The Erymanthian boar, possessing monstrous strength, terrified all the surroundings. On the way to fight him, Hercules visited his friend, the centaur Fall. He treated the hero with wine, angering the rest of the centaurs, since the wine belonged to all of them, and not to Foul alone. The centaurs rushed at Hercules, but with archery he forced the attackers to hide near the centaur Chiron. In pursuit of the centaurs, Hercules burst into the cave of Chiron and accidentally killed this wise hero of many Greek myths with an arrow. Finding an Erymanthian boar, Hercules drove him into deep snow, and he got stuck there. The hero took the tied boar to Mycenae, where the frightened Eurystheus hid in a large jug at the sight of this monster. (For more details, see a separate article. The fifth feat of Hercules - Erymanthian boar.)
The sixth feat of Hercules (summary)
The king of Elis, Augeas, the son of the sun god Helios, received from his father numerous herds of white and red bulls. His huge stockyard has not been cleaned for 30 years. Hercules proposed to Augius to clear the stall in a day, asking in return for a tenth of his flocks. Considering that the hero would not be able to cope with the work in one day, Augeas agreed. Hercules dammed the rivers Alpheus and Penae and diverted their water to the cattle yard of Avgius - all the manure was washed away from it in a day.
The greedy Augeas did not give Hercules the promised payment for the work. A few years later, having already freed himself from service with Eurystheus, Hercules gathered an army, defeated Avgius and killed him. After this victory, Hercules established in Elis, near the city of Pisa, the famous Olympic Games The sixth feat of Hercules - the stables of Avgius.)
Seventh feat of Hercules (summary)
God Poseidon gave the Cretan king Minos a beautiful bull to sacrifice to himself. But Minos left a wonderful bull in his herd, and sacrificed another to Poseidon. The angry god sent rage on the bull: he began to rush all over Crete, destroying everything along the way. Hercules caught the bull, tamed it and swam on its back across the sea from Crete to the Peloponnese. Eurystheus ordered the release of the bull. He, again enraged, rushed from Mycenae to the north, where he was killed in Attica by the Athenian hero Theseus... (For more details, see a separate article. Seventh feat of Hercules - Cretan bull.)
Eighth feat of Hercules (summary)
The Thracian king Diomedes owned horses of wondrous beauty and strength, which could only be kept in a stall with iron chains. Diomedes fed the horses with human meat, killing foreigners who came to him. Hercules took the horses away by force and defeated Diomedes, who rushed in pursuit in battle. During this time, the horses tore apart Hercules' companion, Abder, who guarded them on ships.
The ninth feat of Hercules (summary)
The queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta, wore a belt presented to her as a sign of her power. god Ares... This belt wanted to have the daughter of Eurystheus, Admet. Hercules with a detachment of heroes sailed to the kingdom of the Amazons, to the shores of the Pontus Euxine (Black Sea). Hippolyta, at the request of Hercules, wanted to give the belt voluntarily, but other Amazons attacked the hero and killed several of his companions. Hercules killed seven of the strongest warriors in battle and put their army to flight. Hippolyta gave him the belt as a ransom for the captured Amazon Melanippa.
On the way back from the land of the Amazons, Hercules rescued at the walls of Troy Hesion, daughter of the Trojan king Laomendont, doomed, like Andromeda, for a sacrifice to the sea monster. Hercules killed the monster, but Laomedont did not give him the promised reward - the horses of Zeus belonging to the Trojans. For this, Hercules a few years later made a trip to Troy, took her and killed the entire family of Laomedont, leaving only one of his sons, Priam, alive. Priam and ruled Troy during the glorious Trojan War.
Hercules is a mighty ancient Greek hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene. Legends about him were extremely popular in the ancient world. The ancient Romans called Hercules Hercules. The hero's mother was the daughter of the Mycenaean king Electrion. Her husband Amphitryon was the son of the king of Tiryns Alkeus. Once, during the absence of Amphitryon, Zeus appeared to Alcmene, assuming the image of her husband, and lay down with her on the marriage bed. So Hercules was conceived. When the legal spouse returned, the wife conceived Iphicles from him.
So two twin boys were born. But Iphicles was much weaker than his brother, so he did not show himself anything outstanding. But he was always devoted to Hercules and helped him in all matters. It should be noted here that the twins of the ancient Greeks were inextricably linked with the mystical component. The Greeks believed that one of the twins born is always the father's half-son, but the second was conceived by a divine essence. It is this worldview that is reflected in the legend of Hercules and his twin brother.
Zeus's wife Hera hated Hercules and a few months after his birth sent two snakes to the baby to kill him. But the baby lying in the cradle grabbed the poisonous reptiles with his hands and strangled them. Thus began the exploits of Hercules. But the victory over the snakes was only a minor prelude. The main feats, of which there were 12, were accomplished in adulthood, when Hercules became a powerful athlete. What are these feats and why did they have to be performed at all?
Twelve labors of Hercules
At the age of 16, Hercules married Megara, the daughter of the king of Thebes, Creon. The woman at the time of her marriage was 33 years old, at least so the ancient Greek playwright Euripides claimed. Megara gave birth to 3 sons, and the marriage promised to be happy, but everything ended tragically.
Hera sent madness to Hercules, and he killed all his children and 2 children of his brother Iphicles. As for his wife, according to some myths he killed her, and according to others he gave her as a wife to his charioteer Iolaus. When the madness passed, the powerful athlete realized what he had done and fell into a state of unbridled grief. He went into the desert and began to live there. But soon his brother Iphicles found him and convinced him to go to the Delphic oracle to find out how to atone for his guilt.
