Lecture: The seventh feat of Hercules. Cretan bull

After his marriage with the daughter of the Theban king, Hercules lived several happy years in a happy family, near the glorious throne, and looked at the future with the brightest hopes. But Hera, who was hostile to him, could not see in such happiness a person she hated. She sent him a mind-disturbing illness; in his madness, he killed to death and threw into the fire three children born to him by Megara, and two babies of Iphicles. When his illness finally left him, he fell into deep sorrow and, in order to punish himself for this murder, retired into self-imposed exile. His friend Thespius, in the city of Thespiae, cleared him of the murder and sent Hercules to Delphi to the Apollonian oracle to ask: where should he live in the future? It must have been then that the Pythia called him Hercules - a hero to whom the persecution of Hera will bring glory; formerly they called him Alcides, that is, the son of strength. The oracle ordered him to retire to Tiryns, the ancient seat of his father, and for twelve years to serve his cousin Eurystheus, who ruled Mycenae; and then, when he successfully completes the twelve feats that Eurystheus will impose on him, he will receive immortality.

Hercules, though reluctantly, followed the oracle's command and went to Tiryns. Here the orders of Eurystheus were handed over to him by the herald, for the coward was afraid to be near his mighty servant.

Heracles' First Labor - The Nemean Lion

For the first time, Eurystheus instructed Hercules to kill the monsters that lived in the land of Argos: the Nemean lion and the Lernean hydra. Hercules was supposed to bring the skin of the Nemean lion, which descended from the fire-breathing monster Typhon and the gigantic snake Echidna and lived in the valley between Nemea and Cleanae. Even in Cleani, Hercules went to one poor man, Molarchus, who at that time was about to make a sacrifice to Zeus. Hercules persuaded him to postpone the sacrifice for thirty days, because he wanted, upon returning from a dangerous hunt, to bring with him a sacrifice to the savior Zeus; in the event that Hercules had not returned from the hunt, then Molarch had, according to the condition, to calm his shadow with a sacrifice.

Hercules went into the forest and searched for a lion for several days, finally found him and threw an arrow at him; but the lion was not wounded: the arrow rebounded from him as from a stone. Then Hercules raised his club to the lion; the lion ran away from him into a cave that had two exits. The hero blocked one exit, and approached the beast with another.

Hercules kills the Nemean Lion. Copy from the statue of Lysippus

The Second Labor of Hercules - The Lernaean Hydra

Hercules had to kill the Lernean hydra, a terrible snake with nine heads: eight were mortal, the middle one was immortal. The Hydra was also the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. She grew up in the Lernean swamp, near the spring of Amimone, and from there she attacked the herds and devastated the country. With courage in his heart, Hercules went to this fight in a chariot, which was driven by Iolaus, the courageous son of Iphicles. When he arrived at Lerna, he left behind him Iolaus with his chariot and began to look for the enemy.

Battle of Hercules with the Lernaean Hydra. Painting by G. Reni, 1617-1620

The second feat of Hercules is the fight against the Lernean Hydra. Painting by A. Pollaiolo, ca. 1475

The third feat of Hercules - the Kerinean doe

The fourth feat of Hercules - Keriney doe

The Fourth Labor of Hercules - Erymanthian Boar

When Hercules brought the doe to Mycenae, Eurystheus instructed him to catch the Erymanthian boar. This boar lived on Mount Erymanthus, between Arcadia, Elis and Achaia, and often invaded the region of the city of Psofis, where he devastated the fields and killed people. On the way to this hunt, Hercules crossed the high wooded mountains of Tholos, in which some centaurs lived since they were expelled from Thessaly by Lapith. Tired, hungry Hercules came to the cave of the centaur Fol and was cordially received by him, for although Fol was also half-man and half-horse, like other centaurs, he was not, like Chiron, as rude and brutally wild as they are. He treated Hercules to boiled meat, while he ate his portion raw.

