Heracles's Twelve Labors
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“When Hercules [Heracles] asked Plu- to [Hades] for Cerberus, Pluto ordered him to take the animal provided he mas- tered him without the use of the weapons Heracles’s Twelve Labors which he carried. Hercules found him at the gates of Acheron, and, cased in his Author: Pseudo-Apollodorus sky and immortality (the Olympian realm). The tale of cuirass and covered by the lion’s skin, Time Period: 999 BCE–1 BCE Heracles’s twelve labors is the story of the chthonic and he fl ung his arms round the head of the Country or Culture: Greek mortal hero proving his might and elevating himself to brute, and though the dragon in its tail Genre: Myth the Olympian realm. He is a champion of Greek civili- zation and of the immortal Olympians who lord above bit him, he never relaxed his grip and OVERVIEW it. Because of this, as he conquers the great beasts of the pressure till it yielded.” The great warrior Heracles (more commonly known by wilderness and vanquishes entire armies, he is demon- his Roman name, Hercules) is the subject of a large strating the power and value of the chthonic and Olym- Bibliotheca range of myths and legends. Carrying a wooden club and pian realms both. When he completes his fi nal task and wearing the fur of a lion, he battles his way across Greek returns from the underworld, he represents the ultimate and Roman mythology, crushing poisonous snakes with triumph, moving beyond the confi nes of mortality and his bare hands as a baby, sacking the great city of Troy, becoming a deity. The rare story of a chthonic hero over- and adventuring in new lands with the legendary Argo- coming his own nature, the myth of Heracles’s labors nauts. He seems to be in a continuous process of falling speaks to the hopes of Greek civilization and to the be- in and out love, fathering fi fty sons at one moment and lief that within one’s earthly self might rest something building a shrine to his fallen male lover in the next. heroic, legendary, and immortal. Representing the heights of masculinity, heroism, and strength, Heracles and his myths are dominant forces in SUMMARY Greek mythology. It is the story of his twelve labors, The son of the god Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, Hera- however, that is most familiar to modern audiences. cles is both blessed and cursed from the start of his life. The story of Heracles’s twelve labors is an impor- Incredibly mighty and heroic, he accomplishes feats of tant component of both the life of Heracles and the pro- great strength at a young age. However, the goddess gression of Greek mythology. Before the myth properly Hera, Zeus’s wife, decides to punish Heracles in order begins, Heracles is driven into a rage by the goddess to take revenge for her husband’s infi delities. One day Hera. Heracles is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, she drives Heracles into a frenzy, during which he kills and jealous Hera, the immortal wife of Zeus, makes a his children. When Heracles then goes to the oracle of project out of tormenting the earthly hero. In that rage, Delphi to seek forgiveness, Hera infl uences the oracle, Heracles slaughters his children. Seeking forgiveness, who tells Heracles that he must swear allegiance to his he visits the oracle of Delphi and is ordered to serve his mortal cousin Eurystheus for twelve years, after which cousin Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns. Hera and Eurys- he will be redeemed and gain immortality. Hera, who is theus then set Heracles to his labors, which are designed in league with Eurystheus, plans to set Heracles to such to kill the hero, testing his strength, endurance, and wit great tasks during this time that he will meet his mortal in the most extreme of circumstances. death. The myth is an engaging and thrilling read, as Her- Eurystheus immediately orders Heracles to complete acles completes seemingly impossible tasks and en- ten great labors, which Heracles attempts with legend- counters the greatest monsters and gods of all Greek ary heroism. First, he slays the Nemean lion, an invulner- mythology. However, the myth is most important on a able beast born to the monster Typhon. When he brings symbolic level. Greek culture separated the realm of the the body of the beast back to Eurystheus, Eurystheus earth and mortality (the chthonic realm) from that of the realizes how strong Heracles truly is and commands 74 MYTHHERO_Book.indb 74 8/20/2013 2:14:01 PM Heracles’s Twelve Labors │ 75 bull, showing it to Eurystheus before letting it go free again. For his eighth labor, he captures the man-eating “When Hercules [Heracles] asked