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Who was saved by Hercules from the sea monster. Monsters of ancient Greek mythology. Eleventh Labor of Hercules - Cerberus

One day, the evil Hera sent a terrible disease to Hercules. The great hero lost his mind, madness took possession of him. In a fit of rage, Hercules killed all his children and the children of his brother Iphicles. When the attack passed, deep grief seized Hercules. Purified from the filth of the involuntary murder he had committed, Hercules left Thebes and went to the sacred Delphi to ask the god Apollo what to do. Apollo ordered Hercules to go to the homeland of his ancestors in Tiryns and serve Eurystheus for twelve years. Through the mouth of the Pythia, the son of Latona predicted to Hercules that he would receive immortality if he performed the twelve great labors at the command of Eurystheus. Hercules settled in Tiryns and became the servant of the weak, cowardly Eurystheus...

First Labor: Nemean Lion

Hercules did not have to wait long for the first order of King Eurystheus. He instructed Hercules to kill the Nemean lion. This lion, begotten by Typhon and Echidna, was of monstrous size. He lived near the city of Nemea and devastated all the surroundings. Hercules boldly set out on a dangerous feat. Arriving in Nemea, he immediately went to the mountains to find the lion's lair. It was already noon when the hero reached the slopes of the mountains. There was not a single living soul to be seen anywhere: neither shepherds nor farmers. All living things fled from these places in fear of the terrible lion. Hercules searched for a long time on the wooded slopes of the mountains and in the gorges of the lion's lair, finally, when the sun began to lean towards the west, Hercules found the lair in the gloomy gorge; it was in a huge cave, which had two exits. Hercules blocked one of the exits with huge stones and began to wait for the lion, hiding behind the stones. Towards evening, when dusk was already approaching, a monstrous lion with a long shaggy mane appeared. Hercules pulled the string of his bow and shot three arrows at the lion one after another, but the arrows bounced off his skin - it was hard as steel. The lion roared menacingly, his growl rolled like thunder through the mountains. Looking around in all directions, the lion stood in the gorge and searched with eyes burning with rage for the one who dared to shoot arrows at him. But then he saw Hercules and rushed at the hero with a huge jump. Like lightning, the club of Hercules flashed and fell like a thunderbolt on the head of a lion. The lion fell to the ground, stunned by a terrible blow; Hercules rushed at the lion, grabbed him with his mighty arms and strangled him. Having shouldered a dead lion on his mighty shoulders, Hercules returned to Nemea, sacrificed to Zeus and established the Nemean games in memory of his first feat. When Hercules brought the lion he had killed to Mycenae, Eurystheus turned pale with fear, looking at the monstrous lion. King Mycenae realized what superhuman strength Hercules possesses. He forbade him even to approach the gates of Mycenae; when Hercules brought evidence of his exploits, Eurystheus looked at them with horror from the high Mycenaean walls.

Second Labor: Lernaean Hydra

After the first feat, Eurystheus sent Hercules to kill the Lernean hydra. It was a monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon. Like the Nemean lion, the hydra was spawned by Typhon and Echidna. The hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna and, crawling out of its lair, destroyed entire herds and devastated all the surroundings. The fight against the nine-headed hydra was dangerous because one of its heads was immortal. Hercules set out on his journey to Lerna with Iphicles' son Iolaus. Arriving at the swamp near the city of Lerna, Hercules left Iolaus with a chariot in a nearby grove, and he himself went to look for the hydra. He found her in a cave surrounded by a swamp. Having red-hot his arrows, Hercules began to let them go one by one into the hydra. The hydra was enraged by the arrows of Hercules. She crawled out, wriggling her body covered with shiny scales, from the darkness of the cave, rose menacingly on her huge tail and already wanted to rush at the hero, but the son of Zeus stepped on her body with his foot and crushed her to the ground. With its tail, the hydra wrapped itself around the legs of Hercules and tried to knock him down. Like an unshakable rock, the hero stood and, with a wave of a heavy club, knocked down the heads of the hydra one after another. Like a whirlwind, a club whistled through the air; the heads of the hydra flew off, but the hydra was still alive. Then Hercules noticed that in the hydra, two new ones grow in place of each knocked down head. The help of the hydra also appeared. A monstrous cancer crawled out of the swamp and dug its tongs into Hercules' leg. Then the hero called his friend Iolaus for help. Iolaus killed the monstrous cancer, set fire to a part of the nearby grove and burned the necks of the hydra with burning tree trunks, from which Hercules knocked down their heads with his club. New heads have ceased to grow from the hydra. Weaker and weaker she resisted the son of Zeus. Finally, the immortal head flew off the hydra. The monstrous hydra was defeated and collapsed dead to the ground. The conqueror Hercules buried her immortal head deeply and piled a huge rock on it so that it could not come out into the light again. Then the great hero cut the body of the hydra and plunged his arrows into her poisonous bile. Since then, the wounds from the arrows of Hercules have become incurable. With great triumph Hercules returned to Tiryns. But there, a new assignment from Eurystheus awaited him.

Third Labor: The Stymphalian Birds

Eurystheus instructed Hercules to kill the Stymphalian birds. Almost all the neighborhoods of the Arcadian city of Stimfal turned these birds into the desert. They attacked both animals and people and tore them apart with their copper claws and beaks. But the most terrible thing was that the feathers of these birds were made of hard bronze, and the birds, having taken off, could drop them, like arrows, on the one who would take it into his head to attack them. It was difficult for Hercules to fulfill this order of Eurystheus. The warrior Pallas Athena came to his aid. She gave Hercules two copper tympanums, the god Hephaestus forged them, and ordered Hercules to stand on a high hill near the forest where the Stymphalian birds nested and strike the tympanums; when the birds take off - shoot them with a bow. So did Hercules. Climbing the hill, he struck the tympanum, and such a deafening sound arose that the birds flew over the forest in a huge flock and began to circle in horror over it. They rained down their feathers, sharp as arrows, on the ground, but the feathers did not fall into Hercules standing on the hill. The hero grabbed his bow and began to strike the birds with deadly arrows. In fear, the Stymphalian birds soared beyond the clouds and disappeared from the eyes of Hercules. The birds flew away far beyond the borders of Greece, to the shores of the Euxine Pontus, and never returned to the vicinity of Stymphalus. So Hercules fulfilled this order of Eurystheus and returned to Tiryns, but he immediately had to go on an even more difficult feat.

Fourth feat: Keriney doe

Eurystheus knew that a wonderful Kerinean doe lives in Arcadia, sent by the goddess Artemis to punish people. This deer devastated the fields. Eurystheus sent Hercules to catch her and ordered him to deliver the doe to Mycenae alive. This deer was extraordinarily beautiful, her horns were golden, and her legs were copper. Like the wind, she rushed through the mountains and valleys of Arcadia, never knowing fatigue. For a whole year, Hercules pursued the Kerinean doe. She rushed through the mountains, through the plains, jumped over the abyss, swam across the rivers. Farther and farther north ran the doe. The hero did not lag behind her, he pursued her, not losing sight of her. Finally, Hercules reached the extreme north in pursuit of the pad - the country of the Hyperboreans and the sources of Istra. Here the deer stopped. The hero wanted to grab her, but she slipped away and, like an arrow, rushed back to the south. The chase began again. Hercules managed only in Arcadia to overtake a doe. Even after such a long chase, she did not lose her strength. Desperate to catch a doe, Hercules resorted to his arrows that did not know a miss. He wounded the golden-horned doe with an arrow in the leg, and only then did he manage to catch it. Hercules shouldered a wonderful doe on his shoulders and was about to carry it to Mycenae, when an angry Artemis appeared before him and said: “Didn’t you know, Hercules, that this doe is mine? Why did you insult me by hurting my beloved doe? Don't you know that I do not forgive insults? Or do you think that you are more powerful than the Olympian gods? With reverence, Hercules bowed before the beautiful goddess and answered: - Oh, the great daughter of Latona, do not blame me! I have never offended the immortal gods living on the bright Olympus; I always honored the celestials with rich sacrifices and never considered myself equal to them, although I myself am the son of Zeus the Thunderer. I did not pursue your doe of my own free will, but at the command of Eurystheus. The gods themselves commanded me to serve him, and I dare not disobey Eurystheus! Artemis forgave Hercules for his guilt. The great son of the Thunderer Zeus brought the Kerinean fallow deer alive to Mycenae and gave it to Eurystheus.

Fifth feat: Erymanthus boar and the battle with the centaurs

After hunting for a copper-footed doe, which lasted a whole year, Hercules did not rest long. Eurystheus again gave him a commission: Hercules was supposed to kill the Erymanthian boar. This boar, possessing monstrous strength, lived on Mount Erimanthe and devastated the surroundings of the city of Psofis. He did not give mercy to people either and killed them with his huge fangs. Hercules went to Mount Erimanfu. On the way, he visited the wise centaur Fall. Phol accepted the great son of Zeus with honor and arranged a feast for him. During the feast, the centaur opened a large vessel of wine to treat the hero better. The fragrance of marvelous wine wafted far away. Heard this fragrance and other centaurs. They were terribly angry with Phol because he opened the vessel. Wine belonged not only to Foul, but was the property of all centaurs. The centaurs rushed to Fall's dwelling and attacked him and Hercules by surprise, when the two of them were feasting merrily, decorating their heads with wreaths of ivy. Hercules was not afraid of the centaurs. He quickly jumped up from his bed and began to throw huge smoking brands at the attackers. The centaurs fled, and Hercules wounded them with his poisonous arrows. The hero pursued them all the way to Malea. There the centaurs took refuge with a friend of Hercules, Chiron, the wisest of the centaurs. Following them, Hercules burst into the cave. In anger, he pulled his bow, an arrow flashed in the air and pierced the knee of one of the centaurs. Hercules did not strike the enemy, but his friend Chiron. Great grief seized the hero when he saw whom he had wounded. Hercules hurries to wash and bandage his friend's wound, but nothing can help. Hercules knew that the wound from the arrow, poisoned by the bile of the hydra, was incurable. Chiron also knew that he was in danger of a painful death. In order not to suffer from a wound, he subsequently voluntarily descended into the gloomy kingdom of Hades. In deep sadness, Hercules left Chiron and soon reached Mount Erimanth. There, in a dense forest, he found a formidable boar and drove him out of the thicket with a cry. Hercules pursued the boar for a long time, and finally drove him into deep snow on the top of the mountain. The boar got stuck in the snow, and Hercules, rushing at him, tied him up and carried him alive to Mycenae. When Eurystheus saw the monstrous boar, he hid in a large bronze vessel out of fear.

The sixth feat: Animal farm of king Avgiy

Soon, Eurystheus gave a new assignment to Hercules. He had to clear the entire barnyard of Avgius, the king of Elis, the son of the radiant Helios, from manure. The sun god gave his son innumerable riches. The flocks of Avgeas were especially numerous. Among his herds there were three hundred bulls with snow-white legs, two hundred bulls were red like Sidon purple, twelve bulls dedicated to the god Helios were white like swans, and one bull, distinguished by its extraordinary beauty, shone like a star. Hercules suggested that Augeas clean up his entire vast barnyard in one day, if he agrees to give him a tenth of his herds. Augius agreed. It seemed impossible for him to do such a job in one day. Hercules, on the other hand, broke the wall that surrounded the barnyard from two opposite sides, and diverted the water of two rivers, Alpheus and Peneus, into it. The water of these rivers in one day carried away all the manure from the barnyard, and Hercules again laid down the walls. When the hero came to Avgiy to demand a reward, the proud king did not give him the promised tenth of the herds, and Heracles had to return to Tiryns with nothing. The great hero took terrible revenge on the king of Elis. A few years later, already freed from the service of Eurystheus, Hercules invaded Elis with a large army, defeated Avgius in a bloody battle and killed him with his deadly arrow. After the victory, Hercules gathered an army and all the rich booty near the city of Pisa, made sacrifices to the Olympic gods and established the Olympic Games, which since then have been celebrated by all Greeks every four years on the sacred plain, lined by Hercules himself dedicated to the goddess Pallas Athena. The Olympic Games are the most important of all Greek festivities, during which universal peace was declared throughout Greece. A few months before the games, ambassadors were sent throughout Greece and the Greek colonies, inviting them to the games at Olympia. Games were held every four years. There were competitions in running, wrestling, fisticuffs, discus and spear throwing, as well as chariot races. The winners of the games received an olive wreath as a reward and enjoyed great honor. The Greeks kept track of the Olympic Games, considering the first to take place in 776 BC. e. There were Olympic Games until 393 AD. e., when they were banned by the emperor Theodosius as incompatible with Christianity. After 30 years, Emperor Theodosius II burned the temple of Zeus at Olympia and all the luxurious buildings that adorned the place where the Olympic Games took place. They turned into ruins and were gradually covered by the sand of the Alfea River. Only excavations carried out at the site of Olympia in the 19th century. n. e., mainly from 1875 to 1881, gave us the opportunity to get an accurate idea of \u200b\u200bthe former Olympia and the Olympic Games. Hercules took revenge on all the allies of Avgii. The king of Pylos, Neleus, paid especially. Hercules, having come with an army to Pylos, took the city and killed Neleus and his eleven sons. The son of Neleus, Periclimen, was not saved either, to whom Poseidon, the ruler of the sea, gave the gift to turn into a lion, a snake and a bee. Hercules killed him when, turning into a bee, Periclymenes mounted one of the horses harnessed to Hercules' chariot. Only Neleus' son Nestor survived. Subsequently, Nestor became famous among the Greeks for his exploits and great wisdom.

Seventh feat: Cretan bull

To fulfill the seventh order of Eurystheus, Hercules had to leave Greece and go to the island of Crete. Eurystheus instructed him to bring a Cretan bull to Mycenae. This bull was sent to the king of Crete by Minos, the son of Europe, Poseidon, the shaker of the earth; Minos was supposed to sacrifice a bull to Poseidon. But Minos is sorry to sacrifice such a beautiful bull - he left him in his herd, and sacrificed one of his bulls to Poseidon. Poseidon was angry with Minos and sent rabies on the bull that came out of the sea. A bull rushed all over the island and destroyed everything in its path. The great hero 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. Hercules brought the bull to Mycenae, but Eurystheus was afraid to leave the bull of Poseidon in his herd and set him free. Sensing freedom again, a mad bull rushed through the entire Peloponnese to the north and finally ran to Attica on the Marathon field. There he was killed by the great Athenian hero Theseus.

