Mythology Herakles

January 12, 2006

Of all the Greek heroes, Herakles is certainly the most famous. Every aspect of his life from his birth to his death was extraordinary and his adventures led him from one end of the earth to the other. His mother was Alkmene, the wife of Amphitryon. As we've already seen Alkmene and Amphitryon were cousins and grandchildren of Perseus. Thus Herakles would be Perseus' great-grandson. Alkmene was also said to be the last mortal woman Zeus embraced.

Amphitryon and Alkmene

The King of Mycenae was Elektryon, Amphityon's uncle. The Taphians and Teleboans had raided Elektyon's cattle and killed eight of his sons. Elektryon went to war and left his nephew Amphitryon to rule Mycenae in his stead promising him the hand of Alkmene if he ruled well. Amphitryon received a message that the Taphians and Teleboans had sold Elektyon's cattle to the Eleans. Amphitryon ransomed the cattle back using money from Elektyon's coffers.

Herakles is most often depicted in art wearing a lion skin and carrying a club.

When Elektryon returned from the war, having defeated the Teleboans, he was enraged to discover that Amphitryon had spent his money to ransom back his own cattle. A quarrel broke out and Amphitryon accidentally killed Elektryon with a thrown club. Amphitryon was banished from Mycenae to the court of King Kreon of Thebes and Alkmene went with him. The two were married and Amphitryon was purified of the murder of his uncle, but Alkmene refused to consummate the marriage until the murder of her eight brothers were avenged. Her father had already defeated the Taphians, but Amphitryon now sought Kreon's support to go to war against the Teleboans,.

Kreon agreed to help Amphityron raise an army if he could capture a beast called the Teumessian Vixen, a fox that was raiding farmer's livestock and even carrying away small babies from their cribs. Fate decreed that the animal was impossible to catch. Amphitryon consulted an oracle about how to catch this animal. The oracle told him about a dog named Lailaps who always caught whatever he pursued.

Lailaps (like the bronze man Talos) was a gift given by Zeus to Europa. The animal had a lifespan many times that of a normal dog and was passed down to Europa's son, King Minos. Once when Minos fell deathly ill he was cured by the Athenian Prokris, who was a daughter of King Erechtheus. Minos gave her Lailaps and a spear made by Hephaistos that never missed its target. As thanks Amphitryon borrowed the dog from Prokris and her husband Kephalos. Having secured the hound, Amphitryon returned to Thebes and sent it after the vixen.

Zeus was then faced with a conundrum. The two animals' respective fates created a dilemma that was impossible to resolve. The fox could not be caught, while the hound could not fail to catch whatever it pursued. Faced with such a problem the only solution Zeus could arrive at was to turn both the animals to stone. Thus the menace of the Teumassian Vixen was ended and Kreon was obliged to help Amphitryon raise his army.

While fighting the Teleboans, Aphitryon was seen by Komaitho, daughter of Pterelaos, chief of the Teleboans,. Komaitho fell in love with Amphitryon and met with him in secret. She told him that there

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was a prophecy that the Teleboans were invincible as long as her father Pterelaos lived. Pterelaos was a grandson of Poseidon and was kept immortal by one golden hair that grew on his head. Out of love for Amphitryon, Komaitho plucked her father's golden hair while he was asleep. Pterelaos died, and thus the Teleboans were finally defeated in battle. Some authors say that Amphitryon abandoned Komaitho and she killed herself in grief, others say he himself killed her for betraying her father. Either way, Komaitho dies and Amphitryon is victorious.

The Birth of Herakles

Having defeated the Teleboans,, Amphitryon sent a message that he was returning with his army. The night before Amphitryon arrived, Zeus visited Alkmene in the form of her husband. Zeus (in the guise of Amphitryon) presented a golden cup that Poseidon had given his son Teleboas (Pterelaos' father), as proof of his victory. How Zeus wound up with the cup is a mystery, although being king of the gods, perhaps we should just accept that he is capable of whatever he wishes. Zeus caused the stars to stop so that the night he spent with Alkmene was three times as long as a normal night. Zeus made the prediction that the next child born to the house of Thebes would unite and rule the entire land of Perseus (which is Argos). Zeus made this prediction anticipating that the next child born would be his child by Alkmene.

When Amphitryon arrived the next morning in his victory procession, Alkmene was confused and asked him if he did not visit her bed the previous night. Amphitryon is outraged by Alkmene's infidelity (although she herself was duped) and Alkmene fled to an altar in the temple of Zeus for protection. Amphitryon piled wood around the altar intending to burn his wife alive for her affair, but Zeus sent thunderbolts from the sky; a sign that Amphitryon rightly interpreted to mean that he is supposed to spare his wife. Because of this sign from Zeus Amphitryon is reconciled with Alkmene.

