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1. The Birth of a Hero Many years ago, in ancient Greece, a woman named Alcmene gave birth to a boy, Hercules, or Heracles in Greek. Hercules’ father was Zeus, the King of Gods, so Hercules was a very powerful little boy – he was a demigod. Zeus’ wife and the Queen of Gods, Hera, was jealous that Zeus had had a baby with Alcmene and she wanted to harm Hercules. One night, when Hercules was sleeping in his crib, Hera sent two snakes to kill him. Hercules woke up just in time to see the snakes above him and he killed them with his bare hands. Did You Know…? ‘Demi’ means half, so the word ‘demigod’ means ‘half-god’.

2. The Birth of a Hero Years later, when Hercules was a young man, he got married to Megara, a princess, and had children. Hera, who hadn’t forgotten her grudge towards Hercules, turned him temporarily mad and made him hurt his children. When Hercules recovered, he asked the god Apollo what he should do to be forgiven for his actions. Apollo told him that he should go and meet his cousin, Eurystheus, and do whatever he commanded him for twelve years. After that, he would become immortal and would live on Mount Olympus with the rest of the gods. So, Hercules met Eurystheus and this is how his twelve labours started. However, Hera was always trying to put obstacles in his way. Did You Know…? It is said that Hercules was born with the name Alcaeus but he was later given the name Hercules, which meant ‘Glory of Hera’. That name meant that he would overcome the difficulties that Hera would put in his way.

3. The Nemean Lion For the first labour, Eurystheus asked Hercules to bring him the skin of a terrible lion that terrorised the hills around Nemea, a small village in Greece. Immediately Hercules went to Nemea and started tracking the lion. He found it near its cave. However, he soon discovered that his arrows did nothing to the lion’s impenetrable skin. So, he hunted the lion into its cave, blocking one of the two entrances. He then grasped the lion and killed it with his bare hands. Hercules took the lion’s skin and made his armour out of it, which he would wear from now on. He then returned to Eurystheus to tell him the news. Eurystheus, who didn’t expect that Hercules would come back alive, was so scared when he saw him with his new armour that he hid inside a large jar buried in the earth. From then on, Eurystheus gave his commands to Hercules from inside that jar. Did you know…? It is said that Hercules was born with the name Alcaeus but he was later given the name Hercules, which meant ‘Glory of Hera’. That name meant that he would overcome the difficulties that Hera would put in his way.

4. The Lernean Hydra For the second labour, Eurystheus asked Hercules to track and kill a terrible huge serpent who lived in the water near a place called Lerna . The beast, with its nine immortal heads that breathed fire and venom, terrorised everyone nearby. Hercules took with him his nephew Iolaus and together they faced her. Hercules began to smash the head of the fearsome creature, but something terrible happened: every time Hercules smashed one of the heads, two more would burst forth in its place! Did you know…? It is said that Hercules was born with the name Alcaeus but he was later given the name Hercules, which meant ‘Glory of Hera’. That name meant that he would overcome the difficulties that Hera would put in his way. When everything seemed hopeless, Hercules told Iolaus that every time he would cut a head Iolaus should burn it. And it succeeded! The fire prevented more heads to appear and the hero was now ready to face the last one. When he cut off the final head, he buried it deep in the ground and placed a boulder on top. Then he dipped his arrows into Hydra’s venomous blood and made them more deadly.

5. The Hind of Ceryneia The deer was so fast that Hercules had a tough time hunting it. He hunted it for a year before he was able to catch it! One day when it was exhausted from the hunt, the deer went to a river. Hercules thought that this was his last chance. As he didn’t want to kill the deer because Artemis would be angry, he shot it in its leg and injured it. Then, he took it in his arms and went back to Eurystheus. As soon as Eurystheus saw the deer, Hercules set it free. Did You Know…? Artemis was the Goddess of Hunting and Archery and she lived on Mount Olympus with the gods. Deer were her sacred animals. Next, Hercules’ task was to catch the Hind of Ceryneia , the sacred female deer of goddess Artemis. The creature lived in the forest near the town of Ceryneia and Eurystheus wanted it brought to him alive.

6. The Erymanthian Boar Did you know…? Artemis was the Goddess of Hunting and Archery and she lived on Mount Olympus with the gods. Deers were her sacred animals. For the fourth labour, Eurystheus asked Hercules to find the Erymanthian Boar and bring it to him. The Erymanthian Boar was a monstrous boar living on Mount Erymanthos, in Arcadia. In ancient Greece, boars were dangerous animals and that boar was the most dangerous of all. They frequently attacked other animals and even humans. Hercules found it easily. The boar, frightened by Hercules, hid in a thicket but Hercules found it and trapped it in a net. He then took it to Eurystheus. Eurystheus, who was frightened when he saw Hercules carrying the boar, hid in his jar again. He asked Hercules to get rid of it. Some people say that Hercules threw it into the sea and the boar went to Italy.