Eighth Labor: Horses of Diomedes

After taming the Cretan bull, Hercules, on behalf of Eurystheus, had to go to Thrace to the king of the bistones, Diomedes. This king had marvelous beauty and strength of horses. They were chained with iron chains in their stalls, since no fetters could hold them. King Diomedes fed these horses with human meat. He threw them to be eaten by all the foreigners who, driven by the storm, stuck to his city. It was to this Thracian king that Hercules appeared with his companions. He took possession of the horses of Diomedes and took them to his ship. Diomedes himself overtook Hercules on the shore with his warlike bistones. Entrusting the protection of the horses to his beloved Abder, the son of Hermes, Hercules entered into battle with Diomedes. Hercules had few companions, but Diomedes was still defeated and fell in battle. Hercules returned to the ship. How great was his despair when he saw that the wild horses had torn to pieces his beloved Abder. Hercules arranged a magnificent funeral for his favorite, poured a high hill on his grave, and next to the grave he founded a city and named it Abdera in honor of his favorite. Hercules brought the horses of Diomedes to Eurystheus, and he ordered them to be released into the wild. The wild horses fled to the mountains of Lycaion, covered with dense forest, and were there torn to pieces by wild beasts.

Hercules at Admetus

Mainly based on the tragedy of Euripides "Alcestis"
When Hercules sailed on a ship across the sea to the shores of Thrace for the horses of King Diomedes, he decided to visit his friend, King Admet, since the path lay past the city of Ther, where Admet ruled.
Hercules chose a difficult time for Admetus. Great grief reigned in the house of King Fer. His wife Alcestis was to die. Once the goddesses of fate, the great moiras, at the request of Apollo, determined that Admet could get rid of death if, in the last hour of his life, someone agreed to voluntarily descend instead of him into the gloomy kingdom of Hades. When the hour of death came, Admet asked his elderly parents that one of them agreed to die in his place, but the parents refused. None of the inhabitants of Fer agreed to die voluntarily for King Admet. Then the young, beautiful Alcestis decided to sacrifice her life for her beloved husband. On the day when Admet was to die, his wife prepared for death. She washed the body and put on burial clothes and ornaments. Approaching the hearth, Alcestis turned to the goddess Hestia, who gives happiness in the house, with an ardent prayer:
- Oh, great goddess! For the last time I kneel here before you. I pray you, protect my orphans, because today I must descend into the kingdom of gloomy Hades. Oh, do not let them die, as I die, untimely! May their life here, at home, be happy and rich.
Then Alcestis went around all the altars of the gods and decorated them with myrtle.
Finally, she went to her chambers and fell into tears on her bed. Her children came to her - a son and a daughter. They sobbed bitterly at their mother's breasts. The maids of Alcestis also wept. In desperation, Admet embraced his young wife and begged her not to leave him. Already ready for the death of Alcestis; the god of death Tanat, hated by the gods and people, is already approaching with inaudible steps to the palace of Tsar Fer, to cut a lock of hair from the head of Alcestis with a sword. The golden-haired Apollo himself asked him to postpone the hour of death of the wife of his beloved Admet, but Tanat is inexorable. Alcestis feels the approach of death. She exclaims in horror:
“Oh, the two-oared boat of Charon is already approaching me, and the carrier of the souls of the dead shouts menacingly to me, driving the boat: “Why are you delaying? Hurry, hurry! Don’t wait for time! Don’t delay us. Everything is ready! Oh let me go! My legs are getting weak. Death is coming. Black night covers my eyes! Oh children, children! Your mother is no longer alive! Live happily! Admet, your life was dearer to me than my own life. Let the sun shine on you, not on me. Admet, you love our children as much as I do. Oh, do not take a stepmother into their house, so that she does not offend them!
The unfortunate Admet suffers.
- You take all the joy of life with you, Alcestis! - he exclaims, - all my life now I will grieve for you. Oh, gods, gods, what a wife you are taking from me!
Alcestis says in a barely audible voice:
- Goodbye! My eyes have already closed. Farewell, children! Now I am nothing. Farewell, Admet!
- Oh, look again at least once! Don't leave the kids! Oh, let me die too! Admet exclaimed with tears.
Alcestis' eyes closed, her body grows cold, she died. Weeps inconsolably over the dead Admet and bitterly complains about his fate. He tells his wife to prepare a magnificent funeral. For eight months he orders everyone in the city to mourn for Alcestis, the best of women. The whole city is full of sorrow, as everyone loved the good queen.
They were already preparing to carry the body of Alcestis to her tomb, as Hercules comes to the city of Thera. He goes to the palace of Admetus and meets his friend at the gates of the palace. With honor Admet met the great son of the auspicious Zeus. Not wanting to sadden the guest, Admet tries to hide his grief from him. But Hercules immediately noticed that his friend was deeply saddened, and asked about the reason for his grief. Admet gives an unclear answer to Hercules, and he decides that Admet's distant relative died, whom the king sheltered after the death of his father. Admet orders his servants to take Hercules to the guest room and arrange a rich feast for him, and lock the doors to the female half so that groans of grief do not reach Hercules' ears. Unaware of the misfortune that befell his friend, Hercules feasts merrily in the palace of Admetus. He drinks cup after cup. It is hard for servants to wait on a cheerful guest - because they know that their beloved mistress is no longer alive. No matter how hard they try, on the orders of Admet, to hide their grief, yet Hercules notices tears in their eyes and sadness on their faces. He calls one of the servants to feast with him, says that the wine will give him oblivion and smooth out the wrinkles of sadness on his forehead, but the servant refuses. Then Hercules guesses that grievous grief befell the house of Admet. He starts asking the servant what happened to his friend, and finally the servant tells him:
- Oh, stranger, Admet's wife descended today into the kingdom of Hades.
Heracles was saddened. It hurt him that he feasted in a wreath of ivy and sang in the house of a friend who suffered such great grief. Hercules decided to thank the noble Admet for the fact that, despite the grief that befell him, he nevertheless received him so hospitably. The decision quickly matured in the great hero to take away from the gloomy god of death Tanat his prey - Alcestis.
Having learned from the servant where the tomb of Alcestis is located, he hurries there as soon as possible. Hiding behind the tomb, Hercules is waiting for Tanat to fly in to get drunk at the grave of sacrificial blood. Here the flapping of the black wings of Tanat was heard, there was a breath of grave cold; the gloomy god of death flew to the tomb and greedily pressed his lips to the sacrificial blood. Hercules jumped out of the ambush and rushed to Tanat. He seized the god of death with his mighty hands, and a terrible struggle began between them. Straining all his strength, Hercules fights with the god of death. Tanat squeezed the chest of Hercules with his bony hands, he breathes on him with his chilling breath, and from his wings the cold of death blows on the hero. Nevertheless, the mighty son of the Thunderer Zeus defeated Tanat. He tied Tanat and demanded as a ransom for freedom that the god of death be returned to life by Alcestis. Tanat gave Hercules the life of Admet's wife, and the great hero led her back to her husband's palace.
Admet, returning to the palace after the funeral of his wife, bitterly mourned his irreplaceable loss. It was hard for him to stay in the deserted palace, Where should he go? He envies the dead. He hates life. He calls death. Tanat stole all his happiness and took him to the kingdom of Hades. What could be harder for him than the loss of his beloved wife! Admet regrets that she did not allow Alcestis to die with her, then their death would have united them. Hades would have received two faithful souls instead of one. Together these souls of Acheron would have crossed. Suddenly, Hercules appeared before the mournful Admet. He leads by the hand a woman covered with a veil. Hercules asks Admet to leave this woman, which he inherited after a hard struggle, in the palace until he returns from Thrace. Admet refuses; he asks Hercules to take the woman to someone else. It is hard for Admet to see another woman in his palace when he lost the one he loved so much. Hercules insists and even wants Admet to bring a woman into the palace himself. He does not allow the servants of Admet to touch her. Finally, Admet, unable to refuse his friend, takes the woman by the hand to lead her into his palace. Hercules tells him:
- You took it, Admet! So protect her! Now you can say that the son of Zeus is a true friend. Look at the woman! Doesn't she look like your wife Alcestis? Stop mourning! Be happy with life again!
- Oh, great gods! - Admet exclaimed, lifting the woman's veil, - my wife Alcestis! Oh no, it's only a shadow of her! She stands silently, she did not say a word!
- No, it's not a shadow! - answered Hercules, - this is Alcestis. I got it in a hard fight with the lord of souls Tanat. She will be silent until she is freed from the power of the underground gods, bringing them redemptive sacrifices; she will be silent until night changes day three times; Only then will she speak. Now farewell, Admet! Be happy and always observe the great custom of hospitality, consecrated by my father himself - Zeus!
- Oh, great son of Zeus, you gave me the joy of life again! - exclaimed Admet, - how can I thank you? Stay my guest. I will order in all my possessions to celebrate your victory, I will order great sacrifices to be made to the gods. Stay with me!
Hercules did not stay with Admet; a feat awaited him; he had to fulfill the order of Eurystheus and get him the horses of King Diomedes.

Labor 9: Hippolyta's Belt

The ninth feat of Hercules was his campaign in the country of the Amazons for the belt of Queen Hippolyta. This belt was given to Hippolyta by the god of war Ares, and she wore it as a sign of her power over all the Amazons. The daughter of Eurystheus Admet, the priestess of the goddess Hera, wanted to have this belt without fail. To fulfill her desire, Eurystheus sent Hercules for the belt. Having gathered a small detachment of heroes, the great son of Zeus set off on a long journey on a ship alone. Although the detachment of Hercules was small, there were many glorious heroes in this detachment, I was in it the great hero of Attica Theseus.
The heroes have a long way to go. They had to reach the farthest shores of the Euxine Pontus, since there was a country of the Amazons with the capital Themyscira. On the way, Hercules landed with his companions on the island of Paros, where the sons of Minos ruled. On this island, the sons of Minos killed two companions of Hercules. Hercules, angry at this, immediately began a war with the sons of Minos. He killed many of the inhabitants of Paros, while others, having driven into the city, kept under siege until the besieged ambassadors were sent to Hercules and began to ask him to take two of them instead of the dead companions. Then Hercules lifted the siege and instead of the dead he took the grandsons of Minos, Alcaeus and Sthenelus.
From Paros, Hercules arrived in Mysia to King Lycus, who received him with great hospitality. The king of the Bebriks unexpectedly attacked Lik. Hercules defeated the king of the Bebriks with his detachment and destroyed his capital, and gave all the land of the Bebriks to Lik. King Lik named this country in honor of Heracles Heraclea. After this feat, Hercules went on, and finally arrived at the city of the Amazons, Themyscira.
The fame of the exploits of the son of Zeus has long reached the country of the Amazons. Therefore, when the ship of Hercules landed at Themyscira, the Amazons came out with the queen to meet the hero. They looked with surprise at the great son of Zeus, who stood out, like an immortal god, among his fellow heroes. Queen Hippolyta asked the great hero Hercules:
- Glorious son of Zeus, tell me what brought you to our city? Do you bring us peace or war?
So Hercules answered the queen:
- Queen, it was not of my own free will that I came here with an army, having made a long journey across a stormy sea; I was sent by the ruler of Mycenae, Eurystheus. His daughter Admet wants to have your belt, a gift from the god Ares. Eurystheus instructed me to get your belt.
Hippolyta was unable to refuse anything to Hercules. She was already ready to voluntarily give him the belt, but the great Hera, wanting to destroy the hated Hercules, took the form of an Amazon, intervened in the crowd and began to convince the warriors to attack the army of Hercules.
“Hercules is not telling the truth,” Hera said to the Amazons, “he came to you with insidious intent: the hero wants to kidnap your queen Hippolyta and take her as a slave to his house.
The Amazons believed Hera. They grabbed their weapons and attacked the army of Hercules. Ahead of the Amazon army rushed Aella, fast as the wind. She attacked Hercules first, like a stormy whirlwind. The great hero repulsed her onslaught and put her to flight, Aella thought to escape from the hero with a quick flight. All her speed did not help her, Hercules overtook her and struck her with his sparkling sword. Fell in battle and Protoya. She slew seven heroes from among the companions of Hercules with her own hand, but she did not escape the arrow of the great son of Zeus. Then seven Amazons attacked Hercules at once; they were companions of Artemis herself: no one was equal to them in the art of wielding a spear. Covering themselves with shields, they launched their spears at Hercules. but the spears flew past this time. All of them were slain by the hero with his club; one after another they burst to the ground, flashing their weapons. The Amazonian Melanippe, who led the army into battle, was captured by Hercules, and together with her captured Antiope. The formidable warriors were defeated, their army fled, many of them fell at the hands of the heroes pursuing them. The Amazons made peace with Hercules. Hippolyta bought the freedom of the mighty Melanippe with the price of her belt. The heroes took Antiope with them. Hercules gave it as a reward to Theseus for his great courage.
So Hercules got the girdle of Hippolyta.

Heracles rescues Hesione, daughter of Laomedon

On the way back to Tiryns from the country of the Amazons, Hercules arrived on ships with his army to Troy. A heavy sight appeared before the eyes of the heroes when they landed on the shore near Troy. They saw the beautiful daughter of the king of Troy, Laomedont, Hesion, chained to a rock near the seashore. She was doomed, like Andromeda, to be torn to pieces by a monster emerging from the sea. This monster was sent as a punishment to Laomedon by Poseidon for refusing to pay him and Apollo a fee for the construction of the walls of Troy. The proud king, who, according to the verdict of Zeus, had to serve both gods, even threatened to cut off their ears if they demanded payment. Then, the angry Apollo sent a terrible pestilence to all the possessions of Laomedont, and Poseidon - a monster that devastated, sparing no one, the surroundings of Troy. Only by sacrificing the life of his daughter could Laomedon save his country from a terrible disaster. Against his will, he had to chain his daughter Hesion to a rock by the sea.
Seeing the unfortunate girl, Hercules volunteered to save her, and for the salvation of Hesion, he demanded from Laomedont as a reward for those horses that the Thunderer Zeus gave to the king of Troy as a ransom for his son Ganymede. He was once kidnapped by the eagle of Zeus and carried to Olympus. Laomedon agreed to Hercules' demands. The great hero ordered the Trojans to build a rampart on the seashore and hid behind it. As soon as Hercules took cover behind the rampart, a monster emerged from the sea and, opening its huge mouth, rushed at Hesion. With a loud cry, Hercules ran out from behind the shaft, rushed at the monster and plunged his double-edged sword deep into his chest. Heracles saved Hesiona.
When the son of Zeus demanded the promised reward from Laomedont, it became a pity for the king to part with the marvelous horses, he did not give them to Hercules and even drove him away with threats from Troy. Hercules left the possession of Laomedont, holding his anger deep in his heart. Now he could not take revenge on the king who had deceived him, since his army was too small and the hero could not hope to soon capture impregnable Troy. The great son of Zeus could not stay under Troy for a long time - he had to rush with Hippolyta's belt to Mycenae.