Heartbroken, Hercules went to Delphi, where the Pythia Xenoclea was broadcasting at that time. At first, she did not want to see the child killer at all, but then she took pity on him and gave out a prophecy. According to him, the mighty athlete had to perform ten feats, which were ordered by Eurystheus - the grandson of Perseus, the cousin of Hercules and the king of Argolis. He hated the powerful athlete, and he had similar feelings for his cousin.
But prophecy is prophecy, and it had to be strictly fulfilled. However, the Oracle said about ten exploits, and there were twelve of them. How did it happen? Here the fact is that in some myths the number 10 was mentioned, and in others the number 12. To smooth out the discord and make it believable, they came up with the following: the legendary athlete performed ten feats, but Hera persuaded the Pythia not to recognize two of them - the 2nd and 5th. Therefore, the indefatigable hero had to perform two more feats. And in total, just the required amount turned out. So, what are these feats of Hercules?
The first feat - killing and skinning the Nemean lion
A huge lion with a very hard skin lived in Nemea. He was the son of the giant Typhon and the half-woman, half-snake Echidna. It is quite understandable that this terrible monster terrified the surrounding area. A cave with 2 exits served as a dwelling for the Nemean lion. Hercules appeared near the cave and blocked one of the exits with stones. A huge lion emerged from the remaining free passage and entered into a fight with the mighty athlete.
Defeating the Nemean Lion
He did not use the weapon, as it was pointless. He strangled the ferocious beast with his hands. But there was still a very strong skin to be removed. She did not take a sharp knife, and our hero tore out of the lion's mouth incredibly sharp teeth and with their help he butchered a huge carcass. The legendary athlete brought the skin off to Eurystheus as proof of the victory over the Nemean lion.
The second feat - the murder of the hydra Lerna
Hydra Lerna was also the daughter of Typhon and Echidna. She was a snake-like monster with several dozen heads. Poisonous breath emanated from this monster, and new ones immediately grew in place of the lost heads. And it was with such a terrible monster that a powerful mythological hero had to fight.
The hydra's task was to guard the underground entrance to the kingdom of Hades. The entrance was located under water in Lake Lerna. The monster itself lived in a cave on the shore. From time to time it got out and terrified the surroundings. And in this terrain saturated with fear, our hero appeared, accompanied by his henchman Iolaus. He began to shoot flaming arrows into the cave, and soon the disturbed hydra jumped out of her hideout.
Fearless Hercules began to chop off the hydra's heads, and Iolaus immediately cauterized the resulting wounds so that new heads would not grow in their place. Thus, the hydra of Lerna was destroyed. The mighty athlete buried the most important immortal head in the ground by the road and piled a huge stone on top. But as everyone noticed, in this case, the fearless hero was helped by his henchman Iolaus. Therefore, the insidious Hera persuaded the pythia not to recognize the 2nd feat of Hercules, since he did not accomplish it alone.
The third feat - the destruction of the Stymphalian birds
Stymphalian birds lived near the city of Stymphala in Arcadia. They had bronze beaks, wings and claws. With their poisonous droppings, they destroyed crops, attacked and killed people and animals. It was extremely difficult to destroy such monsters. But the goddess Athena came to help the mighty athlete. She gave him 2 drums, which Hephaestus himself forged. Our hero came to the mountain where terrible birds nested and hit the drums.
Stymphalian birds and Hercules
From the eerie noise, the bronze monsters rose into the air. The athlete struck some of them with arrows, while others left Greece forever and flew to the Black Sea coast. There they were met by the Argonauts much later. Thus, the task was completed, and the exploits of Hercules continued.
The fourth feat - the capture of the Kerinei fallow deer
The Kerinean fallow deer is an extremely hardy and fast animal. Once upon a time she was one of the seven Pleiades, but had a falling out with the eternally young Artemis, and she turned her into a swift and unaware of fatigue doe. According to another version, there were 5 such fallow deer. They were larger than bulls. They had golden horns and brass hooves. Artemis caught 4 and harnessed them to her chariot. But Hera helped one animal to escape, and the doe settled well in Arcadia, where she began to devastate agricultural fields.
It was almost impossible to catch the Kerinean doe. Hercules began to chase her day and night and approached the animal in the far north. But he had to be caught, not killed, and not a drop of blood was spilled. The powerful athlete waited until the doe stopped to drink water, and shot 2 arrows at her legs. Each pierced one hind leg, but passed between the tendon and bone without damaging blood vessels... After that, the ancient hero caught the immobilized animal and brought it to Eurystheus.
The fifth feat - cleaning the Augean stables in one day
The Augean stables belonged to King Augeus, who was the son of the sun deity Helios. This king owned a huge number of livestock. Large stables were built for them in the barnyard. They contained bulls, cows, goats. As for the horses, there were few of them, but for some reason the spacious premises were called "stables."
No one has ever cleaned them, and a myriad of manure has accumulated in the buildings. Hercules was asked to remove all this manure in one day. But in this situation, the mythological hero showed a commercial acumen and asked Avgius for a tenth of the cattle if he cleared all the premises in a day. The son of Helios agreed, and the mighty athlete destroyed in 2 places the wall that surrounded the barnyard. In the formed openings, he diverted water from the rivers flowing nearby - Penea and Alfea.
