dressed in the skin of a lion. People fled in horror from him, Eurystheus hid in a far corner and shouted to the hero to leave, and he would receive orders from the herald.

2 feat of Hercules was no less brilliant. The next day, the hero had to go to the swamp, where the Hydra lived with ten heads. Iolaus went with him. The hydra wrapped its necks around accidentally wandering travelers, pulled them into its lair and ate them. When Hercules and Iolaus reached the cursed swamp, the monster was asleep. Having teased the Hydra, Hercules lured her out and began to cut off their heads. one after another, but in their place two new ones grew. The hero asked Iolaus for help, and he began to burn the place of the severed head with a torch. So the monster was defeated. The hero dipped the arrowheads in Hydra's blood, and they turned into a deadly weapon.

A whole year passed without campaigns, the hero participated in competitions and was engaged in hunting. Then Hercules received a new punishment from Eurysteus - bring him a live doe, whose hooves are copper and the horns are gold. So far no one has been able to catch her. This was the 3rd labor of Hercules. The heroes went to impregnable wild mountains, and one day they saw a sacred doe, which they were hunting for. Hercules rushed after her and pursued her for several days. Finally, the fugitive gave up, but then he met Artemis, who promised that the animal would soon return to her. Upon returning to Mycenae, Eurystheus told the hero to do what he liked with her, and Hercules sacrificed her to Artemis.

Erymanthian boar

The inhabitants near Mount Erimanth suffered from a monstrous boar - at night it devastated all their fields, trampled down crops, and rummaged through the lands. Then Eurystheus ordered Hercules to catch the monster. It was surrounded by centaurs.

Attention! The once-living king Ixion killed his father-in-law and asked for help from Zeus, who brought the killer closer to him. Then Ixion decided to seek the location of Hera. Zeus wanted to test the limit of Ixion's dishonor and gave Cloud-Nefele the appearance of Hera. Their union gave rise to the centaurs.

4 the feat of Hercules was accomplished in this way. He went to the mountain, and in the cave he saw the middle-aged centaur Fall. He invited him and treated him to wine. Other centaurs saw the intruder and became furious. Then the hero began to throw poisoned arrows at them and killed a lot of centaurs, but suddenly he accidentally hit the oldest of them, who did not participate in the battle. It was Chiron who forgave the repentant Hercules for the involuntary murder. The hero easily caught the boar, brought it to Mycenae, fried it and treated the people, but Eurystheus did not appear out of fear.

Stymphalian birds

Hercules was shocked by the death of Chiron. He spent many days talking with Iolaus about what is truth and what is the meaning of life. He said that truth lies in living life, in its endless struggle with death, and in a dead life there is no truth - it is filled with oblivion.

One day the herald of the king appeared and said that kill the Stymphalian birds. Their strength lay in copper feathers, with which the birds destroyed people by eating their flesh. The 5th feat of Hercules began. They reached the lake with Iolaus and felt a strange languor seize them. It turned out that about zero envelops travelers with poisonous haze, giving oblivion and death.

Then Athena sent a wooden rattle to help - Iolaus shook it, and suddenly a sound, amplified by the echo, swept over the lake and woke up the monstrous birds. They started up, took off and began to throw their feathers at the travelers, but the hero covered himself and Iolaus with the skin of a lion and began to hit the birds with poisoned arrows. Many of them died, and miraculously the survivors flew away and never showed up again.

Augean stables

The herald, who came by order of Eurystheus, punished clear the stables of King Augeas, which were filled with manure, had not been cleaned for many years, and the walls, feeders and stalls had long since rotted away. The hero promised the king that the stalls would be cleared by morning, but in return the ruler had to give him a tenth of the horses. Augeas was greedy, but easily agreed, as he thought it was impossible to do so. The hero, with the help of only a shovel, diverted the course of the river to the stables, and its stream washed away the manure and everything rotten. Thus ended the 6 feat of Hercules.

However, the king did not want to share the promise, so he ordered his nephews to kill the hero, but they themselves fell at his hands. Then Hercules killed Augeas and the throne was taken by his honest and innocent son. AND The inhabitants of Hellas were ordered every 4 years to hold, and as long as they go, all will be calm in the world.

A new order came from the king - deliver him a snow-white Cretan bull with horns of gold and a rebellious character that terrified the entire island of Crete. 7 the feat of Hercules began. He boarded a Phoenician ship, but suddenly a strong storm broke out and smashed the ship on the shore. The hero went to the king, but was captured local residents and delivered to the ruler, and he said that he would sacrifice his intruder and his friends to the gods.