Shortly before Alkmene was due to deliver, Hera discovered that Alkmene was carrying Zeus child. Hera had also heard of the prophecy Zeus made concerning the next child born in the house of Thebes ruling the kingdom of Perseus. Another woman in the House of Thebes was also pregnant: Nikippe, aunt of Alkmene and wife of Sthenelos. Her child was due months after Alkmene, but Hera had her daughter Eilithyia (goddess of childbirth) delay Alkmene's delivery and speed up the delivery of Nikippe. Thus Nikippe's son Eurystheus was born first and since Zeus could not withdraw his prophecy it was Eurystheus who was destined to become ruler of Argos.

Alkmene finally delivered twins: she bore a son to her husband whom they named Iphikles and a son to Zeus whom they who would eventually take the name Herakles. Herakles' original name varies. While the author Pindar and a few others state that Herakles' original name was Alkides, the author Apollodoros gives his original name as Alkaios. Regardless, we'll soon see why Herakles was forced to give up his birth name.

Alkmene, mother of Herakles. From a 5th

century red figure vase

There is a bizarre myth recorded by a few authors which states that Herakles was abandoned by Alkmene, who knew the child was not the son of her husband. She left the child on the side of the road where the child was found by the goddesses Hera and Athene. Seeing the child was hungry Hera attempted to nurse the child, but the young Herakles bit her breast and spat her milk into the sky. This became the Milky Way (and it fact this is how the Milky Way received its name). Athene returned the child to Alkmene and Hera understood that the son was the illegitimate child of Zeus. Of course this myth contradicts the myth of Zeus' prophecy about the child becoming ruler of the house of Thebes, for if Hera didn't discover Herakles was the son of Zeus until after he was born, how could she have known to speed up Nikippe's delivery?

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The most famous myth concerning Herakles as an infant is the story that Hera sent a pair of serpents into Herakles' crib to kill the child as Iphikles and he were sleeping. Even as a child Herakles showed enormous strength and he strangled the two serpents one in each hand. Seeing this event Amphitryon realized that Herakles was the son of Zeus.

Herakles' Early Adventures

Amphitryon taught Herakles to drive a chariot. Autolykos taught him how to wrestle and Eurytos taught him how to shoot a bow. Herakles' music teacher was Linos who was either a son of Kalliope or Apollon. It was said that in an effort to improve Herakles' performance on the lyre, Linos would box his ears whenever he hit a wrong note. In a fit of rage Herakles killed Linos by throwing the lyre at him and cracking his skull.

Herakles strangles the serpents. Amphitryon watches while Alkmene lifts Iphikles out of the crib.

Herakles was purified of the murder of Linos, but Amphitryon sent him to live with his friend Thespios, who was the king and founder of the town of Thespiae near Thebes. There Herakles tended Thespios' flock of sheep on Mt Cithaeron. There was a lion in the area called the Thespian Lion and it was killing sheep belonging to the king. Herakles killed the lion earning the gratitude of the king.

4th Century coin showing a bust of Athene on one side and Herakles fighting a lion on the other.

Some authors (such as Apollodoros) say the lion skin Herakles wore was from this lion, though most authors, even very early on say he did not acquire the lion skin he wore until his first labor for Eurystheus when he slew the Nemean Lion.

King Thespios was so impressed with Herakles he wanted his daughters to sire grandchildren by the hero. The king had fifty daughters and he fathered fifty-one sons by them. Among this number were two sets of twins. Only one of Thespios' daughters refused to lay with Herakles, and she was sent away to be a priestess for her refusal. Authors differ on the circumstances of this event: Apollodoros says it was done in fifty separate nights, while Pausanias claims it was done in one night. Regardless the result are fifty-one children, forty of who supposedly when they reached adulthood colonized the island of Sardinia near Italy.

At the end of his time in Thespiae, Herakles had one other notable adventure. He and Amphitryon traveled to Thebes where the found the city had been subdued by Erginos, the king of Minyas. It seems that the previous king of the Minyans was Klymenos who had been attacked by several people from Thebes

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(no author records the names of the attackers or even the reason for the attack). Before he died, Klymenos made his son, Erginos, swear he would avenge his death. Erginos sacked Thebes and demanded a steep tribute: one hundred cattle every year for twenty years.

When Herakles and Amphitryon arrived it was the first year of the tribute and the envoys sent by Erginos had come to collect the cattle. Herakles confronted the envoys and a fight broke out. Herakles subdued the envoys and cut off their nose and ears, made a necklace from the severed body parts, and send the envoys back to King Erginos wearing their own ears and noses around their necks. Needless to say this set off a war between the Minyans and Thebes, but with Herakles' and Amphitryon's aid the Thebeans easily won and put an end to the yearly tribute.