River streams rushed into the Augean stables and carried away all the manure with them. Thus, the king's stockyard was cleared in just 1 day. But Augeas did not fulfill his promise and did not give the promised cattle to Hercules. This became the reason for a long conflict, and the feat itself, again with the participation of the vengeful Hera, was not credited to our hero, since he demanded a reward.
The sixth feat - victory over the Erymanthian boar
The Erymanthian Boar was a huge boar that lived on Mount Erimanth in Arcadia. He annoyed people by constantly devastating agricultural fields and orchards. The mighty athlete was instructed to capture this beast alive and bring it to Eurystheus in Mycenae.
Hercules defeated the Erymanthian boar
Hercules found a boar and chased him. But the boar was fast, and therefore the pursuer could not catch up with him. However, the couple soon found themselves in an area covered with deep snow. The boar noticeably slowed down, struggling through the snow cover. The athlete caught up with him, jumped on his back and fettered him with chains. After that, he lifted the huge animal on his shoulders and carried it to Mycenae.
The seventh feat - taming the Cretan bull
The Cretan bull lived on the island of Crete and belonged to King Minos. At one time Poseidon sent this bull to the king to sacrifice it. But Minos, seeing a large and strong bull, did not want to kill him. An ordinary bull from the royal herd was sacrificed. Poseidon was angry and sent madness to the bull. He began to rush around the island, destroying everything in his path. It was this crazy animal that our hero needed to pacify.
A mighty athlete landed in Crete, found a bull, jumped on his back and swam across the Aegean Sea on a mad animal, reaching the Peloponnese. There he brought the bull to Eurystheus, who decided to sacrifice it to Hera. But the goddess did not want to accept the mad bull. Therefore, he was released and rushed to run, wreaking havoc around him. He rushed towards Athens, but was met by the Athenian hero Theseus. He killed the bull on the Marathon Plain, and the exploits of Hercules continued.
The eighth feat - the abduction of the horses of Diomedes
The king of Thrace, Diomedes, had 4 mares that ate human meat. The mighty athlete sailed to Thrace on a ship, kidnapped the mares and took them to his ship. But Diomedes with his warriors rushed in pursuit. Our hero left the ship, went out to the pursuers and defeated them. Diomedes himself was captured and thrown to the mares to eat. But those, while Hercules fought, ate the watching over them Abder - the son of Hermes.
The mighty athlete delivered the horses to Eurystheus, and he, not knowing what to do with the cannibals, set them free. The mares fled to the mountains and began to attack animals, as they ate only meat. In the end, the beasts of prey tore the mares to pieces, and for Hercules it was the turn of the ninth feat.
The ninth feat - theft of Hippolyta's belt
Hippolyta is the queen of the Amazons, daughter of the god of war Ares and the Amazon Otrera. She owned a magic belt that her father gave her. The daughter of Eurystheus Admet laid eyes on him. Therefore, the powerful athlete was instructed to steal the belt.
I must say that there are many variants of the ninth feat. According to one of them, the ancient hero kidnapped Melanipa (sister of Hippolyta), and had to give him a belt for her release. According to another version, Hippolyta herself was kidnapped, and the Amazons tried to save her. During the battle, the owner of the belt was killed, and Hercules sailed away on a ship with a magic trophy. Whatever it was, but he coped with the ninth task.
The tenth feat - the theft of Geryon's cows
The giant Geryon, born of Chrysaor and Kalliroi, lived on the island of Garida behind the Pillars of Hercules. He owned a herd of cows, each of which had 3 bodies, 3 heads and 3 pairs of legs. These cows were ordered to be kidnapped by the ancient hero.
The mighty athlete reached the ocean shore, and then swam on a golden boat presented to him by Helios. He arrived on the island, but the herd was guarded by a dog named Ortro and a shepherd Eurytion. The ancient hero entered into a battle with them, defeated and drove the cows to the golden boat. But then an angry Geryon appeared. He threw himself at the thief, but lost the battle. The boat departed, and the cow-stealer sailed safely to Greece.
However, while Hercules drove the herd to Mycenae, Hera sent rabies on the cows. The animals fell into madness and scattered in different directions. The athlete had to spend a lot of time and effort to bring the herd back together. In the end, Geryon's cows ended up in Mycenae and were sacrificed to the formidable Hera.
Eleventh feat - stealing golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides
The Hesperides are forest nymphs who care for a beautiful garden located near the Atlas Mountains in North Africa... The garden was guarded by the dragon Ladon, as golden apples grew in it. The father of the Hesperides was Hesperus - the son of Atlas. The mother was Nikta - the goddess of the night. There were 7 Hesperides in total, but in this narration it makes no sense to give their names.
A powerful athlete was assigned to steal apples, which was an extremely difficult task. However, chance intervened. By order of the Egyptian king Busirid, the forest nymphs were kidnapped by sea robbers. They landed on a small peninsula to have a feast to mark the completion of a successful business. But then Hercules appeared absolutely by accident.
He quickly realized what was the matter, killed all the robbers, and took the freed Hesperides to Atlanta. He, as a token of gratitude, handed over golden apples to the mighty athlete, which were delivered to Mycenae and presented to the insatiable Eurystheus, who had lost all sense of proportion. After that, the ancient hero set off to perform his last twelfth feat.