7. The Augean Stables Did you know…? Artemis was the Goddess of Hunting and Archery and she lived on Mount Olympus with the gods. Deers were her sacred animals. Without losing time, Hercules dug two ditches that went through the stables to the rivers nearby. He used them to turn the course of the rivers into the yard where the stables were and the water rushed through the stables, cleaning everything. Hercules managed what no one had done before! When Augeas learnt that Eurystheus sent Hercules to him, he refused to carry out his promise of repaying him. Hercules returned empty handed to Eurystheus. Augeas was a king. He had more cattle than anyone in Greece and the stables where he put his cattle were never cleaned. He had cows, goats, horses, sheep and bulls. Eurystheus asked Hercules to go and clean Augeas’ vast stables in one single day. When Hercules reached the stables and met Augeas, he didn’t tell him that he was sent by Eurystheus. He told him that he would clean up his stables if Augeas would repay him by giving him a tenth of his cattle. Augeas agreed.

8. The Stymphalian Birds For his sixth task, Hercules had to face an enormous flock of birds called the Stymphalian Birds. The birds lived by a lake near the Greek town of Stymphalos . It was said that the birds were man-eaters, with beaks and wings made of iron. Hercules didn’t know how he could beat the birds while they hid sheltered by the trees. The goddess Athena helped him. She gave him a pair of krotala , a type of musical instrument similar to castanets that made a lot of noise. When the birds heard the loud noise, they were scared out of their hiding place. Hercules seized the opportunity and shot them with the arrows he had coated in Hydra venom. He managed to kill some of the birds, however some escaped but never returned to Stymphalos . Did you know…? ‘Demi’ means half, so the word ‘demigod’ means ‘half-god’.

9. The Cretan Bull Minos, the king of the island of Crete, was a powerful ruler. Wanting to prove his worth even more, Minos asked the King and God of the Sea, Poseidon to send him an animal and promised that he would sacrifice it in his honour. Poseidon sent Minos a bull, believing he would keep his word. Hercules didn’t know how he could beat the birds while they hid sheltered by the trees. The goddess Athena helped him. She gave him a pair of krotala , a type of musical instrument similar to castanets, that made a lot of noise. When the birds heard the loud noise, they were scared out of their hiding place. Hercules seized the opportunity and shot them with the arrows he had coated in Hydra venom. He managed to kill some of the birds, however some escaped but never returned to Stymphalos . Did you know…? ‘Demi’ means half, so the word ‘demigod’ means ‘half-god’. The bull was an elegant beast and when Minos saw its beauty he decided to keep it as part of his cattle herd. He then chose another bull to sacrifice. Poseidon was furious at this disrespect and made the bull become enraged, causing disasters around Crete. Eurystheus asked Hercules to capture the bull. Hercules went to Crete and asked Minos’ permission to capture it. The king, wanting to get rid of the bull, agreed to what Hercules said. So, Hercules got hold of the bull and brought it to Eurystheus, who upon seeing the ferocious bull became scared and set it free.

10. The Horses of Diomedes Some people say that Hercules went to this mission with some Greek companions. When he arrived at Thrace, he captured the horses and left one of his companions to watch them so that he could go back and fight Diomedes. However, Hercules didn’t know that these were not common horses. They had jaws made of copper and ate humans. So, when Hercules got back to his companion, he was dead. He took the horses and brought them to Eurystheus. Eurystheus sent the horses to Olympus where they were killed by wild beasts. Diomedes, the king of Thrace, was the son of the god Ares. Diomedes was known for his four dangerous horses. For his next task, Hercules had to go to Diomedes’ land and steal the horses. Did you know…? It is said that Hercules was born with the name Alcaeus but he was later given the name Hercules, which meant ‘Glory of Hera’. That name meant that he would overcome the difficulties that Hera would put in his way.

11. Hippolyte’s Belt Next in the order was the task of getting Hippolyte’s belt. Hippolyte was the queen of the Amazons, a tribe of fierce warrior women. She always wore her belt - a special piece of armour given to her by Ares, the Greek God of War. Did you know…? ‘Demi’ means half, so the word ‘demigod’ means ‘half-god’. When Hercules arrived in the land of the Amazons, Hippolyte asked him the reason for his arrival. Hercules told her the truth about her belt and the queen promised to give it to him. However, Hera told the Amazons that Hercules intended to take their queen away. So, the Amazons put on their armour and got ready to fight. When Hercules saw the Amazons with their weapons ready to strike, he needed to act quickly. He killed Hippolyte and, fought the rest of the Amazon warriors alongside his companions. After the battle Hercules and the companions that were still alive sailed away with Hippolyte’s belt.

