Lev Uspensky, Vsevolod Uspensky

This book contains legends of deep antiquity.

They were put together by the ancient Greeks back in those distant times, when people were just beginning to study the world around them, just starting to study and explain it.

Combining truth and fiction, they invented and told amazing stories. This is how many legends about gods, heroes and fantastic creatures developed.- legends, naively explaining the structure of the world and the fate of people. We call these traditions the Greek word “myths”.

Infinitely long ago, two and a half thousand years ago, Greek children, sitting on the warm sand at the city gates or on the stone slabs of temples, listened to how the blind rhapsode singers began these amazing narrations in a chant, pinching the strings of a quiet cithara in tune:

LISTEN, GOOD PEOPLE, ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED SOMEONE! ..

Several years before the treacherous Pelias treacherously seized the royal throne in noisy Iolca, wondrous deeds took place on the other side of the Greek land - where the ancient city of Mycenae lay among the mountains and valleys of Argolis.

A girl named Alcmene lived in this city in those days.

She was so beautiful that when they met her on their way, people stopped and looked after her in silent surprise.

She was so smart that the wisest elders sometimes questioned her and marveled at her reasonable answers.

She was so kind that fearful doves from the temple of Aphrodite, not shy away, descended to coo on her shoulders, and Philomela the nightingale sang his ringing songs at night near the wall of her house.

And, hearing him sing among the rose bushes and vines, people said to each other: “Look! Philomela himself glorifies the beauty of Alcmene and marvels at her! "

Alcmene grew up carelessly in her father's house and did not even think that she would ever have to leave it. But fate judged differently ...

One day a dusty chariot drove into the city gates of Mycenae. A tall warrior in shining armor ruled four tired horses. This is the brave Amphitryon, brother of the Argos king Sfenel, who came to Mycenae to seek his fortune.

Hearing the rumbling of wheels and snoring of horses, Alcmene went out onto the porch of her house. The sun was setting at that moment. Its rays scattered like red gold through the hair of a beautiful girl, enveloping her all with a purple shine. And as soon as Amphitryon saw her on the porch by the door, he forgot everything in the world.

Less than a few days later, Amphitryon went to Alcmene's father and began asking him to marry his daughter to him. Having learned who this young warrior was, the old man did not object to him.

The Mycenaeans celebrated a wedding feast merrily and noisily, and then Amphitryon put his wife on a magnificently decorated chariot and took her away from Mycenae. But they did not go to the hometown of Amphitryon - Argos: he could not return there.

Not so long ago, while hunting, he accidentally killed his nephew Electrius, the son of the old king Sfenel, with a spear. The enraged Sfenel drove his brother out of his possessions and forbade him to approach the Argos walls. He bitterly mourned his lost son and prayed to the gods to send him another child. But the gods remained deaf to his pleas.

That is why Amphitryon and Alcmene settled not in Argos, but in Fyves, where Amphitryon's uncle, Creon, was king.

Their lives flowed quietly. Only one thing upset Alcmene: her husband was such a passionate hunter that for the sake of chasing wild animals for whole days he left his young wife at home.

Every evening she went out to the gates of the palace to wait for the servants laden with prey and her husband, tired of the hunt. Every evening the setting sun, as it happened in Mycenae, again dressed her in its purple clothes. Then one day, on the threshold of the palace, illuminated by the crimson light of dawn, Alcmene saw the mighty Zeus, the most powerful of all the Greek gods, and, seeing, fell in love with her at first sight.

Zeus was not only powerful, but also cunning and cunning.

Although he already had a wife, the proud goddess Hera, he wanted to take Alcmene as his wife. However, no matter how much he appeared to her in sleepy visions, no matter how he tried to persuade her to stop loving Amphitryon, everything was in vain.

Then the insidious god decided to conquer her with a crafty deception. He made it so that all the game from all the forests of Greece fled to those Theban valleys, where Amphitryon was hunting at that time. The frantic hunter killed horned deer, fanged boars, light-footed goats in vain: every hour there were more and more of them around him. The servants called their master home, but he could not tear himself away from his favorite entertainment and day after day, week after week, he hunted, climbing deeper and deeper into the forest jungle. Meanwhile, Zeus himself turned into a man, like two drops of water similar to Amphitryon, jumped on his chariot and went to the Theban palace.

Hearing the familiar clatter of hooves and the sound of armor, Alcmene ran out onto the porch, rejoicing that she would finally see her long-awaited husband. The wonderful resemblance deceived her. She trustingly threw herself on the neck of the lying god and, calling her dear Amphitryon, took him into the house. So, with the help of magic and deception, Zeus became the husband of the beautiful Alcmene, while the real Amphitryon hunted for animals far from his palace.

A lot of time passed, and a son was to be born to Alcmene and Zeus. And then one night, when Alcmene was sleeping peacefully, the real Amphitryon returned. Seeing him in the morning, she was not at all surprised by this: after all, she was sure that her husband had been at home for a long time. That is why this deception, invented by Zeus, remained unsolved. The lord of the gods, leaving the Theban palace, returned to his transcendental dwelling on the high Mount Olympus. Knowing that the elder brother of Amphitryon, the Argos king Sfenel, has no children, he planned to make his son the heir of Sfenel and, when he was born, give him the kingdom of Argos.

Upon learning of this, the jealous goddess Hera, the first wife of Zeus, became very angry. She hated Alcmene with great hatred. She never wanted the son of this Alcmene to become the king of Argos.

Having conceived to destroy the boy as soon as he was born, Hera secretly appeared to Sfenel and promised that he would have a son, Eurystheus.

Knowing nothing about this, Zeus summoned all the gods to a council and said:

Hear me, goddesses and gods. On the first day of the full moon, when the moon becomes completely round, a boy will be born. He will reign in Argos. Do not think to do anything bad to him!

Hearing such words, Hera asked with a sly smile:

And if on this day two boys are born at once, who will then be the king?

The one who is born first, - answered Zeus. After all, he was sure that Hercules would be born first. He knew nothing about Eurystheus, the future son of Sfenel.

But Hera smiled even more sly and said:

Great Zeus, you often make promises that you then forget about. Swear before all the gods that the king of Argos will be the boy who is born first on the day of the full moon.

Zeus swore willingly. Then Hera did not waste time. She called the goddess of madness and stupidity Atu and ordered to steal the memory of Zeus. As soon as Zeus lost his memory, he forgot about Alcmene and the child who was supposed to be born to her.

Two nymphs (Depravity and Virtue) offered our hero, when he was still young, a choice between a pleasant, easy life or a hard, but glorious and full of exploits, and Hercules chose the latter. One of the first tests was arranged for him by King Thespius, who wanted the hero to kill a lion on Mount Kiferon. As a reward, the king offered him to impregnate each of his 50 daughters, which Hercules accomplished in one night (sometimes referred to as the 13th feat).

Later, the hero married Megara. sent him a fit of madness, as a result of which Hercules killed Megara and his children. Our hero went to the Delphic oracle to find out his fate. The Oracle was ruled by Hera, which he had no idea about. Following the prediction received, the hero went to serve King Eurystheus, fulfilling any of his orders for 12 years. Many victories were won in this service, their description is collected in the book "The Twelve Deeds of Hercules", whether this is myth or truth, each reader has the right to decide for himself. The heroic deeds brought great fame and fame to the hero. After all, just think, Hercules is known and remembered to this day, after many millennia!

Briefly twelve labors of Hercules will be described below.

Feat 1. Nemean Lion

The first task given to Hercules by Eurystheus (the hero's cousin) is to kill and bring his skin. It was believed that Leo was a descendant of Typhon and Echidna. He controlled the lands around Nemea and had such a thick hide that it was impenetrable by any weapon. When Hercules first tried to kill the beast, any of him and arrows, the club from which he pulled right out of the ground, and a bronze sword) turned out to be ineffective. Finally, the hero threw back his weapon, attacked Leo with his bare hands and strangled him (in some versions, he broke Leo's jaw).

Hercules had already lost faith in the ability to complete the task, since he could not skin the beast. However, the goddess Athena helped him, saying that the best tool for this is the claws of the animal itself. The twelve labors of Hercules were not accomplished without the help of the skin of the Nemean Lion, which was used for protection purposes.

Feat 2. Lernean Hydra

The second feat was the destruction of a sea creature with many heads and poisonous breath. The monster had so many heads that the ancient artist, painting on a vase, could not depict all of them. Arriving at a swamp in the area of ​​Lake Lerna, Hercules covered his mouth and nose with a cloth to protect them from the toxic fumes. He then shot red-hot arrows at the monster's lair to get its attention. Hercules attacked Hydra with a sickle. But, as soon as he cut off her head, he discovered that two more heads had grown in her place. Then our hero called his nephew, Iolaus, for help. Iolaus (possibly inspired by Athena) suggested using fire embers after they chop off Hydra's head. The animal's own poisonous blood was thus used to burn the heads so they could not grow back. When Eurystheus learned that Hercules was being helped by his nephew, he said that the feat was not counted for him.

Feat 3. Kerinean Doe

Eurystheus was very indignant that Hercules managed to avoid death by completing the two previous tasks, so he decided to spend more time thinking about the third test, which must certainly bring death to the hero. The third task was not related to the killing of the beast, since Eurystheus thought that Hercules could cope with even the most formidable opponents. The king sent him to capture the Kerinean Doe.

There were rumors about this animal that it runs so fast that it can outrun the flight of any arrow. Hercules noticed the Lan by the golden sheen of her horns. He pursued her for a year in the vastness of Greece, Thrace, Istria, Hyperborea. Our hero caught Doe when she was exhausted and could not continue to run. Eurystheus gave Hercules this difficult task also because he hoped to provoke the anger of the goddess Artemis for the desecration of the sacred animal. When the hero was returning with Lanya, he faced Artemis and Apollo. He asked the goddess for forgiveness, explaining his act by the fact that he had to catch the animal in order to atone for his guilt, but promised to return it. Artemis forgave Hercules. But, having arrived with Lanya to the court, he learned that the animal should remain in the royal menagerie. Hercules knew that he must return the Doe, as promised to Artemis, so he agreed to give it only on condition that Eurystheus himself went out and took the animal. The king left, and at the moment when our hero passed the Doe to the king, she fled.