Feat twelve - taming the dog Cerberus
The dog Cerberus was the son of Typhon and Echidna. He guarded the gates to the kingdom of Hades (the kingdom of the dead). This creepy dog was a real monster. He had 3 heads, and Hesiod claimed that he had as many as 50 of them, and a serpentine tail. A poisonous mixture was constantly flowing from the monster's mouth. Cerberus did not let the dead out of their kingdom and did not let the living in there if they were overwhelmed by curiosity.
Hercules taming the dog Cerberus
This feat of Hercules has many variations. According to one of them, a mighty athlete simply asked permission from the god Hades to take the dog for a while and take him to Mycenae. He agreed, and the ancient hero brought the monster to Eurystheus, showed him, and then took him back. According to another version, he conquered a terrible monster with the kindness, and he meekly followed him.
There is also an option that Hermes and Athena helped the mighty athlete. They threw daylight on the dog, and the poisonous mixture made him vomit from his mouth. After that, the monster was taken out of the kingdom of Hades, shown to Eurystheus and returned back. That is, there are many mythological options, but in all cases the athlete does not harm the dog and again takes him to the underworld. But it could not be otherwise, since someone had to guard the entrance to the world of the dead. As for Eurystheus, he was satisfied with the look creepy dog, and on this the exploits of Hercules ended.
Hercules performed 12 feats to make amends, cleanse himself from the blood of innocent children killed by him, and receive the forgiveness of the gods.
In addition, Zeus concluded a treaty with the Hero that Hercules would perform 12 great deeds and free himself from his power.
What feats did Hercules perform?
1) the fight with the Nemean lion, whom Hercules strangled;
2) the destruction of the Lernaean hydra, with the poison of which Hercules smeared arrows, and therefore the slightest wound from an arrow was considered fatal;
3) hunting for the Erimanfsky boar, which has run down Arcadia;
4) catch the Kerinei fallow deer with golden horns and copper legs;
5) the destruction of Stymphal birds, had copper claws, wings, beaks and feathers, which ruled them for arrows;
6) receiving the belt of the queen of the Amazons Hippolyta for the daughter of Eurystheus Admet;
7) cleaning the Augean stables within one day;
8) overcoming the Cretan bull, spewing flame (this bull was presented by Poseidon to Minos);
9) victory over Tsar Diomedes, who threw foreigners to be devoured by his mares-lodgers;
10) the abduction of cows by the terrible three-headed giant Geryon, who lived in the far west on the island of Eritiya. Hercules crossed all of Europe and Libya and erected pillars for Hercules (Gibraltar and Ceuta) in memory of this campaign;
11) the theft of golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides: Atlas got the apples while Hercules supported the sky instead;
12) the last and most difficult feat is the taming of Kerber. Hercules descended to the kingdom of Hades at Tenar, defeated the hundred-headed dog without any weapon, brought it out to the world and, showing it to Eurystheus, carried it back.
1 feat of Hercules summary
This lion was monstrous in size. He lived near the city of Nemea and devastated all the surrounding area. Hercules tracked him down and hit him with a club.
The lion fell to the ground; Hercules threw himself on the lion, grabbed him with his mighty arms and strangled him. Heracles brought the lion he had killed to Mycenae.
2 feat of Hercules summary
The hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna, she destroyed herds and devastated the surroundings. Fighting the nine-headed hydra was dangerous because one of the heads was immortal. Hercules began to cut off the heads of the hydra, but new ones grew in her. When Iolaus burned the hydra's necks, from which Hercules knocked heads off, new ones stopped growing. Finally, the immortal head flew off. The monstrous hydra has been defeated.
3 feat of Hercules summary
Stymphalian birds tore apart animals and people with their copper claws and beaks. The warrior Pallas Athena told Hercules how to act. Climbing the hill, the hero hit the tympans, the birds flew in a huge flock over the forest. The hero grabbed his bow and began to shoot the birds with deadly arrows. In fear, the Stymphalian birds soared up behind the clouds and disappeared from the eyes of Hercules.
4 feat of Hercules summary
Eurystheus sent Hercules to catch an unusually beautiful fallow deer with golden horns. For a whole year, Hercules pursued the Kerinean doe. Desperate to catch the doe, Hercules resorted to his arrows that did not miss.
He wounded the golden-horned doe with an arrow in the leg, and only then did he manage to catch her. The great hero brought the Kerinean fallow deer to Mycenae and gave it to Eurystheus.
5 feat of Hercules summary
The boar, possessing monstrous strength, devastated the surroundings of the city of Psophis. Hercules chased the wild boar for a long time, and finally drove him into deep snow at the top of the mountain.
The boar got stuck in the snow, and Hercules, rushing at him, tied him up and took him alive to Mycenae.
6 feat of Hercules summary
The sun god gave his son innumerable riches. The herds of Avgius were especially numerous.
Hercules proposed to Augeas to cleanse his entire huge stockyard in one day, if he agrees to give him a tenth of his flocks.
Augeas agreed. Hercules kept his word.
7 feat of Hercules summary
A bull ran all over the island and destroyed everything in its path.
The great Hercules caught the bull and tamed it. He sat on the broad back of a bull and swam on it across the sea from Crete to the Peloponnese.
8 feat of Hercules summary
King Diomedes had horses of wondrous beauty and strength. They were chained in stalls with iron chains, but the hero took possession of the horses of Diomedes and took them to his ship. He then fought with Diomedes and won.
9 feat of Hercules summary
Hippolyta had a belt of power over all the Amazons, which Eurystheus' daughter, Admet, wanted to have.
Hercules went for the belt, the Amazons attacked him, a fight ensued, and many of the soldiers were killed. But Hercules was victorious.
