Heracles

The name Heracles means, "Hera's Glory." Ironically, though Hera despised the newborn son of Zeus and Alcmena, she was tricked into nursing him. Heracles is the most famous of mythological heroes. He was known for his great feats both good and bad. Most notably though, he was known for his completion of the Twelve Labors to Immortality.

First Labor- Heracles was to kill the Nemean Lion, which was immune to his club arrows and sword. Heracles accomplished this task by wrestling with the beast and strangling it to death. In the process, Heracles lost a finger.

Second Labor- To kill the Lernaean Hydra. The hydra was a creature with 8-10 poisonous heads, one of which was immortal. During the combat a giant crab sent by Hera joined to help dispatch Heracles. Only with the help of Iolaus distracting the creatures, did Heracles manage to be victorious.

Third Labor- Next Heracles was required to catch the Ceryneian Hind alive and bring it to Mycenae. It took Heracles one year to trap it by the river Ladon.

Fourth Labor- Again Heracles was required to capture another live animal. This time it was the Erymanthian Boar. By trapping it in the snow, he jumped onto the boars back, and wrapped a chain around the neck.

Fifth Labor- Heracles next task was to clean King Augeias' stables in one day. The problem was that the stables had not been cleaned for years. Heracles listened to the suggestions of Menedemus, and was helped by Iolaus, to redirect the flow of the Peneius and Alpheus rivers through the stable.

Sixth Labor- The destruction of the man- eating birds in the Stymphalian Marsh was the next required task. These birds had razor sharp claws, and were impervious to arrows. Heracles received rattles from Hephaestus and scared the entire flock to the Ises of Ares.

Seventh Labor-For Heracles next task, he had to capture the Cretan Bull. This bull was responsible for coupling with Minos' wife and siring the Minotaur. Even though the bull was able to breathe fire, after a long struggle, Heracles managed to drag the bull back to Mycenae.

Eighth Labor- Task number eight for Heracles was to capture the man-eating mares of Diomedes. After capturing the horses, he went to fight Diomedes. After clubbing Diomedes to death, Heracles fed the body to the horses.

Ninth Labor- The next task was to obtain Ares' Divine Girdle which was in the possession of the Amazon Queen Hippolyte, and present it to Eurystheus' daughter, Admete. Heracles encountered the amazons near the river Thermodon, and was given the girdle as a love present.

Tenth Labor- The tenth labor required Heracles to capture King Geryon's cattle. After arriving in the kingdom of Geryon, he quickly killed Geryon's guards, and dispatched three-headed Geryon with one accurate blow to the head.

Eleventh Labor-Heracles was to pick a few golden apples from Hera's tree. The tree was guarded by a serpent. Heracles convinced Atlas to pick the apples after shooting the serpent.

Twelfth Labor-The final labor was to bring Cerberus from Tartarus, When Heracles confronted Hades, he was told that he could capture Cerberus only if he did not use his club or arrows. Heracles again used his hands to strangle Cerberus into submission.

When the Giants attacked the Olympians, the Gods could only stun the Giants. Only Heracles was able to deliver the death blow. Finally Heracles was given his immortality, and he resided on Mount Olympus. The great hero's days of godhood where quite ones.