As a reward for the defeat of the Minyans, King Kreon of Thebes gave Herakles the hand of his daughter Megara. The couple lived in Thebes for a number of years and had a number of children together. Authors disagree on the number of children: Pherekydes says there were five children and Eripides says there were three. Regardless of the number of children, every author agrees that the children were all sons.

The Madness of Herakles and Servitude to Eurystheus

However Hera had not given up her hatred for Herakles. She sent a madness upon Herakles that caused him to commit terrible violence upon his own family. He attacked and murdered his own children, killing them and throwing their bodies into a fire. Certain authors say he also attacked and killed his wife Megara, and the author Apollodoros says that he also murdered two of his nephews (children of Iphikles). Supposedly Iphikles and his oldest son, Iolaos, only survived the attack because they were protected by Athene. Euripides also mentions that

Herakles prepares to throw a child onto a fire, while Megara recoils in fear.

Athene saved Amphitryon from death as well. According to Euripides Athene finally stopped the murderous rampage by knocking Herakles unconscious with a stone.

Herakles consulted the Delphi Oracle about how he could make atonement for his crimes. The oracle answered that he had to adopt the name "Herakles" (glory of Hera) and surrender his original name, Alkides. Also he had to become the servant of a lesser man and complete for him a number of labors. This man was his second cousin, Eurystheus who was king of Tiryns. Interestingly Euripides suggests that Herakles was bound to serve Eurystheus for twelve years and that he offered to perform the labors so that he might gain an early release from Eurystheus' servitude. Eurystheus was jealous of Herakles' fame and strength, and proved to be an unkind master to his heroic cousin.

Traditionally twelve labors are recorded. Later authors mention that he was originally assigned ten labors, but more were added after Eurystheus disqualified two of the original ten. The first six of the twelve labors occur in Peloponnesia and are thus sometimes called the Peloponnesian labors. These labors are: the slaying of the Nemean Lion, the slaying of the Lernaian Hydra, the capture of the Keryneian Hind, the capture of the Erymanthian Boar, the cleaning of the stables of Augeias, and the slaying of the

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Stymphalian Birds. The other six labors see Herakles traveling to the far corners of the earth. These labors are the capture of the Cretan Bull, the theft of the Mares of Diomedes, the theft of Hippolyta's girdle, the theft of Geryoneus' cattle, the quest for the apples of the Hesperides, and the capture of Kerberos.

The Labors of Herakles

All authors agree that the first labor was the slaying of the Nemean Lion. This isn't surprising since Herakles is most often depicted wearing a lion skin, and it makes sense chronologically for him to secure his trademark costume as early as possible. The lion was a child of Echidna (or possibly the Chimaira, the text is ambiguous) and according to Hesiod the beast was raised by Hera and sent to terror Nemea for failing to sacrifice to the gods. This labor is one of the most popular in art and there are many representations in statuary, vase painting and even on ancient coinage. Herakles wrestles the Nemean Lion.

According to the myth, Herakles tried killing the creature with a sword but its skin was so tough that it bent the metal. Herakles instead stunned the beast with a club and then strangled it to death with a headlock. Some artistic depictions even show a bent sword on the ground near Herakles and the lion. The author Theokritos tells us that the beasts hide was so tough nothing could cut through it except the beast's own claws. Using its claws Herakles skinned the beast and wore its skin ever after.

The second labor was the slaying of the Lernaian Hydra. The hydra was a large water snake that lived in a swamp near Lernaia. In the Theogony Hesiod again mentions the beast as being raised by Hera and being a child of Typhon and Echidna. Oddly Hesiod doesn't mention the most infamous feature of the creature: its multiple heads. Later authors such as Pausanias, Apollodoros, and Ovid do mention that the creature had many heads and even that when one head was cut off, two more would grow in its place.

Early 5th century vase-painting of Herakles and Iolaos fighting the Hydra.

Because the beast grew another head whenever one was removed, Herakles only made his job more difficult by attacking it. To defeat the beast he solicited the help of his nephew Iolaos, son of Iphikles. Herakles would cut off one head and Ioloas would then cauterize the wound by burning the beast's neck with a torch. This prevented the Hydra from growing new heads. In are the monster is show with a various number of head, but nine or ten are the most common.

Soon the creature was back down to one head, which was immortal and couldn't be killed. Herakles pinned the creature under a boulder and thus defeated the monster. Sophocles was the first author to say that the Hydra's blood was venomous and he mentions that Herakles dipped his arrows in the beasts blood, thus created poisoned arrows. Some authors say that Eurystheus refused to give Herakles credit for this labor since he was helped by his nephew.