10 feat of Hercules summary
Geryon was a monstrous giant: he had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs. He covered himself with three shields during the battle, he threw three huge spears at once at the enemy. Hercules was helped by the great Pallas Athena. Hercules threatened with his club, struck Geryon. A three-body giant fell to the ground like a corpse.
11 feat of Hercules summary
Hercules had to go to the great titan Atlas, who holds the firmament on his shoulders, and get three golden apples from his gardens. Atlas invited the hero to take his place while he went for apples. Hercules agreed. He strained all his strength and held the firmament until Atlas returned with three golden apples.
12 feat of Hercules summary
Hercules was supposed to bring the terrible dog Cerberus to Eurystheus.
The dog had three heads, and snakes wriggled around its neck. Hercules tamed him and led him from the kingdom of darkness to Mycenae.
The cowardly Eurystheus was horrified at one glance at scary dog... Hercules returned Hades to his fearsome guard, Cerberus.
Hercules is an ancient hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, the supreme deity of the Greek pantheon and an earthly woman. In Latin transcription, the name of the hero sounds like Hercules, but don't let that confuse you - Hercules and Hercules are one and the same character. As a demigod, Heckarl all his life sought the location of his thunderer father and the opportunity to get to Olympus, for which he had to carry out 12 feats, which immortalized the name of the hero through the centuries. This myth should not be taken literally. The entire biography of Hercules is a code, having solved which a person can find the path leading to the knowledge of his divine nature.
In infancy, Hercules overcame two snakes that crawled into his cradle. This symbol can be understood as a manifestation of the power of the pure, child consciousness, possessing the control of kundalini energy or sexual energy, depicted as two snakes. It should also be understood that the most fateful victories happen spontaneously, unconsciously, without fear and doubt. It is they who are decisive in our fate, how the victory over snakes became decisive in the fate of little Hercules - seeing the strength of his stepson, Amphitrion, Alcmene's husband, decided to give the baby a comprehensive education, which in the future will become the foundation for the rational and conscious use of his abilities.
In the life of Hercules, Zeus and Hera play a key role, symbolizing, respectively, the masculine and feminine principles. The masculine principle carries harmony, the desire to learn, the desire for knowledge, personifies order. Feminine - on the contrary, sows destruction and chaos, awakens the animal in a person and pushes him to stupid, reckless actions.
Hercules performed many heroic deeds, mostly military ones, but they can be attributed to rumors and legends, which overgrown the original myth of the demigod. The main ones are the 12 labors performed by Hercules in the service of King Eurystheus. They can be christened "feats of the spirit", because the hero must have realized the worthlessness of his master, and despite this, he still humbly accepted the challenges thrown down to him. Service is one of the cornerstones of all religions, it is this that manifests itself in the persistence of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus, in the abandonment of his own pride in favor of the accumulation of inner strength and wisdom, redemption of past mistakes and spiritual growth.
In his youth, Hercules was generously gifted by the gods, which is also undoubtedly an act of symbolism. Each of these gifts can be understood in terms of the traits attributed to the giver deities. So, Hermes presented Hercules with a sharp sword - a sharp word, eloquence; Apollo presented a bow and arrow - grace, aestheticism, artistry, or simply a sunny, wholesome attitude; Hephaestus gave the shell - physical skill and strength; Athena weaved clothes, endowing the hero with wisdom, spirituality, determination, fearlessness and sanity, without which the rest of the gifts would be useless.
At a young age, Hercules had a chance to protect his hometown from enemies, after which he got married and began to live like a common person, in warmth and comfort, content with what is called "ordinary human happiness." But was it for this that divine abilities were bestowed on him? Finding no way out, the power of Hercules led to his insanity - in an uncontrollable fit of rage, the hero kills his wife and children, after which, on the advice of the gods, he enters the service of Eurystheus in order to atone for his deeds and reveal his potential, having learned the mysteries of his higher self ".
His first feat was the victory over the Nemean Lion. Having defeated the lion, Hercules subdued his deep, subconscious, animal powers and took possession of the solar energy, which was symbolized by the lion. The skin of a lion, which in the future serves as protection for Hercules, indicates that conquered passions serve as faithful protection to a person, making him immune to external hostile attacks.
The second feat of Hercules was the victory over Lernean Hydra, which, like the Nemean Lion, was the offspring of Echidna, the image of darkness lurking in the human unconscious. Hydra immediately personifies a number of human vices, "their name is Legion." These are illusory, phobias and such vices as envy, conceit, laziness, anger, gluttony - they cannot be put into their own service, and the one who has departed invariably comes to replace another, or even several, which is depicted in the form of the heads of the Hydra. Hercules retreated, and the elm in the quagmire, and was attacked by cancer, and even resorted to the help of his nephew Iolaus, which hints at the importance of family ties and the younger generation in trying to cope with the dark sides of his soul.
Cancer illustrates genetic predispositions and heredity, but Hercules simply crushes him - even the most difficult, inevitable problems of the kind cannot distract the true desire for self-knowledge and self-improvement. Hercules manages to defeat the Hydra with the help of fire, symbolizing active action, virtue, creation. That is, the path to victory over your weaknesses lies in shifting the position from “do not do bad” to the position of “do good”. But one of the heads of the Hydra is immortal and it is impossible to cut off or burn it - Hercules presses this head down with a fragment of a rock - a symbol of firmness, fidelity, constancy. It is impossible to get rid of a vice completely, but only tireless vigilance can save you from it.