Hercules, who loved to drink good wine at a meal after labors and worries, expressed a desire to drink; but the owner was afraid to open a vessel with wine, a precious gift to the centaurs from Dionysus, who was in his custody: he was afraid that the centaurs would come and break hospitality in their wild anger. Hercules encouraged him and opened the vessel himself; they both drink merrily with full cups, but soon the centaurs appear: having heard the sweet aroma of wine, they rush from all sides to the cave of Fola, in a wild fury they arm themselves with rocks and pine trunks and attack Hercules. He repels the attack, throws hot brands into their chest and face and drives them out of the cave. Then he pursues them with his arrows and drives the last remaining ones to the Cape Malea, where they seek refuge at Chiron, who was driven here from the Pelion Mountains. While they, seeking shelter, crowd around him, an arrow of Hercules hits him in the knee. Only then did the hero recognize his old friend; with great sorrow, he ran to him, applied healing herbs to the wounds, given to him by Chiron himself, and bandaged them, but the wound inflicted by a poisoned arrow is incurable, so Chiron subsequently voluntarily accepted death for Prometheus, Hercules returned to the cave of Fola and, to to his great grief, he also found him dead: Fall took an arrow from the wound of one killed centaur and, looking at it, marveled at how such a small thing could put such a giant dead; suddenly an arrow fell out of his hand, wounded him in the leg, and immediately he fell dead.

Hercules and the Erymanthian boar. Statue of L. Tuyon, 1904

The Fifth Labor of Heracles - The Stymphalian Birds

Hercules and the Stymphalian Birds. Statue of A. Bourdelle, 1909

The sixth feat of Hercules - the stables of Augius

Hercules cleared the Augean stall in one day - this was his sixth feat. Avgiy was the son of the radiant sun god Helios and the king of Elis. He became famous for his immense wealth, which he owed to his loving father. Countless as the clouds of heaven were his herds of bulls and sheep. Three hundred bulls had wool on their legs like snow; two hundred were purple; twelve bulls, dedicated to the god Helios, were white as swans, and one, named Phaethon, shone like a star. In the large barnyard where all these animals were collected, so much manure had accumulated over time that it seemed impossible to clean it out. When Hercules appeared, he suggested that Augeas clear the courtyard in one day if the king would give him a tenth of his herds. Augeas willingly accepted the condition, for he doubted the feasibility of this matter. Hercules called the son of Avgiev to witness the contract, took Alpheus and Peneus to the side of the rivers Alpheus and Peneus and, having broken the wall of the barnyard in two places, passed these rivers through him; the pressure of water in one day carried away all the impurities from the yard, and Hercules did his job. But Augeas does not pay the contractual payment and locks himself even in his promise. He is even ready to take the matter to court.

The sixth feat - Hercules cleans the stables of Augius. Roman mosaic of the 3rd century. according to R. H. from Valencia

A court was held, and Filey began to testify against his father.

Then Avgiy, before the decision of the court took place, expels Phileaus and Hercules from his country. Philaeus went to the island of Dulilihy and settled there; Hercules returned to Tiryns.

Subsequently, when Hercules was freed from the service of Eurystheus, he took revenge on Augeas: he gathered a large army and attacked Elis. But the nephews of Augean, the twins, the sons of Actor and Molion, who are therefore called Aktorides and Molionides, ambushed his army and defeated it. Hercules himself was ill at that time. Soon afterwards, he himself ambushed the Molionides at the Cleons, while they were going to the Isthmian games, and killed them. Then he again went to Elis and betrayed her to fire and sword. Finally, with his arrow, he killed Avgeas as well. And when he gathered all his army in Pisa and brought rich booty there, he measured out to his father Zeus a sacred piece of land and planted olive trees on it. Then he made a sacrifice to the twelve Olympic gods and the god of the river Alfea and established the Olympic Games. After the best of his troops had tested their strength in various competitions, in the evening, under the charming moonlight, they celebrated a wonderful feast and sang victorious songs.

The seventh feat of Hercules - the Cretan bull

The seventh feat - Hercules and the Cretan bull. Roman mosaic of the 3rd century. according to R. H. from Valencia

The eighth feat of Hercules - the horses of Diomedes

Diomedes being devoured by his horses. Painter Gustave Moreau, 1865

The ninth feat of Hercules - the girdle of Hippolyta

The once warlike people of the Amazons were ruled by Queen Hippolyta. A sign of her royal dignity was a belt given to her by Ares, the god of war. The daughter of Eurystheus Admet wished to have this belt, and Hercules instructed Eurystheus to get it. Hercules sailed along the Euxine Pontus [Black Sea] to the capital of the Amazons, Themiscyra, at the mouth of the Fermodon River, and camped near it. Hippolyta came to him with her Amazons and asked about the purpose of his arrival.