Tenth feat: Cows of Gerion

Shortly after returning from a campaign in the country of the Amazons, Hercules set off on a new feat. Eurystheus instructed him to drive to Mycenae the cows of the great Geryon, the son of Chrysaor and the Oceanid Kalliroi. Far was the way to Gerion. Hercules had to reach the westernmost edge of the earth, those places where the radiant sun god Helios descends from the sky at sunset. Hercules went on a long journey alone. He passed through Africa, through the barren deserts of Libya, through the countries of wild barbarians, and finally reached the ends of the earth. Here he erected two giant stone pillars on both sides of the narrow sea strait as an eternal monument to his feat.
After this, Hercules had to wander a lot more, until he reached the shores of the gray Ocean. In thought, the hero sat on the shore near the ever-noisy waters of the Ocean. How was it possible for him to reach the island of Eritheia, where Geryon pastured his herds? The day was already drawing to a close. Here appeared the chariot of Helios, descending to the waters of the Ocean. The bright rays of Helios blinded Hercules, and an unbearable, scorching heat enveloped him. Hercules jumped up in anger and grabbed his formidable bow, but bright Helios did not get angry, he smiled affably at the hero, he liked the extraordinary courage of the great son of Zeus. Helios himself invited Hercules to cross to Eritheia in a golden boat, in which the sun god sailed every evening with his horses and chariot from the western to the eastern edge of the earth to his golden palace. The delighted hero boldly jumped into the golden boat and quickly reached the shores of Eritheia.
As soon as he landed on the island, the formidable two-headed dog Orfo sensed him and rushed at the hero with barking. Hercules killed him with one blow of his heavy club. Not only Orfo guarded the herds of Gerion. Hercules also had to fight with the shepherd of Gerion, the giant Eurytion. The son of Zeus quickly coped with the giant and drove the cows of Gerion to the seashore, where the golden boat of Helios stood. Gerion heard the lowing of his cows and went to the herd. Seeing that his dog Orfo and the giant Eurytion were killed, he chased after the stealer of the herd and overtook him on the seashore. Gerion 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 immediately threw three huge spears at the enemy. Hercules had to fight with such a giant, but the great warrior Pallas Athena helped him. As soon as Hercules saw him, he immediately shot his deadly arrow at the giant. An arrow pierced the eye of one of Gerion's heads. The first arrow was followed by the second, followed by the third. Hercules waved menacingly with his all-destroying club, like lightning, the hero Geryon struck it, and the three-bodied giant fell to the ground like a lifeless corpse. Hercules transported the cows of Geryon from Eritheia in the golden boat of Helios across the stormy Ocean and returned the boat to Helios. Half of the feat was over.
Much work lay ahead. It was necessary to drive the bulls to Mycenae. Through all of Spain, through the Pyrenees, through Gaul and the Alps, through Italy, Hercules drove the cows. In southern Italy, near the city of Rhegium, one of the cows escaped from the herd and swam across the strait to Sicily. There, King Eriks, the son of Poseidon, saw her, and took the cow into his herd. Hercules searched for a cow for a long time. Finally, he asked the god Hephaestus to guard the herd, and he crossed over to Sicily and there he found his cow in the herd of King Eriks. The king did not want to return her to Hercules; hoping for his strength, he challenged Hercules to single combat. The winner was to be rewarded with a cow. Eriks could not afford such an opponent as Hercules. The son of Zeus squeezed the king in his mighty arms and strangled him. Hercules returned with a cow to his herd and drove him further. On the shores of the Ionian Sea, the goddess Hera sent rabies to the whole herd. The mad cows ran in all directions. Only with great difficulty Hercules caught most of the cows already in Thrace and finally drove them to Eurystheus in Mycenae. Eurystheus sacrificed them to the great goddess Hera.
Pillars of Hercules, or Pillars of Hercules. The Greeks believed that the rocks along the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar were placed by Hercules.

Eleventh move. Cerberus kidnapping.

There were no more monsters left on the earth. Heracles destroyed them all. But underground, guarding the possessions of Hades, lived the monstrous three-headed dog Cerberus. Eurystheus ordered him to be delivered to the walls of Mycenae.

Hercules had to descend into the kingdom of no return. Everything about him was terrifying. Cerberus himself was so powerful and terrible that the very sight of him chilled the blood in his veins. In addition to three disgusting heads, the dog had a tail in the form of a huge snake with an open mouth. The snakes also writhed around his neck. And such a dog had to be not only defeated, but also brought alive from the underworld. Only the lords of the kingdom of the dead, Hades and Persephone, could give their consent to this.

Hercules had to appear before their eyes. At Hades, they were black, like coal, formed at the site of the burning of the remains of the dead, at Persephone they were light blue, like cornflowers on arable land. But one could read genuine surprise in both of them: what does this impudent man need here, who violated the laws of nature and descended alive into their gloomy world?

Bowing respectfully, Hercules said:

Do not be angry, mighty lords, if my request seems bold to you! The will of Eurystheus, hostile to my desire, dominates me. It was he who instructed me to deliver to him your faithful and valiant Cerberus guardian.

Hades' face twitched with displeasure.

Not only did you yourself come here alive, you set out to show the living someone whom only the dead can see.

Forgive my curiosity, - Persephone intervened. - But I would like to know how you think about your feat. After all, Cerberus has not yet been given into the hands of anyone.

I don’t know, Hercules admitted honestly. But let me fight him.

Ha! Ha! - Hades laughed so loudly that the vaults of the underworld shook. - Try it! But just fight on equal terms, not using weapons.

On the way to the gates of Hades, one of the shadows approached Hercules and made a request.

Great hero, said the shadow, you are destined to see the sun. Will you agree to do my duty? I have left my sister Dejanira, whom I did not have time to marry.

Tell me your name and where you come from, - said Hercules.

I am from Calydon, the shadow replied. There they called me Meleager. Hercules, bowing low to the shadow, said:

I heard about you as a boy and always regretted that I could not meet you. Stay calm. I myself will take your sister as a wife.

Cerberus, as befits a dog, was in his place at the gates of Hades, barking at the souls who tried to approach Styx in order to get out into the world. If earlier, when Hercules entered the gate, the dog did not pay attention to the hero, now he attacked him with an evil growl, trying to gnaw through the hero's throat. Hercules grabbed two necks of Cerberus with both hands, and struck a powerful blow on the third head with his forehead. Cerberus wrapped his tail around the legs and torso of the hero, tearing the body with his teeth. But Hercules' fingers continued to tighten, and soon the half-strangled dog went limp and wheezed.

Not allowing Cerberus to recover, Hercules dragged him to the exit. When it began to get light, the dog came to life and, throwing up his head, howled terribly at the unfamiliar sun. Never before has the earth heard such heartbreaking sounds. Poisonous foam fell from the gaping mouths. Wherever even one drop of it fell, poisonous plants grew.

Here are the walls of Mycenae. The city seemed deserted, dead, since already from a distance everyone heard that Hercules was returning with a victory. Eurystheus, looking at Cerberus through the crack in the gate, yelled:

Let him go! Let go!

Hercules did not hesitate. He released the chain on which he led Cerberus, and the faithful dog Hades rushed to his master with huge leaps...

The twelfth feat. Golden apples of the Hesperides.

At the western extremity of the earth, near the Ocean, where the day converged with the Night, the beautiful-voiced nymphs of the Hesperides lived. Their divine singing was heard only by Atlas, holding on his shoulders the vault of heaven and the souls of the dead, sadly descending into the underworld. Nymphs walked in a wonderful garden, where a tree grew, bending heavy branches to the ground. Golden fruits sparkled and hid in their greenery. They gave everyone who touches them immortality and eternal youth.

These are the fruits that Eurystheus ordered to bring, and not in order to be equal to the gods. He hoped that Hercules would not fulfill this assignment.

Throwing a lion's skin over his back, throwing a bow over his shoulder, taking a club, the hero walked briskly to the garden of the Hesperides. He's used to getting the impossible done.

Hercules walked for a long time until he reached the place where heaven and earth converged on Atlanta, as on a giant support. With horror, he looked at the titan holding an incredible weight.

I am Hercules, - the hero answered. - I was ordered to bring three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides. I heard that you alone can pick these apples.

Joy flashed in Atlanta's eyes. He was up to something bad.

I can't reach the tree, - Atlas said. - Yes, and my hands, as you can see, are busy. Now, if you hold my burden, I will gladly fulfill your request.

I agree, ”Hercules answered and stood next to the titan, who was many heads taller than him.

Atlas sank, and a monstrous weight fell on the shoulders of Hercules. Sweat covered his forehead and all over his body. Legs went ankle-deep into the ground trampled down by Atlanta. The time it took the giant to get the apples seemed like an eternity to the hero. But Atlant was in no hurry to take back his burden.

If you want, I myself will take the precious apples to Mycenae, ”he suggested to Hercules.

The simple-hearted hero almost agreed, fearing to offend the titan who had rendered him a service, but Athena intervened in time - it was she who taught him to respond with cunning to cunning. Pretending to be pleased with Atlas's offer, Hercules immediately agreed, but asked the titan to hold the vault while he made a lining under his shoulders.

As soon as Atlas, deceived by the feigned joy of Hercules, shouldered the usual burden on his overworked shoulders, the hero immediately raised his club and bow and, ignoring the indignant cries of Atlas, set off on his way back.

Eurystheus did not take the apples of the Hesperides, obtained by Hercules with such labor. After all, he needed not apples, but the death of a hero. Hercules gave the apples to Athena, who returned them to the Hesperides.

This ended the service of Hercules to Eurystheus, and he was able to return to Thebes, where new exploits and new troubles awaited him.

Hercules performed many more feats, and his name became famous throughout Greece.

When Jason built the Argo high-speed ship and summoned the heroes of Greece to sail across the three seas to Colchis to get the Golden Fleece, the mighty Heracles went on a campaign with the brave Argonauts.

But on the way, at one of the Argo parking lots near the coast of an unknown land, Hercules went far into the coastal forest, did not return to the ship in time, and the Argonauts sailed without him. And Hercules went by land into the interior of the country and soon came to the mountains.

A wild and majestic land opened before him. High mountains rose up in a ridge, overgrown with dense forest at the foot, and covered with eternal snows on the peaks. The higher the hero rose, the more severe and impregnable were the mountains; Finally, he climbed a bare rock that broke off over the sea.

Hercules recognized Prometheus - the son of Themis, the goddess of justice, and the titan Iapetus, from whom the human race began on earth.

Once upon a time, in ancient times, there were few people on earth. Like animals, they wandered through the forests, chasing prey, eating raw meat, wild fruits and roots, covered themselves with animal skins and hid in caves and hollows of trees from bad weather. Their minds were like little children; they were helpless in organizing their lives and defenseless against predatory animals and formidable forces of nature.

Prometheus took pity on the people and wanted to help them.

He went to his friend Hephaestus, the son of Zeus, the divine blacksmith and craftsman. On the island of Lemnos, in the depths of a fire-breathing mountain, there was a workshop of Hephaestus. The sacred fire burned hotly in a huge furnace, without which no art and craftsmanship is possible. Three one-eyed giants - Cyclops - worked in the workshop of Hephaestus. Two statues, which he himself cast of gold, moved as if alive in the workshop, and the lame blacksmith god leaned on them when walking.

Prometheus found Hephaestus at work - the blacksmith god forged fiery lightning arrows for Zeus the Thunderer. Prometheus stood and looked at the skillful work of Hephaestus. When the Cyclops began to fan the fire in the furnace with furs and sparkling sparks scattered throughout the workshop, Prometheus caught the sacred spark and hid it in an empty reed, which he held in his hand. Prometheus brought this reed with a spark of sacred fire to people, and people lit bonfires, hearths and furnaces from it everywhere on earth. People learned to fight with nature, to extract and process copper and iron, gold and silver hidden in the bowels of the earth and to make their own household items, weapons and jewelry out of them. People began to build their own dwellings of wood and stone and ships, inspired by sails, to sail along rivers and seas. People tamed wild animals and forced the horse to carry a man, and the goat and cow to feed him, and from the sheep they began to take warm and durable wool for clothing. The light from the sacred fire clarified people's thoughts, awakened their dormant mind, ignited the desire for happiness in their hearts.

And Prometheus taught people a lot more with the help of sacred fire. He taught them to brew the healing juice of plants, which helps with illnesses and wounds, and people got rid of the constant fear of death. Prometheus revealed to them the science of numbers and taught them to write words with signs in order to convey their thoughts to those who live far away.

Prometheus watched with pride as people became stronger, wiser and more skillful in every work.

But the lord of the world, Zeus, was angry with Prometheus and decided to severely punish the thief of the sacred fire. The king of the gods sent his servants Strength and Power to seize Prometheus and take him to the end of the world, to a desert mountainous country, and ordered Hephaestus to chain the titan to a mountain. It was bitter for Hephaestus to do this - after all, Prometheus was his friend, but such was the will of Zeus. Hephaestus chained the hands and feet of Prometheus into iron rings, chained him to a stone mass with an unbreakable chain, pierced his chest with a sharp diamond wedge, nailing him to a rock.

And Zeus commanded that forever, forever and ever, Prometheus would remain chained to this rock.

Centuries have passed. Much has changed on earth. But the torment of Prometheus did not stop. The sun burned his withered body, the icy wind showered him with prickly snow. Every day, at the appointed hour, a huge eagle flew in, tore apart the body of a titan with its claws and pecked at his liver. And at night the wounds healed again.

But it was not for nothing that he bore the name "Prometheus", which means "foreseeing": he knew that the time would come, and a great hero would appear among the people on earth, who would perform many feats to cleanse the earth of evil, and would come to free him.

And finally, Prometheus heard the steps of a man walking through the mountains and saw the hero he had been waiting for all the time.

