![]() ![]() It was during this labour that a fight with the centaurs over a broached wine cask resulted in Hercules accidentally killing Cheiron with one of his poisoned arrows.Īugeias, the king of Elis, possessed a herd of animals given to him by his father Helios. ![]() Goading the animal into a lengthy chase, Hercules again exhausted his prey, captured it, tied its feet, and carried it to Mycenae on his shoulders. The area of Mount Erymanthos in Arcadia was plagued by a huge, ferocious boar and Hercules was set the task of capturing it and taking it to Mycenae. Hercules, having to capture this famously swift-footed animal and present it alive to Eurystheus, was successful only after a lengthy, perhaps one-year, chase which exhausted the animal. Sacred to Artemis and with golden horns, the hind took its name from the nearby Mount Kerynea close to Argos. Helped by his faithful companion and nephew Iolaos, who used fire to stop the heads re-growing, Hercules eventually killed the Hydra and dipped his arrows in its poisonous blood. Hercules fought the creature but was hampered by a giant crab which bit his foot and by the fact that every time he cut off one of the snake heads, another two grew in its place. Hercules strangled the lion with his bare hands and forever after wore its pelt as a protective cloak.Ī fire-breathing monster with a lion's head and a body of many snakes which dwelt in a swamp near Lerna, close to Argos, was sent by Hera to torment Hercules' home town. Hera once more influenced events by persuading Eurystheus to set the hero difficult and dangerous tasks - the famous twelve labours of Hercules:Ī lion with a hide impervious to weapons was terrorizing the region of Nemea, in some accounts because of a lack of piety from the inhabitants. The advice was for Hercules to offer his services to his cousin Eurystheus, the king of Mycenae, Tiryns, and Argos. In desperate remorse he sought the advice of Apollo via his oracle at Delphi. Hera once more interfered and drove Hercules insane so that he killed his wife and children. Hercules married Megara, the daughter of Kreo, King of Thebes, and together they had five children. He was then sent to live with herdsmen in the mountains to toughen him up, and there he came into contact with the wise centaur Cheiron. His music teacher was Linus, son of Apollo, although Hercules' quick temper was demonstrated when he killed Linus with a blow from his stool (or lute). His father taught him to ride chariots and tame horses. Hercules' youth was spent in the hands of the best teachers in Greece. ![]() On the other hand, Hercules generally enjoyed divine favour from the Olympian gods - he did, after all, help them in their battle against the Giants - and he was particularly favoured by Athena. Hera also sent two snakes to kill the new-born Hercules, but the baby easily strangled them. The goddess delayed his birth so that his cousin Eurystheus would be born first and so become the ruler of Greece according to Zeus' decree. Hera, the wife of Zeus, was (understandably) always jealous of Hercules and made life difficult for him from an early age. In mythology, though, it was Zeus who lay with Alkmene and so fathered Hercules, explaining the origin of Hercules' great strength. However, following a violent quarrel between Amphitryon and his uncle, resulting in the accidental death of the latter, the family fled to Thebes where Hercules was born. Hercules' mortal father was Amphitryon (nephew of Elektryon, ruler of Mycenae) and his mother was Alkmene both were from Argos. Being the greatest of Greek mythological heroes, he has been ascribed a multitude of adventures and heroic exploits over the centuries which were probably originally connected to lesser, more local figures. The pan-Hellenic mythological hero Hercules (or Herakles) was famed for his great strength and endurance and celebrated as an extraordinary mortal who, through success in seemingly impossible labours, won his immortal place amongst the Olympian gods.
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