Feat 4. Erymanthian Boar

The twelve labors of Hercules continues the fourth - the capture of the Erymanthian Boar. On the way to the place of the feat, the hero visited Fola, a kind and hospitable centaur. Hercules dined with him and then asked for wine. Fol had only one jug, a gift from Dionysus, but the hero convinced him to open the wine. The scent of the drink attracted other centaurs, who got drunk with the undiluted wine and attacked. Hercules shot them with his poison arrows, forcing the survivors to retreat to Chiron's cave.

Foul, interested in the arrows, took one and dropped it on his leg. The arrow also struck Chiron, who was immortal. Hercules asked Chiron how to catch the Boar. He replied that he needed to drive him into deep snow. Chiron's pain caused by an arrow wound was so strong that he voluntarily renounced immortality. Following his advice, Hercules caught the Boar and brought it to the king. Eurystheus was so frightened by the formidable appearance of the animal that he climbed into his chamber pot and asked Hercules to get rid of the beast. Twelve labors of Hercules, pictures and descriptions of the next labors, see below.

Feat 5. Augean stables

The story "The Twelve Labors of Hercules" continues with the cleansing of the Augean stables in one day. Eurystheus gave the hero such a task to humiliate him in the eyes of people, because the previous exploits glorified Hercules. The inhabitants of the stables were a gift from the gods, and therefore they never got sick or died, it was considered impossible to cleanse them. However, our hero succeeded, he came up with the idea to change the channels of the rivers Alfey and Peny, which washed all the dirt.

Augeas was angry because he had promised Hercules a tenth of his cattle if the work was done within 24 hours. He refused to keep his promise. Hercules killed him after completing the task, and transferred control of the kingdom to the son of Augeus, Philaeus.

Feat 6. Stymphalian birds

"The Twelve Labors of Hercules" the author continues with the next heroic deed. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to kill birds that feed on people. They were pets of Ares and were forced to fly to Stymphalia to avoid being pursued by a pack of wolves. These birds multiplied rapidly, invading the countryside and destroying local crops and fruit trees. The forest they lived in was very dark and dense. Athena and Hephaestus helped Hercules by forging huge copper rattles that frightened flying birds and helped the hero shoot them down with arrows. The surviving Stymphalian birds never returned to Greece.

Feat 7. Cretan bull

Hercules' seventh task was to travel to the island of Crete, where the local king Minos allowed him to take the bull, as he was wreaking havoc on the island. Hercules defeated the bull and sent him back to Athens. Eurystheus wanted to sacrifice the bull to the goddess Hera, who continued to be angry with the hero. She refused to accept such a gift, since it was obtained as a result of the victory of Hercules. The bull was released and went to wander around the Marathon. According to another version, he was killed near this city.

Feat 8. Horses of Diomedes

Hercules had to steal the horses. In different versions of the books "The Twelve Labors of Hercules", the titles of the exploits vary slightly, and the plot also changes somewhat. For example, according to one of the versions, the hero took his friend Abder and other men with him. They stole their horses and were pursued by Diomedes and his assistants. Hercules did not know that the horses were cannibals, and it was impossible to tame them. He left Abder to look after them, while he went to fight Diomedes. Abder was eaten by animals. In retaliation, Hercules fed Diomedes to his own horses.

According to another version, the hero gathered animals on a hill of the peninsula and quickly dug a trench, filling it with water, thus forming an island. When Diomedes arrived, Hercules killed him with the ax used to create the trench and fed his body to the horses. The meal made the horses calmer, and the hero took advantage of this to gag them and send them to Eurystheus. Then the horses were freed and began to roam in the vicinity of Argos, having calmed down forever. The twelve exploits of Hercules are portrayed by ancient artists in a very picturesque way.

Feat 9. Belt of Hippolyta

The ninth task of Hercules was to receive, at the request of Admeta, the daughter of Eurystheus, the belt of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons. The belt was a gift from Ares, the god of war. So the hero got to the land of the Amazons, a famous tribe of women warriors who lived on the banks of the Fermodont River, which flowed through the northeast of Asia Minor and emptied into the Black Sea.

According to one legend, in order to save their men, to leave them at home, the Amazons killed the arms and legs of male babies, making them unfit for war. According to another legend, they killed all the male babies. The Amazons' left chests were either exposed or cut off so as not to interfere with their use of a bow or throwing spears.

Hippolyta was so fascinated by the muscles and the lion's skin of the hero that she herself gave him the belt without a fight. But Hera, who continued to follow Hercules, took the form of an Amazon and spread among them a rumor that Hercules wanted to kidnap the queen. The Amazons rushed to the enemy. In the battle that followed, the hero killed Hippolyta and received a belt. Then he and his companions defeated the Amazons and returned with a trophy.

Feat 10. Geryon's Herd

Hercules had to travel to Erithea to receive Geryon's herd. On the way there, he crossed the Libyan desert and was so annoyed by the heat that he shot an arrow at the sun. The luminary was delighted with his exploits and gave him a golden boat, which it used every night to swim across the sea from west to east. Hercules reached Eritea by boat. As soon as he set foot on this land, he encountered a two-headed dog, Orff. With one blow, our hero killed the watchdog. The shepherd came to the aid of Orff, but Hercules dealt with him in the same way.

Hearing the noise, Geryon himself went to the hero with three shields, three spears and three helmets. He pursued Hercules on the Antemus River, but fell victim to an arrow dipped in the poisonous blood of the Lernaean Hydra. The arrow was fired with such force that the hero pierced Geryon's forehead with it. The herd was sent to Eurystheus.

To annoy Hercules, Hera sent a gadfly, which stung the animals, forcing them to scatter. It took the hero a year to gather the herd. Then Hera made a flood, raising the level of the river so that Hercules, along with the herd, could not cross it. Then our hero threw stones into the water and made the water level lower. Eurystheus sacrificed the flock to the goddess Hera.

Feat 11. Apples of the Hesperides

Eurystheus did not count two exploits for Hercules, since they were accomplished with the help of others or bribery, so he assigned the hero two additional tasks. The first was to steal apples from the garden of the Hesperides. Hercules first caught Nereus, the sea-wave god, and asked him where the garden was. Then he tricked Atlas by promising him some golden apples if he agreed to hold the sky for a while. When the hero returned, Atlas decided that he would not want to hold more of the sky, and offered to deliver the apples himself. Hercules again deceived him, agreeing to take his place on the condition that he would hold the sky for a while so that the hero could straighten his cloak. Atlas agreed, but Hercules left and never returned.

On the way back, our hero had to go through many adventures. In Libya, he met the giant Antaeus, the son of Gaia and Poseidon, who loved to fight his guests to the point of exhaustion, and then kill them. As they fought, Hercules realized that the giant's strength and energy were renewed every time he fell to the ground, since the Earth was his mother. Then the hero lifted the giant high into the air and crushed him with his hands.

Arriving in the Caucasus Mountains, he met the titan Prometheus, who was chained to a rock for 30,000 years. Taking pity on him, Hercules killed the eagle, who feasted on the titan's liver every day for all these years. Then he went to the wounded centaur Chiron, see feat 4 ("The Twelve Feats of Hercules", summary), who begged him to be relieved of pain.

When the hero finally brought Eurystheus, the king immediately gave him the fruits back, since they belonged to Hera and could not remain outside the garden. Hercules handed them over to Athena, who returned the apples to their place.

Feat 12. The Taming of Cerberus

The twelve labors of Hercules are closed by the taming of Cerberus from the underworld of Hades. Hades was the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld. The hero went first to Eleusis to be initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries and to be able to enter the underworld and return from there alive, and at the same time to absolve himself of the guilt for killing the centaurs. Athena and Hermes helped him find the entrance to the underworld.

Hercules walked past Charon, the shadow carrier, with the help of Hermes. In hell, he freed Theseus, but when he tried to free his friend Pirithous, an earthquake began, and the hero was forced to leave him in the underworld. Both friends were imprisoned for trying to kidnap Persephone, Hades' wife, and were magically chained to a stone. The magic spell was so strong that when Hercules freed Theseus, part of his thighs remained on the stone.

The hero appeared before the throne of Hades and Persephone and asked permission to take Cerberus. The gods agreed, but on condition that he did not harm him. According to one version, Persephone gave her consent because Hercules was her brother. Then our hero took the dog Eurystheus, passing through the cave at the entrance to the Peloponnese. When he returned with Cerberus to the palace, Eurystheus was so frightened by the formidable beast that he jumped into a large vessel to escape from it. The first poisonous plants, including aconite, grew from the dog's saliva that fell to the ground.

You have read the "Twelve Labors of Hercules" summary. A whole book is devoted to these exploits. The collection "The Twelve Feats of Hercules" Kuhn compiled, bringing together all the exploits of the hero. Another option was suggested by a Russian writer. In the book "The Twelve Feats of Hercules," Ouspensky set out his vision no less interesting.

The cinema also did not stay away from these fascinating myths. The film "Twelve Feats of Hercules" exists in many versions in different countries of the world, there are even series dedicated to these events.

All the exploits of Hercules

1 - The first feat of Hercules: Nemean lion
2 - The second feat of Hercules: Lernaean hydra briefly
3 - The third feat of Hercules: Stymphalian birds
4 - The fourth feat of Hercules: the Kerineys doe
5 - The fifth feat of Hercules: the Erymanthian boar and the battle with the centaurs
6 - The sixth feat of Hercules: the Animal Farm of King Avgius
7 - Seventh feat of Hercules: Cretan bull
8 - The Eighth Feat of Hercules: The Horses of Diomedes
9 - Ninth Feat of Hercules: Belt of Hippolyta
10 - Tenth Feat of Hercules: Geryon's Cows
11 - Eleventh feat eleventh Hercules - Abduction of Cerberus
12 - Twelfth Feat of Hercules - Golden Apples of the Hesperides

Even shorter about the exploits of Hercules:

• Even before he was born, this amazing boy attracted special attention.
  The goddess of justice Hera once again learned that her husband had cheated on her, and, moreover, that an ordinary woman of undivine origin expecting a child from her Zeus, got angry in earnest, and decided that it was necessary at all costs, to make life accidental unbearable offspring.

Now a little more about the hero's great achievements themselves.

During the the first feat of Hercules strangled a huge Nemean lion. At first, the son of Zeus fired arrows, but they only frightened the beast a little. Then the lion was stunned with a club, and soon he was strangled by Hercules with his own hand. Mindful of Hercules, he founded the Nemean Games, named after a slain lion, subsequently this event was widely celebrated in the ancient Peloponnese every few years, with an interval of 1 year.

