Why Heracles? part 2

Due to popular demand I will start with Heracles' twelve labour journeys.

First Labour

The cowardly king orders Heracles to kill the Nemean Lion. While also hoping that Heracles would be killed by it. But you and me know that Heracles isn't that weak. He killed two snakes as a baby! By the Gods! Here's the catch, the Lion is invulnerable to all weapons. So he had to kill it with his bare hands. And guess what? He did it. He even skinned the Lion and wear it at all times as his cloak.

When he returned to the king, he was so terrified at Heracles' appearances so he hid.

Second Labour.

Heracles had to kill the Hydra as shown as this picture over here. Do you think he made it? What were you thinking? Of course he did! But how? You and me know that when Hydra's head was dismembered two will grow at its place. So Heracles had a little help. After dismembering one of its head, his follower Iolaus managed to burn the wounds with fire so it won't grow again. So, Heracles managed to chop off its head one by one until he reaches its original head. Hydra's venom is universally fatal for all. So Heracles then dipped his arrows to its blood to gain... Poison arrow! When he returned of course the king was shocked again Heracles managed to survive. But he refuses to count this labour as heracles had help. So he gets an extra one labour to do.

Third Labour.

The third labour, he needed to fetch the Cerynitian hind that lived at Oinoe or the forest of Cerynitia, and was sacred to the goddess Artemis.

Heracles chased it all the way up north. Here, Heracles came upon the land of Hyperboreans, where he found himself in the lovely grove of olive trees. The hero liked the trees so much that he brought them back with him, planting the olive trees around the race course in Olympia.

This labour should have been easy, but it took Heracles over a year to capture the hind. Heracles brought down the hind with an arrow aimed at its hoof, without killing the creature.

As Heracles was returning to Tiryns with the hind, Artemis spotted the hero carrying off her favourite animal. Artemis would have attacked the hero, but Heracles explained to the angry goddess of his task: how he had not wanted to harm the creature. Heracles brought the Cerynitian hind to Tiryns, alive and unharmed, at the goddess' request.

The Fourth Labour.

The fourth labour, Heracles needed to fetch Erymanthian Boar. On this trip, he visited a Centaur, named Pholus. Pholus had some wine with odour to attract the boar. Unfortunately this wine attracted the other Centaurs around the mountain.

The angry Centaurs attacked Heracles. Heracles had to kill some of the Centaurs and drove the rest of them away. Heracles would later meet two Centaurs, later in his life – Eurytion and Nessus. His host, Pholus, accidentally dropped the poisoned arrow on his hoof and died.

Another friendly Centaur named Cheiron also died. Cheiron was another of Heracles' friend. Cheiron was a wise Centaur who taught many heroes hunting and combat skills, including Jason and Achilles. Heracles accidentally wounded Cheiron. Cheiron being immortal couldn't die, but he suffered great agony from the Hydra's venom. Cheiron later gave up his immortality to the Titan, Prometheus and went to Hades.

Later, Heracles captured the boar and delivered it alive to Eurystheus. Eurystheus was such a coward that he hid inside a bronze jar. Heracles released it at Eurystheus' request. Eurystheus ordered Heracles that he would show him his successes of his labours on the other side of the city wall.

The Fifth Labour.

During this time Heracles ran off with a group of heroes called the Argonauts. It was lead by the hero Jason. They went to search to golden fleece (Kratos' deflective shield in the gow game!). Heracles managed to kill several Monsters. However Heracles was somehow got separated with his companion and lover Hylas. So Argonauts then left him behind.

After the Quest, Heracles was said to established the Olympian Games in honour of Zeus, for their homecoming. Heracles had also suggested that any hero should not among themselves and to come to the aid of a former Argonaut, who needed help. This contradicts most myths, where Heracles had killed Calais and Zetes, who had abandoned him in Mysia (he had bad temper remember).

Angry at Heracles for running off seeking new adventure with the Argonauts, Eurystheus the cowardly king decided that the fifth labour would be the most humiliating of his tasks: cleaning the Augeian stables in single day.

Augieas was the king of Elis and owned the largest herd of cattle. Heracles wanted a tenth of the cattle as payment for cleaning the stable. Augeia readily agreed, not believing that it was possible to so in a single day.