The tenth labor of Hercules - the bulls of Gerion

From the distant eastern countries, Hercules arrived in the extreme west. Eurystheus ordered him to drive to Mycenae the herds of the three-headed giant Geryon, who were grazing on the island of the western ocean of Erifia. Purple, shiny bulls were guarded by the giant Eurytion and the terrible dog Ort. Before Erifia, Hercules had a long and difficult path through Europe and Libya, through barbarian countries and deserts. Having reached the strait that separates Europe from Libya [the Strait of Gibraltar], Hercules, in memory of this farthest journey, erected a pillar-shaped rock on both sides of the strait - and since then these rocks have been called "pillars of Hercules." Soon afterwards he arrived at the ocean shore, but Erifia, the destination of the journey, was still far away: how to reach it, how to cross the world ocean-river? Not knowing what to do, tormented by impatience, Hercules sat on the ocean shore until evening, and now he sees: on his radiant chariot, Helios is rolling towards the ocean from the high sky. It was hard for the hero to look at the near sun, and in anger he pulled his bow on the radiant god. The god marveled at the courage of the wondrous husband, but was not angry with him, even gave him his cuboid boat, on which every night he went around the northern half of the earth. On this canoe, Hercules arrived on the island of Erifia. Here the dog Ort immediately rushed at him, but the hero killed him with his club. He killed Eurytion and drove the flocks of Gerion. But Menetius, who was tending the flocks of Hades not far off, saw what was stolen and told Geryon about it. The giant chased the hero, but died from his arrow. Hercules placed the bulls on the boat of the sun and sailed back to Iberia, where he again handed the ship over to Helios. And he drove his herds through Iberia and Gaul, through the Pyrenees and the Alps. Having overcome many dangers, Hercules arrived at the Tiber River, to the place where Rome was subsequently built.

Stopping in the beautiful valley of the Tiber, Hercules carelessly indulged in sleep, and at that time the two most beautiful bulls from the herd were kidnapped by the fire-breathing giant Kak, who lived in the cave of the Aventian Mountain and made terrible devastation throughout the surrounding country. The next morning, Hercules already wanted to drive further his bulls, but he noticed that not all of the herd was intact. And he followed the trail of the lost bulls and reached the cave, pushed back by a huge, heavy rock. The heads and smoldering bones of the slain people were hung on the rock at the entrance and scattered on the ground. Hercules wondered if the inhabitant of a suspicious cave had stolen his bulls, but - a wonderful thing! - the trail did not lead into the cave, but out of it. He could not understand this and hurried with his flock from an inhospitable country. Then one of the bulls of Hercules roared, as if lamenting about the rest, and the same roar was heard in response to him from the cave. Full of anger, Hercules returns to Kaka's dwelling, with mighty shoulders rolls off the heavy stone of the entrance and breaks into the cave. The giant throws fragments of rocks and tree trunks at him, but can neither frighten nor hold the enemy. Like a volcano, with a terrible roar, he spews smoke and flame at him, but this will not frighten the angry hero. Leaping over a stream of flame, he hit Kaka three times in the face, and a terrible monster fell to the ground and expired.

While, in gratitude for the victory, Hercules sacrificed a bull to Zeus, the surrounding inhabitants came to him, and among others - Evander, who migrated from Arcadia and laid the first principles of higher culture here. All of them hailed Hercules as their deliverer and benefactor. Evander, recognizing Zeus's son in Hercules, erected an altar to him, made a sacrifice, and for all eternity established a cult for him on the site of the last feat of Hercules - a place that the Romans later considered sacred.

Eleventh feat of Hercules - apples of the Hesperides

Hercules was carried away to the far west by his eleventh feat. Here, on the edge of the earth, on the shore of the ocean, there was a marvelous, golden-fruited tree, which the Earth had once grown and presented to Hera during her marriage to Zeus. That tree was in the fragrant garden of Atlas the sky-bearer; the nymphs of the Hesperides, the daughters of the giant, followed him, and the terrible dragon Ladon guarded him, whose eye never closed with sleep. Hercules was supposed to bring three golden apples from a wonderful tree: a difficult matter, especially since Hercules did not know which side the Hesperides tree was on. Overcoming incredible difficulties, for a long time Hercules wandered around Europe, Asia and Libya and finally arrived in the far north, to the nymphs of the Eridanus River. The nymphs advised him to sneak up on the old man of the sea, the seer god Nereus, attack him and find out from him the secret of golden apples. So did Hercules: he forged the god of the sea and only then released, as he learned from him the path to the Hesperides. The path went through Libya, and there Hercules attacked the son of the Earth, the giant Antaeus, and challenged him to fight. While Antaeus touched Mother Earth with his feet, his strength was irresistible: but when Hercules, embracing Antaeus, lifted him from the ground, all the power of the giant disappeared: Hercules defeated him and killed him. From Libya, Hercules arrived in Egypt. Egypt was ruled at that time by Busiris, who sacrificed all foreigners to Zeus. When Hercules arrived in Egypt, Busiris chained him and led him to the altar: but the hero broke the shackles and killed Busiris along with his son.