This event was very significant, as it became the most 1 of the 12 labors of Hercules.

Next feat (second feat) consisted in the fact that it was necessary to destroy a huge hydra, a monster with the body of a snake and the heads of a dragon. Hydra killed people and livestock, and therefore everyone was afraid of her. Hercules did not immediately manage to deal with this monster.

The hero chopped off one head, but each time two new ones appeared in place of each severed part. And so it went on until the fire was used, which burned the hydra's necks.

The third feat is associated with the Stimphalia birds. They terrorized as well as the hydra and killed people and livestock with their brass claws and sharp beak. They also threw their metal feathers from a great height, which, like arrows, were capable of killing in one second. The goddess of war gifted the hero by giving him two special musical instruments, the sounds of which made the birds fly away.

Hercules shot a little more than half of the flock from a bow, and the surviving birds, on pain of death, left their original habitat and never returned to Hellas.

What awaited our hero next? Then a fallow deer appeared on the nearby lands. Of course, not a simple one, but with solid copper claws and golden horns. The question arises, where did she come from there. It turns out that the goddess of the hunt was angry with people and sent them this doe as punishment. For days, the doe ran around the nearby territory, and destroyed forests and fields. The fourth feat of Hercules was precisely to pacify this same doe. After a year of unsuccessful attempts and pursuit of the animal, the Hero overtook her and shot her. Then he took it and went to Eurystheus, giving him the carcass of the killed animal, as a trophy obtained.

What awaited Hercules in his fifth feat? It turned out that one of the representatives of the animal world, the owner of unrealistic physical strength, a wild boar instilled fear in everyone. Hercules had to deal with him. Having found a boar, the hero coped with it, driving it into a snowdrift. Hercules tied the beast and brought it to Eurystheus, who, at the sight of a huge boar, got scared and hid.

King Augean had large herds of bulls, which were kept in a rather large barnyard, which included stables. Augeus started up his economy strongly. It turned out that for almost 30 years no one had cleaned there. Hercules kindly offered the king to cleanse his stables, saying that he would do it in just one day, while asking for a considerable part of his bulls from the common herd, if he succeeded in his plans. Augeas considered that Hercules would not keep his promise, the task was too unbearable, and agreed to an adventure. However, Hercules, as you know, is not so easy, if he takes up something, he is firmly confident in his own strength. With the help of a dam, he blocked the nearby rivers and directed their waters to the courtyard of Avgius. The stables were thus cleared in due time.
Only now the obscenely greedy and greedy king Augeas did not want to give Hercules what he had promised as payment for the business. Therefore, after a certain number of years, finally freeing himself from the Eurysthean oppression, Hercules gathered an army, defeating Augean in a fair fight and killed the king. After this event, as myths say, he established the famous Olympic Games for all of us.

The king of the island of Crete Minos disobeyed Poseidon and did not perform the sacrifice, did not provide him with a bull. The enraged god of the water element sent fury to the bull. The animal began to run all over Crete, simultaneously destroying everything around, as if not noticing the obstacles in its path. Hercules did the following: he managed to calm down the bull and with his help crossed the sea surface to the Peloponnese. Eurystheus decided not to accept this heroic deed and ordered to let the bull go. The animal, in turn, once again out of control, rushed to the north of Hellas, where he was killed by Theseus. This is the story of the seventh feat of Hercules, which he accomplished almost without difficulty.

In order to carry out his other feat, Hercules went to the king of Thrace, Diomedes. This king was distinguished by cruelty and composure. He had horses of unprecedented beauty and unsurpassed strength, but so violent that they could only be restrained by tight iron chains. The king used human meat as food for his pets, first killing strangers arriving in his possession for this. Hercules, with the help of his great power, took the horses from Diomedes. Of course, Diomedes resisted, but the brave Hercules defeated him.

For ninth feat Eurystheus came up with a more difficult problem. The daughter of Eurystheus wished for permanent use the belt of the Amazon, Hippolyta, who kept and protected this belt as a sign of her power, having received it from Ares. For this, Hercules with his squad went to the habitat of the Amazons. Hippolyta was ready to give up the belt of her own free will, only the other Amazons rebelled, as a result of which Hercules had to face the strongest and most cunning warriors in battle, seven of whom were killed, the rest preferred to flee. As a result, Hippolyta gave the belt to Hercules as a ransom for the Amazon, who was captured by the hero.

Then, at the direction of Eurystheus, Hercules went on his tenth feat. He needed to deliver the king's cow herds of the giant Geryon. It was not at all an easy matter. The giant had only three: three whole heads, three whole bodies, and three pairs of arms and legs, for a total of six. Although in itself the long journey for the cows was already a real feat, because Geryon lived on the distant island of Erythia, the hero's task was different. To somehow cope with her, Hercules needed help, and none other than Helios, the very embodiment of the sun, helped him. He lent him his horses and a golden chariot, the one on which God himself flies through the sky every day, warning that it is very difficult to drive the cart. One awkward movement and the structure will immediately collapse and crash to the ground.
Hercules, having reached their destination, killed Geryon's guards, captured the cows and led them towards the sea. But Geryon did not want to surrender and began to resist Hercules. Only now Hercules was not at a loss and killed the giant, using his faithful bow and well-aimed arrows for this, and transported the cows on the raft of Helios to Mycenae. But the troubles did not end there. Hera once again decided to show her hatred towards her husband's illegitimate heir, and therefore sent out rage. Hercules with great difficulty, but still managed to pacify them and re-assemble them into a single herd. The cattle were subsequently sacrificed to the goddess of marriage.

Once again, on behalf of Eurystheus, Hercules went to fulfill his penultimate eleventh feat.

This time he had to get to find the great titan Atlas, or as he was also called, Atlanta, who had been performing one important task all his life, independently held the firmament, and was at the very end of the earth. Eurystheus wished Hercules to deliver him three golden apples from the golden tree of the Atlas garden. Along the way, the hero expected difficulties, with which he courageously coped and reached the final goal. Atlas agreed that he himself could get to his own and bring golden apples, but only Hercules at that time had to replace him at his post, and hold the firmament on his shoulders, just as the titan did, otherwise he would collapse down ... But not everything was so simple, in fact, Atlas wanted to lead Hercules. He offered to personally take the apples to Eurystheus, while Hercules would continue to fulfill his duties. But the hero, having seen through the not too tricky, but still rather cunning plan of the titan, did not succumb to his tricks and did not fall for anything. Hercules asked Atlas to hold the sky for a few minutes to rest, and in the meantime he took the apples and fled. And so the last of the many exploits of Hercules was accomplished.

So, Hercules came to the end of his 12 labors.

To do this, he had to get to the dark kingdom of Hades, but the descent itself was not a feat, Hercules had a much more difficult task. He needed to deliver from there to Mycenae the chief guard and faithful companion of Hades, a three-headed dog named Cerberus, who, among other things, had the head of a dragon on its tail. The god of the dead personally gave permission to Hercules to take Cerberus into the earthly world, but the hero was obliged to calm him down on his own. Having found the monster, Hercules began to tame him. He practically strangled the dog, when the animal finally calmed down, Hercules was able to take him to the earth's surface and brought him to Mycenae. Cowardly Eurystheus, not for the first time showed his worthlessness. Barely glancing at the terrible beast, he wished Hercules to return the terrible dog back to Hades, and, of course, the hero did just that.

As soon as all the exploits were over, Hercules finally freed himself from the oppression of Eurystheus forever. No obstacles prevented the hero from reaching his goal, even the supreme goddess Hera herself could not do anything. Heracles was so strong and smart that he could not care less about anything.

In addition, he knew how to quite easily find an assistant, including one of divine origin. This, of course, greatly facilitated his task, but still, the hero would hardly have coped, albeit with the support of the gods, if in fact he was not so exceptional.
The sequence of the 12 exploits of Hercules can be interpreted in different ways, very often the 11th and 12th exploits change places, but this actually does not change the essence, Hercules is another real hero who was presented to us by antiquity. And this is really impossible to argue with.

Once the evil Hera sent a terrible illness to Hercules. The great hero lost his mind, madness took possession of him. In a fit of rage, Hercules killed all his children and the children of his brother Iphicles. When the seizure was over, deep sorrow overtook Hercules. Having cleansed himself of the filth of his involuntary murder, Hercules left Thebes and went to the sacred Delphi to ask the god Apollo what to do. Apollo ordered Hercules to go to the homeland of his ancestors in Tiryns and serve Eurystheus for twelve years. Through the lips of the Pythia, the son of Latona predicted to Hercules that he would receive immortality if he performed twelve great feats at the behest of Eurystheus. Hercules settled in Tiryns and became a servant of the weak, cowardly Eurystheus ...

Books about the exploits of Hercules

There are a variety of books on sale about the exploits of Hercules - both for children and adults. The most interesting:

Feats of Hercules retelling by Grigory Petnikov... For primary school age. A very good publication for children, and for high school too, and even for senior.

Ancient Greek Myths: The Exploits of Hercules... Fabulous illustrated beautiful book tells about the adventures of the brave Herkal. A very colorful, well-illustrated book, the exploits are outlined in an abbreviated form. It will be interesting for children to read.

The exploits of Hercules as retold by L. Yakhnin- a good start to acquaintance with the myths of Ancient Greece. Excellent hardcover edition, there are two introductory chapters "The Birth of a Hero" and "Erisfeo and Hercules", 12 exploits are described.

Feats of Hercules

The first feat. Nemean lion.

Hercules did not have to wait long for the first order of King Eurystheus. He instructed the hero to kill the Nemean lion. This lion, a terrible offspring of Typhon and Echidna, was monstrous in size and was much stronger and larger than the predators of this breed that were found at that distant time in the south of Europe. He lived near the city of Nemea, where the goddess of the rainbow Iris brought him, and devastated all the surroundings; from one of his roars, which sounded like thunder in the gorges, all living things fled. But the fearless Hercules boldly set out on a dangerous feat.

On the way to the lion's den on Mount Tret, Hercules wandered into the light in the wretched hut of the landowner Molorch. Rejoicing that a daredevil was found, ready to rid the area of ​​the fierce beast, Molorch grabbed a knife to slaughter the only ram for the guest. But Hercules stopped him.

Good person! Hold your four-legged for a while. If I return within thirty days, you will sacrifice the ram to Zeus the Savior, and if I stay there, you will slay it to the underground gods.