The task was enormous, because of the number of stalls of the stable, as well as the sheer size of building. Heracles completed this task by diverting the water on the rivers Alpheius and Peneius to flow the stable.

Augeias, however, refused to honour his bargain, because the king had found out that the hero was performing one of the labours for Eurystheus. Only Phyleus, Augeias' eldest son, supported Heracles, asking his father to not break his promise to the hero. Augeias angrily banished son from Elis. Phyleus left the city Elis, and settled in Dulichium.

Angry at being cheated of his payment that was promised to him, Heracles vowed to make war upon Elis, when he is released from his services with Eurystheus. Augeias realising he had made powerful enemy, allied himself with the general Amarynceus and the Moliones, Augeias' nephews.

Again, Eurystheus refused to count this as a labour. Eurystheus told Heracles, he must do any labour without payment. Therefore, Heracles had to do another extra task.

Dexamenus, king of Olenus entertained Heracles as his guest. While he was at court in Olenus, the Centaur Eurotyon tried to force Mnesimache, daughter of Dexamenus, to marry him. Heracles repaid his host, by killing Eurytion.

The sixth labour.

The sixth labour, Heracles was required to chase away some mythological birds that were ravaging the countryside around the lake called Stymphalus, in north-eastern Arcadia.

The Stymphalian birds were so numerous that Heracles was at loss on how to drive the birds away. He knew that he would not have enough arrows and javelins to kill all the birds.

Athena, again, came to his aid, and gave a rattle that should frighten the birds into flight.

Heracles used the rattle to make loud noise from the mountain that frightened the birds into flight. Heracles shot down a number of birds, before driving the rest away.

They may have been the same birds that infested the barren island, sacred to Ares. The Argonauts encountered these birds, where Oileus was wounded by one of the deadly feathers. Amphidamas of Arcadia, had remembered how Heracles drove away the Stymphalian Birds, with loud noises.

The Seventh Labour.

The seventh labour, Heracles needed to fetch the Cretan Bull, the bull that belonged to Minos king of Crete. This bull was sacred to Poseidon, and had the ability to walk and run on the surface of the sea.

When Minos had gained the bull from Poseidon, but failed to sacrifice the bull to the sea god. To punish Minos for his broken promise, Poseidon caused Pasiphae, the daughter of Helius, to fall in love with beast. So the Cretan Bull had fathered upon Pasiphaë, the monster Minotaur.

Embarrassed from the offspring and union between his wife and the bull, Minos no longer wanted the Cretan Bull. So Heracles had Minos' consent to take the bull. The only problem was that the bull would not go aboard a ship.

So Heracles rode on its back, while the bull crossed the sea, from Cnossus, in Crete, all the way back to Greece.

Heracles released the bull after showing the creature to Eurystheus. The Cretan bull left the Peloponessus, and roamed all the way to Marathon, in Attica. The Cretan bull then became known as Marathonian bull.

The Marathonian bull continued to ravage the country on the plain of Marathon, until Theseus killed the bull.

The Eighth Labour.

The eighth labour was to fetch flesh-eating mares of Diomedes. Diomedes was the king of the Bistones, in Thrace, who feeds human flesh to his horses. Heracles threw Diomedes to the mares, which they killed and ate the king.

There was a youth named Abderus, who was a son of Hermes. He was a squire (and possibly lover) to Heracles. Heracles set Abderus to guard the mares. When Heracles had returned, he found that the mares had devoured the youth. Heracles built a Thracian city called Abdera, named after Abderus.

Admetus and Alcestis

Admetus was the king of Pherae and husband of Alcestis, daughter of Pelias.

When the sun god Apollo had to serve Admetus for one year as his servant, Admetus had treated the god well, because Admetus was known for being the most pious ruler in Greece. Apollo was been punishment for killing a Cyclop who made thunderbolt for Zeus. Apollo had killed the Cyclops because Zeus had killed his son, Asclepius.

Due to his kindness, Apollo helped Admetus in winning Alcestis' hand in marriage, where he successfully harnessed wild animals, a lion and a wild boar, to a chariot; it was a task set by Pelias.