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Herakles' third labor was to capture the Keryneian Hind, a deer sacred to Artemis. Because Herakles had show proficiency at killing deadly beasts, Eurystheus made this new labor harder by demanding that the hind be brought to him unharmed. The hind had golden horns and according to some accounts it was created when one of the Pleiades, Taÿgete, was changed into a deer by Artemis to escape Zeus' pursuit. When she was changed back to human form the deer became a separate entity and was dedicated to Artemis.

Apollodoros tells us the hind was very swift and Herakles hunted it for an entire year. He finally was able to catch it when he shot it in the leg with an arrow (presumably not a poisoned one). The author Diodoros says that he snuck up upon the creature while it was asleep and ensnared it with a net. Regardless of the manner of its capture, Artemis and Apollon appeared to Herakles begging that the hind not be harmed. Herakles promised he would not hurt the beast and promised he would only bring the beast to Eurystheus to prove he had captured it.

Roman mosaic showing Herakles subduing the hind.

Upon his return to Tiryns, Eurystheus, wanted to keep the beast (perhaps to use it for a sacrifice), Herakles however let the beast go, declaring that he was ordered only to catch the beast, not to give it to the king. Interestingly the only author who mentions that Herakles killed the hind was Euripides who is also the only author to describe it as being ferocious. Euripides states that the hind was killed by Herakles "to honor the goddess Artemis," but this version did not seem to be as popular as the story of its capture.

Herakles fourth labor was to capture the Erymanthian Boar. Ironically, the boar is only mentioned twice in all of the ancient Greek literature. Even Euripides makes no mention of it. Fortunately the story is well represented in Greek art, being second only to the Nemean Lion in popularity. Once again Herakles is instructed to take the beast alive and bring it to Eurystheus. Herakles subdues the beast and carries it to Eurystheus, but when Eurystheus sees the creature he is so frightened that he hides in a large jar and orders Herakles to remove it from his sight. Homer tells us in the Iliad that Eurystheus was so cowardly that he conveyed Herakles' instructions for the labors through a servant named Kopreus. Apollodoros expands upon this detail by telling us that Eurystheus started this practice after the capture of the boar, because he was so frightened by it that he wouldn't meet with Herakles face to face anymore.

Herakles shows the boar to Eurystheus who has hidden in a large jar (called a pithos) Herakles seems to be threatening Eurystheus with the prospect of dropping the boar into the jar with the king. Athene stands

nearby, looking on in approval.

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There is another myth about Herakles that is not counted among the twelve labors, but occurred on the occasion Herakles went to hunt the boar. He stopped at the mountain cave of the centaur Pholos, who was a friend of Dionysos. Pholos entertained Herakles by opening a bottle of wine given to him by Dionysos. However other centaurs smelled the wine and were driven to a rage by the fumes. The centaurs attacked and in the struggle Pholos was killed. Herakles killed many centaurs and chased those who fled.

The centaurs fled to find Chiron, a wise centaur who was versed in the healing arts. Herakles gave the centaurs chase to avenge the death of Pholos. In the scuffle, Chiron was accidentally wounded by one of Herakles' poisoned arrows. Chiron had been blessed with immortality by the gods, but he was not immune to the pain of the poisoned arrows. So he writhed in agony for years. Supposedly his suffering was finally ended when Prometheus removed Chiron's immortality and allowed him to die.

Herakles fifth labor was the drive away the bronze-beaked birds that were infesting the Stymphalian marsh. The Stymphalian Birds were sacred to Ares and had iron feathers. As they flew over the countryside the birds would drop their plumes and kill who ever happened to be below. Athene gave Herakles a bronze rattle to startle the birds from their perches in the trees. When Herakles shook the

Roman mosaic showing Herakles killing the Stymphalian birds.

rattle the birds took flight and Herakles killed many with his arrows. The rest were driven away and never returned.

Herakles' sixth labor was to clean the stables of King Augeias. Augeias was the king of Elis and he owned a magnificent herd of cattle, but his stables had not been cleaned for years. Herakles approached Augeias and told him he could have the stables cleaned by nightfall if Augeias would give Herakles one tenth of the cattle as payment. Augeias (who did not know that Herakles had been sent by Eurystheus) agreed to the price, believing it to be an impossible task. Augeias' son Phyleus was witness to the wager.

Herakles diverted the course of two rivers, the Alpheus and the Peneus, so that their water rushed through the stables. The water cleaned out the stables without Herakles ever having to set foot inside. Augeis however had in the meantime learned that Herakles was sent by Eurystheus and refused to pay. His own son Phyleus said his father should pay the cattle. For siding with Herakles Augeias banished his own son from Elis.

Herakles strikes as a rock to divert the course of the Alpheus river. Scene from the Temple of Zeus at Olympia (destroyed in

an earthquake) with Athene present at the scene.