Arriving in Nemea, the hero immediately went to the mountains to find the lion's den. It was already noon when he reached the slopes of the mountains. Not a single living soul was seen anywhere: neither shepherds nor farmers. For a long time Hercules wandered along the wooded slopes of the mountains and gorges. Finally, when the chariot of Helios began to lean towards the west, he found the lion's lair in a gloomy gorge by the disgusting smell of rotting meat. The ferocious predator killed more than he could eat, and no one dared to pick up leftovers. Where the carrion was rotting was the entrance to a huge cave. Having carefully examined the area, the hero found a way out of the same cave and carefully filled it with huge blocks. After that, he returned to the entrance, hid behind stones and, plugging his nose so as not to suffocate, began to wait.

Toward evening, when dusk was already approaching, a monstrous lion with a long shaggy mane appeared. Smelling the scent of a man, he roared furiously and began hitting the ground with his tail, raising a column of dust above the trees. Hercules pulled the string of his bow and shot three arrows one after another at the lion. All the arrows hit the beast's side, but bounced off its skin - it was as hard as steel. The lion roared menacingly, its roar rolled like thunder over the mountains. Looking around in all directions, the beast stood in the gorge and looked with burning fury eyes for the one who dared to shoot arrows at him. But then he saw Hercules and threw himself with a huge jump on the hero.

Like lightning, the club of Hercules flashed and fell with a thunderous blow on the lion's head. He fell to the ground, stunned by a terrible blow, after which Hercules rushed at him, grabbed the throat of the wriggling lion with his mighty hands and pressed until he strangled him.

Meanwhile, Molorch was patiently waiting for Hercules, making notches on the staff. After the thirtieth notch, he untied the ram from the tree and dragged it to the cliff to sacrifice to Hades and Persephone. But, before reaching the cliff, the farmer saw Hercules walking cheerfully, waving a lion's skin from a distance!

Give the ram to Zeus! - said the hero, embracing Molorch. - And glorify the day of our meeting with the Nemean Games.

When Hercules brought the lion he had killed to Mycenae, Eurystheus turned pale with fear, looking at the monstrous lion. The king of Mycenae realized what superhuman strength Hercules possesses. He forbade him even to approach the gate of Mycenae; when Hercules brought evidence of his exploits, Eurystheus looked at them with horror from the high Mycenaean walls. He even built a bronze pithos for himself in the ground, where he hid when Hercules returned, having completed another feat, and communicated with him only through the herald Koprey.

Zeus marked the first of the great deeds of his son by creating the constellation Leo, included in the twelve signs of the Zodiac, just as the victory over the Nemean lion was included in the twelve labors of Hercules ...

The second feat. Lernean hydra.

After the first feat, Eurystheus sent Hercules to kill the Lernean hydra.

It was a monster with the body of a snake and nine dragon heads. Like the Nemean lion, this multi-headed water serpent was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna; Hera raised her to destroy Hercules. The hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna, where there was an entrance to the underworld, and, crawling out of its lair, destroyed whole herds and devastated all the surroundings. The fight against the nine-headed hydra was dangerous because one of its heads was immortal.

Taking the son of Iphicles, his nephew, Iolaus, as his assistants, and seizing, on the advice of Athena, a copper weapon, Hercules procured a wagon and set off on the road to Lerna. As soon as the fetid swamp appeared, Hercules left Iolaus with a chariot in a nearby grove, and he went to look for the hydra.

He noticed a hill in the middle of the swamp and, jumping over the bumps, went towards it. There was a hole - a cave entrance, half hidden by bushes, from which came a menacing hiss. Soon, several heads on long necks protruded outward, and then a body covered with scales and a long wriggling tail appeared.

Not allowing the monster to attack first, Hercules red-hot his arrows and began to shoot them one after another at the hydra, which led her into indescribable rage. She crawled out, writhing a body covered with shiny scales, from the darkness of the cave, rose menacingly on her huge tail and was about to rush at the hero, but the son of Zeus stepped on her body and pressed her to the ground. With its tail, the hydra wrapped around the legs of Hercules and tried to knock him down. Like an unshakable rock, the hero stood and, with the waves of a heavy club, one after another knocked down the heads of the hydra. A club whistled in the air like a whirlwind; the heads of the hydra flew off, but the hydra was still alive. Then Hercules noticed that the monstrous snake in the place of each knocked off head grows two new ones.

Help came to the hydra. Hera sent a giant cancer against the hero, who crawled out of the swamp and dug his claws into Hercules' leg, restraining his movements. Then the hero had to call on his friend for help and fight with two opponents at once, until Iolaus, who arrived in time, with great difficulty unhooked the cancer and threw it aside so hard that he thereby killed the monster. Then he lit a part of the nearby grove and with burning tree trunks burned the hydra's necks from which Hercules knocked heads with his club, from this new heads stopped growing.

Weaker and weaker resisted the decapitated hydra to the son of Zeus. Finally, the immortal head flew off and, hitting the last time with its tail, the snake quieted down and collapsed dead to the ground. The victorious Hercules buried her immortal head deeply and piled a huge rock on her so that she could not come out into the light again. Then the great hero cut the body of the hydra and plunged his arrows into her poisonous bile. Since then, the wounds from the arrows of Hercules have become incurable.

When Hercules and Iolaus left, Hera picked up her cancer and lifted it to heaven. There appeared a constellation that looks like a cancer with crooked claws. It rises in the sky during the hottest time of the year, reminding of Hera's gratitude to everyone who helped to destroy the hero she hated.

Hercules returned to Tiryns with great triumph. But there a new order from Eurystheus awaited him ...

The third feat. Birds of the Stymphalian lake.

What misfortunes do not fall on the human race! Somehow, a couple of monstrous birds, feathered with bronze feathers, with copper claws and beaks, descended into the forest on the shore of Lake Stymphalian in Arcadia. Having multiplied with extraordinary rapidity, they turned into a huge flock and in a short time turned all the outskirts of the city almost into a desert: they destroyed the entire crop of the fields, exterminated the animals grazing on the rich shores of the lake, killed many shepherds and farmers. Taking off, the birds dropped their feathers like arrows, and hit everyone who was in the open with them, or tore them apart with their copper claws and beaks. Learning about this misfortune of the Arcadians, Eurystheus sent Hercules to them, as if to help, but in fact - to destroy the hero.

It was difficult for Hercules to fulfill this order of Eurystheus. Hiding under a spreading oak tree, Hercules studied the habits of monstrous birds for a long time. He realized that not a single arrow would pierce their bronze plumage and birds are vulnerable only at the moment when they throw out their feathers, and new ones have not yet grown.

The warrior Pallas Athena came to his aid. She gave Hercules two copper tympans, forged by the blacksmith god Hephaestus, and ordered Hercules to stand on a high hill near the forest where the Stymphalian birds nested, and hit the tympanes; when the birds take off, shoot them with a bow.

Encouraged by the help, the hero ran out into the open and, striking the tympans, raised a terrifying roar. Hearing such a deafening ringing, the birds flew out of their nests, flew up in a huge flock over the forest and began to swirl madly in the air in terror. Hercules raised a shield over his head, and the bronze feathers falling from above did not harm him.

As soon as the whistle of falling feathers subsided, Hercules threw back his shield and began to strike the birds with deadly arrows that did not miss. Some of the predators fell to the ground. Others, in fear soared to the clouds, hid from the eyes of the son of Zeus. They flew out of Greece, to the distant shores of Pontus Euxine and never returned to Arcadia.

After completing the order of Eurystheus, Hercules returned to Mycenae. There a new, even more difficult feat awaited him ...

The fourth feat. Kerinean fallow deer.

The shepherds were the first to see the extraordinary doe. She stood on the cliff of the Kerinean Mountains with her head thrown high. She was very beautiful: her skin under the rays of Helios flamed like copper, and her horns sparkled as if they were pure gold.

Soon the whole Arcadia learned about the amazing doe. Unaware of tiredness, she ran like the wind through meadows and fields, devastating them, trampling grass and crops. It became clear that this was not an ordinary fallow deer, which are hunted in the mountains, but an animal created by the mistress of beasts Artemis as punishment for people. Not otherwise, some hunter was guilty before her, who did not share his prey with the goddess!

Eurystheus visited the Kerinean fallow deer. Knowing that Hercules, by his physique, is more of a fighter than a runner, he commanded to catch the animal and bring it alive under the walls of Mycenae. Hearing this order, Hercules shuddered. The hero did not give in to the difficulties of an extraordinary hunt. But he knew that the doe was given by Artemis to the daughter of Atlanta Taygeta, and, knowing how jealous the goddess was to her gifts, the hero feared to provoke her anger.

And yet I had to start fishing.

As soon as the doe met Hercules, he chased her. She, like a whirlwind, rushed through the mountains, across the plains, jumped over precipices, swam across rivers. The hero did not lag behind her, pursued her, not losing sight of her. Sensing that the Peloponnese might become a trap, the animal rushed through the Isthm to the north. Following the deer, Hercules ran through Attica, Boeotia and Thesprotia, which later became known as Thessaly; circled Olympus three times, jumping over gorges, overcoming foamy rivers. The doe fled further and further to the north, and after a while they ended up in Thrace, and then reached the far north - the country of the Hyperboreans and the sources of Istria.

Here she stopped, counting on the help of her mistress Artemis and her brother Apollo. But the divine brother and sister, without interfering, watched the chase.

The hero was about to grab the doe, but the beautiful animal escaped and, realizing that there would be no help, he rushed back with an arrow to the south, to the garden of the Hesperides, hoping to rest there. When Hercules overtook the doe there, she decided to return to Arcadia - a new pursuit began. The journey from west to east took several months, and during this time neither the doe nor its pursuer rested. In Arcadia, the great son of Zeus again overtook the beautiful golden-horned fugitive

The chase had been going on for a whole year. Desperate to catch the doe, Hercules drew his bow and directed his unmistakable arrow at the animal's leg. The doe limped, and only then did the hero manage to grab her. Hercules put the wonderful doe on his shoulders and was about to carry it to Mycenae, when at the same moment an angry Artemis appeared before him and said:

Didn't you know, Hercules, that this doe is mine? Why did you insult me ​​by wounding my beloved doe? Do you not know that I do not forgive insults? Or do you think that you are more powerful than the Olympian gods?