Hercules approached the chained Prometheus and already raised his sword to knock off the fetters from the titan, but an eagle cry was heard high in the sky: it was Prometheus the eagle at the appointed hour hurried to his bloody feast. Then Hercules grabbed his bow, threw an arrow at the flying eagle and killed him. The dead eagle fell from a height into the sea under a rock, and the waves carried it away.

Hercules broke the chain that bound Prometheus and pulled out of his chest the diamond point with which he was nailed to the rock. And the liberated Prometheus straightened up, sighed with all his chest and looked with enlightened eyes at the earth and at the hero who brought him freedom and peace with the gods.

Zeus ordered Hephaestus to make a ring from a link in the Promethean chain and insert a stone into it - a fragment of the rock to which the titanium was chained. Zeus ordered Prometheus to put this ring on his finger and always wear it as a sign that the word of the ruler of the world was not violated and Prometheus was chained to the rock forever.

Literature:
Smirnova V. Hercules / / Heroes of Hellas, - M .: "Children's Literature", 1971 - c.166-171

Seeing the unfortunate girl, Hercules volunteered to save her, and for the salvation of Hesion, he demanded from Laomedont as a reward for those horses that the Thunderer Zeus gave to the king of Troy as a ransom for his son Ganymede. He was once kidnapped by the eagle of Zeus and carried to Olympus. Laomedon agreed to Hercules' demands. The great hero ordered the Trojans to build a rampart on the seashore and hid behind it. As soon as Hercules took cover behind the rampart, a monster emerged from the sea and, opening its huge mouth, rushed at Hesion. With a loud cry, Hercules ran out from behind the shaft, rushed at the monster and plunged his double-edged sword deep into his chest. Heracles saved Hesiona.

When the son of Zeus demanded the promised reward from Laomedont, it became a pity for the king to part with the marvelous horses, he did not give them to Hercules and even drove him away with threats from Troy. Hercules left the possession of Laomedont, holding his anger deep in his heart. Now he could not take revenge on the king who had deceived him, since his army was too small and the hero could not hope to soon capture impregnable Troy. The great son of Zeus could not stay under Troy for a long time - he had to rush with the belt of Hippolyta to Mycenae.

Cows of Geryon

(tenth feat)

After this, Hercules had to wander a lot more, until he reached the shores of the gray Ocean. In thought, the hero sat on the shore near the ever-noisy waters of the Ocean. How was it possible for him to reach the island of Eritheia, where Geryon pastured his herds? The day was already drawing to a close. Here appeared the chariot of Helios, descending to the waters of the Ocean. The bright rays of Helios blinded Hercules, and an unbearable, scorching heat enveloped him. Hercules jumped up in anger and grabbed his formidable bow, but bright Helios did not get angry, he smiled affably at the hero, he liked the extraordinary courage of the great son of Zeus. Helios himself invited Hercules to cross to Eritheia in a golden boat, in which the sun god sailed every evening with his horses and chariot from the western to the eastern edge of the earth to his golden palace. The delighted hero boldly jumped into the golden boat and quickly reached the shores of Eritheia.

As soon as he landed on the island, the formidable two-headed dog Orfo sensed him and rushed at the hero with barking. Hercules killed him with one blow of his heavy club. Not only Orfo guarded the herds of Gerion. Hercules also had to fight with the shepherd of Gerion, the giant Eurytion. The son of Zeus quickly coped with the giant and drove the cows of Gerion to the seashore, where the golden boat of Helios stood. Gerion heard the lowing of his cows and went to the herd. Seeing that his dog Orfo and the giant Eurytion were killed, he chased after the stealer of the herd and overtook him on the seashore. Gerion 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 immediately threw three huge spears at the enemy. Hercules had to fight with such a giant, but the great warrior Pallas Athena helped him. As soon as Hercules saw him, he immediately shot his deadly arrow at the giant. An arrow pierced the eye of one of Gerion's heads. The first arrow was followed by the second, followed by the third. Hercules waved menacingly with his all-destroying club, like lightning, the hero Geryon struck it, and the three-bodied giant fell to the ground like a lifeless corpse. Hercules transported the cows of Geryon from Eritheia in the golden boat of Helios across the stormy Ocean and returned the boat to Helios. Half of the feat was over.

Much work lay ahead. It was necessary to drive the bulls to Mycenae. Through all of Spain, through the Pyrenees, through Gaul and the Alps, through Italy, Hercules drove the cows. In southern Italy, near the city of Rhegium, one of the cows escaped from the herd and swam across the strait to Sicily. There, King Eriks, the son of Poseidon, saw her, and took the cow into his herd. Hercules searched for a cow for a long time. Finally, he asked the god Hephaestus to guard the herd, and he crossed over to Sicily and there he found his cow in the herd of King Eriks. The king did not want to return her to Hercules; hoping for his strength, he challenged Hercules to single combat. The winner was to be rewarded with a cow. Eriks could not afford such an opponent as Hercules. The son of Zeus squeezed the king in his mighty arms and strangled him. Hercules returned with a cow to his herd and drove him further. On the shores of the Ionian Sea, the goddess Hera sent rabies to the whole herd. The mad cows ran in all directions. Only with great difficulty Hercules caught most of the cows already in Thrace and finally drove them to Eurystheus in Mycenae. Eurystheus sacrificed them to the great goddess Hera.

Kerberos

(eleventh feat)

As soon as Heracles returned to Tiryns, Eurystheus sent him again to the feat. This was already the eleventh feat that Hercules was to perform in the service of Eurystheus. Hercules had to overcome incredible difficulties during this feat. He was supposed to descend into the gloomy, full of horrors of the underworld of Hades and bring to Eurystheus the guardian of the underworld, the terrible hellish dog Kerber. Kerberos had three heads, snakes wriggled around his neck, his tail ended in the head of a dragon with a huge mouth. Hercules went to Laconia and through the gloomy abyss at Tenar descended into the darkness of the underworld. At the very gates of the kingdom of Hades, Hercules saw the heroes Theseus and Perithous, king of Thessaly, rooted to the rock. The gods punished them so because they wanted to steal his wife Persephone from Hades. Theseus prayed to Hercules:

- Oh, great son of Zeus, free me! You see my suffering! You alone can save me from them!

Hercules extended his hand to Theseus and freed him. When he wanted to free Perifoy as well, the earth trembled, and Hercules realized that the gods did not want his release. Hercules submitted to the will of the gods and went on into the darkness of eternal night. The herald of the gods Hermes, the conductor of the souls of the dead, entered the underworld kingdom of Hercules, and the beloved daughter of Zeus herself, Pallas Athena, was the companion of the great hero. When Hercules entered the kingdom of Hades, the shadows of the dead scattered in horror. Only the shadow of the hero Meleager did not run at the sight of Hercules. With a prayer she turned to the great son of Zeus:

- Oh, great Hercules, I pray you for one thing in memory of our friendship, take pity on my orphaned sister, beautiful Dejanira! She remained defenseless after my death. Take her as your wife, great hero! Be her protector!

Hercules promised to fulfill the request of a friend and went further after Hermes. The shadow of the terrible Gorgon Medusa rose towards Hercules, she menacingly stretched out her copper hands and waved her golden wings, snakes stirred on her head. The fearless hero grabbed the sword, but Hermes stopped him with the words:

- Do not grab the sword, Hercules! After all, it's just an ethereal shadow! She doesn't threaten you with death!

Hercules saw many horrors on his way; finally, he appeared before the throne of Hades. The ruler of the kingdom of the dead and his wife Persephone looked with delight at the great son of the Thunderer Zeus, who fearlessly descended into the kingdom of darkness and sorrow. He, majestic, calm, stood before the throne of Hades, leaning on his huge club, in a lion's skin draped over his shoulders, and with a bow over his shoulders. Hades graciously greeted the son of his great brother Zeus and asked what made him leave the light of the sun and descend into the kingdom of darkness. Bowing before Hades, Hercules answered:

- Oh, the ruler of the souls of the dead, the great Hades, do not be angry with me for my request, all-powerful! You know, after all, that it was not of my own free will that I came to your kingdom, that it was not of my own free will that I would ask you. Let me, Lord Hades, take your three-headed dog Kerberos to Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to do this, whom I serve at the command of the bright Olympian gods.

Hades replied to the hero:

- I will fulfill, son of Zeus, your request; but you must tame Cerberus without weapons. If you tame him, then I will let you take him to Eurystheus.

For a long time Heracles searched for Kerberos in the underworld. Finally, he found him on the banks of the Acheron. Hercules wrapped his arms, strong as steel, around the neck of Cerberus. The dog Aida howled menacingly; the whole underworld was filled with his howl. He struggled to escape from the arms of Hercules, but only the mighty hands of the hero squeezed the neck of Kerberos more tightly. Kerber wrapped his tail around the hero's legs, the dragon's head dug its teeth into his body, but all in vain. The mighty Hercules squeezed his neck harder and harder. Finally, the half-strangled dog Aida fell at the feet of the hero. Hercules tamed him and led him from the kingdom of darkness to Mycenae. Frightened by daylight Kerberos; he was covered with cold sweat, poisonous foam dripped from his three mouths onto the ground; wherever a drop of foam dripped, poisonous herbs grew.

Hercules brought Kerberos to the walls of Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus was horrified at one glance at the terrible dog. Almost on his knees, he begged Hercules to take back to the kingdom of Hades Kerberos. Hercules fulfilled his request and returned Hades to his terrible guard Cerberus.

Apples of the Hesperides

(twelfth feat)

The most difficult feat of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus was his last, twelfth feat. He had to go to the great titan Atlas, who holds the vault of heaven on his shoulders, and get three golden apples from his gardens, which were watched by the daughters of Atlas, the Hesperides. These apples grew on a golden tree grown by the goddess of the earth Gaia as a gift to the great Hera on the day of her wedding with Zeus. To accomplish this feat, it was necessary first of all to find out the way to the gardens of the Hesperides, guarded by a dragon who never closed his eyes to sleep.

Nobody knew the way to the Hesperides and Atlas. Hercules wandered for a long time through Asia and Europe, he passed through all the countries that he had passed before along the way for the cows of Gerion; everywhere Hercules asked about the way, but no one knew him. In his search, he went to the farthest north, to the Eridanus River, forever rolling its stormy, boundless waters. On the banks of Eridanus, beautiful nymphs met the great son of Zeus with honor and gave him advice on how to find out the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Hercules was supposed to surprise the prophetic old man Nereus when he came ashore from the depths of the sea, and learn from him the way to the Hesperides; except Nereus, no one knew this way. Hercules searched for Nemeus for a long time. Finally, he managed to find Nereus on the seashore. Hercules attacked the sea god. The struggle with the sea god was difficult. To free himself from the iron embrace of Hercules, Nereus took on all sorts of forms, but still the hero did not let him out. Finally, he tied the weary Nereus, and in order to gain freedom, the sea god had to reveal to Hercules the secret of the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Having learned this secret, the son of Zeus released the sea elder and set off on a long journey.

Again he had to go through Libya. Here he met the giant Antey, the son of Poseidon, the god of the seas, and the goddess of the earth, Gaia, who gave birth to him, nurtured and raised him. Antaeus forced all travelers to fight him and mercilessly killed everyone he defeated in the fight. The giant demanded that Hercules also fight him. No one could defeat Antaeus in single combat, not knowing the secret from where the giant received more and more strength during the struggle. The secret was this: when Antaeus felt that he was beginning to lose strength, he touched the earth, his mother, and his strength was renewed: he drew them from his mother, the great goddess of the earth. But as soon as Antaeus was torn off the ground and lifted into the air, his strength disappeared. Hercules fought for a long time with Antaeus. several times he knocked him to the ground, but only Antaeus's strength increased. Suddenly, during the struggle, the mighty Hercules Anthea lifted high into the air - the strength of the son of Gaia dried up, and Hercules strangled him.

Then Hercules went and came to Egypt. There, tired from the long journey, he fell asleep in the shade of a small grove on the banks of the Nile. The king of Egypt, the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Epaphus Lysianassa, Busiris, saw the sleeping Hercules, and ordered to bind the sleeping hero. He wanted to sacrifice Hercules to his father Zeus. For nine years there was a crop failure in Egypt; the soothsayer Thrasius, who came from Cyprus, predicted that the crop failure would stop only if Busiris annually sacrificed a foreigner to Zeus. Busiris ordered the soothsayer Thrasius to be seized and was the first to sacrifice him. From that time on, the cruel king sacrificed to the Thunderer all the strangers who came to Egypt. They also brought Hercules to the altar, but the great hero tore the ropes with which he was bound, and killed Busiris himself and his son Amphidamantus at the altar. So the cruel king of Egypt was punished.

Heracles had to meet a lot more on the way of his dangers, until he reached the ends of the earth, where the great titan Atlas stood. With amazement, the hero looked at the mighty titan, holding the entire heavenly vault on his broad shoulders.

- Oh, the great titan Atlas! - Hercules turned to him, - I am the son of Zeus, Hercules. I was sent to you by Eurystheus, the king of the rich gold of Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to get three golden apples from you from a golden tree in the gardens of the Hesperides.

“I will give you three apples, son of Zeus,” Atlas replied, “while I go after them, you must take my place and hold the heavenly vault on your shoulders.

Hercules agreed. He took the place of Atlas. An incredible weight fell on the shoulders of the son of Zeus. He exerted all his strength and held the vault of heaven. The weight was terribly pressing on the mighty shoulders of Hercules. He bent under the weight of the sky, his muscles swelled like mountains, sweat covered his entire body from tension, but superhuman strength and the help of the goddess Athena gave him the opportunity to hold the vault of heaven until Atlas returned with three golden apples. Returning, Atlas said to the hero:

- Here are three apples, Hercules; if you want, I myself will take them to Mycenae, and you hold the vault of heaven until my return; then I will take your place again.

- Hercules understood the cunning of Atlas, he realized that the titan wants to completely free himself from his hard work, and used cunning against cunning.

“Okay, Atlas, I agree! Hercules replied. “Just let me first make myself a pillow, I’ll put it on my shoulders so that the vault of heaven does not press them so terribly.

Atlas stood back in his place and shouldered the weight of the sky. Hercules raised his bow and quiver of arrows, took his club and golden apples and said:

Farewell, Atlas! I held the vault of the sky while you went for the apples of the Hesperides, but I do not want to carry the entire weight of the sky on my shoulders forever.