Apollo also rewarded him by telling that his death would come soon. Admetus could avoid his fate, if he could find someone willing to die in his place. None of his advisors or subjects were willing to die for him. Neither of his aged parents, because they value their lives.

Alcestis, daughter of Pelias, realising how much her husband wanted to live, told him that she was willing to die in his place, because of her love for Admetus.

I'm not sure if Heracles was journeying north or coming back home with the mares, when Heracles decided to visit Admetus in Thessaly. Heracles was unaware that Alcestis would die that night. Admetus allowed Heracles to enjoy feast, while Admetus was secretly mourning for his wife in the other room.

When Heracles realised he had been enjoying himself during funeral of his friend's wife; Heracles went to the tomb and wrestled with Thanatos, while the god was trying to carry Alcestis' shade away from the tomb. Heracles overpowered Thanatos, until the god of death gave up Alcestis. Heracles happily restored Alcestis to her husband.

The ninth Labour.

The ninth labour required him to go to Amazons land to fetch Hippolyte's belt, for Eurystheus' daughter, Admeta or Admete. Heracles either went there alone or with the heroes Theseus and Thelamon.

The Amazon queen, named Hyppolite, ruled in the city of Themiscyra on the mouth of the River Thermodon. The belt had belonged to Ares, and symbolised the power of leadership.

The Queen warmly received Heracles, but Hera stirred the Amazons against Heracles. Disguised as an Amazon warrior, Hera spread rumour that Heracles had come to abduct their queen. The Amazons armed themselves and attacked Heracles' ship. Thinking that Hippolyte was secretly plotting against him, Heracles killed the queen and took her belt.

On his return home, he found a Trojan princess, Hesione, about to be sacrifice to a sea monster, sent by Poseidon and Apollo. Heracles agreed to save Laomedon's daughter in return for the king's immortal horses or the gold vine as his reward. But after killing the monster, Laomedon refused to pay. Again, Heracles vowed vengeance upon another king. He would return later with an army to destroy Laomedon.

As he continued his journey home, Polygonus & Telegonus, the two sons of Proteus challenged Heracles into a wrestling match. Heracles killed the two brothers.

The tenth Labour.

The tenth labour, Heracles was required to fetch cattle of Geyron. Geryon was the king of Erytheia (Cadiz), in Spain.

The cattle were guarded by Geryon's herdsman and the two-headed hounded, called Orthus.

The journey was uneventful, until he reached the Strait of Gibraltar. Heracles began piling rocks on the European side and African sides of the straits. The erection of these rocks became known as the Pillars of Hercules.

The work was long and hard, so Heracles became overheated from the sun. Heracles pointed his arrow at the sun, threatening to shoot the sun. Helius, the god of the sun, was far from offended by the impetuous hero. In fact, Helius so admired the hero's boldness that the sun-god gave Heracles the Sun-cup made of gold. This gold cup was large enough for Heracles to sail past the Pillars of Hercules and into the Atlantic Ocean.

Arriving at Erytheia, Heracles had to kill the herdsman, Eurytion and the two-headed hound Orthus with his club, near the peak of Mount Abas. Menoetes, herdsman of Hades, witnessed all this, and went to Geryon with news of Heracles raiding his cattle. Geryon, who had three heads, was also killed when he pursued the hero to River Anthemus. Heracles then tried to make his home.

Passing through Abderia, the south of Spain, Heracles then entered the land of the Ligurians. Near Massalia (modern Marseille), Ialebion and Dercynus, the sons of Poseidon, who wanted to steal the cattle, attacked him. Heracles killed them, but he was wounded, fighting the Ligurian army. Zeus sends a shower of stone, which Heracles used to pelt his enemies.

The giant Cacus also stole some of the cattle in Italy. Heracles had to leave the rest of cattle behind, to search for the missing cattle and kill Cacus.

At Rhegion, one of his bulls left the other cattle, jumped and swam across the Strait of Messina. Heracles asked the locals if they seen the missing bull, and they told him where it had gone off. The locals referred to the bull as italus, so Heracles called the entire Italian peninsula, Italy. The missing bull was the finest of the stock, so Heracles left the rest of cattle behind to fetch the one in Sicily.

