Hercules Essay

Adrianna Barnhart Mrs. toasting Blk. 6 English 10 9-19-12 The Story of Hercules picpicpic Hercules, aka Herakles, was a buff god. He was the god of power. His father genus Zeus was the god of the skies, his mother a mortal, making Hercules a demigod. Alcmene, Hercules mother, wasnt the wife of Zeus, Hera the goddess of earth was, and she was livid. In fact, Hera was so livid she threatened the violates animation by sending in to Hercules crib cardinal snakes. According to the legend, the serpents were move in to strangle the baby, only when Hercules just sat up wrapped his baby hands around their necks strangling them.His failure to jade in this scenario would affect him for years to come. (Carr, Karen PhD) Hera was determined to go Hercules life hell for being born and violent death her prized snakes, so when Hercules married and had dickens kids, she sought it a good measure to make Hercules, liter exclusivelyy, crazy. She summ 1d madness on him, causing him to lose his mind and kill his wife and children. When he came clog to his normal state, he was debate to see his love a presbyopic with his children lifeless in their home. He displace for Apollo to help him rid his woes.Apollo told him in order to liberate him from his sins, Hercules had to report to tycoon Eurystheus and partake in in 10 labors. Hercules, wanting be released from his depravities, walks to queen regnant Eurystheus palace, ready to perform his first task. (Carr, Karen PhD) His first direction was to kill The Nemean Lion, and bring King Eurystheus the hide. The Nemean Lion lived in Nemea, where he terrorized the hills and villages with the area. He hiked for a long time until he in the end stopped in a town known as Cleonae, where he stayed with a objet dart pretendd Molorchus.Under the company of Hercules, Molorchus proposed the suggestion of sacrificing an animal for a good hunt. Intrigued by the idea, Hercules recommend that they wait 30 eld for Hercules to come ba ck, where they would break the animal to Zeus however, if Hercules didnt return, Molorchus would sacrifice the animal to him, the man who died a hero. With the curriculum intact, Hercules left for Nemea. Hercules arrived in Nemea and located the king of beasts. He concisely arrange his arrows were supererogatory against the social lion so he would need to denudation a better strategy.He followed the lion to a cave with two appeals he plugged iodine with sticks and stones and went inside through the other. Without any hesitation, he threw his weapons system around the lion and strangled him. He because transported back to Cleonae and caught up to Molorchus on the thirtieth day, where they sacrificed to Zeus together. (The Nemean Lion) After the sacrifice, Hercules went back to Mycenae to experience the lion to King Eurystheus. The king impressed and frightened Hercules undefiled the labor, built himself a little room make of bronze on a lower floor his palace, so Her cules couldnt make pass him.He because banished Hercules from the city and started giving him tasks through a herald. (The Nemean Lion) His second duty was a bit much challenging. Hercules was required to slay the Lernean Hydra. The ophidian lived in the swamps of Lernea, where it enjoyed bully the townspeople. A hydra is a poisonous serpent with eight mortal heads and one idol head and when one head is chopped moody two grow back in its place. Knowing the date was nearly impossible, he acquired help from his trusty nephew Iolaus. When they reached the dickens, Hercules went groovy up and bashed it in the head with his club.He discovered the hydra wouldnt die from chopping its heads off, so he told Iolaus to blowlamp the neck of the hydra subsequently Hercules cut it off. They continue this strategy until the last head came off. When it came down to the immortal head, Hercules buried it in the ground therefore primed(p) a boulder on top of the dirt. They past(prenomi nal) traveled back to Mycenae to tell the king, however, Eurystheus wouldnt try for this labor because Hercules had help. (The Lernean Hydra) Disappointed, Hercules waited for his new orders. King Eurystheus wanted the back(prenominal) of Ceryneia.A hind is a female, red deer and this one had gold horns and bronze hooves. This hind was Dianas prized posse comitatusssion, so killing the deer was non an option. Hercules hunted the deer for a year before netly receiving the opportunity to trap her. The deer stopped for a soak up of piss, and at the opportune moment, Hercules shot her. As he was taking the hind to Mycenae, he ran in to Apollo and Diana. Diana was bring down that Hercules had shot her deer, but before she confiscated it, Hercules told her the truth, so she instead healed the deers wounds and direct Hercules on his way to King Eurystheus. The Hind of Ceryneia Dianas pet Deer) With the comp permition of the 3rd task, it was time for Hercules to complete his 4th. Hercules had to deliver King Eurystheus the Erymanthian Boar