With these words, Hercules left the titan, and again Atlas had to hold, as before, the vault of heaven on his mighty shoulders. Hercules returned to Eurystheus and gave him the golden apples. Eurystheus gave them to Hercules, and he gave the apples to his patroness, the great daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athena. Athena returned the apples to the Hesperides so that they would forever remain in the gardens.

After his twelfth feat, Hercules was freed from the service of Eurystheus. Now he could return to the seven gates of Thebes. But the son of Zeus did not stay there for long. Waiting for his new exploits. He gave his wife Megara as a wife to his friend Iolaus, and he himself went back to Tiryns.

But not only victories awaited him, Hercules and serious troubles awaited him, since the great goddess Hera still pursued him.

Hercules and Eurytus

On the island of Euboea, in the city of Oichalia, King Eurytus ruled. The glory of Eurytus, as the most skilled archer, went far throughout Greece. The archer Apollo himself was his teacher, even gave him a bow and arrows. Once, in his youth, Hercules also studied archery with Eurytus. It was this king who announced throughout Greece that he would give his beautiful daughter Iola as a wife to the hero who would defeat him in an archery contest. Hercules, who had just finished his service with Eurystheus, went to Oichalia, where many heroes of Greece gathered, and took part in the competition. Hercules easily defeated King Eurytus and demanded that he give him his daughter Iola as a wife. Evrit did not fulfill his promise. Forgetting the sacred custom of hospitality, he began to mock the great hero. He said that he would not give his daughter to the one who was a slave of Eurystheus. Finally, Eurytus and his arrogant sons drove Heracles, drunk during the feast, out of the palace and even out of Oichalia. Hercules left Oichalia. Full of deep sadness, he left Euboea, because the great hero fell in love with the beautiful Iola. Holding in his heart anger at Eurytus, who insulted him, he returned to Tiryns.

After some time, the most cunning of the Greeks, Autolycus, the son of Hermes, stole the flock from Eurytus. Eurytus blamed Hercules for this crash. The king of Oikhaliya thought that the hero had stolen his flocks, wanting to avenge the offense. Only Ifit, the eldest son of Eurytus, did not want to believe that the great Hercules could steal his father's herds. Ifit even volunteered to find the herds, if only to prove the innocence of Hercules, with whom he had the closest friendship. During the search, Ifit came to Tiryns. Hercules received his friend warmly. Once, when the two of them stood on the high walls of the fortress of Tiryns, built on a high rock, Hercules suddenly took possession of the violent anger sent against him by the great goddess Hera. Hercules remembered in anger the insult that Eurytus and his sons inflicted on him; no longer in control of himself, he seized Ifit and threw him off the wall of the fortress. The unfortunate Ifit crashed to death. This murder, committed against his will, angered Hercules Zeus, as he violated the sacred custom of hospitality and the sanctity of the bonds of friendship. As punishment, the great thunderer sent a serious illness to his son.

Hercules suffered for a long time, finally, exhausted by the disease, he went to Delphi to ask Apollo how to get rid of this punishment of the gods. But the soothsayer Pythia did not give him an answer. She even expelled Hercules from the temple as having defiled himself with murder. Enraged by this, Hercules stole from the temple a tripod from which the Pythia gave divinations. This angered Apollo. The golden-haired god appeared to Hercules and demanded the return of the tripod from him, but Hercules refused him. A fierce struggle ensued between the sons of Zeus - the immortal god Apollo and the mortal - the greatest of the heroes Hercules. Zeus did not want the death of Hercules. He threw his brilliant lightning from Olympus between his sons and, having separated them, stopped the fight. The brothers reconciled. Then the Pythia gave the following answer to Hercules:

“You will only be healed when you are sold into slavery for three years. Give the money received for you to Eurytus as a ransom for his son Ifit, who was killed by you.

Again Hercules had to lose his freedom. He was betrayed into slavery to Queen Lydia, daughter of Jardan, Omphale. Hermes himself took the money received for Hercules to Eurytus. But the proud king of Oichalia did not accept them, he remained as before an enemy of Hercules.

Hercules and Deianeira

After Eurytus drove Hercules out of Oichalia, the great hero came to Calydon, the city of Aetolia. Oinei ruled there. Hercules came to Oeneus to ask for the hand of his daughter Dejanira, as he promised Meleager to marry her in the kingdom of shadows. In Calydon, Hercules met a formidable opponent. Many heroes sought the hand of the beautiful Dejanira, and among them the river god Aheloy. Finally, Oineus decided that the hand of Dejanira would be received by the one who emerged victorious in the struggle. All suitors refused to fight the mighty Achelous. Only Hercules remained. He had to fight with the god of the river. Seeing the determination of Hercules to measure strength with him, Aheloy said to him:

- You say that you were born by Zeus and Alcmene? You lie that Zeus is your father!

And Aheloy began to mock the great son of Zeus and defame his mother Alcmene. Furrowing his brows, Hercules looked sternly at Achelous; his eyes flashed with fire of anger, and he said:

“Aheloy, my hands serve me better than my tongue!” Be a winner in words, but I will be a winner in deeds.

With a firm step, Hercules approached Achelous and clasped him with his mighty arms. The huge Aheloy stood firmly; the great Hercules could not topple him; all his efforts were in vain. So Aheloy stood, as an unshakable rock stands, and the waves of the sea do not shake it, hitting it with a thunderous noise. Hercules and Achelous are fighting chest to chest, like two bulls clinging with their crooked horns. Three times Hercules attacked Achelous, the fourth time, escaping from the hands of Achelous, the hero grabbed him from behind. Like a heavy mountain, he crushed the river god to the very ground. Aheloy could hardly, having gathered all his strength, free his hands, covered with sweat; no matter how he strained his strength, Hercules pressed him harder and harder to the ground. Aheloy bowed with a groan, his knees bent, and he touched the ground with his head. In order not to be defeated, Aheloy resorted to cunning; he turned into a snake. As soon as Aheloy turned into a snake and slipped out of the hands of Hercules, Hercules exclaimed laughing:

- Even in the cradle I learned to fight with snakes! True, you are superior to other snakes, Aheloy, but you are not equal to the Lernean hydra. Although she grew two new heads instead of a cut one, nevertheless I defeated her.

Hercules grabbed the neck of the snake with his hands and squeezed it like iron tongs. He struggled to escape from the hands of the hero Aheloy, but could not. Then he turned into a bull and again attacked Hercules. Hercules grabbed the bull-Aheloy by the horns and threw him to the ground. Hercules threw him down with such terrible force that he broke one of his horns. He was defeated by Aheloy and gave the Fires to Dejanira as a wife to Hercules.

After the wedding, Hercules remained in the palace of Oeneus; but he did not stay long with him. Once, during a feast, Hercules hit the son of Architel, Evnom, because the boy poured water on his hands, prepared for washing his feet. The blow was so strong that the boy fell dead. Hercules was saddened, and although Architel forgave him the involuntary murder of his son, the hero Calydon nevertheless left and went with his wife Dejanira and Tiryns.

During the journey, Hercules came with his wife to the river Even. Through this stormy river, the centaur Nessus transported travelers for a fee on his broad back. Nessus offered to move Deianira to the other side, and Hercules put her on the back of a centaur. The hero himself threw his club and bow to the other side and swam across the stormy river. Hercules had just come ashore, when he suddenly heard the loud cry of Dejanira. She called for help from her husband. The centaur, captivated by her beauty, wanted to kidnap her. The son of Zeus shouted menacingly to Nessus:

– Where are you running? Don't you think that your legs will save you? No, you won't be saved! No matter how fast you run, will my arrow still reach you?

Hercules pulled his bow, and an arrow flew from a tight bowstring. The deadly arrow overtook Nessus, pierced his back, and its tip went through the centaur's chest. The mortally wounded Ness fell to his knees. The stream drinks blood from his wound, mixed with the poison of the Lernean hydra. Ness did not want to die unavenged; he collected his blood and gave it to Dejanira, saying:

- Oh, daughter of Oinea, I carried you last through the turbulent waters of Even! Take my blood and keep it! If Hercules stops loving you, this blood will return his love to you, and not a single woman will be dearer to him than you, rub only Hercules' clothes with it.

She took the blood of Nessus Dejanira and hid it. Ness died. Hercules and Dejanira arrived in Tiryns and lived there until the involuntary murder of Hercules' friend Ifit forced them to leave the glorious city.

Hercules and Omphales

For the murder of Ifit, Hercules was sold into slavery to Queen Lydia Omphale. Hercules had never experienced such hardships as in the service of the proud Lydian queen. The greatest of heroes endured constant humiliation from her. It seemed that Omphala finds pleasure in bullying the son of Zeus. Having dressed Hercules in women's clothes, she made him spin and weave with her maids. The hero who struck the Lernean hydra with his heavy club, the hero who brought the terrible Cerberus from the kingdom of Hades, strangled the Nemean lion with his hands and held the weight of the firmament of heaven on his shoulders, the hero, at whose name his enemies trembled, had to sit, bent over, at the weaving loom or spinning wool with hands accustomed to wielding a sharp sword, pulling a tight bowstring and smashing enemies with a heavy club. And Omphale, putting on the lion skin of Hercules, which covered it all and dragged along the ground after it, in his golden shell, girded with his sword and with difficulty shouldering the heavy club of the hero, stood in front of the son of Zeus and mocked him - her slave. Omphale, as it were, set out to extinguish in Hercules all his invincible strength. Hercules had to demolish everything, because he was in complete slavery to Omphala, and this should have lasted three long years.

Only occasionally let the hero out of her palace Omphala. One day, leaving the palace of Omphala, Hercules fell asleep in the shade of a grove, in the vicinity of Ephesus. During sleep, kercop dwarfs crept up to him and wanted to steal his weapons from him, but Hercules woke up just at the time when the kercops grabbed his bow and arrows. The hero caught them and tied their hands and feet. Hercules passed a large pole between the bound legs of the kerkop and carried them to Ephesus. But the kercops made Hercules laugh so much with their antics that the great hero let them go.

During slavery at Omphala, Hercules came to Aulis, to King Silei, who forced all strangers who came to him to work like slaves in the vineyards. He made Heracles work. The angry hero tore out all the vines from Silea and killed the king himself, who did not honor the sacred custom of hospitality. During the slavery of Omphale, Hercules took part in the campaign of the Argonauts. But, finally, the term of punishment ended, and the great son of Zeus was again free.

Hercules takes Troy

As soon as Hercules was freed from slavery at Omphala, he immediately gathered a large army of heroes and set off on eighteen ships to Troy to take revenge on the king Laomedont who had deceived him. Arriving at Troy, he entrusted the protection of the ships to Oiklus with a small detachment, while he himself with the whole army moved to the walls of Troy. As soon as Hercules left with the army from the ships, Laomedont attacked Oicles, killed Oicles and killed almost his entire detachment. Hearing the noise of the battle near the ships, Hercules returned, put Laomedont to flight and drove him to Troy. The siege of Troy did not last long. Heroes broke into the city, climbing high walls. The first to enter the city was the hero Telamon. Hercules, the greatest of heroes, could not bear to be surpassed by anyone. Drawing his sword, he rushed at Telamon, who was ahead of him. Seeing that imminent death threatened him, Telamon quickly bent down and began to collect stones. Hercules was surprised and asked:

“What are you doing, Telamon?

- Oh, the greatest son of Zeus, I am erecting an altar to Hercules the victor! - answered the cunning Telamon and with his answer humbled the anger of the son of Zeus.

During the capture of the city, Hercules killed Laomedont and all his sons with his arrows; only the youngest of them, Gift, was spared by the hero. Hercules gave the beautiful daughter of Laomedont, Hesion, as a wife to Telamon, who distinguished himself by his courage, and allowed her to choose one of the captives and set him free. Hesiona chose her brother Podarka.

- He must become a slave before all the prisoners! - Hercules exclaimed, - only if you give a ransom for him, he will be released.

Hesiona removed the veil from her head and gave it as a ransom for her brother. Since then, they began to call Gift - Priam (that is, bought). Hercules gave him power over Troy, and he went with his army to new exploits.

When Hercules sailed across the sea with his army, returning from Troy, the goddess Hera, wanting to destroy the hated son of Zeus, sent a great storm. And so that Zeus would not see what danger threatens his son, Hera begged the god of sleep Hypnos to put the aegis-powerful Zeus to sleep. The storm brought Hercules to the island of Kos.

The inhabitants of Kos took the ship of Hercules for a robber and, throwing stones at it, did not allow it to land on the shore. At night, Hercules landed on the island, defeated the inhabitants of Kos, killed their king, the son of Poseidon Eurypylus, and devastated the entire island.

Zeus was terribly angry when, waking up, he found out what danger his son Hercules was exposed to. In anger, he chained Hera in indestructible golden chains and hung her between earth and sky, tying two heavy anvils to her feet. Each of the Olympians who wanted to come to the aid of Hera was overthrown from the high Olympus by Zeus, formidable in anger. He also searched for Hypnos for a long time, the ruler of the gods and mortals would have overthrown him from Olympus, if the goddess Night had not sheltered the god of sleep.

Hesione, daughter of Laomedont, freed by Hercules from a sea monster

Hesiona Greek Daughter of Laomedont and his wife Leucippe.

Hesiona became an indirect victim of her father's treachery. When Laomedon strengthened Troy, on the orders of Zeus, Poseidon also helped him in this. For this, Laomedon promised to reward them royally, but at the end of the work he refused to pay them and even threatened to cut off their ears if they solicited her. Therefore, Apollo sent pestilence to Troy, and Poseidon - a sea monster.

The Trojan soothsayers found out that the only way to get rid of the monster was to sacrifice it to Hesion. Then Laomedon ordered Hesion to be chained to a rock by the sea, but even earlier than the monster, he appeared off the coast of Troy, returning from. Hercules offered Laomedont to save Hesion if he would give him the horses that Zeus gave Tros as a ransom for him as a reward. Laomedon agreed.

When the monster emerged from the depths of the sea and approached Hesion, Hercules rushed at him and, after a merciless battle, killed him. However, Laomedont remained true to himself: he did not give up the promised horses and drove Hercules away, showering him with threats and insults. Hercules did not forget this insult. Freed from his service with Eurystheus, he gathered his friends, sailed to Troy on six ships, took it by storm and killed Laomedont.

Hercules gave the captive Hesion by right of the winner to his friend Telamon, who married her after the death of his first wife Periboea. Their son Teucer subsequently fought on the side of the Trojan War.

Another Hesion, daughter of the titan Iapetus, was the wife of Prometheus.