With reverence, Hercules bowed before the beautiful goddess and replied:

Oh, great daughter of Latona, do not blame me! I have never insulted the immortal gods living on the bright Olympus; I have always honored the celestials with rich victims and never considered myself equal to them, although I myself am the son of the thunderer Zeus. Not of my own free will I pursued your doe, but at the behest of Eurystheus. The gods themselves commanded me to serve him, and I dare not disobey his evil will!

As the hero made excuses, the stone face of Artemis softened, she forgave Hercules his guilt, allowed the doe to be shouldered and delivered to Eurystheus.

The great hero brought the Kerinean fallow deer alive to Mycenae and gave it to the evil king ...

Fifth feat. The Erymanthian Boar and the Battle with the Centaurs.

After the hunt for the copper-footed doe, which lasted a whole year, Hercules did not rest for long. Having recovered from the rage caused by the fulfillment of the impossible, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring alive the monstrous boar that lived on Mount Erimanth in the same Arcadia.

This boar, possessing monstrous strength, devastated the surroundings of the city of Psophis. He did not give people mercy and killed them with his huge fangs. Hercules went to the boar's lair.

On the way, he visited the wise centaur Fall. Foul accepted the great son of Zeus with honor and arranged a feast for him. During the feast, the centaur opened a large vessel of wine to treat the hero better. The fragrance of the wondrous wine spread far away. Other centaurs also heard this fragrance. They were terribly angry with Fool for opening the vessel. Wine belonged not only to Fall, but was the property of all centaurs. The centaurs rushed to Fall's dwelling and attacked him and Hercules by surprise as the two feasted merrily with ivy wreaths on their heads.

Hercules was not afraid of the centaurs. He quickly jumped up from his bed and began to throw huge smoking brands at the attackers. The centaurs fled, and Hercules wounded them with his poisonous arrows, and then pursued them all the way to Maleia. There the centaurs took refuge with a friend of Hercules, Chiron, the wisest of the centaurs. Hercules followed them into the cave. In anger he drew his bow, an arrow flashed in the air and plunged into the knee of one of the centaurs.

Hercules did not hit the enemy, but his friend Chiron. Great sorrow gripped the hero when he saw who he had wounded. Hercules is in a hurry to wash and bandage his friend's wound, but nothing could help. Hercules knew that a wound from an arrow poisoned by the bile of the Lernaean hydra was incurable. Chiron also knew that he was facing a painful death. In order not to suffer from a wound, he subsequently voluntarily descended into the dark kingdom of Hades.

In deep sadness, Hercules left Chiron and soon reached Mount Erimanth. There, following the tracks left in the trees by fangs, the hero found a boar's lair in a dense forest and drove him out of the thicket with a loud cry. The sight of Hercules, armed with a cudgel, terrified the boar, and he rushed wherever his eyes would look. The hero chased the monster for a long time, until he drove him into deep snow on the top of one of the high mountains. The boar got stuck in the snow, and Hercules, throwing the boar on his back with one jump, tied him up, put the boar on his shoulder and began to descend into the lowland to carry it alive to Mycenae. Everyone who met Hercules on the way joyfully greeted the hero who liberated the Peloponnese from terrible danger.

Eurystheus, seeing his subordinate returning with a boar, in horror climbed into the bronze pithos, deeply dug into the ground ...

The sixth feat. Animal farm of King Avgius.

In all Elis, and in Elis - in the entire Peloponnese, there was no richer king Avgius, the son of Helios. In his barnyard, there were more than five hundred bulls alone. There were a dozen cows for every bull, and every cow brought a calf every year. Another would, in the place of Avgius, share his riches with neighboring kings or give calves to shepherds. But it's not for nothing that they say - the richer, the more stingy! Augeus surrounded the barnyard with a strong fence and spent all his days counting animals, fearing that they might be stolen. Bulls and cows moved from place to place, Augeus lost count and started all over again. He didn’t have time to remove the huge heaps of manure. The calves began to drown in the slurry, but Augeus did not notice this. He counted and counted everything.

Soon, the stench spread throughout Elis, and in Elis - throughout the Peloponnese, and King Eurystheus, climbing the walls of Mycenae, caught an unpleasant smell.

What does it carry? he asked, wrinkling his nose.

Augean riches, one courtier responded.

So Eurystheus found out the reason for the stench and, since he was used to entrusting Hercules with the most difficult work, he decided to entrust him with the dirtiest. Waiting for the return of the hero, he imagined how he would be smeared when he would rake out the sewage. The thought made him unusually happy, and he rubbed his palms, grinning.

Finally Eurystheus waited for his hour. Explaining the order to Hercules who was standing under the wall, he choked with laughter.

Ha! Ha! Clean out the barnyard of King Augean! Ha! Ha!

Hercules shrugged his shoulders and set off in silence. Appearing to Augius, he examined the surroundings of the stockyard and the courtyard itself, and only after that did he come to the royal palace.

I am ready to clear your yard of manure, he explained to the king, if you give me a tenth of the herd.

How long will it take for you? - asked Augeas.

One day, Hercules answered.

Then I agree! - answered the king. For such work you will get everything you want.

The king agreed because he was convinced that it was impossible to remove mountains of dung in one day.

Meanwhile, Hercules broke the hedge that surrounded the stockyard on both sides and, with the help of a ditch, introduced the water of the mountain river Menea there. A stream of water in the middle of the day toppled the piles of manure and carried them outside. Having made abundant sacrifices to Meneas, so that the river god forgave the dirty work imposed on his waters, and having restored the fence, Hercules went to the palace.

Well, what else do you want? ”The king said displeasedly, but I promised to give a tenth of the cattle when you did the work.

I did it, said Hercules.

Having appeared at the place, Augeas was convinced that Hercules had not deceived. The barnyard was clean, and the ditch that remained showed how Hercules had succeeded.

The river has done your work! Said Augeas, and I am ready to pay her, but not you.

Hercules did not object, but silently vowed to take revenge on the deceiver. Several years later, having already freed himself from service with Eurystheus, Hercules invaded Elis with an army of Argos, Thebans and Arcadians. The king of Pylos, Neleus, came to the aid of Augeas. Hercules defeated the enemy army and struck Avgius with an arrow. Then he took Pylos, where Neleus fled, mortally wounded the king and killed his eleven sons. Only one son of Neleus survived - Nestor, the same one who later took part in the Trojan War and became famous for his longevity and extraordinary wisdom ...

The seventh feat. Cretan bull.

There were no more wild beasts and fierce monsters left on the Greek mainland. All were destroyed by Hercules. And Eurystheus ordered him to go to the island of Crete lying in the middle of the sea and bring the bull of Poseidon from there to Mycenae. The god of the seas gave this bull to Minos so that he would sacrifice it. But the bull was so good that Minos, the most cunning of mortals, killed his bull and left the one destined for sacrifice in the herd. After learning about the deception, Poseidon sent rabies to the animal. Rushing around the island, the bull trampled fields, dispersed herds, killed people. Not doubting that Hercules would defeat the bull, Eurystheus did not imagine how he would be able to deliver it alive, and not by land, but by water. "What sailor would agree to let a passenger with a mad bull on board ?!" - he thought and giggled maliciously.

Hercules listened to the new order calmly, for he knew that if the bull went mad, Poseidon took off his concern for him.

No one dared to approach the animal even on the flight of an arrow, and Hercules boldly went out to meet him, grabbed the horns and bent his mighty head to the ground. Feeling incredible strength, the bull resigned and became meek like a lamb. But the Cretans were so afraid of the bull that they asked Hercules to leave the island as soon as possible. Hercules sat down on the bull's back and drove it into the sea. Obeying the hero, the bull never tried to throw the rider into the depths of the sea. And on land he remained the same obedient and let himself be brought into the stall.

Hercules, who had not slept for several nights, went to rest. When I woke up, the bull was not there. Eurystheus ordered him to be released, as one kind of animal terrified him.

Eighth feat. Diomedes horses.

The gates of Mycenae in those days were open to all unarmed. The guards let through both rich merchants with goods and beggars who went for alms. So a stranger found himself in the city in rags, barely covering his skinny body, with a fragment of an oar on his shoulder, indicating the misfortune befell him. The unfortunate man shocked the imagination of those who listened to him with the story of his disasters. Soon the beggar was invited to the palace.

I heard, said Eurystheus, that you alone managed to escape Poseidon's rage. How did it happen?

Our ship was smashed against the rocks, the beggar began, but we all swam ashore. Armed warriors were already waiting there, judging by the forelocks and images impaled on their chests - the Thracians. They led us into the interior of the country, pushing us with their spears. Finally we approached a log building surrounded by a high fence. From the loud neighing and clatter of hooves, we realized that this was a stable, and decided that they wanted to make us grooms. But when the gate opened, we saw that the courtyard was strewn with human bones. We were pushed behind the fence, and one of the Thracians shouted: "Let go!" The horses burst out of the stall. You should have seen these monsters! They pounced on us and began to gnaw. I was saved alone ...

And who owns the horses? Eurystheus interrupted impatiently.

Diomedes, the beggar replied, this is the king ...

Enough! - threw Eurystheus. The servants will feed you and give him a himation from my shoulder.

With surprise, the beggar noticed how a satisfied grin slid across the king's face. The poor man did not know that he had rendered Eurystheus a favor, for which he could receive something more than a worn tunic and a bowl of stew. For a month now, Eurystheus did not know rest, thinking what else to entrust Hercules. And now he made a decision: let him bring the horses of Diomedes.

The harsh Boreas blew into the bow of the ship, as if wishing to avert the inevitable death of the hero. So the companions of Hercules thought. Among them was Abder, the son of Hermes. The hero himself was cheerful and told amazing stories from his life. There were enough of them just until the time when the helmsman pointed to the rock and the formidable fortress towered over it: - The Palace of Diomedes!

Having gone ashore, Hercules and his companions moved into the depths of the country by the trodden path and soon heard a loud neigh. Opening the gate, Hercules burst into the stall and saw horses of unprecedented power and beauty. They twisted their heads and dug the ground with their hooves. Bloody foam flew out of the open mouths. A greedy rage shone in their eyes, for each person was a delicacy for them.

Raising his fist, Hercules lowered it on the head of the first animal and, when the horse began to swing, threw the bridle extended by Abder around his neck. So all the horses were bridled, and Hercules drove them to the sea.

And then Diomedes attacked the hero with his Thracians. Having handed over the horses to Abder, Hercules entered the battle. At the sight of a man feeding people to horses, the hero's strength increased tenfold, and he easily coped with a dozen enemies. Walking over the mountains of corpses, Hercules reached Diomedes and struck him with a club.