Then Hercules easily broke the heavy chains, hit the priest and stabbed the king. Then he left the palace and easily subdued the Cretan bull, who now obeyed only his tamer, and upon arrival to King Eurystheus broke free.

Another order of Eurystheus - go to King Diomedes and take away his bloodthirsty horses, which the ruler feeds travelers. The 8 feat of Hercules happened like this. On the way, he stopped at King Admet. He received the guest, punished him well to feed, but he himself went to other chambers. The old servant said that Admetus suffered the greatest grief: by agreement with the gods, he could stay alive if there was someone who wanted to die instead of him.

When the hour of death struck, no one volunteered to sacrifice their lives, except for Admet's wife, Alcesta, who was dearer to him than anything in the world. So the demon of death took the beautiful girl. The hero decided to wrest her from the hands of the dead and fought Thanatos, who took Alcesta. The revived wife returned to Admet and there was no happier person in the world.

Hercules went further, to fulfill the order of the king. Diomedes sent a huge army against him, but the hero easily coped with everyone, and gave the king himself to be eaten by his own horses. The bloodthirsty animals were delivered to Eristheus, and he ordered them to be taken to the forest, where the horses were destroyed by wild animals.

Eurystheus had a daughter, Admeta, who had heard that women, fearless Amazons, ruled somewhere in the world. They have arrows and war horses, they are not afraid of any enemy, and all because their leader Hippolyta has a leather belt in which strength is hidden. Then Eurystheus ordered the ancient Greek hero to get this magic belt for him.. The 9 feat of Hercules also ended in success:

1. He arrived with his comrades to the Amazons, and their queen announced a fight to the uninvited guests.
2. But among the women there was the beautiful Antiope, who immediately fell in love with the hero. At night, she stole the belt from Hippolyta and took it to the men's tent.
3. So the Amazons were defeated, and the belt was delivered to Eurystheus. However, his daughter returned the magical gift to the gods.

Herd of Gerion

10 labors of Hercules. Eurystheus punished his subordinate get magical purple cows that the giant Gerion with three heads pastured. Helios-Sun helped him to get to the desired island by boat. The hero coped with huge dog, and with the shepherds, and with the giant Gerion himself. However, the most difficult was ahead - to deliver the entire herd to Mycenae.

Some cows escaped, others were captured, and one day the whole herd disappeared, frightened by a cloud of gadflies sent by the goddess Hera. Helped Echidna - half a girl, half a snake - but in exchange for the fact that the hero will become her husband for the night and help conceive three children. According to the instructions of Hercules, one of them who can bend his bow and gird himself in the same way as his father will rule these lands. Scyth became such a son. The herd was brought to Mycenae cows were sacrificed to Hera.

11 labors of Hercules. Eurystheus was aging and was afraid of losing power. Then he punished get golden apples that gave youth. The hero set off on his journey, reached the sea elder Nereus and asked him for help. The elder wanted to deceive, turning:

• fish,
• brook,
• snake,
• fire,
• seagull.

However, the hero still turned out to be more agile. Nereus surrendered, showed the way and even helped to cross to the other side of the sea. Met on the way Atlas, who held the firmament and agreed to help the traveler get golden apples, but if for a while he would take his place. Atlas wanted to leave the hero under the weight of the vault, but he outwitted him: he promised to give a golden skin, and when Atlas raised the firmament, he left him. He returned to Mycenae, but Eurystheus did not even want to look at the golden apples, and then Athena took them.

Taming Kerberos

12 labors of Hercules. When Eurystheus ordered the hero to go to the realm of the dead and bring him the dog Kerberos with three heads, guarding the underworld, then the hero agreed, but on the condition that after that he would receive freedom. On the way, he met the herald of Zeus - Hermes, who promised to be a guide, showed the traveler the realm of the dead: the river of oblivion, Sisyphus, endlessly raising a giant stone to the top of the mountain, which fell down, distraught with thirst, Tantalus, who stood almost completely in the water, but did not could get drunk.

Hades agreed to give Cerberus to the hero, but only if he could take it with his bare hands. The condition was fulfilled and the dog was brought to Eurystheus. He was frightened and let his subordinate go home - so his service with the king ended.

Labors of Hercules. "Animal Farm of King Avgiy"

Labors of Hercules. Apples of the Hesperides

Conclusion

Difficult tasks Eurystheus prepared for Hercules summary we have presented them. Each feat subsequently turned into myth, which was passed from mouth to mouth. Greatest Hero Greece is of interest today. Animated and feature films have been made about the exploits of Hercules.