Four images of Hesiona are known on antique vases. Artists of the new time rarely addressed her. The opera Hesiona was written by A. Kampra (1700).

In the photo: Hesiona evening dress. On the top illustration: "Hercules saves Hesion", a medieval miniature.

HERCULES SAVE HESIONE, LAOMEDON'S DAUGHTER On his way back to Tiryns from the country of the Amazons, Hercules arrived on ships with his army to Troy. A heavy sight appeared before the eyes of the heroes when they landed on the shore not far from Troy. They saw the beautiful daughter of the king of Troy, Laomedont, Hesion, chained to a rock near the seashore. She was doomed, like Andromeda, to be torn to pieces by a monster emerging from the sea. Poseidon sent this monster as a punishment to Laomedon for refusing to pay him and Apollo a fee for the construction of the walls of Troy. The proud king, who, according to the verdict of Zeus, had to serve both gods, even threatened to cut off their ears if they demanded payment. Then, the angry Apollo sent a terrible pestilence to all the possessions of Laomedont, and Poseidon - a monster that devastated, sparing no one, the surroundings of Troy. Only by sacrificing the life of his daughter could Laomedon save his country from a terrible disaster. Against his will, he had to chain his daughter Hesion to a rock by the sea. Seeing the unfortunate girl, Hercules volunteered to save her, and for the salvation of Hesion, he demanded from Laomedont as a reward for those horses that the Thunderer Zeus gave to the king of Troy as a ransom for his son Ganymede. He was once kidnapped by the eagle of Zeus and carried to Olympus. Laomedon agreed to Hercules' demands. The great hero ordered the Trojans to build a rampart on the seashore and hid behind it. As soon as Hercules took cover behind the rampart, a monster emerged from the sea and, opening its huge mouth, rushed at Hesion. With a loud cry, Hercules ran out from behind the shaft, rushed at the monster and plunged his double-edged sword deep into his chest. Hercules saved Hesion. When the son of Zeus demanded the promised reward from Laomedont, it became a pity for the king to part with the marvelous horses, he did not give them to Hercules and even drove him away with threats from Troy. Hercules left the possession of Laomedont, holding his anger deep in his heart. Now he could not take revenge on the king who had deceived him, since his army was too small and the hero could not hope to soon capture impregnable Troy. The great son of Zeus could not stay under Troy for a long time - he had to hurry with Hippolyta's belt to Mycenae. THE COWS OF HERION (THE LABOR) Shortly after returning from a campaign in the country of the Amazons, Hercules set out on a new feat. Eurystheus instructed him to drive to Mycenae the cows of the great Geryon, the son of Chrysaor and the Oceanid Kalliroi. Far was the way to Gerion. Hercules had to reach the westernmost edge of the earth, those places where the radiant sun god Helios descends from the sky at sunset. Hercules went on a long journey alone. He passed through Africa, through the barren deserts of Libya, through the countries of wild barbarians, and finally reached the ends of the earth. Here, on both sides of the narrow sea strait, he erected two giant stone pillars as an eternal monument of his feat.*1 ___________ *1 The Pillars of Hercules, or the Pillars of Hercules. The Greeks believed that the rocks along the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar were placed by Hercules. After this, Hercules had to wander a lot more, until he reached the shores of the gray Ocean. In thought, the hero sat on the shore near the ever-noisy waters of the Ocean. How was it possible for him to reach the island of Eritheia, where Geryon pastured his herds? The day was already drawing to a close. Here appeared the chariot of Helios, descending to the waters of the Ocean. The bright rays of Helios blinded Hercules, and embraced his unbearable, scorching heat. Hercules jumped up in anger and grabbed his formidable bow, but bright Helios did not get angry, he smiled affably at the hero, he liked the extraordinary courage of the great son of Zeus. Helios himself offered Hercules to cross to Eritheia in a golden boat, in which the sun god sailed every evening with his horses and chariot from the western to the eastern edge of the earth to his golden palace. The delighted hero boldly jumped into the golden boat and quickly reached the shores of Eritheia. As soon as he landed on the island, the formidable two-headed dog Orfo sensed him and rushed at the hero with barking. Hercules killed him with one blow of his heavy club. Not only Orfo guarded the flocks of Gerion. Hercules also had to fight with the shepherd of Gerion, the giant Eurytion. The son of Zeus quickly coped with the giant and drove the cows of Gerion to the seashore, where the golden boat of Helios stood. Geryon heard the lowing of his cows and went to the herd. Seeing that his dog Orfo and the giant Eurytion were killed, he chased after the stealer of the herd and overtook him on the seashore. 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 immediately threw three huge spears at the enemy. Hercules had to fight with such a giant, but the great warrior Pallas Athena helped him. As soon as Hercules saw him, he immediately launched into the giant - on his deadly arrow. An arrow pierced the eye of one of Gerion's heads. The first arrow was followed by the second, followed by the third. Menacingly, Hercules waved his all-destroying mace like lightning, the hero Gerion struck it, and the three-bodied giant fell to the ground like a lifeless corpse. Hercules transported the cows of Geryon from Eritheia in the golden boat of Helios across the stormy Ocean and returned the boat to Helios. Half of the feat was over. Much work lay ahead. It was necessary to drive the bulls to Mycenae. Through all of Spain, through the Pyrenees, through Gaul and the Alps, through Italy, Hercules drove the cows. In southern Italy, near the city of Rhegium, one of the cows escaped from the herd and swam across the strait to Sicily. There, King Eriks, the son of Poseidon, saw her, and took the cow into his herd. Hercules searched for a cow for a long time. Finally, he asked the god Hephaestus to guard the herd, and he crossed over to Sicily and there he found his cow in the herd of King Eriks. The king did not want to return her to Hercules; hoping for his strength, he challenged Hercules to single combat. The winner was to be rewarded with a cow. Eriks could not afford such an opponent as Hercules. The son of Zeus squeezed the king in his mighty arms and strangled him. Hercules returned with a cow to his herd and drove him further. On the shores of the Ionian Sea, the goddess Hera sent rabies to the whole herd. Mad cows fled in all directions. Only with great difficulty Hercules caught most of the cows already in Thrace and finally drove them to Eurystheus in Mycenae. Eurystheus sacrificed them to the great goddess Hera. CERBER*1 (THE ELEVENTH LABOR) ___________ *1 Otherwise - Cerberus. As soon as Heracles returned to Tiryns, Eurystheus sent him again to the feat. This was already the eleventh feat that Hercules had to perform in the service of Eurystheus. Hercules had to overcome incredible difficulties during this feat. He had to descend into the gloomy, full of horrors of the underworld kingdom of Hades and bring to Eurystheus the guardian of the underworld, the terrible hellish dog Kerber. Cerberus had three heads, snakes writhed around his neck, his tail ended in the head of a dragon with a huge mouth. Hercules went to Laconia and through the gloomy abyss at Tenar*2 descended into the darkness of the underworld. At the very gates of the kingdom of Hades, Hercules saw the heroes Theseus and Perithous, king of Thessaly, rooted to the rock. They were punished in this way by the gods because they wanted to steal his wife Persephone from Hades. Theseus prayed to Hercules: ___________ *2 Cape, the southern tip of the Peloponnese. - Oh, great son of Zeus, free me! You see my suffering! You alone can save me from them! Hercules extended his hand to Theseus and freed him. When he wanted to free Perifoy as well, the earth trembled, and Hercules realized that the gods did not want his release. Hercules submitted to the will of the gods and went on into the darkness of eternal night. The herald of the gods Hermes, the guide of the souls of the dead, introduced Heracles into the underworld, and the beloved daughter of Zeus herself, Pallas Athena, was the companion of the great hero. When Hercules entered the kingdom of Hades, the shadows of the dead scattered in horror. Only the shadow of the hero Meleager did not run at the sight of Hercules. With a prayer she turned to the great son of Zeus: - Oh, great Hercules, I pray you for one thing in memory of our friendship, take pity on my orphaned sister, beautiful Dejanira! She remained defenseless after my death. Take her as your wife, great hero! Be her protector! Hercules promised to fulfill the request of a friend and went further after Hermes. The shadow of the terrible Gorgon Medusa rose towards Hercules, she menacingly stretched out her copper hands and waved her golden wings, snakes stirred on her head. Grabbed the sword fearless hero, but Hermes stopped him with the words: - Do not grab the sword, Hercules! After all, it is only a disembodied shadow! She doesn't threaten you with death! Hercules saw many horrors on his way; finally, he appeared before the throne of Hades. The ruler of the kingdom of the dead and his wife Persephone looked with delight at the great son of the Thunderer Zeus, who fearlessly descended into the kingdom of darkness and sorrows. He, majestic, calm, stood before the throne of Hades, leaning on his huge club, in a lion's skin draped over his shoulders, and with a bow over his shoulders. Hades graciously greeted the son of his great brother Zeus and asked what made him leave the light of the sun and descend into the kingdom of darkness. Bowing before Hades, Hercules replied: - Oh, the ruler of the souls of the dead, the great Hades, do not be angry with me for my request, almighty! You know, after all, that it was not of my own free will that I came to your kingdom, that it was not of my own free will that I would ask you. Let me, Lord Hades, take your three-headed dog Kerberos to Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to do this, whom I serve at the command of the bright Olympian gods. Hades answered the hero: - I will fulfill, son of Zeus, your request; but you must tame Cerberus without weapons. If you tame him, then I will let you take him to Eurystheus. For a long time Heracles searched for Kerberos in the underworld. Finally, he found him on the banks of the Acheron. Hercules wrapped his arms, strong as steel, around the neck of Kerberos. The dog Aida howled menacingly; the whole underworld was filled with his howl. He struggled to escape from the arms of Hercules, but the hero's mighty hands only tightened their grip on Kerber's neck. Cerberus wrapped his tail around the hero's legs, the dragon's head dug its teeth into his body, but all in vain. The mighty Hercules squeezed his neck harder and harder. Finally, the half-strangled dog Hades fell at the feet of the hero. Hercules tamed him and led him from the kingdom of darkness to Mycenae. Frightened by daylight Kerberos; he was covered with cold sweat, poisonous foam dripped from his three mouths onto the ground; wherever even a drop of foam dripped, poisonous herbs grew. Hercules brought Kerberos to the walls of Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus was horrified at one glance at the terrible dog. Almost on his knees, he begged Hercules to take back to the kingdom of Hades Kerberos. Hercules fulfilled his request and returned Hades to his terrible guard Cerberus. APPLES OF THE HESPERIDES (THE TWELVE LABOR) The most difficult feat of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus was his last, twelfth labor. He had to go to the great titan Atlas, who holds the vault of heaven on his shoulders, and get three golden apples from his gardens, which were watched by the daughters of Atlas, the Hesperides. These apples grew on a golden tree grown by the goddess of the earth Gaia as a gift to the great Hera on the day of her wedding with Zeus. To accomplish this feat, it was necessary first of all to find out the way to the gardens of the Hesperides, guarded by a dragon who never closed his eyes to sleep. Nobody knew the way to the Hesperides and Atlas. Hercules wandered for a long time in Asia and Europe, he passed through all the countries that he passed earlier on the way behind the cows of Geryon; everywhere Hercules asked about the way, but no one knew him. In his search, he went to the most extreme north, to the Eridanus*1 river, eternally rolling its stormy, boundless waters. On the banks of Eridan, beautiful nymphs met the great son of Zeus with honor and gave him advice on how to find the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Hercules was supposed to surprise the prophetic old man Nereus when he came ashore from the deep sea, and learn from him the way to the Hesperides; except Nereus, no one knew this way. Hercules searched for Nemeus for a long time. Finally, he managed to find Nereus on the seashore. Hercules attacked the sea god. The struggle with the sea god was difficult. To free himself from the iron embrace of Hercules, Nereus took on all sorts of forms, but still the hero did not let him out. Finally, he tied the weary Nereus, and in order to gain freedom, the sea god had to reveal to Hercules the secret of the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Having learned this secret, the son of Zeus released the sea elder and set off on a long journey. ___________ *1 Mythical river. Again he had to go through Libya. Here he met the giant Antey, the son of Poseidon, the god of the seas, and the goddess of the earth, Gaia, who gave birth to him, nurtured and raised him. Antaeus forced all travelers to fight him and mercilessly killed everyone he defeated in the fight. The giant demanded that Hercules also fight him. No one could defeat Antaeus in single combat, not knowing the secret from where the giant received more and more strength during the struggle. The secret was this: when Antaeus felt that he was beginning to lose strength, he touched the earth, his mother, and his strength was renewed: he drew them from his mother, the great goddess of the earth. But as soon as Antaeus was torn off the ground and lifted into the air, his strength disappeared. Hercules fought for a long time with Antaeus. several times he knocked him to the ground, but only Antaeus's strength increased. Suddenly, during the struggle, the mighty Hercules Anthea lifted high into the air - the strength of the son of Gaia dried up, and Hercules strangled him. Then Hercules went and came to Egypt. There, tired from the long journey, he fell asleep in the shade of a small grove on the banks of the Nile. The king of Egypt, the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Epaphus Lysianassa, Busiris, saw the sleeping Hercules, and ordered to bind the sleeping hero. He wanted to sacrifice Hercules to his father Zeus. For nine years there was a crop failure in Egypt; The soothsayer Thrasius, who came from Cyprus, predicted that the crop failure would stop only if Busiris annually sacrificed a foreigner to Zeus. Busiris ordered the soothsayer Thrasius to be seized and was the first to sacrifice him. From that time on, the cruel king sacrificed to the Thunderer all the strangers who came to Egypt. They also brought Hercules to the altar, but the great hero tore the ropes with which he was bound, and killed Busiris himself and his son Amphidamantus at the altar. So the cruel king of Egypt was punished. Hercules had to meet many more on his way of dangers, until he reached the ends of the earth, where the great titan Atlas stood. The hero looked with amazement at the mighty titan, holding the entire heavenly vault on his broad shoulders. - Oh, the great titan Atlas! - Hercules turned to him, - I am the son of Zeus, Hercules. I was sent to you by Eurystheus, the king of the rich gold of Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to get three golden apples from you from a golden tree in the gardens of the Hesperides. “I will give you three apples, son of Zeus,” Atlas replied, “while I go after them, you must take my place and hold the firmament on your shoulders. Hercules agreed. He took the