Returning from the cleaning of the stables some say a centaur named Eurytion attempted to steal away Admete, Eurystheus' daughter. Herakles went to the aid of his enemy and killed the centaur, rescuing Eurystheus' daughter. In spite of this good deed, Eurystheus showed no kindness towards Herakles and instead informed him that he would be disqualified for the cleaning of the stables since he had tried to

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accept payment for the labor. This would bring his total number of labors he would have to perform to twelve. Some sources say it was not the daughter of Eurystheus that Eurytion had attempted to abduct, but instead the daughter of the king of Olenos. Regardless, in both versions it is Herakles who slays the centaur.

The seventh labor was to bring the Cretan Bull to Eurystheus. This was the same bull that was the father of the Minotaur and once again Herakles was told to take the creature alive. Arriving in Crete Herakles first secured King Minos' permission to take the bull and then set out after the animal. He found the beast and wrestled it to the ground by its horns. He then rode the beast across the sea back to Greece and presented it to Eurystheus. Eurystheus was scared of the beast and ordered it to be removed from his sight. The bull wandered to Attica where it became known as the Marathonian Bull and was later killed by Theseus.

Herakles herds the Cretan Bull.

After the seventh labor Herakles established the Olympic Games on the shore of the Alpheus River in honor of Zeus the Olympian. Heroes from all over Greece came to compete in the first Olympics, but Herakles won all the competitions himself. The gods themselves gave gifts to the hero: Poseidon gave him horses, Athene gave him a robe, Apollo gave him a bow and arrows, and Hermes gave him a sword. The Olympic Games were the most important athletic event in the ancient world and lasted well into Roman times until the coming of Christianity, which frowned upon pagan rituals. Since the Olympic Games were foremost a celebration in honor of Zeus, the Roman emperor Theodosius I finally banned the games in 393 AD.

The eighth labor was the capture of the flesh-eating mares of Diomedes. Diomedes was the king of a Thracian tribe called the Bistones and he owned a team of mares who were made incredibly fierce and swift from a diet of human flesh. Herakles and small group sailed to Thrace to steal the horses. Once there Herakles snuck into Diomedes' stables and stole the horses, but was discovered by the Bistones while attempting to flee. He had his servant Abderos tend to the horses while he fought off the Bistones.

Herakles defeated the Bistones and captured Diomedes. When he returned he found that the horses had devoured Abderos. Enraged,

Abderos being killed by the mares of Diomedes

Herakles fed King Diomedes to his own horses. He then founded the city of Abdera in Thrace to honor Abderos. Herakles then brought the horses to Eurystheus, who consecrated them to Hera.

It was after the eighth labor that Herakles joined the expedition of the Argo. The Argonauts wanted him to be the leader of the expedition, but Herakles would not deprive Iason of that honor. It was Herakles who reminded the men that they were on a mission to sail to Colchis after they became distracted on the island of Lemnos by the husbandless women there. Herakles left the company of the Argonauts after his friend Hylas became lost on the island of Mysia. Herakles set off looking for Hylas unaware that

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he had been killed by water nymphs. On the island of Mysia it became tradition once a year to sacrifice to Hylas and to call his name while pretending to search for him.

Herakles' ninth labor was to retrieve the golden girdle of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons. Eurystheus wanted the girdle for his daughter Admete. The Amazons lived in Asia Minor near the Black Sea and were a race of ferocious warrior women. Hippolyte's girdle was a gift from her father, the war god Ares. The term "girdle" is slightly misleading. Although the girdle in this myth is worn by a woman, the Greek word used is zoster, which could also refer to a metal belt worn by men outside one's clothing as a protective item. In a fragment from one of Euripides lost plays, the girdle is referred to as being made of gold and depicting a scene of armed combat between two armies, but the text is so patchy it's impossible to tell who the two armies refer to. Possibly it is the battle between the Olympians and Titans, though this is merely guesswork.

Several versions of the myth survive. In the most famous account (told by Apollodoros), Herakles travels to the land of the Amazons and meets with Queen Hippolyte. Herakles tells the queen of his need for the girdle and the nature of his servitude to Eurystheus. Hippolyte greets Herakles with courtesy and even agrees to hand over the girdle. But Hera, seeking to foil Herakles' quest, appears to the other Amazons in the form of one of their own number and stirs them up against Herakles. Convinced that Herakles intends to abduct their queen, the Amazons storm the tent were Hippolyte is entertaining Herakles. Thinking he has been tricked and that Hippolyte's hospitality was only a ruse, Herakles kills Hippolyte with his sword, snatches the girdle, and routes the other Amazons, escaping with his prize. Herakles stabbing Hippolyte

Other versions of the myth exist. An early vase painting shows Herakles' confrontation with the Amazons depicting his nephew Iolaos and another man named Pasimelon at the scene fighting alongside Herakles against Hippolyte and two unnamed Amazons. In other literary accounts Euripides tells the story that Theseus traveled with Herakles on his quest and while there he abducted a prize of his own: Hippolyte's sister Antiope. Pherekydes, as we've already discussed, made Theseus' voyage to the land of the Amazons a separate event from Herakles' quest. Still another account by the author Apollonios says that Herakles captured Melanippe, another of Hippolyte's sisters, and ransomed her for the girdle. Regardless of the manner of his success, Herakles prevails and wins the girdle from the Amazonian queen.