The third feat of Hercules was the catching of the Kerinean fallow deer, the favorite of the goddess Artemis. Hunting here is not a murder, but an acquisition. Her golden horns and copper hooves are a symbol of material wealth, and her tirelessness and playfulness are a symbol of passions and emotions. After a long preparation, Hercules pursued the doe as far as Hyperborea. This is the pursuit of the joys of life, both emotional and material, so tempting and tempting. Hercules in different interpretations catches the doe in different ways, but in each of the methods presented, of which many are implied, patience, diligence and self-control are hidden.
The fourth feat of Hercules was to catch the Erymanthian boar. The specificity of the feat is that the path to Mount Erimanth, where the monster lived, lay through an oak grove where the centaurs lived and there was no way to avoid meeting them. It is the meeting with the centaurs that plays the main role here, and not catching the boar. And this is a lesson about the essence of frivolity that comes after defeating vices, conquering passions and gaining material wealth. Hercules accepts the invitation of Fall, the sweetest of the centaurs, to stay with him. But friendly gatherings turn into a bloody massacre, provoked by other centaurs, offended that they were not called. In the heat of the fight, Hercules, heated with wine, mortally wounds Foul and Chiron, the wisest of the centaurs, the teacher of Achilles and his friend.
The centaurs, companions of Dionysius, symbolize, among other things, drunkenness. And the forest, the grove is the sacred space of the soul, in which temptations roam, and the category of those that harm not others, but oneself. And the boar is a symbol of immoderation, descent, carnal pleasures that harm the spirit. And Hercules succumbs to temptation, which turns into the death of Chiron, the healer - succumbing to the temptations that should heal, is destroyed. The boar himself did not take the sword, and Hercules blinded him with a sunbeam reflected from the shield, frightened him with shouts and noise and drove him to a mountain peak, where he was stuck in the snow. This is a practical clue - brute strength does not overcome weakness, but the ability to "blind" them, lose the source of temptation and allow emotions to escape by screaming and fooling around like a child can be an effective solution. Hercules brought a live boar to Eurystheus, but its further fate is unknown, which can be understood as an allusion to the indestructibility of internal weaknesses and temptations. Here, as with Hydra, only unbending intention will help.
Having caught a boar, Hercules was tasked with killing the fierce and bloodthirsty giant birds that live on a swampy lake near Stymphal. These birds symbolize base, lustful human thoughts. First, Hercules strikes the birds with arrows, a gift from Apollo, symbolizing clear thoughts. But there are many birds and this method turns out to be ineffective. They need to be driven out. Athena, symbolizing intelligence and practicality, comes to the aid of Hercules - grants him rattles made by Hephaestus, the sound of which drives the birds out of the valley. Negative thoughts able to expel productive creative activity because the ability to create is, in itself, a gift from the gods.
Augean stables - the sixth feat of Hercules. For thirty years, manure was accumulated in the stables of King Abgius and the hero was instructed to remove it. But this is a lesson in rational thinking - Hercules cleaned out the stables, but he did it by directing the stream of the river to the barnyard, which washed away all the impurities. In the mental and emotional terms, this feat is a symbol of purification. Hercules, by the way, was entitled to a tenth share of the herds of Avgius for work, but he was greedy and using Hercules' non-standard approach deprived him of the award. Deception is also a part of life and it is not given, at times, even to the heroes to foresee it. Later, however, Hercules took away all of his wealth from Augius, but that was only later.
The seventh feat is a bull from the island of Crete, which had to be defeated. The bull was a gift from Poseidon himself, but Minos, the king of Crete, did not sacrifice the bull as it should, as a result of which Poseidon sent rabies to the bull. Passion, desire, lust, sensual instinct - all these qualities are embodied in the symbol of the bull, the traditional archetype of the collective unconscious. O also symbolizes a mixture of feminine and masculine principles, the elements of fire and water. Comprehending the unity of these differences, as well as taming passion and gaining mastery over your desires is the true motive of achievement. Hercules should not have destroyed, but tamed the bull, for which it was necessary to know and study him. How Hercules managed to tame the bull remains a mystery, which can be understood as a hint of an individual path for everyone - specific recommendations are powerless here.
Eighth feat - obtaining the belt of Hippolyta. It touches on the delicate topic of the relationship between a man and a woman. Hippolyta, the leader of the Amazons, wields the belt of Ares, the god of war. Here lies the complex relationship of male and female. A man without a woman, like a woman without a man, is somewhat defective, inharmonious. In different versions of the myth, Hercules takes possession of the belt in different ways: in one he receives it as a reward or deserves it, in the other he takes it away by force. But both options illustrate that a man receives from a woman exactly what he gives her. And only Hera's intrigues, as well as suspiciousness, suspicion, fears and ego of Hippolyta, lead to the fact that the battle still happens, and Hippolyta, succumbing to the voice of the dark beginning, either dies or remains a loser. The lesson of this feat is clear: a man should not be led by the dangerous thoughtless outbursts of his aggression, and a woman should consciously work with her secret fears and insecurities.