place of Atlas. An incredible weight fell on the shoulders of the son of Zeus. He exerted all his strength and held the vault of heaven. The weight was terribly pressing on the mighty shoulders of Hercules. He bent under the weight of the sky, his muscles swelled like mountains, sweat covered his entire body from tension, but superhuman strength and the help of the goddess Athena gave him the opportunity to hold the firmament until Atlas returned with three zones. lotus apples. Returning, Atlas said to the hero: - Here are three apples, Hercules; if you want, I myself will take them to Mycenae, and you hold the vault of heaven until my return; then I will take your place again. - Hercules understood the cunning of Atlas, he realized that the titan wants to completely free himself from his hard work, and applied cunning against cunning. - All right, Atlas, I agree! Hercules answered. “Just let me first make myself a pillow, I’ll put it on my shoulders so that the vault of heaven doesn’t press them so terribly. Atlas stood back in his place and shouldered the weight of the sky. Hercules raised his bow and quiver of arrows, took his club and golden apples and said: - Farewell, Atlas! I held the vault of the sky while you went for the apples of the Hesperides, but I do not want to carry the entire weight of the sky on my shoulders forever. With these words, Hercules left the titan, and again Atlas had to hold, as before, on his mighty shoulders the vault of heaven. Hercules returned to Eurystheus and gave him the golden apples. Eurystheus gave them to Hercules, and he gave the apples to his patroness, the great daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athena. Athena returned the apples to the Hesperides so that they would forever remain in the gardens. After his twelfth feat, Hercules was freed from the service of Eurystheus. Now he could return to the seven gates of Thebes. But the son of Zeus did not stay there for long. Waiting for his new exploits. He gave his wife Megara in marriage to his friend Iolaus, and he himself went back to Tiryns. But not only victories awaited him, but Hercules and serious troubles awaited him, as the great goddess Hera still pursued him. HERCULES AND EVRYTOS On the island of Euboea, in the city of Oichalia, King Eurytus ruled. The glory of Eurytus, as the most skilled archer, went far throughout Greece. The archer Apollo himself was his teacher, even gave him a bow and arrows. Once, in his youth, Hercules also studied archery with Eurytus. It was this king who announced throughout Greece that he would give his beautiful daughter Iola as a wife to the hero who would defeat him in an archery contest. Hercules, who had just finished his service with Eurystheus, went to Oichalia, where many heroes of Greece gathered, and took part in the competition. Hercules easily defeated King Eurytus and demanded that he give him his daughter Iola as a wife. Evrit did not fulfill his promise. Forgetting the sacred custom of hospitality, he began to mock the great hero. He said that he would not give his daughter to the one who was a slave of Eurystheus. Finally, Eurytus and his arrogant sons drove Hercules, drunk during the feast, out of the palace and even out of Oichalia. Hercules left Oichalia. Full of deep sadness, he left Euboea, because the great hero fell in love with the beautiful Iola. Holding in his heart anger at Eurytus, who insulted him, he returned to Tiryns. After some time, the most cunning of the Greeks, Autolycus, the son of Hermes, stole the herd from Eurytus. Eurytus blamed Hercules for this crash. The king of Oikhaliya thought that the hero had stolen his flocks, wanting to avenge the offense. Only Ifit, the eldest son of Eurytus, did not want to believe that the great Hercules could steal his father's herds. Ifit even volunteered to find the herds, just to prove the innocence of Hercules, with whom he had the closest friendship. While searching, Ifit came to Tiryns. Hercules received his friend warmly. Once, when the two of them stood on the high walls of the fortress of Tiryns, built on a high rock, Hercules suddenly took possession of the violent anger sent against him by the great goddess Hera. Hercules remembered in anger the insult that Eurytus and his sons inflicted on him; no longer in control of himself, he seized Ifit and threw him off the wall of the fortress. The unfortunate Ifit crashed to death. This murder, committed against his will, angered Hercules Zeus, as he violated the sacred custom of hospitality and the sanctity of the bonds of friendship. As punishment, the great Thunderer sent a serious illness to his son. Hercules suffered for a long time, finally, exhausted by the disease, he went to Delphi to ask Apollo how to get rid of this punishment of the gods. But the soothsayer Pythia did not give him an answer. She even expelled Hercules from the temple as having defiled himself with murder. Enraged by this, Hercules stole from the temple the tripod from which the Pythia gave prophecies. This angered Apollo. The golden-haired god appeared to Hercules and demanded the return of the tripod from him, but Hercules refused him. A fierce struggle ensued between the sons of Zeus - the immortal god Apollo and the mortal - the greatest of the heroes Hercules. Zeus did not want the death of Hercules. He threw his brilliant lightning from Olympus between his sons and, having separated them, stopped the fight. The brothers reconciled. Then the Pythia gave the following answer to Hercules: - You will receive healing only when you are sold into slavery for three years. Give the money received for you to Eurytus as a ransom for his son Ifit, who was killed by you. Again Hercules had to lose his freedom. He was betrayed into slavery to Queen Lydia, daughter of Jardan, Omphale. Hermes himself took the money received for Hercules to Eurytus. But the proud king of Oichalia did not accept them, he remained as before an enemy of Hercules. HERCULES AND DEJANIRHE After Eurytus had driven Hercules out of Oichalia, the great hero came to Calydon, the city of Aetolia. Oinei ruled there. Hercules came to Oeneus to ask for the hand of his daughter Dejanira, as he promised Meleager to marry her in the kingdom of shadows. In Calydon, Hercules met a formidable opponent. Many heroes sought the hand of the beautiful Dejanira, and among them the river god Aheloy. Finally, Oineus decided that the hand of Dejanira will be given to the one who emerges victorious in the struggle. All suitors refused to fight the mighty Achelous. Only Hercules remained. He had to fight with the god of the river. Seeing the determination of Hercules to measure his strength with him, Aheloy said to him: - You say that you were born by Zeus and Alcmene? You lie that Zeus is your father! And Aheloy began to mock the great son of Zeus and defame his mother Alcmene. Furrowing his brows, Hercules looked sternly at Achelous; his eyes flashed with fire of anger, and he said: - Aheloy, my hands serve me better than my tongue! Be a winner in words, but I will be a winner in deeds. With a firm step, Hercules approached Achelous and clasped him with his mighty arms. The huge Aheloy stood firmly; the great Hercules could not topple him; all his efforts were in vain. Thus stood Aheloy, as an unshakable rock stands, and the waves of the sea do not shake it, striking against it with a thunderous noise. Hercules and Achelous are fighting chest to chest, like two bulls clinging with their crooked horns. Three times Hercules attacked Achelous, the fourth time, escaping from the hands of Achelous, the hero grabbed him from behind. Like a heavy mountain, he crushed the river god to the very ground. Aheloy could hardly, having gathered all his strength, free his hands, covered with sweat; no matter how he strained his strength, Hercules pressed him harder and harder to the ground. Aheloy bowed with a groan, his knees bent, and he touched the ground with his head. In order not to be defeated, Aheloy resorted to cunning; he turned into a snake. As soon as Aheloy turned into a snake and slipped out of the hands of Hercules, Hercules exclaimed laughing: - Even in the cradle I learned to fight snakes! True, you are superior to other snakes, Aheloy, but you are not equal to the Lernean hydra. Although she grew two new heads instead of a cut one, nevertheless I defeated her. Hercules grabbed the neck of the snake with his hands and squeezed it like iron tongs. He struggled to escape from the hands of the hero Aheloy, but could not. Then he turned into a bull and again attacked Hercules. Hercules grabbed the bull-Aheloy by the horns and threw him to the ground. Hercules threw him down with such terrible force that he broke one of his horns. He was defeated by Aheloy and gave the Fires to Dejanira as a wife to Hercules. After the wedding, Hercules remained in the palace of Oeneus; but he did not stay long with him. Once, during a feast, Hercules hit the son of Architel, Evnom, because the boy poured water on his hands, prepared for washing his feet. The blow was so strong that the boy fell dead. Hercules was saddened, and although Architell forgave him the involuntary murder of his son, the hero Calydon nevertheless left and went with his wife Dejanira and Tiryns. During the journey, Hercules came with his wife to the river Even*1. Through this stormy river, the centaur Nessus transported travelers for a fee on his broad back. Nessus offered to carry Dejanira to the other side, and Hercules put her on the back of a centaur. The hero himself threw his club and bow to the other side and swam across the stormy river. Hercules had just come ashore, when he suddenly heard the loud cry of Deianira. She called for help from her husband. The centaur, captivated by her beauty, wanted to kidnap her. The son of Zeus Nessus shouted menacingly: ___________ *1 A river in Aetolia, a region in the west of Central Greece. - Where are you running? Don't you think that your legs will save you? No, you won't be saved! No matter how fast you run, will my arrow still reach you? Hercules pulled his bow, and an arrow flew from a tight bowstring. The deadly arrow overtook Nessus, pierced his back, and its tip went through the centaur's chest. The mortally wounded Ness fell to his knees. The stream drinks blood from his wound, mixed with the poison of the Lernean hydra. Ness did not want to die unavenged; he collected his blood and gave it to Dejanira, saying: - Oh, daughter of Oinea, I carried you last through the turbulent waters of Even! Take my blood and keep it! If Hercules stops loving you, this blood will return his love to you, and not a single woman will be dearer to him than you, rub only Hercules' clothes with it. She took the blood of Nessus Dejanira and hid it. Ness died. Hercules and Dejanira arrived in Tiryns and lived there until the involuntary murder of Hercules' friend Ifit forced them to leave the glorious city. HERCULES AND OMPHALES For the murder of Ifit, Hercules was sold into slavery to Queen Lydia Omphale. Hercules had never experienced such hardships as in the service of the proud Lydian queen. The greatest of heroes endured constant humiliation from her. It seemed that Omphala finds pleasure in bullying the son of Zeus. Having dressed Hercules in women's clothes, she made him spin and weave with her maids. The hero who struck down the Lernean hydra with his heavy club, the hero who brought the terrible Cerberus from the kingdom of Hades, strangled the Nemean lion with his hands and held the weight of the firmament of heaven on his shoulders, the hero, at whose very name his enemies trembled, had to sit, bent over, at a loom or spinning wool with hands accustomed to wielding a sharp sword, pulling a tight bowstring and striking enemies with a heavy club. And Omphala, putting on the lion skin of Hercules, which covered it all and dragged along the ground behind her, in his golden shell, girded with his sword and with difficulty shouldering the heavy mace of the hero, stood in front of the son of Zeus and mocked over him - his slave. Omphale, as it were, set out to extinguish in Hercules all his invincible strength. Hercules had to demolish everything, because he was in complete slavery to Omphala, and this should have lasted three long years. Only occasionally let the hero out of her palace Omphala. Once, leaving the palace of Omphale, Hercules fell asleep in the shade of a grove, in the vicinity of Ephesus*1. During sleep, the kercop dwarfs crept up to him and wanted to steal his weapons from him, but Hercules woke up just at the time when the kercops grabbed his bow and arrows. The hero caught them and tied their hands and feet. Hercules passed a large pole between the bound legs of the kerkop and carried them to Ephesus. But the kercops made Hercules laugh so much with their antics that the great hero let them go. ___________ *1 City on the western coast of Asia Minor. During his slavery at Omphale, Hercules came to Aulis*1, to King Silei, who forced all strangers who came to him to work like slaves in the vineyards. He made Heracles work. The angry hero tore out all the vines from Silea and killed the king himself, who did not honor the sacred custom of hospitality. During the slavery of Omphale, Hercules took part in the campaign of the Argonauts. But, finally, the term of punishment ended, and the great son of Zeus, ___________ *1 City in Boeotia, was free again. HERCULES TAKES TROY As soon as Hercules was freed from slavery at Omphala, he immediately gathered a large army of heroes and set off on eighteen ships to Troy to take revenge on the king Laomedont who had deceived him. Arriving at Troy, he entrusted the protection of the ships to Oiklus with a small detachment, while he himself with the whole army moved to the walls of Troy. As soon as Hercules left with the army from the ships, Laomedont attacked Oikles, killed Oikles and killed almost his entire detachment. Hearing the noise of the battle near the ships, Hercules returned, put Laomedont to flight and drove him to Troy. The siege of Troy did not last long. Heroes broke into the city, climbing high walls. The first to enter the city was the hero Telamon. Hercules, the greatest of heroes, could not bear to be surpassed by anyone. Drawing his sword, he rushed at Telamon, who was ahead of him. Seeing that imminent death threatened him, Telamon quickly bent down and began to collect stones. Hercules was surprised and asked: - What are you doing, Telamon? - Oh, the greatest son of Zeus, I am erecting an altar to Hercules the victor! - answered the cunning Telamon and with his answer humbled the anger of the son of Zeus. During the capture of the city, Hercules killed Laomedont and all his sons with his arrows; only the youngest of them, Gift, was spared by the hero. Hercules gave the beautiful daughter of Laomedont, Hesion, as a wife to Telamon, who distinguished himself by his courage, and allowed her to choose one of the captives and set him free. Hesiona chose her brother Gift. - He must become a slave before all the prisoners! - exclaimed Hercules, - only if you give him a ransom, he will be set free. Hesiona removed the veil from her head and gave it as a ransom for her brother. Since then, they began to call Podarka - Priam (that is, bought). Hercules gave him power over Troy, and he went with his army to new exploits. When Hercules sailed across the sea with his army, returning from Troy, the goddess Hera, wanting to destroy the hated son of Zeus, sent a great storm. And so that Zeus would not see what danger threatens his son, Hera begged the god of sleep Hypnos to put the aegis-powerful Zeus to sleep. The storm brought Hercules to the island of Kos*1. ___________ *1 One of the Sporades Islands off the coast of Asia Minor. The inhabitants of Kos took the ship of Hercules for a robber and, throwing stones at it, did not allow it to land on the shore. At night, Hercules landed on the island, defeated the inhabitants of Kos, killed their king, the son of Poseidon Eurypylus, and devastated the entire island. Zeus was terribly angry when, waking up, he found out what danger his son Hercules was exposed to. In anger, he chained Hera in indestructible golden chains and hung her between earth and sky, tying two heavy anvils to her feet. Each of the Olympians who wanted to come to the aid of Hera was overthrown from the high Olympus by Zeus, formidable in anger. He also searched for Hypnos for a long time, the ruler of the gods and mortals would have overthrown him from Olympus, if the goddess Night had not sheltered the god of sleep. HERCULES