When he found the bull, he found them among the herd of a notorious boxer named Eryx , in Eryx, Sicily. Eyrx had the habit of challenging a traveller into boxing match in which would kill his opponent. Eryx would only agree to return the bull to the hero, if Heracles could defeat him in a boxing match. Eryx, however, was no match for Heracles and was killed during their bout.

Heracles recovered his bull and returned to the other cattle. New problem arose, upon reaching Greece. Hera sent gadfly that stung the cattle, dispersing them out in all direction, but most of the cattle fled to the Thracian mountains. Heracles was forced to pursue, and have managed to recover some of the cattle. Those left behind became wild. He brought the rest to Eurystheus, who offered sacrifice to Hera.

There is another person stole and hid the cattle from Heracles.

As Heracles travelled back to Greece with the cattle of Geryon, Celtine, daughter of Bretannus, saw and fell in love with the hero. One day, she hid the cattle, and would not tell Heracles their whereabout until he made love to her. Heracles slept with her, and Celtine became the mother of Celtus, ancestors of the Celts.

The eleventh labour.

The eleventh labour, Heracles had to fetch the golden apples of Hesperides. The Hesperides ("Daughters of the Evening Star") were the daughters of the Titan Atlas and Hesperis (Evening Star). They cared for the grove of trees that bore the golden fruits. The trees were guarded by a serpent or dragon with a hundred heads, known as Ladon , offspring of Typhon and Echidna.

On his journey, at Caucasus Mountains, he killed the Caucasian Eagle that fed on Prometheus' liver and freed the Titan from his bond. Prometheus told him that the tree and apples were guarded by Ladon, a dragon or serpent. The Titan advised him to let his brother Atlas to fetch the apples, to avoid Ladon.

He then continued his journey south, travelling through Phoenica and Palestine. Heracles killed Busiris, king of Egypt, who was sacrificing foreign travellers. Some says that Heracles also killed Emathion, king of Arabia, son of Eos and Tithonus, and brother of Memnon.

In Libya, Heracles wrestled and killed Antaeus, the son of Poseidon and Gaea, who remained invincible as long as he has contact with earth. Antaeüs would often let his opponent to throw him on the ground, only to spring up, even stronger than before. Heracles had to keep Antaeüs off the ground before crushing his opponent to death.

Finally he arrived where the Titan Atlas bore the weight of heaven on his shoulder. Heracles asked Atlas where the fruit were. Atlas told the hero that he would fetch the golden apples for him, if Heracles would carry the heaven on his shoulder. Heracles agreed and carrying the sky for Atlas.

Atlas returned with apples but did not want to bear the burden of heaven on his shoulders, and told the hero he will take the apples to Eurystheus for the hero, trapping Heracles - to bear the burden of heaven.

But Heracles was by far clever than the Titan. Heracles cunningly told Atlas that he was willing to carry the heaven, provided that the Titan would hold the heaven for a moment. Heracles told the Titan he wished to roll his lion cloak as a cushion for his shoulders. So while Atlas was holding the sky once again, Heracles walked away with apples.

After showing the apples to Eurystheus in Tiryns, Heracles gave the apples to Athena, who returned them to garden of Hesperides, since they really belonged to Hera.

Then finally the twelfth labour.

The twelfth labour, Heracles needed to go to Hades and fetch the Cerberus. Cerberus was the three-headed hound with snake's head at the end of its tail. The dreaded hound guarded the gates of Hades, to keep the dead in the Underworld. Cerberus was an offspring of Typhon and Echidna.

To enter the world of dead, Heracles had to undergo the Mysteries rites, performed by Eumoplus at Eleusis. Heracles then has to travel to Tainaron in Laconia, where there was an entrance to the Underworld.

Heracles met Hermes, who offered to guide him into the Underworld. Most of the shades (souls) fled from Heracles, all except the hero Meleager and the Gorgon Medusa. Heracles would have attack Medusa with his sword, but Hermes reassured the hero that the Gorgon was harmless here.

