Heracles

//__*Lanitra ~ Destiny*__//
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Hercules was the Roman name for the greatest hero of Greek mythology -- Heracles. Like most authentic heroes, Heracles had a god as one of his parents, being the son of the supreme deity Zeus and a mortal woman. Zeus's queen Hera was jealous of Heracles, and when he was still an infant she sent two snakes to kill him in his crib. Heracles was found prattling delighted baby talk, a strangled serpend.
 * Birth**

The goddess Hera, determined to make trouble for Hercules, made him lose his mind. In a confused and angry state, he killed his own wife and children. When he awakened from his "temporary insanity," Hercules was shocked and upset by what he'd done. He prayed to the god Apollo for guidance, and the god's oracle told him he would have to serve Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae, for twelve years, in punishment for the murders. As part of his sentence, Hercules had to perform twelve Labors, feats so difficult that they seemed impossible. Fortunately, Hercules had the help of Hermes and Athena, sympathetic deities who showed up when he really needed help. By the end of these Labors, Hercules was, without a doubt, Greece's greatest hero. His struggles made Hercules the perfect embodiment of an idea the Greeks called **pathos**, the experience of virtuous struggle and suffering which would lead to fame and, in Hercules' case, immortality. To read more about Eurystheus and the reasons for Hercules' Labors, see [|Further Resources].
 * The Labors of Hercules**


 * [|Labor 1: The Nemean Lion]
 * [|Labor 2: The Lernean Hydra]
 * [|Labor 3: The Hind of Ceryneia]
 * [|Labor 4: The Erymanthean Boar]
 * [|Labor 5: The Augean Stables]
 * [|Labor 6: The Stymphalian Birds]
 * [|Labor 7: The Cretan Bull]
 * [|Labor 8: The Horses of Diomedes]
 * [|Labor 9: The Belt of Hippolyte]
 * [|Labor 10: Geryon's Cattle]
 * [|Labor 11: The Apples of the Hesperides]
 * [|Labor 12: Cerberus]

This exhibit is a subset of materials from the [|Perseus Project] and is [|copyrighted]. Please send us your comments.


 * This armor stands for heracles strengh*



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This video shows the labors of heracles

Heracles is the son of Zeus and Alcmene and the stepson of Amphitryon. He was the greatest of the greek heroes. In Rome, he was known as Hercules. By conquering dangerous archaic forces he was said to have "made the world safe for mankind" and to be the benefactor. Heracles being born a twin of two different fathers, Hera made Alcmene sit crosslegged during birth caused the premature birth of one of the twins, Heracles' brother, Eurystheus.