alive. The boar lived on a mountain Erymanthus that attacked men and animals all over the countryside destroying everything in its path. Just to clarify, the boar attacked the men and stuff, not the mountain. Anyway, Hercules, by and by witnessing his friend Chiron die, found the boar and chased it all around the mountain. He chased the boar until it ran into the underwood where the boar became trapped in the snow.Hercules stabbed the boar with his fishgig then carried it on his shoulders to Mycenae. The king scared erstwhile more, hid himself in his little bronze room under his palace. (The Erymanthian Boar) As Hercules accomplished things that no normal man could, King Eurystheus started hiding much more often. absentminded to not be scared for one time, he appoint Hercules the responsibility of alter the Stables of Augeas. King Augeas had the most oxen in the country and the thought of someone cleansing the sta bles in one day was assumed to be impossible, that is until Hercules came along.Hercules, without talking to Eurystheus, make his way to King Augeas and told him he would clean his stables in one day if Augeas would conciliate him 1/10 of his cattle. King Augeas agreed, and Hercules got to work. He started by tearing a big hole in the in the cattle gait then ripping another in the opposite wall. Next, he take away two trenches that connected to two different rivers that flowed by. The water rushed in the hole of the cattle yard and out the other carrying out the stinky mess. He then plugged the holes and went to get his payment.However, King Augeas refused to control Hercules the reward and told him to take it to court. Hercules did and had Augeas son testify that he promised the reward, the court ruled Augeas to pay him. Flustered, King Augeas remunerative Hercules then banished Hercules and his son from the city. Hercules went back to Mycenae to tell King Eurystheus the good news, but was instead disappointed to find the king not validating the task because he was paid. (The Augean Stables Hercules Cleans Up) For the 6th labor, Hercules was told to shoo away the Stymphalian Birds that gather at the lake of Stymphalos.It is undefined whether or not these birds were man-eating. Hercules not quite sure how to get rid of the birds is saved by Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war strategy, gave him a jibe of bronze Krotala, which are noise making clappers. Hercules lief accepted the gift and went on with his journey. Once he was near the lake of Stymphalos, he began climbing the adjacent mountain. At the top of the mountain, he clapped the Krotala then shot at the birds as they took off. He then returned to Mycenae for his next chasten of instructions. (The Stymphalian Birds) His 7th set of orders, bring the Cretan Bull.The Cretan bull was sent as a sacrifice from Poseidon to Minos, the king of Crete. In order to keep his throne, he promised Poseidon h e would sacrifice any animal he sent him. Poseidon sent this bull however Minos thought it was too graceful to kill, so he sacrificed a different one. Outraged, Poseidon blaspheme Minos wife to fall in love with the bull, and when she birthed a Minotaur, Minos concealed him in the Labyrinth. Hercules easily located the bull, wrestled it, and then brought it back to King Eurystheus. The king let it go where it wandered around and terrorized Greece for most of its life. The Cretan Bull) His 8th task came and Hercules once more had it completed. He was told to sneak the man-eating horses of Diomedes. Determined to drive one step closer to freedom, Hercules sailed with a posse of volunteers across the Augean sea to Bistonia. He and his companions took on those guarding the horses, easily defeating them they attempted to steal the horses. At the great deal of the thieves, a gang of Bistonian soldiers flanked the group, but their efforts were proven pointless when Hercules and the re st of the group fled for Mycenae along with the horses.Once Hercules delivered the horses, King Eurystheus let the mares free where they were eaten by wild beasts. (The Man-Eating Horses of Diomedes) For his 9th, Hercules was sent to regain the sing of Hippolyte, the queen of the Amazons. The Amazons were a tribe of women soldiers named subsequently the classic word meaning missing one breast. They received this name when a soldiers right breast got in the way of her spear. butt Hippolytes belt was a leather one, fatigued for carrying her spear and sword, given to her by Ares. Eurystheus wanted the belt as a birthday present for his daughter.Hercules and friends sailed for the subvert of the Amazons, when they arrived, Hippolyte arrived to greet them. She and Hercules began talking and when he told her why he needed her belt she agreed to give it to him. However, Hera was on the island too. She told all the Amazons Hercules was here to kidnap the queen. When Hercules saw he w as under attack, he drew his sword and killed the queen, then took her belt, killed the enemy, and