Heracles also rescued his friend and cousin Theseus, by pulling him off the Chair of Forgetfulness. Hades had set a trap for Theseus and his friend, Peirithoüs, when they planned to abduct Persephone, Hades' consort. Heracles could not save Peirithoüs; Heracles had to leave Peirithoüs behind.

He wrestled with Menoetes, the cowherd of the Hades' cattle, when Heracles killed one of the cows. Heracles had wanted to use the cow's blood to talk to the dead. Menoetes' ribs could be heard cracking between Heracles' arms. Heracles would have killed Menoetes had Persephone not asked the hero to spare her husband's cowherd.

With Hades' permission, Heracles was allowed to take Cerberus, provided that he did so without the use of weapon. Heracles had to wrestle and drag the hound to the world of the living, and to Tiryns before Eurystheus. Eurystheus terrified by the hell-hound and seeing his cousin complete all his tasks, gave one last command to the hero: to send the hound back to the Underworld.

After his twelve labour journeys, Heracles managed to waged some wars. The most famous one was the war against Troy where he was finally injured and when he helped the Gods in the War of the Giants.

While the god healed him, he was brought to Phlegra, in Thrace (some say in Sicily), where the gods were warring against the Giants (Gigantes), and sprawned by blood of the castrated Uranus that fell to the earth Gaea. In order to defeat the Giants, the gods, required by the oracle, the help of a mortal hero.

Heracles killed Alcyoneus by shooting the giant with his lethal arrow, before dragging its body outside of Pallene, where the giant was mortal. Apollo and Heracles each shot one eye of Ephialtes, with their arrows.

Athena killed Pallas and flayed the giant, using its hide for her shield. Athena also killed Enceladus, who had fled west. She crushed Enceladus by throwing the island of Sicily on top of him. Poseidon did the same thing to Polybotes, crushing the giant with the island of Nisyrus.

With Zeus' help, Heracles even killed Porphyrion, who tried to rape Hera; the same goddess who had incessantly persecuted him evens before his birth.

The twelve labours Heracles had performed and aiding the gods in this war, Heracles had earned his place among the gods in Olympus.

Next he still managed to wage wars and most notably in one of the wars he managed to injured the God of War Ares.

After some time Heracles then stayed in court of King Oeneus in Calydon; he fell in love with Deianeira, the king's daughter.

Deïaneira was the sister of the hero, Meleager. When Heracles went to the Underworld to fetch Cerberus, he met the shade of Meleager, one of two ghosts who didn't fear Heracles' presence. Heracles and Meleager were former companions, who had sailed with Jason. Heracles promised the shade Meleager that he would marry Deïaneira.

Deïaneira had many suitors, but none of them would want to compete against the hero, except the river-god Acheloüs (Achelous). Heracles had to fight one of his rivals, the river-god Acheloüs (Achelous), also a suitor of Deïaneira. Neither god nor hero would back down on wanting to marry the Calydonian princess. Acheloüs would not back down to a mortal rival; otherwise he would be disgraced as a coward. So they fought one another in a wrestling match.

The god has the ability to change his shape, and during the wrestling match, Acheloüs had changed himself into a man with head of a bull (minotaur), and then snake. With each transformation, Heracles overcame Acheloüs. Finding that he losing the contest to a mortal, the river-god changed himself into a bull. Heracles defeated Acheloüs when he broke the horn from the god's head.

Acheloüs surrendered to Heracles, in return for getting his broken horn back. Acheloüs exchanged this with the horn of Amaltheia that was filled with endless supply of fruit and drink of all sorts, which was known as Cornucopia (Horn of Plenty).

Heracles then married Deïaneira.

While living in Calydon, Heracles helped Oeneus in his wars against their neighbours. Heracles took the city of Ephyra in Thesprotia (part of Epirus). King Phylas had a daughter, named Astyoche, whom the hero slept with. Astyoche bored the hero a son named Tlepolemus.

It was said that at this time, Heracles had sent three of his sons from the daughters of King Thespius to the city of Thebes, seven were to remain in Thespiae with their grandfather (Thespius), but the rest (40) migrated to the island of Sardinia.

Returning to Calydon, a victory banquet was held in honour of the hero. Heracles accidentally killed the king's cupbearer and young relative, named Eunomus, the son of Architeles.

