According to mythology,
Hercules was the illegitimate son of Jupiter and Alcmene,
the wisest and most beautiful of all mortal women. Juno was enraged at Zeus for his infidelity
with Alcmene, and even more so that he placed the infant Hercules at Hera's
breast as she slept and allowed him to feed, which caused Hercules to be
partially immortal, thus, allowing him to surpass all mortal men in strength,
size and skill.
Juno held a spiteful grudge
against Hercules and sent him into a blind frenzy, in which he killed all of
his children and his wife. When Hercules regained his sanity, he sought out the Oracle at Delphi in the hope of making atonement. The
Oracle ordered Hercules to serve Eurystheus,
king of Mycenae,
who sent him on a series of tasks known as the Labors of Hercules. These tasks are told in
this order:
Main
article: Labours of Hercules
1.
To kill the Nemean lion
2.
To destroy the Lernaean Hydra
3.
To capture Ceryneian Hind alive
4.
To trap the Erymanthian boar
5.
To clean the Augean stables
6.
To get rid of the Stymphalian
birds
7.
To capture the Cretan bull
8.
To round up the Mares of
Diomedes
9.
To fetch Hippolyte's
girdle, or belt
10.
To fetch the cattle of Geryon
11.
To fetch the golden apples of the Hesperides
While he was a champion and a
great warrior, he was not above cheating and using any unfair trick to his
advantage. However, he was renowned as having "made the world safe for
mankind" by destroying many dangerous monsters. Although he was a famous
demigod, he still could not prevent his death.
No comments:
Post a Comment