Proud of his victory, the hero went down to the sea and saw the horses scattering across the meadow. From the bloody stain, he realized that Abder had failed to cope with the rabid animals and they had torn him to pieces.

Hercules' heart was furious, and he almost killed the man-eating horses. But, remembering the mission of Eurystheus, he caught them and took them to the ship in a fenced off place. After that, the hero poured a high hill at the place of Abder's death, and next to it he founded a city named Abdera.

The horses of Diomedes were taken to Mycenae, where Eurystheus ordered them to be released. With a loud neigh, the animals rushed into the forest and were torn to pieces by wild animals ...

The ninth feat. Hippolyta's Belt.

It took Eurystheus a long time to decide what else to give to Hercules. And what could be thought of after the son of Alcmene brought the mad horses of Diomedes? Going over all the countries in his mind, Eurystheus remembered that Hercules had not yet encountered a warlike tribe, consisting of only women, with the Amazons. No one could defeat these brave maidens, but they themselves raided other peoples and won victories over them. What to instruct Hercules to bring from the country of the Amazons?

Eurystheus probably would not have guessed himself if his daughter Admeta had not appeared.

Father! - She said tearfully, What should I do? The gold buckle of my belt broke. This is such a delicate work that no one in Mycenae is willing to fix it.

Eurystheus slapped his forehead with his palm.

Belt! As I did not immediately guess! Hippolyta's Belt!

Why do I need this savage's belt! - the girl was indignant.

And I don't need it! - confessed the king, but it will be very difficult to get it. The belt was presented to the queen of the Amazons by Ares himself. And if Hercules wants to take him away, he will have to deal not only with the Amazons, but also with the god of war.

Joyfully rubbing his hands, Eurystheus sent for Hercules.

Bring me the belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons! - ordered the king. - And don't come back without him!

On the same day, Hercules, along with several friends, boarded a ship sailing against Boreas. Coming out to Pontus Euxinsky, the helmsman turned right, and the ship sailed along the coast unknown to Hercules. Everyone on the ship knew where the Amazon-occupied coastline was. After finding out that Hercules intended to land there, they began to dissuade him from this thought in one voice, assuring him that it was safer to enter a cage with hungry tigers than to meet the Amazons. But the stories of experienced people never frightened Hercules. He knew that people tend to exaggerate dangers in order to justify their own cowardice or impotence. Moreover, knowing that he would deal with women, he did not believe that they could be as ferocious as the Nemean lion or the Lernaean hydra.

The sailors and satellites who remained on the ship watched with amazement that the Amazons, instead of attacking Hercules, surrounded him with a peaceful crowd. Some felt the muscles of his arms and legs with savage spontaneity. If at such a distance it was possible to catch the words, on the ship they would have heard the exclamation of one of the virgins:

Look! Look! He has copper under his skin!

Surrounded by the Amazons, Hercules retired into the interior of the country, and people learned about everything that happened later from the words of the hero himself, who did not have the habit of turning a fly into an elephant, typical of travelers and hunters.

And what happened, according to Hercules, is the following. When he and the Amazons went around the bend of the cape, a horse stomp was heard, and a half-naked rider appeared with a golden tiara on her head and a belt snaking around her waist. Realizing that this is Hippolyta, Hercules glared at the belt buckle.

Stopping at a gallop, the Queen of the Amazons was the first to greet the guest.

The rumor about your deeds, Hercules, she said, filled the oecumene. Where are you going now? Who have you not conquered yet?

I am ashamed to look you in the eyes, Hercules replied, lowering his gaze, it would be easier to engage in a fight with anyone than to tell what made me visit your country.

I guess! interrupted Hippolyta.

How! - Hercules exclaimed. Besides beauty, you also have a prophetic gift!

No! But from your look, I realized that you liked my belt. And since we, the Amazons, live next to the Kolkhs and other peoples of the Caucasus, we adopted their custom of giving the guest everything that he liked! You can consider this belt as yours.

Hercules had already reached out to take the gift of the queen of the Amazons, when suddenly one of them, of course, it was Hera, who took the form of an Amazon, shouted:

Don't trust him, Hippolyta! He wants to capture you along with the belt, take you to a foreign land and make you a slave. Look! The ship that brought him is still standing.

And immediately the Amazons, having gone into a rage, pulled out their bows and arrows. Reluctantly, Hercules took hold of his club and began to strike the warlike maidens. Hippolyta was one of the first to fall.

Bending down, Hercules removed the belt from the maiden's bloody body. His lips whispered: "Damn you, Eurystheus! You made me fight women."

Sailing on the way back near the shores of the Troas, Hercules saw a girl intended to be eaten by a sea monster. This was the daughter of the king of Troy Laomedont. Hercules promised to save her, demanding for this divine horses, presented to Laomedont by the gods themselves. The hero and the king shook hands. With great difficulty, Hercules defeated the monster, jumping into its throat and ripping open the liver. But when he got out into the light, burned, with scorched hair, and freed the girl from the chains, Laomedont flatly reneged on his promise. Threatening retaliation, the hero hurried to the shores of Argolis to present Eurystheus with the belt of Hippolyta ...

Tenth feat. Geryon's cows.

And the kingdom of Diomedes, and the land of the Amazons, Eurystheus reflected meanwhile, are too close to Argos. Therefore, the horses were able to withstand the way by sea, and the delivery of the belt did not cause any difficulties at all. But what if you send Hercules farther - so that you need to sail by sea for a month, or even more? And Eurystheus remembered that somewhere near the shores of the Ocean there is the island of Erythia, on the green meadows of which, according to the songs of the Aeds, the herds of the great Geryon are grazing, blown by the soft westerly wind. "Let, Eurystheus thought gloatingly, Hercules will find this island, let him take his flock from the giant, let him bring him to Argolis."

When Hercules appeared, for whom the servants were sent, Eurystheus squeezed out only three words:

Bring Geryon's cows!

Far was the way to the Ocean along the coast of Libya, where Hercules reached by ship. But at least there was no need to ask for directions. She was shown every day by the solar chariot of Helios. And it was enough not to lose sight of the place where it descends into the Ocean. No one tried to block Hercules from reaching his goal, except for the son of the Earth, the giant Antaeus. He was invincible as long as he touched his mother's fertile body with his feet. Hercules lifted Antaeus into the air and strangled him.

Leaving the giant to rot on his land, Hercules wandered along the coast, teeming with wild animals and snakes. Having exterminated many of them, he made it possible to engage in agriculture in these places, cultivate grapes, olives, fruit trees.

Having reached the place where Libya, converging with Europe, formed a narrow strait, Hercules hoisted on both its banks on a giant pillar, either in order to please Helios, completing his day's work, or to leave a memory of himself for centuries. Indeed, even after the pillars collapsed at the mouth of the Ocean, whether under their own weight or from the deceit of Hera, the place where they stood continued to be called the Pillars of Hercules.

Helios, grateful to Hercules for the honor rendered, helped him to cross to the island of Erythia, which had not yet been touched by the foot of a mortal. In a wide meadow, Hercules saw fat cows guarded by a huge two-headed dog.

At the approach of Hercules, the dog barked angrily and rushed at the hero. I had to lay the beast down with my club. Bark awakened the giant shepherd who was dozing on the shore. The fight was short-lived, and Hercules overtook the cows to the place where the golden boat of Helios was waiting for him. When landing, the cows moaned, so loudly that Geryon woke up and appeared before the hero in all his frightening appearance. He was enormous in stature, with three torsos, three heads and six legs. He threw three spears at Hercules at once, but missed. The hero threw an arrow that did not miss and pierced the eye of one of Geryon's heads with it. The giant howled in pain and rushed at Hercules, waving his arms.

Hercules would not have been able to cope with Geryon if it had not been for the help of Pallas Athena. The goddess strengthened his strength, and he laid the giant on the spot with several blows of his club.

Transporting Geryon's cows across the stormy waters of the Ocean, Hercules ended up in Iberia, at the southern tip of Europe. Having released the cows to graze, for the first time in a long time, he lay down on the ground, resting his head on the club - his permanent friend.

Awakening from the first rays of Helios, Hercules drove the flock without hesitation. Eurystheus, blinded by anger, did not think that besides the sea there was a long, but quite suitable way to Argolis by land - along the coast of Iberia, Gaul, Italy. Then there were no Greek colonies on the shores of these lands. In their places lived peoples unfamiliar to the Achaeans and other ancient inhabitants of the Balkan Peninsula with alien-sounding names - Iberians, Ligurs, Celts, Latins. Only Oinotras and Siculs were familiar to the Achaeans, since they traded with these barbarians, and often in Argos and Mycenae one could meet a slave girl who called herself a sicule.

At the place where the city of Rome would arise in five hundred years, Hercules had to fight the robber Kak, who stole one of Geryon's cows. An altar was later erected on this site: sacrifices were made to the god Hercules.

In the south of the peninsula, one cow escaped from the herd and, having crossed a narrow strait, ended up on the island of Sicily. I had to follow the fugitive. The cow was taken away by the local king Eriks, who challenged the hero to battle. Heracles squeezed Eriks in his arms, and he gave up his ghost. In Sicily, Hercules fought with other local strongmen and defeated them all. Returning to Italy with the four-legged runaway, Hercules led her into the herd and continued on his way, skirting the Ionian Sea. When it was not far to Thrace, Hera finally sent madness to the cows, and they scattered in all directions. If earlier the hero was looking for one cow, now he had to catch up with each one. Most of the animals ended up in Thrace, not far from the places where Hercules dealt with man-eating horses.

Having caught and pacified the fugitives, Hercules led them across the entire peninsula to Argolis.

Eurystheus, accepting the cows, pretended to be glad of them. Soon he sacrificed animals to the hair of Hera, hoping with her help to finish off this extremely tenacious person ...

Eleventh feat. The abduction of Cerberus.

There were no more monsters left in the land. All were destroyed by Hercules. But underground, guarding the domain of Hades, lived a monstrous three-headed dog Cerberus. It was him who ordered Eurystheus to deliver to the walls of Mycenae.

