One of the most well-known heroes in ancient mythology is Hercules (also known as Heracles or Herakles in Greek mythology). His life was not simple; he faced many hardships and accomplished many difficult tasks, but the promise that he would spend all of eternity at Mount Olympus with the gods served as compensation for his suffering.
Hercules: Was He a God?
Although Hercules, like many mythical heroes, had a convoluted family tree, he was not a god and was instead born a mortal. His mother was Alcmene, the granddaughter of the hero Perseus, and his father was Zeus, the supreme ruler of all the Greek gods on Mount Olympus and all the mortals on earth. (The snake-haired Gorgon Medusa was famously beheaded by Perseus, who was also thought to be one of Zeus' sons.)
Hera later dispatched two snakes to kill Hercules in his crib after he was born. However, because of his exceptional strength and bravery, the young Hercules choked the snakes before they could choke him.
Hera continued her deceitful tactics, though. When her stepson was a teenager, she performed some sort of spell to briefly make him mad, which led to him killing his beloved wife and their two children.
Hercules, who was guilty and distraught, sought out Apollo, a god of healing and truth who was also one of Zeus' sons, and pleaded with him to punish him for what he had done.
The Twelve Tasks of Hercules
Hera's retaliatory actions were well known, so Apollo knew that his son's transgression had not been his fault, yet he nevertheless insisted that the boy make atonement. He gave Hercules the assignment to complete 12 tasks for the Mycenaean king Eurystheus. Apollo said that when Hercules had finished all the labors, he would be freed from his guilt and attain immortality.
The Lion of Nemea
Apollo first dispatched Hercules to the Nemean hills to slay a lion frightening the locals. Hercules caught the lion in its cave and strangled it (other legends claim that Zeus had also fathered this magical creature.) He used the animal's hide as a cloak for the rest of his life.
Lenormand Hydra
Second, Hercules went to Lerna to kill the nine-headed Hydra, a snake-like, venomous beast who resided underwater and protected the Underworld's entrance. Iolaus, Hercules' nephew, assisted him in this undertaking. He severed the heads of each beast, and Iolaus torched the wounds. The two prevented the heads from growing back in this manner.
Golden Hind
Then, Hercules set out to catch the red deer, or hind, with golden antlers and bronze hooves that was the goddess Diana's beloved pet. Diana was supposed to slay anyone she caught trying to kidnap her pet, thus Eurystheus had assigned this assignment for his opponent; however, once Hercules explained his circumstance to the goddess, she let him leave without punishment.
Boar of Erymantheus
Fourth, Hercules captured the terrible, man-eating wild boar of Mount Erymanthus with a huge net.
Augustan Stables
Cleaning all the dung out of King Augeas' massive stables in a single day was intended to be Hercules' fifth and most humiliating chore. Hercules, however, simply finished the task by rerouting two neighboring rivers to flood the barn.
The Birds of Stymphalia
The sixth job given to Hercules was simple: go to the town of Stymphalos and drive out the vast flock of carnivorous birds that had moved into its trees. This time, the goddess Athena saved the hero's life by providing him with a pair of enchanted bronze noisemakers known as krotala, made by the god Hephaistos. These were the weapons Hercules used to scare the birds away.
Bull of Crete
Then, Hercules traveled to Crete to apprehend a raging bull that had conceived the king's wife on the island. Hercules drove the bull back to Eurystheus, who let it loose into the streets of Marathon (she later gave birth to the Minotaur, a monster with a man's body and a bull's head).
The Diomedes Horses
The eighth task for Hercules was to seize the Thracian king Diomedes' four man-eating horses. He carried the horses to Eurystheus, who gave them to Hera and released them.
Belt of Hippolyte
Stealing an armored belt that belonged to the Amazon queen Hippolyte was the ninth labor, which was difficult. The queen first welcomed Hercules and consented to handing him the belt without a struggle. Hera, who liked to cause problems, posed as an Amazon warrior and spread a story that Hercules was about to capture the queen. The women attacked the hero's fleet in order to save their commander. Out of concern for his safety, Hercules killed Hippolyte and tore the belt from her body.
The Geryon Cattle
Hercules' tenth labor involved sending him almost to Africa to rob the three-headed, six-legged beast Geryon of his herd. The hero eventually returned to Mycenae with the cows despite Hera's best efforts to stop him from doing so.
The Hesperides Apples
Then, Eurystheus dispatched Hercules to steal Hera's wedding gift to Zeus, a set of golden apples that were being protected by the Hesperides, a group of nymphs. Hercules needed the assistance of the god Atlas and the mortal Prometheus to complete this challenging feat, but he eventually succeeded in fleeing with the apples. He presented them to the king and then gave them back to the garden of the gods, where they belonged.
Cerberus
Hercules' final task required him to go to Hades and capture Cerberus, the ferocious three-headed dog that stood watch at its entrance. Hercules used his superhuman strength to wrestle Cerberus to the ground in order to catch him. The dog then made his way back to his position at the Underworld's entrance unhurt.
How Did Hercules Pass Away?
Hercules had a number of other adventures after completing his 12 labors, such as saving the princess of Troy and contending for control of Mount Olympus, but none of them were as difficult or as crucial as the labors had been.
Hercules wed Deianira, his second wife, later in life. Hercules shoots a centaur—a hybrid of a man and a horse—with an arrow dipped in Hydra's poison when he tries to whisk Helen away. Knowing that his own blood is now also deadly as he lay dying, the centaur offered Deianira his blood-stained tunic while pretending to her that it would link Hercules to her forever.
Deianira gave Hercules the blood-stained tunic to wear when she subsequently heard a rumor that he was having an affair in the hopes that it would bring him back to her. Hercules suffers severe pain as a result of the poisoned blood on the tunic burning his flesh. Hercules constructs his own funeral pyre and burns himself to death on it after realizing he has been poisoned.
Athena's chariot transported him to Olympus after he passed away. He will supposedly spend all of eternity with the gods, according to tradition.