FIGHTS WITH THE GODS AGAINST THE GIANTS Father Zeus sent his beloved daughter Pallas Athena to Hercules on the island of Kos to call on the great hero to help them in their fight against the giants. The goddess Gaia gave birth to giants from the drops of blood of Uranus overthrown by Cronus. They were monstrous giants with snakes instead of legs, with shaggy long hair on their heads and beards. The giants possessed terrible power, they were proud of their power and wanted to take away the power over the world from the bright Olympian gods. They entered into battle with the gods on the Phlegrean fields, which lay on the Chalkid peninsula of Pallene. The gods of Olympus were not afraid of them. The mother of giants, Gaia, gave them a healing agent that made them invulnerable to the weapons of the gods. Only a mortal could kill giants; Gaia did not protect them from the weapons of mortals. All over the world, Gaia was looking for a healing herb that was supposed to protect the giants from the weapons of mortals, but Zeus forbade the goddesses to shine - the dawn of Eos and the moon Selene and the radiant sun god Helios, and cut the healing herb himself. Not afraid of death at the hands of the gods, the giants rushed into battle. The fight went on for a long time. The giants threw huge rocks and burning trunks of ancient trees at the gods. The thunder of battle resounded throughout the world. Finally, Hercules appeared with Pallas Athena. The bowstring of the formidable bow of the son of Zeus rang, an arrow flashed, drunk with the poison of the Lernean hydra, and pierced into the chest of the most powerful of the giants, Alcyoneus. A giant crashed to the ground. I could not comprehend his death on Pallene, here he was immortal - falling to the ground, he got up after a while even more powerful than before. Hercules quickly put him on his shoulders and carried him away from Pallene; outside it, a giant died. After the death of Alcyoneus, Hercules and Hera were attacked by the giant Porphyrion, he tore off her veil from Hera and already wanted to grab her, but Zeus threw him to the ground with his lightning, and Hercules took his life with his arrow. Apollo pierced the left eye of the giant Ephialtes with his golden arrow, and Hercules killed him, hitting him with an arrow in his right eye. Dionysus slew the giant Eurytus with his thyrsus, Hephaestus the giant Clytius, throwing a whole block of red-hot iron at him. Pallas Athena piled on the fleeing giant Enkelada the entire island of Sicily. The giant Polybot, escaping by sea from the persecution of the formidable shaker of the earth Poseidon, fled to the island of Kos. Poseidon broke off a part of Kos with his trident and piled it on Polybotes. This is how the island of Nisyros was formed. Hermes slew the giant Hippolytus, Artemis - Gration, the great Moira - the giants Agria and Foon, who fought with copper clubs. All the other giants were slain by the thunderer Zeus with his sparkling lightning, but the great Hercules sent death to them all with his arrows that did not know a miss. THE DEATH OF HERCULES AND HIM'S ACCEPTANCE INTO THE HOME OF THE OLYMPIC GODS Described after the tragedy of Sophocles "The Trachinian Woman" When Hercules was sold into slavery to Omphale for the murder of Ifit, Deianira and her children had to leave Tiryns. The wife of Hercules was given shelter by the king of the Thessalian city of Trakhina Keik. Three years and three months have already passed since Hercules left Dejanira. The wife of Hercules was worried about the fate of her husband. There was no news from Hercules. Dejanira didn't even know if her husband was still alive. Heavy forebodings tormented Deianira. She called her son Gill and said to him: - Oh, my beloved son! It's a shame you don't look for your father. It's been fifteen months since he's been silent. “If you can only believe the rumors,” Gill answered his mother, “they say that after three years his father had been a slave to Omphala, when his term of slavery ended, he went with an army to Euboea to the city of Oichalia to take revenge on the king Evritu for the insult. - My son! - Gilla's mother interrupted, - your father Hercules never left me before, leaving for great deeds, in such anxiety as the last time. Even at parting, he left me a tablet with an old prediction written on it, given to him in Dodona *1. It is said there that if Hercules stays in a foreign land for three years and three months, then either death befalls him, or, returning home, he will lead a joyful and calm life. Leaving me, Hercules also left me an order that from the lands of his fathers, in the event of his death, his children should inherit. The fate of my husband worries me. After all, he told me about the siege of Oikhaliya, that he would either die under the city, or, having taken it, he would live happily. No, my son, go, I beg you, look for your father. ___________ *1 A city in Epirus, in the west of northern Greece, with the famous ancient oracle of Zeus. Gill, obedient to the will of his mother, set off on a long journey to Euboea, to Oichalia, to look for his father. Some time later, after Gill left Trakhina, a messenger comes running to Dejanira. He informs her that Ambassador Lichas will come from Hercules. Good news will bring Lichas. Hercules is alive. He defeated Eurytus, took and destroyed the city of Oichalia, and will soon return to Trakhina in the glory of victory. Following the messenger comes to Dejanira and Lichas. He leads the captives, among them Iola, the daughter of Eurytus. Joyfully meets Deianir Lichas. Ambassador Hercules tells her that Hercules is still powerful and healthy. He is about to celebrate his victory and prepares to make rich sacrifices before he leaves Euboea. Dejanira looks at the prisoners; noticing a beautiful woman among them, he asks Lichas: - Tell me, Lichas, who is this woman? Who is her father and mother? She grieves the most. Isn't this the daughter of Eurytus himself? But Lichas answers the wife of Hercules: - I don’t know, queen, who she is. Probably, this woman belongs to a noble Euboean family. She did not say a word during the journey. She has been shedding tears of sorrow since she left her hometown. - Unhappy! - exclaimed Dejanira, - to this grief I will not add new suffering to you! Lead, Lichas, to the palace of the prisoners, I will now come after you! Lichas went with the prisoners to the palace. As soon as he left, a servant approached Dejanira and said to her: - Wait, queen, listen to me. Lichas did not tell you the whole truth. He knows who this woman is; this is the daughter of Eurytus, Iola. Out of love for her, Hercules once competed with Eurytus in archery. The proud king did not give him, the winner, his daughter as his wife, as he had promised - insulting him, he drove the great hero out of the city. For the sake of Iola, Hercules now took Oichalia and killed King Eurytus. Not as a slave, the son of Zeus sent Iola here - he wants to take her as his wife. Dejanira was saddened. She reproaches Lichas for hiding the truth from her. Lichas confesses that Hercules, captivated by the beauty of Iola, really wants to marry her. Dejanira is grieving. Hercules forgot her during a long separation. Now he loves someone else. What should she do, non-private? She loves the great son of Zeus and cannot give him to another. The heartbroken Dejanira remembers the blood that the centaur Ness once gave her, and what he said to her before his death. Dejanira decides to resort to the blood of a centaur. After all, he said to her: "Rub the clothes of Hercules with my blood, and he will love you forever, not a single woman will be dearer to him than you." She is afraid to resort to Dejanira to a magical remedy, but her love for Hercules and the fear of losing him finally overcome her fears. She takes out the blood of Nessus, which she kept in a vessel for so long, so that a ray of the sun would not fall on her, so that the fire in the hearth would not warm her. Dejanira rubs her luxurious cloak, which she wove as a gift to Hercules, puts it in a tightly closed box, calls Lichas and tells him: - Hurry, Lichas, to Euboea and take this box to Hercules. It has a cloak in it. Let Hercules put on this cloak when he makes a sacrifice to Zeus. Tell him that no mortal should put on this cloak except him, so that even the ray of bright Helios does not touch the cloak before he puts it on. Hurry, Lichas! Lichas left with a cloak. After his departure, Deianira was seized with anxiety. She went to the palace and, to her horror, she sees that the wool with which she rubbed her cloak with the blood of Ness has decayed. Dejanira threw this wool on the floor. A ray of sun fell on the wool and warmed the blood of the centaur, poisoned by the poison of the Lernean hydra. Together with the blood, the poison of the hydra heated up and turned the wool into ashes, and poisonous foam appeared on the floor where the wool lay. Dejanira was horrified; she is afraid that Hercules will die, wearing a poisoned cloak. Hercules' wife is tormented more and more by the premonition of an irreparable disaster. A little time has passed since Lichas left for Euboea with a poisoned cloak. Gill, who has returned to Trakhina, enters the palace. He is pale, his eyes are full of tears. Looking at his mother, he exclaims: - Oh, how I would like to see one of three: either that you were not alive, or that another called you mother, and not I, or that you had a better mind than now! Know that you have killed your own husband, my father! - Oh grief! Dejanira exclaimed in horror. - What are you saying, my son? Which person told you this? How can you accuse me of such a crime! - I myself saw the suffering of my father, I did not learn this from people! Gill tells his mother what happened on Mount Caneion, near the city of Oichalia: Hercules, having erected an altar, was already preparing to offer sacrifices to the gods, and above all to his father Zeus, when Lichas came with a cloak. The son of Zeus put on a cloak - a gift from his wife - and proceeded to the sacrifice. First, he sacrificed twelve selected bulls to Zeus, in total, the hero slaughtered a hundred sacrifices to the Olympian gods. Flames flared brightly on the altars. Hercules stood, reverently raising his hands to the sky, and called on the gods. The fire, burning hot on the altars, warmed the body of Hercules, and sweat came out on the body. Suddenly, a poisoned cloak stuck to the hero's body. Convulsions ran through the body of Hercules. He felt terrible pain. Terribly suffering, the hero called Lichas and asked him why he brought this cloak. What could innocent Lichas answer him? He could only say that Dejanira had sent him with the cloak. Hercules, unconscious of the terrible pain, grabbed Lichas by the leg and hit him against a rock, around which the sea waves roared. Lichas crashed to death. Hercules fell to the ground. He fought in unspeakable agony. His cry carried far across Euboea. Hercules cursed his marriage to Dejanira. The great hero called his son and with a heavy groan said to him: - Oh, my son, do not leave me in misfortune - even if death threatens you, do not leave me! Lift me up! Get me out of here! Take me where no mortal can see me. Oh, if you feel compassion for me, don't let me die here! They lifted Hercules, put him on a stretcher, carried him to the ship to transport him to Trakhina. This is what Gill told his mother and ended the story with these words: - Now you will all see the great son of Zeus here, maybe still alive, or maybe already dead. Oh, let the harsh Erinyes and the avenger Dike*1 punish you, mother! You have killed the best man the earth has ever carried! You will never see such a hero! Silently she left for the palace of Dejanira, without uttering a single word. There, in the palace, she grabbed a double-edged sword. The old nanny saw Dejanira. She calls rather Gill. Gill hurries to her mother, but she has already pierced her chest with a sword. With a loud cry, the unfortunate son rushed to his mother, he embraces her and covers her cold body with kisses. At this time, the dying Hercules is brought to the palace. He fell asleep on the way, but when the stretcher was lowered to the ground at the entrance to the palace, Hercules woke up. The great hero was unconscious of the terrible pain. - Oh, great Zeus! he exclaims, “what country am I in?” Oh, where are you, men of Greece? Help me! For your sake, I cleansed the land and the sea from monsters and evil, but now none of you wants to save me from severe suffering with fire or a sharp sword! Oh, you, brother of Zeus, the great Hades, put me to sleep, put me to sleep, the unfortunate one, put me to sleep with fast-flying death! ___________ *1 Goddess of justice. “Father, listen to me, I beg you,” Gill asks with tears, “the mother unwittingly committed this atrocity. Why do you want revenge? Learning that she herself is the cause of your death, she pierced the heart with the edge of the sword! - Oh, gods, she died, and I could not take revenge on her! It was not by my hand that the insidious Dejanira died! - Father, it's not her fault! Gill says. - Seeing Iola, the daughter of Evrit, in her house, my mother wanted to return your love by a magical means. She rubbed her cloak with the blood of the centaur Nessus, slain by your arrow, not knowing that this blood was poisoned by the poison of the Lernean hydra. - Oh, woe, woe! exclaims Hercules. - So this is how the prediction of my father Zeus came true! He told me that I would not die by the hand of the living, that I was destined to die from the machinations of Hades who had descended into the dark kingdom. This is how Nessus, who was slain by me, ruined me! So this is what the oracle in Dodona promised me - the peace of death! Yes, it's true - the dead have no worries! Fulfill my last will, Gill! Carry me with my faithful friends to the high Oetu * 1, lay a funeral pyre on its top, put me on the fire and set it on fire. Do it soon, end my suffering! ___________ *1 Mountain in Thessaly near the city of Trakhina. - Oh, have pity, father, are you really forcing me to be your killer! Gill begs his father. - No, you will not be a killer, but a healer of my suffering! I still have a wish, make it come true! Hercules asks his son. - Take to wife the daughter of Eurytus, Iola. But Gill refuses to fulfill his father's request and says: - No, father, I can not marry the one who was responsible for the death of my mother! - Oh, submit to my will, Gill! Do not cause in me again subsided suffering! Let me die in peace! Hercules persistently prays to his son. Gill resigned himself and obediently answers his father: - All right, father. I will be submissive to your dying will. Hercules hurries his son, asks to fulfill his last request as soon as possible. - Hurry, my son! Hurry to put me on the fire before these unbearable torments begin again! Carry me! Farewell, Gill! Friends of Hercules and Gill lifted the stretcher and carried Hercules to high Oeta. There they built a huge fire and placed the greatest of heroes on it. The suffering of Hercules is becoming stronger, the poison of the Lernean hydra penetrates deeper and deeper into his body. Hercules tears the poisoned cloak from himself, it sticks tightly to the body; Together with the cloak, Hercules tears off pieces of skin, and terrible torments become even more unbearable. The only salvation from these superhuman torments is death. It is easier to die in the flames of a fire, it is hard to endure them, but none of the hero's friends dares to light a fire. Finally, Philoctetes came to Oeta, Heracles persuaded him to set fire to a fire and, as a reward for this, presented him with his bow and arrows, poisoned by the poison of the hydra. Philoctetes set fire to the fire, the flame of the fire flared up brightly, but the lightning of Zeus flashed even brighter. Thunder rolled across the sky. On a golden chariot, Athena-Pallas * 1 with Hermes was brought to the fire and they lifted the greatest of the heroes of Hercules to the bright Olympus. There the great gods met him. Hercules became the immortal god. Hera herself, forgetting her hatred, gave Hercules her daughter, the eternally young goddess Hebe, as a wife. Since then, Hercules has been living on the bright Olympus in the host of the great immortal gods. This was his reward for all his great deeds on earth, for all his great sufferings. ___________ *1 According to some versions of the myth, the chariot was not Athena, but the goddess of victory - Nike.

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