Diomed's horses - the ninth feat of Hercules. Diomedes fed his horses with the flesh of enemies, and the animals, which usually represent the bright sides, are presented here in the opposite way. Apparently, they personify time, devouring human flesh, as well as intangible passions such as the lust for power. Hercules bridles the horses and defeats Diomedes himself, but in the process his friend dies, which symbolizes the inevitability of sacrifices on the path of knowledge. The horses, as a result, were successfully transported by Hercules to Mycenae. They were sacrificed to the gods or, according to another version, were released into the forest thickets, where they were torn to pieces by other predatory animals. Morality and spirituality in a person are able to tame and subdue the thirst for intangible benefits, which, however, can be destroyed by other desires and passions in the wilds of the human soul. Considering horses as a symbol of time, one can come to the conclusion that a person who knows how to distribute and manage his time either sacrifices it for the benefit of his own improvement and development, or directs it into an active life outside, as a result of which the time that devours a person is itself devoured activities.
The tenth feat of Hercules was the task of stealing a whole herd of red cows from the giant monster Geryon, who lived far in the West, traditionally associated with the kingdom of death. This feat can be seen as the mortification of stereotypical thinking and the acquisition of fresh enlightened consciousness. The guardians of the cows are Geryon's servants: the giant Eurytion and the dog-headed Ortr, the offspring of Echidna. Together they personify the formless primitive nature, savagery and duality, which is the source of the dark depths of the unconscious, aggressively tearing our consciousness away from the calm and harmony of unity. Geryon is the brother of Echidna. He is very ugly - he has three fused bodies, three heads, and six arms and legs. An allusion to the biblical ominous number of the beast is obvious - 666, which emphasizes the power of this devilish creature. Perhaps Geryon's body is a metaphor for the rigidity of the mental, sensual and physical worlds human; his heads, separate, and nevertheless connected - a metaphor of a differentiated, not universal consciousness, and his legs and arms - contradictory and incoherent actions.
On the way to Geryon, Hercules reaches the ends of the earth, where he constructs an entrance, more precisely, the border between the worlds, known as the Pillars of Hercules. These gates, as it were, separate everyday consciousness from meditative consciousness, which is necessary for a special kind of cognition. This testifies that the hero, before completing the task itself, had to distance himself from the world and the hectic haste of everyday life and gain knowledge, but not the set of functional abilities that replace knowledge in modern world, but true, hidden and accessible only to those who truly suffer his comprehension.
To get to the island of Geryon, Hercules lends his boat to Helios himself. The solar deity, who appeared to Hercules, exuded such a bright light that the hero wanted to shoot an arrow at him, but such behavior, unthinkable for ancient consciousness, leads to a completely unexpected result: God lends him his own boat. Is this not a symbol calling to challenge the solar rational consciousness, and, in spite of the expected defeat, unexpectedly receive a means of free unhindered passage through the waters of the unconscious? The monsters themselves on the island of Hercules are defeated quite easily, but the principle of trinity is invariably present in everything. The victory over the giants symbolized the victory over chaos, but the fragility of the acquired knowledge is demonstrated on the way back - Hercules had not only to gain knowledge, but also to save it, bypassing many obstacles.
The eleventh feat of Hercules was to find the wonderful garden of the Hesperides, and get from there three golden apples that bestow immortality. But in fact, this is a lesson in Divine love, in search of which Hercules overcame many obstacles and even almost entered into a fight with Ares himself. But as a result, the fruits obtained were not subject to common man- Eurystheus simply could not hold them in his hands. Then Hercules returned the apples to the garden of the Hesperides, thus bringing a sacrifice to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. In this feat, Hercules did not have to kill, steal or cleanse - the Hesperides themselves gave him the fruits, Atlas gave this wondrous gift to the hero and only so that he would return them back. Divine love is always bestowed and a knowledgeable consciousness returns this love to its source. It is in this plane that the secrets of immortality are hidden.
The last, twelfth feat of Hercules is the victory over Cerberus, his capture. Cerberus, in itself, was not a negative character - he guarded the gates to the realm of the dead, not allowing souls to get out of the underworld. His three heads were a symbol of the trinity of time - future, present and past. Before descending into the kingdom of Hades, Hercules underwent the sacrament of the Eleusinian mysteries, during which he learned posthumous states, getting rid of the fear of death. In addition, the hero enters into a special interaction with the matter of time. Hermes, who is known as Thoth-Hermes-Trismegistus, the founder of alchemy, became a companion on the journey to the kingdom of the dead. Hermes helps Hercules successfully pass an audience with Hades, who gave his permission for the hero to take Cerberus, but on the condition that Hercules will not use weapons. Although he no longer needs weapons, defeating Cerberus with his bare hands, as in his very first feat of his brother, the Nemean lion. The circle is closed.
In the future, Cerberus was returned to its place, since the hero learned the main law of the universe - the law of expediency. The example of Hercules, who asked permission and returned, in the future, Cerberus to his post, teaches: even in the knowledge of death itself and other worlds, one must respect the highest design that distributed being. In other words, true purpose paths, the true purpose of a person is cognition, reunification with one's consciousness and the archetypes of the subconscious, harmonious interaction with their images. To join the cycle of life, to find harmony in coexistence with the rhythms and laws of nature presupposes a change in one's own consciousness, and not a change in reality according to the limited representation of one's mind.
The cycle of feats of Hercules is practically universal program human improvement. The hero undergoes internal self-identification, determines his projection onto external life and social identification, and then learns the sacred secrets of the universe itself. The exploits of Hercules - a practical guide to self-improvement, internal and external development. In fact, it is a road sign that can be discerned by someone who truly wants to move forward not only along the career ladder, but also along the stages of development of his own being, hidden in a meat spacesuit.