12. The Cattle of Geryon For the next task, Hercules travelled to the edge of the world. His mission was to bring Eurystheus the cattle of Geryon. Geryon was a powerful but terrible creature, with three heads and three sets of legs. Did you know…? ‘Demi’ means half, so the word ‘demigod’ means ‘half-god’. Geryon’s cattle were on an island and were heavily guarded by a two-headed dog and a herdsman. Hercules killed them both and just as he was ready to escape with the cattle, Geryon attacked him. However, Hercules managed to kill him with his poisonous arrows. Hercules’ difficulties didn’t stop there. As Geryon’s island was far away from Greece, Hercules had to travel for many days and nights and he faced challenges along the way. Some tried to steal the cattle while Hera sent a gadfly, a fly that bites animals, to scare the cattle away. She succeeded and made the cattle run away from Hercules. Hercules now had to run around Thrace and gather the escaped cattle. At last, he found them and brought the cattle to Eurystheus, who sacrificed them to Hera.

13. The Apples of the Hesperides Now Eurystheus asked Hercules to bring him the golden apples from a garden that belonged to Zeus. The location for the garden was a secret and it was guarded by a fierce dragon and some nymphs, the Hesperides. First, Hercules needed to find out where the secret garden was. To do that, he found the sea-god Nereus and made him tell him the secret location. After more adventures he made his way to Mount Caucasus, where Prometheus was chained on a rock. Hercules set him free and Prometheus helped him with his quest as a way of thanking him. Did You K now …? Prometheus stole the fire from the gods and gave it to humans against Zeus’ wishes. So Zeus chained him on a huge rock on Mount Caucasus as a punishment.

14. The Apples of the Hesperides According to Prometheus, Atlas was most suitable to go to the garden and get the apples. The problem was that Atlas was busy holding the sky on his arms. Hercules agreed to hold the sky while Atlas went to the garden. When Atlas came back with the apples, he tried to betray Hercules by giving the apples to Eurystheus himself. This would mean that Hercules need to hold the skies forever. However, Hercules was smart. He managed to trick Atlas and placed the sky back on the Titan’s arms. He then took the apples and returned to Eurystheus. Did You Know…? Atlas was a Titan. When the gods won the Titanomachy , the terrible battle between Gods and Titans, Zeus punished Atlas by condemning him to hold the sky on his arms forever.

15. Cerberus Hercules journeyed to the Underworld and asked Hades for the creature. Hades, being the ruler of the Underworld, agreed to give it to him on the condition that he should overpower the dog without using any weapons. So, Hercules, with only his lion-skin as a shield and his hands, wrestled with Cerberus. Cerberus used his serpent tail to bite him but Hercules didn’t stop. He beat Cerberus and brought him to Eurystheus. Then, he safely returned him to Hades. Hercules was now free. Did you know…? It is said that Hercules was born with the name Alcaeus but he was later given the name Hercules, which meant ‘Glory of Hera’. That name meant that he would overcome the difficulties that Hera would put in his way. For the twelfth and last labour, Eurystheus commanded Hercules to go to the Underworld and kidnap Cerberus, the creature that guarded the gates. Cerberus was a terrible dog-like creature; he had three heads, a serpent for a tail and snakes around his body. Eurystheus was sure that Hercules would not succeed.

16. Quiz

17. Quiz Which beast did Hercules kill with the help of his nephew, Iolaus ?

18. Quiz Which beast did Hercules kill with the help of his nephew, Iolaus ? The Lernean Hydra

19. Quiz Who brought the apples of the Hesperides from the secret garden?

20. Quiz Who brought the apples of the Hesperides from the secret garden? Atlas

21. Quiz Why did Hercules go to the Underworld?

22. Quiz Why did Hercules go to the Underworld? To catch Cerberus and bring it to Eurystheus.

23. Quiz Who were the Amazons?

24. Quiz Who were the Amazons? A tribe of female warriors.

25. Quiz How did Hercules obtain his armour?

26. Quiz How did Hercules obtain his armour? By taking the skin of the Nemean Lion.

27. Quiz What was the Hind of Ceryneia ?

28. Quiz What was the Hind of Ceryneia ? It was a female deer, sacred to the goddess Artemis.

29. Over to You Which labour did you enjoy learning about the most? Discuss with a partner. Which labour do you think was the hardest for Hercules? Why? Discuss with a partner. Can you think of any heroic figures from other cultures that achieved incredible feats? Discuss with a partner.