Plu- mares of King Diomedes, the son of the god Ares. In ad- to [Hades] for Cerberus, Pluto ordered dition to slaying Diomedes and taking the mares, Hera- him to take the animal provided he mas- cles founds a new city on the grave of Abderus, who had been the mares’ caretaker before dying during the battle. tered him without the use of the weapons For his ninth labor, Heracles goes to fetch the belt of which he carried. Hercules found him at Hippolyte, who is the queen of the Amazons, a commu- the gates of Acheron, and, cased in his nity of fierce warrior women. On the way to Hippolyte, he slays a massive army that attacks his ships. Hippolyte sky and immortality (the Olympian realm). The tale of cuirass and covered by the lion’s skin, at first offers the belt freely, but Hera, disguised as an Heracles’s twelve labors is the story of the chthonic and he flung his arms round the head of the Amazon, convinces the female army to attack Heracles, mortal hero proving his might and elevating himself to brute, and though the dragon in its tail and so he is forced to kill them all. Next, Heracles trav- the Olympian realm. He is a champion of Greek civili- els a great distance and kills many people in order to zation and of the immortal Olympians who lord above bit him, he never relaxed his grip and fetch the cattle of Geryon, a monster with the body of it. Because of this, as he conquers the great beasts of the pressure till it yielded.” three men. wilderness and vanquishes entire armies, he is demon- Eight years and one month after the start of the la- strating the power and value of the chthonic and Olym- Bibliotheca bors, Heracles finishes the tenth task. However, because pian realms both. When he completes his final task and he received help with the second labor and payment for returns from the underworld, he represents the ultimate the fifth, Eurystheus requires two more tasks of him. triumph, moving beyond the confines of mortality and For his eleventh labor, Heracles must fetch the apples becoming a deity. The rare story of a chthonic hero over- that he never enter the city again and instead bring proof of the Hesperides from the ends of the earth, where they coming his own nature, the myth of Heracles’s labors that he has completed each task to the city gates. Next, are guarded by the Hesperides themselves as well as an speaks to the hopes of Greek civilization and to the be- Heracles slays the Lernaean hydra, a nine-headed beast immortal dragon. Rather than steal the apples himself, lief that within one’s earthly self might rest something that had been killing cattle throughout the countryside. however, he convinces the Titan Atlas to do so for him. heroic, legendary, and immortal. When he fights the monster, he realizes that for every Because Atlas has been punished by Zeus and tasked head he cuts off, two more grow in its place, and so he with holding up the sky, Heracles takes his position tem- SUMMAry instructs his nephew, Iolaus, to burn the necks to prevent porarily and tricks Atlas into holding the sky when he The son of the god Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, Hera- new heads from growing back. Eurystheus, however, returns. Finally, Heracles enters the underworld itself cles is both blessed and cursed from the start of his life. denies the success of this labor, as Iolaus had assisted to capture Cerberus, a three-headed hellhound with the Incredibly mighty and heroic, he accomplishes feats of Heracles in the battle. tail of a dragon. After successfully wrestling the beast great strength at a young age. However, the goddess For his third labor, Heracles captures the Cerynitian without using weapons, Heracles is allowed to bring it Hera, Zeus’s wife, decides to punish Heracles in order hind, a beast precious to the goddess Artemis, after chas- to the gates of Eurystheus, though he returns it shortly to take revenge for her husband’s infidelities. One day ing it for an entire year. Next, he goes to capture the Ery- after. With this final labor complete, Heracles concludes she drives Heracles into a frenzy, during which he kills manthian boar. While this task is simple compared to the his obligation to Eurystheus, having done exactly as the his children. When Heracles then goes to the oracle of others, Heracles stops to visit the centaur Pholus and, oracle of Delphi asked of him years before. Delphi to seek forgiveness, Hera influences the oracle, after being convinced to drink the wine that belongs to who tells Heracles that he must swear allegiance to his the other centaurs, finds himself in a bloody battle when ANAlysis mortal cousin Eurystheus for twelve years, after which those centaurs return.