Zeus is the main god of a group of higher mythical creatures who sat after their deeds on Mount Olympus. He was the father of famous Greek heroes - Hercules, Apollo, Perseus and others. True, the intimate ties of the Thunderer both with earthly women and with immortal goddesses, following the texts of many mythical stories, aroused hostility from his third wife Hera throughout all three centuries of their secret marriage.
Illegitimate and narrow-minded
With a high degree of probability, we can say that people became pawns in the hands of ancient Greek and other gods. But due to connections with ordinary women, heroes appeared who went against the deities, such as Hercules, or as he was also called in Greece - Hercules.
Zeus, seemingly conquering everyone and everything, could not cope with the tribe of giants who possessed the secret of their superiority even over the gods. Therefore, for this victory he needed only a mortal hero, and he decided to give birth to a similar one from the mortal woman Alcmene. Hercules was being prepared for this test. And the thunderer saw the illegitimate ruler of one or another territory.
Hera vs. Hercules
When the goddess-wife realized that Alcmene gave birth to Hercules from her husband, she fell into an indescribable rage. Such negative quality her character is inherent not only in a similar situation... The fact that the wife-goddess was distinguished by power, cruelty and jealous disposition was described in many sources that have come down to our days.
Especially in Homer's Iliad, she is portrayed as jealous, quarrelsome and stubborn. Although in Greece the author of this poem is considered not a Hellenic and interprets the concept of "Homer" either as a "hostage", then as a "blind man" (the author was indeed blind for many years). But they understand that Homer took the description from folk songs that glorified the power and greatness of Hercules.
And in Greek mythology Hercules was considered, despite his narrow-minded mind, the greatest hero - for his strength. The lack of intelligence was compensated by irrepressible courage. Moreover, he experienced almost mental seizures. Hercules instantly and for no reason flushed and flew into a rage. Then he came to his senses, and regretted what he had done.
Hera tried to kill him as a child. To do this, she threw snakes into the baby's bed so that they would kill him with poison. But the young Hercules also showed what he would be capable of in adulthood: he strangled the creeping creatures with his hands.
Realizing that her plans were thwarted, the goddess tirelessly followed her stepson and did all sorts of nasty things to him. In his mythical family, Zeus was the father of about sixty children from a dozen women of any mythical class. The spouse hated the illegitimate children of Zeus and severely punished them. As we have already understood, Hercules was the first to enter this list.
Hera almost killed the young man at sea. But in the future, the goddess constantly wove intrigues when she could not cope with force.
Zeus watched the behavior of his son, and it suited him. Zeus needed a mortal hero to defeat the giants, so he also prepared Hercules for this. His fate was predetermined from birth.
The exploits of Hercules in order and with pictures
Before the present ( ancient poem about "Hercules"), the stories of twelve brave and amazing deeds of the hero of the epic reached. Here are just the number of feats and their order of different authors do not converge. Being at the request of Zeus in the service of the king of Argolis in the Peloponnese Eurystheus, his cousin, - also from the earthly mother Alcmene, he had to complete 10 tasks.
Their king was whispered in the ear of the priestess-soothsayer of the Delphic (really existed, the ruins of which still stand at the foot of a high cliff) of the Temple of Apollo. The king-brother rejected two tests, they had to be replaced by others. So finally the sum of the exploits was established at a dozen - twelve. We give the name of the exploits of Hercules in order:
1. Extermination of the Nemean lion.
It was necessary to get his luxurious hide. Strangled with his hands. He made a trophy skin and wore it on his shoulders.
2. Destruction of the multi-headed hydra (not counted because of the assistant).
He cut off all the heads, but the necks were growing back. Again they were struck with a huge, solid club. The hydra's breath was poisonous and Hercules became infected. The lotus flower saved him.
Hercules slays the Lernaean Hydra
3. Expulsion of the Stymphalian birds.
This bloodless feat is the last in the Peloponnese. Near the city of Stymphala, they devastated the land like locusts. The feathers of the birds were iron and sharp at the tips. But they were frightened by metal devices that emitted a crack, knock, noise. The goddess Athena gave them. According to myths, they never appeared there.
4. Capture of the Kerinean fallow deer.
Artemis sent five fallow deer to punish the people to devastate their fields in Arcadia. Apparently, the goddess considered the task completed and drove the deer into the fence. But one ran away. So the son of Zeus was catching her for a whole year.
5. The taming of the Erymanthian boar.
Boar is a wild boar that devastated the fields of the same Arcadia. With shouts he drove him out of the grove, caught up, tied him up, covered him with the skin of a Nemean lion and brought it to Eurystheus, scaring him to death.
6. Cleaning of the Augean stables (not credited due to a demand for work payment).
No one looked after the horses, which made it impossible to walk in the stables because of the accumulated dung. Hercules blocked the river, and its waters washed the manure.
7. The taming of the Cretan bull.
He had to be caught, because the king of the island of Crete refused to hand him over to the god of the seas.
8. Abduction of the Horses of Diomedes and victory over this king.
He gave foreigners for horse feed. Having reached Thrace, the hero turned the cannibals away from bad occupations.
9. The abduction of the belt of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons.
On the Black Sea, Hercules sailed to the capital of the Amazon. The queen of the Amazons promised to give the belt. But the hero's evil mother ruined the affair. The battle began, there were many dead Amazons. Hippolyta gave up the unfortunate belt.
10. Abduction of Geryon's cows.
The hero took the herd from the three-headed giant Geryon and brought it to Mycenae.