Though the king and the father forgave the hero, because it was an accident, Heracles could not forgive himself. Since, Oeneus was unwilling to punish the hero, so Heracles took matter into his own hands, and decided to go into exile, leaving Calydon with his wife.

During their journey, they encountered a Centaur named Nessus, who offered to ferry Deïaneira across the river of Evenus. As Deïaneira reached the other side of the river on Centaur's back, he tried to rape her. Heracles was still in the middle of the river, when he heard his wife's scream.

Heracles shot down Nessus with his poisoned arrow. As Nessus, lay there dying, the Centaur told Deïaneira to use his blood as love potion on Heracles, so that he would never leave her. Deïaneira knowing that Heracles liked to seduce beautiful maiden, collected the Centaur's blood, unaware that the blood was contaminated with the Hydra's deadly venom.

His last adventure began, when he went to war against Eurityus, whom he never forgave for refusing him his daughter Iole, whom he had won fairly in archery contest. Leaving Deianeira in Trachis, he raised an army and defeated Eurytus, taking Iole as his concubine.

Heracles may have killed Eurytus and his sons in the war, but according to Homer, Apollo killed Eurytus, when the king challenged the god in an archery contest. Eurytus' son Iphitus gave the bow to Odysseus. Odysseus had used this very bow to kill Penelope's suitors in the palace.

Observing rites of sacrifice for the victory in war, he sent his herald Lichas to get a fresh tunic at home. Deïaneira realising that Heracles may discard her in favour of Iole as his wife, Deïaneira smeared Nessus' supposed love charm on to his tunic.

When Heracles put the tunic on, the Hydra's venom began searing his skin and flesh. In agony, he tore it off, killing the innocent Lichas, who gave him the shirt. Dying, Heracles returned home to Trachis. Learning what she had done to her husband, Deïaneira killed herself.

Building a pyre for himself on Mount Oeta, Heracles asked his son Hyllus to set it alight. But neither his son, nor other mourners would do so, until either Poeas or his son Philoctetes, set the fire to pyre. He rewarded him with his powerful bow, which would later be used by Philoctetes, in the Trojan War. Lightning struck the pyre and when the fire died down; the mourners could not find the great hero's remains.

It was Athena who brought Heracles from the funeral pyre at Mount Oeta to Olympus, home of the gods.

Heracles became a god, living in Olympus, because he had performed the twelve labours and aiding the gods in their war against the Giants. Since he saved Hera from being rape by the giant Porphyrion. Hera had little choice but to reconcile with Heracles. Hera allowed the hero to marry her daughter, Hebe, goddess of youth, and Heracles became father of Alexiares and Anicetus.

When Iolaus defended Heracles' children (Heraclids) against Eurystheus' persecution, Heracles and Hebe helped Iolaüs to win the battle. To read some more about Heracles' children, see Heraclids.

Heracles had also visited Philoctetes and persuaded the archer to rejoin the Greeks forces in the war against Troy. Philoctetes, at first, was reluctant, because Odysseus and Agamemnon were responsible for abandoning him on the island of Lemnos, when he was bitten by snake. For nine years, he had lived on the island, alone, and bitterly resented those who had left him behind. Odysseus had gone back to bring him back, because Heracles had given the bow to him, before he died. The Greek seer, Calchas had foretold that Troy can never be taken without the bow of Heracles. Philoctetes would have shot down and kill Odysseus, had the god Heracles not intervened.

When Odysseus went to the Underworld, Heracles was the last shade to speak to him. While his immortal soul went to Olympus, his mortal half went to the Underworld. He was also placed amongst the stars in the sky as a constellation Engonasin ("Kneeler", but this constellation is now called Hercules).

The cloak from the lion's pelt he had always wore, helped to identify Heracles in the classical art, with the hood over his head. He was normally depicted carrying either his club or bow and arrows.

The story is a bit similar to Kratos' in the God of War game. It even resembles one of the most famous jew magician in the history. Can you guess who? Hint: His initials' JC. Take a wild guess. Why? Basically they both suffered in the world and then finally re-joins their heavenly father and became one of them. Ironically this person finally defeats Zeus and became one of the major religions in the world. Thoughts?