In this picture you can see Hippolyte handing the girdle over to Herakles peacefully. Notice that Herakles (who normally wore his lion-skin as armor) is holding it at his side, a sign of his peaceful

intent. He is also crowned with laurel leaves.

On returning from the Black Sea Herakles passed through the city of Troy where Laomedon, the son of Tros, was King. Laomedon (as you may remember) was appointed to be master to Poseidon by Zeus, as punishment for Poseidon's part it the attempted coup that Athene, Hera, and he participated in. Laomedon made Poseidon built the walls of Troy (in some myths Apollon helped) and Poseidon and Apollon hated the Trojans ever after. Poseidon (or Apollon) sent a large Ketos (sea monster) to terrorize Troy. An oracle decreed the only way to calm the beast was to sacrifice Laomedon's daughter Hesione to

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it. Laomedon attempts to placate the monster by feeding it the children of other Trojan nobility, but the gods are not fooled and the beast continued to ravage the Trojan coast.

As Herakles arrived the king was finally at the point were he was willing to sacrifice his own daughter. Already we were told that many Trojans were sending their own daughters to distant lands and marrying them early rather than have them be sacrificed to the Ketos. Herakles agreed to slay the beast and save Hesione, but as a reward he wanted Laomedon's horses. You may

The Ketos and Herakles, early 5th century vase painting.

remember that in return for carrying Ganymedes to Olympos Zeus gave King Tros a pair of swift horses that were immortal and faster than any mortal horses. When Tros died these horses passed to Laomedon, and it was these horses Herakles wanted. Laomedon reluctantly agreed to Herakles' price, wishing to rid his land of the Ketos.

Herakles slew the Ketos, either by himself or (as the Iliad suggests) with the help of Athene. But when it came time to collect his payment from Laomedon, the Trojan King reneged on his promise and refused to hand over the horses to Herakles. Denied his agreed payment Herakles left to return the girdle to Eurystheus. But as we'll see later, Herakles eventually returns to Troy to square up with Laomedon.

Another depiction of the myth where Herakles fires arrows at the Ketos, which is coming for Hesione. 6th century black-figure vase painting.

Herakles' tenth labor was to travel to the far west where he was to steal the cattle of the three-headed man Geryoneus (or Geryon in later sources). It might be better to say that Geryoneus was a three-bodied man since in art he is depicted as having three separate torsos with only two legs. Geryoneus was the son of Chrysaor (the man born from the blood of Medousa) and a nymph named Kallirhoe. Geryoneus' cattle were guarded by a herdsman named Eurytion (different from the centaur by the same name) and a two-headed dog named Orthos who was the son of Typhon and brother of Kerberos.

Since Geryoneus lived far to the west on island past Okeanos, Herakles had to find a way to reach the cattle. Supposedly the sun god Helios flew his chariot across the sky evry day to the west. Once reaching the west he would sail back to the east the long way in a large golden cup. To cross the ocean Herakles borrowed this cup. However, the sources differ as to exactly whom he borrowed the cup from. Perekydes says he borrowed the cup from Helios himself after threatening to shoot the sun god with one of his arrows. Presumable this means Herakles was ready to fire an arrow at the sun itself. While sailing in the cup Okeanos tested Herakles by sending large waves to rock the cup. Once again Herakles makes a god yield by threatening to shoot the

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ocean with an arrow. In other literary accounts he received the cup from either Okeanos or Nereus, the old man of the sea.

Herakles in the cup of Helios, although the cup is depicted small here, in literary accounts it was large enough to

carry Helios and his chariot and horses.

The actual theft of the cattle is a pretty straightforward affair: Herakles arrives at the island of Geryoneus, sometimes called Erytheia. He first kills the two-headed dog Orthys, then he kills the herdsman Eurytion, and finally he fights Geryoneus. Apparently Herakles had to kill each of Geryoneus' three bodies independently as artistic accounts often show one or even two bodies already slain. Different artistic accounts show Herakles using both sword and club to kill Geryoneus, while Geryoneus defends himself with three shields and three spears. Athene is also commonly seen at the battle standing beside Herakles.