set sail for Mycenae. (Hippolytes Belt Hercules Fights the Amazons) His final labor, his 10th, one of the most challenging labors Hercules was to perform, was the retrieval of the oxen of Geryon.His final task was for Hercules to travel across the humanness to Erythia, an island near the boundary of Europe and Libya. Geryon was a monster who had three sets of legs (6 in total) and three heads. He kept a ruck of cattle guarded by Orthus, a 2 headed hound, and the herdsman Eurytion. Once Hercules reached his destination, he built two mountains to symbolize the journey he took (these mountains would later be known as the Pillars of Hercules. ) He killed Orthus and then Geryon and left with the cattle. Two sons of Poseidon attempted to steal the cattle, so Hercules killed them.Later on the journey, one of the bulls escaped to Sicily, then made its way to the neighboring country Italy, wh ich was named after the Greek word Italus meaning bull. Hercules left the herd to Hephaestus while he chased after the cow. Hercules found it in Eryxs herd, so he wrestled him for it and won, then returned it to the herd. Hera didnt want Hercules to accomplish the labor, so she sent a gadfly to attack the cattle. The herd break up everywhere, and Hercules once more had to retrieve them, when he gather them all up, he went straight to the king.Once they were delivered to the king, Eurystheus sacrificed them to Hera, an interesting coincidence. (The cattle of Geryon) Hercules now having completed his ten labors was caught by confusion when King Eurystheus told him he had two more labors because he didnt count the Hydra or his cleaning of the stables. Eurystheus was hungry I guess, but nothing would satisfy him invite out for the golden apples of Hespirides. The garden was guarded by a 100 headed dragon, Ladon, and by nymphs who were daughters of book of maps, the titan who hel d the lurch and earth on his soldiers.Hercules had a long journey fighting through Poseidons sons and killing the bird of Jove that attacked Prometheus, that once he caught a break, he realize he wasnt even sure of where to go. He saw atlas on the side of the road just holding up the world. Hercules asked Atlas if he would go to the garden and get him some apples. Atlas agreed, so he gave the world to Hercules. Once he was back, Atlas asked if he could take the apples to Eurystheus. Hercules agreed, but asked to localise on padding. Once the world was on Atlas so Hercules could put on his padding, Hercules grabbed he apples and ran off towards Mycenae.Athena came and confiscated and brought the apples back to the garden because they belonged to the gods. (The Apples of Hesperides) His final labor was to go to the underworld and steal the beast, Cerberus. The underworld was ruled by Hades and his wife Persephone and only the dead were allowed in. Hercules eventually found Hades , who promised to give Hercules the beast as long as he could defeat the beast weaponless. Hercules went to the entrance of the underworld and saw Cerberus. Without any hesitation, he threw his arms around the beast. Cerberus fell under the exponent of Hercules and left with him to king Eurystheus.Eventually, Cerberus was given back to Hades without a scratch on him, except his dignity. (Cerberus) After completing all of the labors, Hercules remarried to a woman, Deianira. She was kidnapped by a centaur, Nessus. Hercules got her back of course and killed Nessus, but in the process of his dying, he told Deianira that if she smeared his blood on Hercules, he would love her forever. For Hercules birthday, Deianira gave him a cloak covered in the centaurs blood, but when he put it on, it ended up burning his skin. To get rid of the pain, he killed himself then traveled to Mt.Olympus to become a god. He widowed a woman and left quartet sons, Hyllus, Clesippus, Glenus, and Hodites alone . (Carr, Karen PhD) Hercules is a difficult god to classify. Being a demigod, he doesnt really have a rank and not many powers except strength. He had the weakness of being immoral and greedy, but there was literally nothing he couldnt do physically. Some of the allusions associated with Hercules is the Hercules Piorot a detective that always finds the manslayer and wrestlers want to be named after him because he was strong. separate examples include wrestlers.Hercules is a very common name in the wrestling business because it would make the individual appear stronger. The C-130 plane is a plane made of steel, which is sometimes referred to as Hercules because steel is strong and not easily broken. Works Cited 1. Carr, Karen. Hercules for Kids-Herakles in Ancient Greek Mythology-Ancient Greece for Kidiepie-History for Kids. 2012. http//www. historyforkids. org/learn/greeks/religion/myths/herakle. hypertext markup language 2. Hercules (also called Hercakles). 62695. Web. http//bal lpoint. org/greekgods/hercules. html 3. The Nemean Lion. Perseus Project. Web. http//www. perseus. tufts. edu/herakles. /lion. html