MYTH

1. THE TWELVE LABORS OF HERACLES

2. INTRODUCTION
• Heracles was the son of Zeus
• Denied right to be king and his birthright was given to his
cousin Eurystheus.
• Hated by Hera
• In a fit of rage, sent by Hera, Heracles killed his wife and three
children
• In order to repent this sin he must complete 12 impossible tasks
for Eurystheus.
• These tasks became known as the twelve labors of Heracles

3. TASK 1:
KILL THE NEMEAN LION
• Lion was supernatural, because its
hide could not be pierced by
arrows.
• Heracles blocked the exit to its
cave and crawled in the entrance
• Heracles throttles the lion in hand-
to-hand combat
• Heracles skins the animal and
from then on all statues of
Heracles depict him with the
Lion’s hide.

4. TASK 2:
KILL THE LERNA HYDRA
• Eurystheus was so scared of his
cousin that when he saw
Heracles coming with Lion’s hide,
he hid in a jar and issued the
next task
• The Hydra’s breath was
poisonous
• With the help of Iolaus, his
nephew, he cut off and burned
the heads of the Hydra, killing it.
• Dips arrows in Hydra’s blood
making poison arrows

5. TASK 3:
THE CERYNITIAN HIND
• Deer was sacred to Artemis and
had golden horns
• Heracles hunted the animal for a
year before he was able to shoot
the animal between the tendons
and bones of its front two forelegs.
• Artemis is angry but Heracles
blames Eurystheus his task
master.

6. TASK 4:
THE ERYMANTHIAN BOAR
• Had to bring back the animal alive
• Chased it into a snow bank on
Mount Erymanthus and threw the
creature over his shoulder and
took it back to Eurystheus.
• Eurystheus was hiding in a
storage jar as usual.

7. TASK 5:
THE AUGEAN STABLES
• King Augeas had several thousand
cattle and the produced so much
manure over the years that the
island permeated with the scent.
• Eurystheus sent Heracles to clean
the stables in one day.
• Instead of using a shovel and a
bucket like Eurystheus intended,
Heracles diverted two great rivers
to wash out the stables.

8. TASK 6:
THE STYMPHALIAN BIRDS
• The sixth Labor pitted Heracles
against the Stymphalian birds,
who inhabited a marsh near Lake
Stymphalus.
• The birds had feathers of brass
which they would shoot at people
and kill them with.
• Heracles could not get close to
them so he shot them with his
arrows.

9. TASK 7:
THE CRETAN BULL
• The same bull that was the father
of the Minotaur.
• Belched flames and fire.
• King Minos wanted to be rid of it.
• Heracles overpowered it and
shipped it back to mainland
Greece.

10. TASK 8:
THE MARES OF DIOMEDES
• The King Diomedes had four
mares which he trained to eat
human flesh.
• Diomedes would give his enemies
to the horses.
• Heracles feed Diomedes to his own
horses, thus pacifying them as he
took them to Eurystheus.

11. TASK 9:
HIPPOLYTE'S GIRDLE
• Heracles had to travel to the land
of the Amazons to retrieve the belt
of their leader for Eurystheus'
daughter.
• Hippolyte gave Heracles the belt
with no trouble, but Hera spread a
rumor that he had killed
Hippolyte.
• Heracles had to fight off the
Amazons to escape with his life
and the belt.

12. TASK 10:
THE CATTLE OF GERYON
• Geryon was a monster with three
heads and three bodies.
• His cattle was the most beautiful
in all the world
• To find Geryon’s island Heracles
makes the Strait of Gibraltar (The
Pillars of Heracles).
• Heracles killed Geryon with his
club and returned to Greece with
the cattle.

13. TASK 11:
THE APPLES OF THE HESPERIDES
• The apples were given to Hera as a
wedding present. They were kept on an
island and guarded by a many headed
dragon.
• In his search for the island he comes
across Atlas.
• Atlas agreed to get the apples if Heracles
would hold the world.
• Heracles held the world while Atlas went
to get the apples, when he returned Atlas
did not want to hold the world again.
• Heracles told Atlas to hold it long enough
for him to fetch a cushion for his
shoulders. When Atlas took the world
back, Heracles took the apples and ran.

14. TASK 12:
THE CAPTURE OF CERBERUS
• Eurystheus ordered Heracles to go to
Hades and return with Cerberus.
• Heracles intimidated Charon to take
him across the river Styx.
• Heracles then asked permission from
Hades to take Cerberus.
• Hades agrees on the condition that
Heracles has to beat the creature in
hand to hand combat.
• Heracles is victorious and takes the
animal back to Eurystheus.
• Thus ends his twelve labors and his
penance.