Herakles fights Geryoneus. Notice that the two headed dog Orthys lies dead at Herakles feet and that one of Geryon's bodies has also been slain.

What is far more difficult than the actually slaying of Herakles is the driving of the cattle back to Tiryns. Along the way Herakles had several notable diversions. After crossing the ocean with cattle in the sun god's cup he immediately encountered the bandits Iabebion and Derkymos, both sons of Poseidon, that attempted to rob him of the cattle. Herakles kills them both with his arrows. In Liguria (north-western Italy) Herakles encounters a new problem, the populace refused to show hospitality to Herakles and even demanded the cattle from him. He killed many of them, but eventually ran out of arrows. Zeus took pity on his son and sent a shower of stones from the sky for Herakles to use as weapons. Herakles killed the rest of the population by pelting them to death with the stones and reclaimed his arrows from the bodies of those he had previously killed.

Roman authors state that while in Italy he headed south to visit the Trojan refugee Evander (the Greek version of his name would be Euandros, though he appears to be strictly a Roman invention). No Greek author mentions this story or another Roman story about a bandit named Cacus that Herakles kills on the Palatine Hill for attempting to steal his cattle. However Herakles sails from Italy to Sicily where the king of the Elymoi, named Eryx, challenged Herakles to a wrestling match for the cattle. They wrestle in three bouts, with Herakles winning every match and finally killing the king in the last bout. From there authors differ on the path taken. Diodoros has Herakles sail to Greece, while Apollodoros has him sail back to Italy and march the cattle north around the Adriatic Sea into Thrace, this of course raises the question of why the Sicilian diversion was necessary, but let's not concern ourselves too much with the confusing itinerary.

Heading back into Italy he first slew Lakinios and Kroton, who seem to have been bandits who were after the cattle, though the text oddly suggests that Herakles killed Kroton on accident. Once in Thrace, Hera sent a gadfly to scatter the cattle, forcing Herakles to search for the herd. The cattle were rounded up by the sons of Neleus (whom we saw in the myth of Iason and the Argonauts). Arriving at Neleus' court in the city of Pylus, Herakles requested the cattle be returned to him. Neleus refused to do so and in revenge Herakles killed Neleus and all his twelve sons except for Nestor, who was the only one who took Herakles' side in the argument. Some authors disagree that Herakles killed Neleus and his sons over the cattle, saying instead that he killed them over purification rites that Neleus refused to administer. Regardless of the reason, Herakles does kill Neleus and makes Nestor the king of Pylus. Nestor (who was

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a participant in the Kalydonian Boar hunt) would later fight in the Trojan War, though he would be an old man by that time.

After Pylus it seems Herakles once again makes an unnecessary diversion. Traveling east to Scythia (rather than south towards Tiryns) the author Herodotos tells us that Herakles encountered a half-snake, half-woman creature who stole some cattle and refuses to give them back unless Herakles would share her bed. Herakles did so and she bore him three sons, the youngest of whom was named Skythes and became king of the land (and lent his name to Scythia.) Later authors call this half-snake, half-woman creature Echidna, but Herodotos does not name her, and she is certainly not the same Echidna who mated with Typhon and bore him monstrous children. After this stop Herakles finally brings the cattle to Tiryns. Sources disagree about how long it took to complete this labor, but it certainly took the hero years.

The eleventh labor was to find the garden of the Hesperides and to bring Eurystheus the golden apples growing there. The Hersperides were daughters of Atlas, who lived in some land far to the west. The location of the garden was a secret no mortal knew. To find the garden Herakles traveled to Arabia to seek out Nereus, the old man of the sea, who had prophetic powers. As the literary myths tell the story: Herakles grappled with Nereus to gain the location of the garden. Failing to free himself, Nereus finally reveals to Herakles that the titan Atlas, who stood at the edge of the world supporting the weight of Ouranos, knew the garden's location.

Herakles wrestles Triton while Nereus at the right and one of the Nereides at the left watch. This was a common artistic theme. In literary accounts it is always Nereus whom Herakles wrestles and eventually artistic accounts began showing

Nereus (with a tail like Triton) wrestling Herakles.

Herakles travels to find Atlas. In Egypt there is an interesting event that parallels closely with the story of Samson from the Old Testament. Herakles arrives at the court of King Bousiris, son of Poseidon. Supposedly Egypt had suffered nine years of blight and a seer had told the king that lifting the blight would require one human sacrifice a year to Zeus. Rather than sacrifice his own people (which would be to the Greeks the responsible thing to do) King Bousiris instead chose to sacrifice strangers, an act that was offensive to Zeus as god of hospitality.