Hercules had to descend into a kingdom from which there is no return. Everything about him was terrifying. Cerberus himself was so powerful and terrible that the mere sight of it chilled the blood in his veins. In addition to three disgusting heads, the dog had a tail in the form of a huge snake with an open mouth. Snakes wriggled around his neck as well. And such a dog had to be not only defeated, but also taken alive from the underworld. Only the rulers of the kingdom of the dead Hades and Persephone could give consent to this.

Hercules had to appear before their eyes. For Hades, they were as black as coal, formed at the site of the burning of the remains of the dead, for Persephone, they were light blue, like cornflowers on arable land. But in both of them one could read genuine surprise: what does this impudent man want, who violated the laws of nature and descended alive into their gloomy world?

Bowing down respectfully, Hercules said:

Do not be angry, powerful rulers, if my request seems impudent to you! The will of Eurystheus, hostile to my desire, dominates me. It was he who commissioned me to deliver to him your loyal and valiant guard, Cerberus.

Hades's face stretched out in displeasure.

Not only did you come here alive yourself, you set out to show to the living one whom only the dead can see.

Forgive my curiosity, Persephone cut in. But I would like to know how you think about your feat. After all, Cerberus has not yet been given to anyone.

I don't know, Hercules admitted honestly, but let me fight him.

Ha! Ha! - Hades laughed so loudly that the vaults of the underworld shook. Try! But only fight on equal terms, without using weapons.

On the way to the gate of Hades, one of the shadows approached Hercules and made a request.

Great hero, said the shadow, you are destined to see the sun. Will you agree to do my duty? I have a sister, Deianira, whom I did not have time to marry.

State your name and where are you from, Hercules responded.

I am from Calydon, replied the shadow, where they called me Meleager. Hercules, bowing low to the shadow, said:

I heard about you as a boy and always regretted not being able to meet with you. Stay calm. I myself will take your sister as my wife.

Cerberus, as befits a dog, was in its place at the gate of Hades, barking at souls that tried to approach Styx to get out into the white light. If earlier, when Hercules entered the gate, the dog did not pay attention to the hero, now he pounced on him with an angry growl, trying to gnaw the hero's throat. Hercules grabbed two of Cerberus's necks with both hands, and struck a powerful blow on the third head with his forehead. Cerberus wrapped his tail around the hero's legs and torso, tearing the body with his teeth. But Hercules' fingers continued to clench, and soon the half-strangled dog went limp and wheezed.

Not allowing Cerberus to recover, Hercules dragged him to the exit. When it began to dawn, the dog revived and, throwing up its head, howled terribly at the unfamiliar sun. Never before has the earth heard such heartbreaking sounds. Poisonous foam was falling from its open mouths. Wherever even one drop of it fell, poisonous plants grew.

Here are the walls of Mycenae. The city seemed deserted, dead, since from afar everyone heard that Hercules was returning victorious. Eurystheus, looking at Cerberus through the crack of the gate, yelled:

Let him go! Let go!

Hercules did not hesitate. He released the chain on which he was leading Cerberus, and the faithful dog of Aida rushed with huge leaps to his master ...

Feat twelfth. Golden apples of the Hesperides.

At the western end of the earth, near the Ocean, where day converged with night, the beautiful-voiced nymphs of the Hesperides lived. Their divine singing was heard only by Atlas, who held on his shoulders the firmament and the souls of the dead, who sadly descended into the underworld. The nymphs walked in a wonderful garden, where a tree grew, bending heavy branches to the ground. Golden fruits glittered and hid in their greenery. They gave everyone who touches them immortality and eternal youth.

These are the fruits that Eurystheus ordered to bring, and not in order to equalize with the gods. He hoped that this order would not be fulfilled by Hercules.

Throwing a lion's skin on his back, throwing a bow over his shoulder, taking a club, the hero walked briskly to the garden of the Hesperides. He is already accustomed to the fact that the impossible is achieved from him.

Hercules walked for a long time until he reached the place where heaven and earth converged on Atlanta, as on a giant support. He looked with horror at the titan, who was holding an incredible weight.

I am Hercules, said the hero, I am commanded to bring three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides. I heard that you alone can pick these apples.

Joy flickered in Atlant's eyes. He's up to something unkind.

I can’t reach the tree, said Atlas. Yes, and my hands, as you can see, are busy. Now, if you hold my burden, I will gladly fulfill your request.

I agree, Hercules answered and stood next to the titan, who was many heads taller than him.

Atlas sank, and a monstrous weight fell on the shoulders of Hercules. Sweat covered my forehead and whole body. Feet went ankle-deep into the ground trampled by Atlant. The time it took the giant to get the apples seemed like an eternity to the hero. But Atlas was in no hurry to take back his burden.

Do you want me to take the precious apples to Mycenae myself, he suggested to Hercules.

The simple-minded hero almost agreed, fearing of offending the titan who had rendered him a favor, but Athena intervened in time - it was she who taught him to respond with cunning to cunning. Pretending to be overjoyed at Atlant's proposal, Hercules immediately agreed, but asked the titan to hold the vault while he made a lining under his shoulders.

As soon as Atlas, deceived by the feigned joy of Hercules, shouldered his habitual burden, the hero immediately raised his club and bow and, not paying attention to the outraged cries of Atlant, set off on his way back.

Eurystheus did not take the apples of the Hesperides, obtained by Hercules with such labor. After all, he did not need apples, but the death of a hero. Hercules gave the apples to Athena, and she returned them to the Hesperides.

This ended the service of Hercules to Eurystheus, and he was able to return to Thebes, where new exploits and new troubles awaited him.

Year of writing: 1 millennium BC Genre: myth

Main characters: Hercules - son of Zeus

The beginning of great deeds was the next ordeal sent by the wife of Zeus, which decided poor Hercules' reason. As a result, he killed his children and his brother. Recovering himself from madness, Hercules began to look for a way out of this situation and received advice, which said that he should perform great deeds while being silently subordinate to Ephrisis.

Feat 1. Killing the Nemean lion

The first task received from his master was to fight the Nemean lion. The Nemean lion was a monster of unprecedented size, which was the offspring of Echidna and Typhon. This monster lived near the city of Nemea and mercilessly plundered it. Get the task the hero, without wasting time, hurried to find the evil monster for an hour. He needed to climb the mountain plains in order to find the lion's refuge. Almost all day, the hero was looking for a monster on the slopes, and only when the sun began to set did he find a cave that had two entrances.

When the sun went down completely, a monster with a huge mane appeared in the cave. First of all, Hercules began to shoot arrows from his bow at the lion's skin. But all the arrows launched bounced off the lion like steel. His skin was so strong that it was simply impossible to pierce it. The devastated beast with all its strength rushed at the one who dared to approach him with a threat. Then the hero brought down the club on the monster. And he collapsed, stunned. At the same moment, the hero pounced on the monster and strangled him with his superhuman strength. Having defeated the lion, Hercules brought the trophy to his master and completed the first test.

2 feat of Hercules. The crushing of the Lernaean hydra

The second test that fell on the hero's poor head was the murder of an equally dangerous and ferocious monster, the Lernaean Hydra. She was a huge snake with the head of nine dragons. This creature was also the offspring of Echidna and Typhon. The monster lived near the city of Lerna. Attacking the Lernian hydra plundered the land. No one dared to fight the serpent. Since one of the dragon's heads possessed immortal power. And anyone who dared to get even with the hydra was inevitable collapse.

Having received the instruction, the hero went to battle in the company of his son Iphicles. But Hercules did not risk the life of his companion, but he himself explored the swamp thicket in search of the monster. Finding her lair, he took out his weapon and glowing arrows. Seeing the monster, the hero began to shoot deadly arrows at him. This made the monster very angry. Hydra climbed to the surface, but not having time to pounce on Hercules was knocked down by him. Then she wrapped around the body of Zeus's son, trying to strangle him. Hercules, without thinking twice, released his club and began to cut off the heads of the hydra. This did not help, the heads grew, and besides, other swamp monsters began to intercede for the hydra. His partner immediately came to the rescue. And they managed to knock down the hydra and press her heads. Hercules cut off the immortal head, and the hydra was defeated.

Feat 3. Victory over the Stymphalian birds

The next task received by Hercules was to get rid of the Stymphalian birds. They were huge creatures with copper claws and beaks, bronze feathers. They plundered land, livestock. The birds also threw out their feathers, which were like the sharpest arrows. This task became difficult for the hero. Then, in order to facilitate the hero's share, Pallas Athena came to the rescue. She handed him a pair of copper tympanes. And she pointed out that when fighting the birds, the hero must be on a hill, then their feathers will not reach him. And after Hercules is in place, he will have to hit the tympans hard, which will raise the birds.

Remembering the instructions, the hero went to perform the feat. Once at the height, he struck the tympans, and then monstrous birds flew up over the forest with a deafening ringing. He took out his bow and began to shoot the birds. With horror, the Stymphalian birds threw out their bronze feathers, but not one of them reached the hero. Frightened, they climbed up to the clouds from Hercules. After that, the birds went many kilometers from Greece to the shores of the Euxine Pontus. And since then they did not leave those places and did not fly to the borders of Stymphal.

Feat 4. Overpowering the Kerinean Doe

The next assignment that Eurystheus presented to Hercules was the overcoming of the Kerinean fallow deer. This doe was not of ordinary beauty and grace. Its head was adorned with two golden horns, and the hooves of a deer were of pure copper. This creation was sent to earth by the goddess Artemis in order to teach people a lesson for their deeds. The Kerineysky doe plundered fields and lands, destroyed crops and caused many inconveniences. Then Eurystheus ordered Hercules to deliver the doe to him intact without killing it. It was difficult to catch this creature, since it did not know fatigue and was constantly running, jumping over mountains, forests, abysses and rivers.

Hercules had a hard time, he ran after her for a whole year, keeping up with her. He reached all the way to the north, where he managed to overtake his goal. The doe got up, and Hercules decided to catch her, but she broke free and headed back to the south side. And again Hercules had to run after her. And he reached her in Arcadia. And, in order not to miss the prey again, he decided to use his well-aimed arrows. And after the shot, they managed to catch her. But at the same moment when the hero decided to dump the prey on his shoulders, a beautiful and angry goddess stuck in front of him. It was then that the hero explained that it was not his will, but the gods ordered to serve Eurystheus and carry out his orders. The goddess took pity on him and forgave him this deed.

Feat 5. Battle with the centaurs and the Erymanthian boar.

