Hercules was assigned 12 tasks as penance for killing his family, which he completed to become a hero. The tasks included defeating monsters and capturing animals. Hercules became an ideal of ancient Greek virtues and values.
In Greek mythology, the Labors of Hercules were 12 tasks assigned to this famous mythological character as penance for killing his wife and family. In the process of completing these tasks, Hercules became a hero and his achievements are celebrated in many Greek writings. The labors of Hercules are also sometimes mentioned in modern culture; in some films and books, for example, a character must be redeemed for a terrible deed by completing a series of tasks that often number 12.
According to history, Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmena, daughter of the king of Mycenae. When Hera, the wife of Zeus, learned of this particular courtship, she took revenge on poor Alcmene by trapping Hercules inside her, causing him to be born three months late. By ensuring that Hercules was born late, he set the stage for a kinsman, Eurystheus, to become king of Mycenae. Apparently Hera was not satisfied with her revenge, for she drove Hercules insane too, and during her period of madness, she killed his family.
When Hercules recovered and realized what he had done, he prayed to the god Apollo for guidance. Apollo decreed that Hercules could absolve himself by serving his rival Eurystheus for a period of 12 years, and it was Eurystheus who set up Hercules’ various labors. Proving himself a warrior, Hercules turned into a folk hero and, as a result, was welcomed among the gods after his death on Earth.
In order, Hercules’ labors were as follows: kill the Nemean lion, kill the Hydra of Lerne, capture the doe of Cerineus, capture the Erymanthian boar, clean out the Augean stables, defeat the Stymphalian birds, capture the bull of Crete, steal the man-eating mares of Diomedes, obtain the belt of Hippolyta, steal the cattle of Geryon, capture the golden apples of the Hesperides, and capture Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guarded the underworld. As if that weren’t enough, Hercules went on to defeat an assortment of tyrants and mythical monsters after successfully completing these tasks.
The Labors of Hercules carried the hero throughout the ancient world and introduced mythology fans to a wide variety of people, gods, monsters and other characters. Ultimately, it would seem that this test of character made Hercules a strong and compassionate man, who eventually became an ideal of ancient Greek virtues and values.
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