Upon arriving at the king's court Herakles was chained by the king's guards and placed before the altar. As the priests begin to prepare to sacrifice Herakles, he breaks his bonds and slaughters the priests, King Bousiris, and the king's son Amphidamas. Ovid tells the same story and in his version Herakles also kills the seer who made the prophecy (named Thrasius) but earlier Greek authors don't mention who made the prophecy or that Herakles killed him.

Herakles killing the priests while King Bousiris crouches in fear behind the altar. He holds one priest upside-down by his ankle while another

attempts to attack him with an axe.

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In Libya he encounters Antaios, the son of Poseidon and Gaia. Antaios would kill strangers who wandered through the land and he built a temple to Poseidon out of their skulls. He was both immortal and invincible, but only so long as he was in contact with his mother (the earth). Herakles lifted him off the ground and crushed him to death to prevent him from finishing the roof of the temple. Herakles then lay with Antaios' wife Iphinoe and fathers a son by her named Palaimon.

Greek coin showing Herakles fighting Antaios

Finding Atlas, Herakles asked for the location of the garden. Atlas however would not tell Herkles the location, but he offered to fetch the apples if Herkles would shoulder his burden for a while. Herakles agreed to do so and supported the weight of the sky while Atlas went to fetch the apples. Upon returning with the apples Atlas decided not to reassume his burden and mocked Herakles. Herakles however cleverly asked Atlas to hold the burden for a short time so he could find something to pad his shoulders. When Atlas foolishly did so, Herakles took the apples and left the Titan to his punishment.

Fragment from the temple of Zeus in Olympia. Herakles in the center supports the sky, while Athene stands behind him and Atlas on the right brings the apples.

It is interesting to note that even though the version of the story told above was the most popular and probably the oldest version of the story, there was another version told as well where Herakles himself travels to the garden. In this version the garden with the apples is in a land to the northwest inhabited by a people called the Hyperboreans. The apples were guarded not only by the Hesperides, but also a large serpent named Ladon. The dramatists Sophocles and Euripides both refer to Herakles as the slayer of Ladon. Euripides even calls the hero: "the one who met the songful maidens and claimed the golden fruit."

Herakles (on the right) seated in the garden of the Hersperides notice that the serpent Ladon is coiled around the tree in the center.

Regardless of how the apples are gained, Herakles returns to Eurystheus and hands the fruit over to him. But the apples were never meant to be in the possession of mortals and Athene later reclaims the apples and returns them to the Hesperides. Oddly no author mentions the actual effect of eating the apples. Possibly it was thought (being food for the gods) that the apples conferred immortality upon whoever ate them, like the apples of Idun in Norse Mythology or the fruit from the tree of life in the Old Testament. But this is never explicitly stated in any literary account of the myth.

For Herakles final labor he had to travel to the underworld and fetch the three-headed dog Kerberos. In preparation for this task Herakles went to Athens to be inducted into the Eleusinian Mysteries, however the mysteries could only be undertaken by Athenians, so Demeter founded the Lesser Mysteries in Herakles' honor. After his initiation Herakles traveled to the underworld, entering either through Taenarum in Laconia or at an entrance near the Black Sea.

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Finding the boatman Charon, Herakles bullied him into taking him across the river into the underworld. At the sight of Herakles all the souls of the dead fled in terror except for the shades of Meleagros and Medousa. Herakles was prepared to strike down Meleagros' spirit, but he told Herakles that he had nothing to fear from ghosts (although how one would physically attack a spirit is puzzling). Talking to Herakles, Meleagros' spirit offered the hand of his younger sister Deianeira to Herakles.

Herakles confronted Hades and Persephone who gave the permission to take Kerberos if he could defeat the beast in a wrestling match. Herakles successfully defeated Kerberos, choking the creature into unconsciousness. As he was about to leave the underworld he saw Theseus and Peirithoös still stuck on their cursed chairs. Since Herakles was carrying Kerberos on one shoulder, he only had one hand free to save one of the two heroes. Herakles chose to save Theseus and carried both him and the hound out of Hades through an exit in Troezen.

With Kerberos held fast, Herakles returned to Tiryns. Disobeying Kopreus (Eurystheus' servant) Herakles insisted on delivering Kerberos to his cousin personally. Herakles (with Kerberos held on a leash) confronted Eurystheus who once again hid in a jar. Herakles demanded Eurystheus liberate him from servitude and threatened to release Kerberos on the king unless his labors be acknowledged as complete. Fearing for his life, Eurystheus agreed and Herakles returned Kerberos to the underworld. This was the end of his Twelve Labors and Herakles' servitude to Eurystheus.

Herakles holds Kerberos on a leash before the frightened Eurystheus

The labors of Herakles from the metopes of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia

The temple of Zeus in Olympia with its toppled columns. Olympia was the site of the ancient Olympic Games.

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