After a short rest, the hero was again entrusted with the next task. It consisted in capturing the ferocious and cruel Erimanth boar. Who lived in the highlands of Erimanth. He mercilessly destroyed and plundered the city of Psophis and its surroundings. The boar brutally killed the people living there with its fangs. Hercules took orders and went on a campaign. On the way, he decided to look into one of his friend the centaur Foul. His friend accepted him with joy and honor and decided to treat Hercules with a special wine. But after the cork was uncorked, the scent blown in the wind reached the greasy centaurs, who were greatly angered by Fo's action. Because this wine also belonged to the rest of the centaurs and was not allowed to be poured out to strangers.

The angry centaurs set out for Fall's house. But they could not attack the hero, since he was unshakable and immediately launched into battle. The centaurs went to flight, but the hero managed to wound them with his arrows and rushed after them. Hercules reached the centaurs near Maleia. Where they hid with one of the wisest centaurs Chiron, who was also the hero's best friend. And as a result of the battle with the centaurs, Hercules wounded his friend with an arrow, from which he died. The saddened hero set off again in search of the boar. Which he managed to catch in the forest thicket and delivered it to his master.

6 feat of Hercules. Cleaning up the royal cattle yard of Avgius (Augean stables)

The next task received for Hercules was the cleaning of the barnyard of King Avgius from the endless dung. Augeas himself was the son of the ancient Greek sun god. The father generously rewarded his son with a large fortune. His cattle yard was especially rich, which consisted of more than about three hundred bulls with snow-white hooves, two hundred fiery-red, twelve bulls were snow-white, and one was like a star in the night sky and was not distinguished by earthly beauty. Hercules agreed to complete this task and decided to make a deal with the king. The essence, which was that if the hero can clear the courtyard in just one day, then the king will grant him ten percent of the total herd.

The king accepted the deal, as he was sure that no one would be able to cope with the cleaning in just one day. Then the hero decided to remove the water from the two sides of the Alfea and Penei rivers. Which in their stream washed away all the manure in a matter of an instant. Augeas saw a clean courtyard, but did not fulfill the deal, which greatly angered Hercules. And after he was freed from his ruler, he decided to go to the king with his numerous troops. Heracles struck the king with an arrow and sacrificed his cattle to the gods. After that, Hercules established the Olympic Games, which all Greeks held once every four years.

Feat 7. Restraining the Cretan bull

The seventh feat that the brave and invincible hero had to face was the capture and bridling of the Cretan bull for his master. Hercules went to the island of Crete to complete this task, where this monster was raging. A bull with unprecedented beauty appeared in the hands of the king of Crete Minos, who was the son of the goddess of Europe, as a ceremony of sacrifice to the god Poseidon. But the king did not dare to kill such a beautiful bull and he left him in his flock. And he used another bull as a sacrifice. Poseidon did not like this, he became angry with Minos and sent fury to his beloved beast. And the bull turned into a ruthless killer destroying everything near him. No one dared to approach him. But the hero who arrived at the place easily curbed the beast and, climbing on his shoulders, set off across the sea to King Eurystheus. The lord saw this bull and did not want to leave him in his herd. Then he broke free and rushed across the plains endowed with the returned freedom. The bull got to the land of Attica to the Marathon field. But he could not rage in these places and was defeated by the hero Theseus.

Feat 8. Majestic horses of King Diomedes

Having completed the seventh feat, the great hero was immediately entrusted with the next task. The essence of this assignment was the departure to the lands of Thrace, which was ruled by King Diomedes and the capture of his amazing horses. These horses were of unearthly beauty and unbridled strength. They were kept in a stable by thick iron chains that prevented the horses from breaking free. The king was instructed to feed the animals exclusively with human meat from foreigners. Hercules came to this task not alone, but with assistants and favorite Abder, who was the son of the god Hermes.

The hero and his assistants managed to take possession of these horses and drag them to their ship. But Hercules did not manage to sail away, as the whole army of the king of Thrace appeared on the coast. Then Hercules decided to leave Abder on the ship, so that he would guard the horses, and he himself entered into an unequal battle with the royal army. Hercules did not have many assistants in the battle, but he won a victory over king Diomedes. Returning to the ship, the hero found that his pet had been mercilessly bitten by horses. Great grief fell on the shoulders of the hero. He buried Abder and erected a high hill on his grave. And then, in honor of his memory, he founded the city of Abder. The horses were delivered to the king, but he did not want to keep them and set them free.

Feat 9. Hercules and the Warring Amazons

For the ninth feat, the ancient Greek hero went to guess the daughter of Eurystheus Admete. She persuaded her father to send Hercules for the royal belt of the Amazons. According to the legend, this belt went to one of the most important of the warring Amazons, Hippolyta, from the warrior god. The queen always wore a belt on herself, as a symbol of the supremacy and obedience of all the other Amazons.

Hercules went on a hike for the belt in the company with his companions of the same glorious and brave heroes. And to the great surprise of the hero, upon arrival in the country of the Amazons, legends have been circulating about him for a long time, and everyone knew about his glorious exploits. And having learned that Hercules was going to the Amazons with a belt donated by the god of war, the queen herself agreed to give the necessary trophy. However, some other Amazons did not agree with this, who attacked the companions of Hercules and killed them. According to legend, it is believed that one of those who attacked the detachment of Hercules was occupied by the so hated wife of Zeus, Hera, who had long and stubbornly wanted to take revenge on the hero. After that, the hero fought with the most powerful Amazons, and forced their squad to flee. The queen herself gave the belt in exchange for the freedom of the captured Amazons.

Feat 10. Cows of the great Geryon

Upon returning from the lands of the Amazons, Hercules was entrusted with the next task, which was to get him to get the cows of Geryon grazing in the western lands. Geryon was the son of Chrysaor and Calliroi. And he himself was a three-body creature with three heads, six arms and six legs. And he lived on the westernmost edge of the earth, where the foot of other heroes did not enter. This time, the hero decided to set off on his own journey, since it was quite difficult and long.

Legend has it that it was during this campaign that Hercules erected a pair of pillars on both sides of the strait. Today, this strait is called Gibraltar. The gods helped Hercules in this task. So the sun god Helios gave him his chariot and horses so that he could get to the island of Erythia. After Hercules was on the island, he defeated the guards of Geryon, a giant and a two-headed dog. He was able to take the cows and take them to the sea. But Geryon himself noticed this, who began to fight for his cows, defending himself with three shields and launching three spears. However, he was defeated by the arrows of Hercules and his mace. The hero delivered the cows with difficulties and trials, and after his master sacrificed them to the wife of Zeus

Feat 11. Three Golden Apples

The last assigned task, which Eurystheus gave, was the extraction of three apples from the Garden of Eden of the Titan Atlas. Hercules had to find his way to this garden on his own. The nymphs came to the aid of the hero, who suggested that it was necessary to fish Nereus, the god of the sea, off the coast and find out the right direction from him. This is what Hercules did. He watched Nereus, grabbed him and did not let him go until he told the direction of the right path.

On the way to the garden of the titan, Hercules faced a battle with the powerful giant Antaeus, who was almost unbeatable due to the constantly incoming forces from the mother of the earth goddess Gaia. But as a result of a prolonged battle, Hercules raised Antaeus above the ground and strangled him without letting go. Further, they intended to present the hero as a sacrifice to the deities. King Busiris wanted to do this for which he paid with his son's lives. Upon arrival to the titan, he himself decided to go to the garden for apples, but Hercules had to support the firmament instead. The Titan intended to trick the hero and escape. However, Hercules suspected something was wrong in time and cheated. He asked the titan to hold the firmament in order to rest a little, and he himself got the golden apples and fled.

Feat 12. Loot from the kingdom of the dead three-headed dog, Cerberus

The eleventh task that Hercules had to complete was Cerberus. He was in the kingdom of the dead under Hades. Cerberus was a monstrous dog with three heads and a dragon-headed tail. The hero had to go to the domain of Hades across the Tenar abyss. Before entering the kingdom of the dead, Hercules freed the Athenian hero Theseus. Which has grown together with a rock due to the fact that one day he dared to steal Hades' wife Persephone.

Also in the realm of the dead, Hercules met the spirit of the hero Meleager. Who asked for the protection of his lonely sister Deianira. In response, Hercules promised to become her husband and guard. When Hercules met Hades, he himself allowed Cerberus to be taken away, but only on the condition that he was able to pacify him. Hercules began to fight Cerberus. He managed to almost immobilize the dog and lift him up. He brought his prey to Eurystheus, but he, because of his extreme cowardice, ordered Hercules to immediately return the monstrous dog to the kingdom of the dead. And the hero had to go down to Hades again in order to return Cerberus to its place.

How it all started

Hercules or Hercules is one of the most striking characters in ancient Greek mythology. According to legend, Hercules is the son of the ancient Greek god Zeus and the earthly royal daughter. Zeus fell so in love with the married royal daughter Alcmene that he spent the night with her by deception. As a result, the future hero was conceived. Then, before giving birth to Alcmene, Zeus indicated that the first baby to appear should become the ruler of the city of Mycenae.

But upon learning about the plan, Zeus's wife became angry and delayed the birth. As a result, the first son of Amphitryon, Eurystheus, was born. Which, as it turned out, later did not differ in any abilities, but on the contrary was quite gentle and vulnerable. Then the sky god had to accept that Euryseus would rule his son Hercules, but with one condition. Which included the fact that when Hercules accomplishes twelve labors, he will acquire power and greatness, and completely free himself from any submission.

The very first test that the jealous wife of Zeus sent to little Hercules was the poisonous snakes thrown into the cradle. With which the baby coped, then it became clear to everyone that this was not just a child, but a future hero, endowed with divine powers.

Picture or drawing of the 12 labors of Hercules

Other retellings and reviews for the reader's diary

• Summary of Burnett Little Princess

  The novel by an English writer is intended for children. It is full of interesting stories, unexpected endings and breathtaking twists and turns of fate.

• Summary of Turgenev Spring Waters

  A lonely man, at a certain stage in his life, is sorting through his archive. He finds in it a small box containing a cross. Dmitry Pavlovich Sanin is visited by memories.

• Summary of Shakespeare King Lear

  The tragic creation is based on the famous basis - the chronicles of the English king Lear, who in his declining years decided to give his power to children.

• Summary of Skrebitsky Thief
• Summary of Perrault Fairy Gifts

  There lived a widow and two daughters: the eldest mother loved, because she was like her both in appearance and in a terrible character, and the youngest was forced to work. The youngest daughter was beautiful, kind, like her father.