Hercules fighting Antaeus. Artist O. Coudet, 1819

Photo - Jastrow

The twelfth labor of Hercules - Cerberus

The most difficult and most dangerous feat of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus was the last. The hero had to descend into the gloomy tartar and get out scary dog Cerberus. Cerberus was a terrible, three-headed beast, whose tail had the shape and ferocity of a living dragon; on the mane of the beast, all kinds of snakes swarmed. Before performing the feat, Hercules visited Eleusis, and there the priest Eumolpus initiated him into the Eleusinian sacraments, which freed a person from the fear of death. Then the hero arrived in Laconia, from where, through one gloomy crevice, lay the path to the underworld. On this gloomy path, Hermes - the guide of the dead - and led Hercules. Shadows fled in horror at the sight of a mighty husband: only Meleager and Medusa did not budge. Hercules had already raised a sword at Medusa, but Hermes stopped him, saying that this was no longer a terrible petrifying gorgon, but only a shadow devoid of life. The hero had a friendly conversation with Meleager and, at his request, promised to marry his sister Dianira. Near the gates of Hades (Aid's) dwelling, Hercules saw Theseus and Pirithous, rooted to a rock for daring to descend into the underworld in order to kidnap the majestic wife of Hades, Persephone. And they stretched out their hands to the hero, praying to tear them off the rock, to save them from torment. Hercules gave Theseus a hand and freed him; but when he wanted to take Pirithous from the rock, the earth trembled, and Hercules saw that the gods were not pleased to release this criminal. To revive the lifeless shadows with blood, the hero killed one of the cows of Hades, which Menetius pastured.

They fought because of the cow: Hercules hugged Menetius and broke his ribs.

Hercules finally reached the throne of Pluto (Hades). As an initiate in the Eleusinian secrets, the god of the underworld graciously accepted him and allowed him to take the dog with him to earth, if he could only defeat him without weapons. Covered with a shell and a lion's skin, the hero went out to the monster, found him at the mouth of Acheron and immediately attacked him. With mighty hands, Hercules grabbed the triple neck of the terrible dog, and although the dragon, which served as the tail of the monster, stifled him unbearably painfully, the hero strangled Cerberus until, defeated, trembling with fear, he fell at his feet. Hercules chained him and brought him to earth. The dog of hell was horrified when he saw the light of day: poisonous foam poured onto the ground from his triple mouth, and from this foam a poisonous wrestler grew. Hercules hurried to take the monster to Mycenae and, showing him in horror to the coming Eurystheus, took him back to the region of Hades.

The myth of Hercules begins with his unusual birth. The thunder god Zeus had a penchant for earthly women. The beautiful Alcmene, the wife of the king of Mycenae, he liked. Zeus, with affectionate speeches, tried to convince her to cheat on her husband. But Alcmene was adamant. Then the Thunderer decided to cheat. He drove all the animals of Hellas into the forest, where the king of Mycenae hunted. Carried away by hunting, he did not return home to spend the night. And Zeus, in the form of a spouse, appeared to Alcmene.

On the day when Hercules was to be born, the Thunderer swore in the presence of the gods that the boy would become the ruler of Mycenae. But Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, realized that we were talking about an illegitimate child. She postponed the birth of Alcmene for a day. At the hour appointed by Zeus, Eurystheus was born. It was he who became the ruler of Mycenae, in the service of which Hercules performed well-known feats.

Myths about Hercules: 12 labors

Hera, learning about the birth of the future hero, vowed to kill him. She sent two poisonous snakes into the cradle. But Hercules from birth showed strength and dexterity. He strangled the reptiles with his hands.

The myth of Hercules tells that Hera later sent madness on the hero. The man's mind was clouded when he played with his sons. He mistook the children for monsters. When the attack of madness passed, Hercules was horrified by his own act. Full of remorse, he decided to go to overseas countries.

Hercules sailed with the Argonauts on a ship to distant Colchis for the Golden Fleece. But his path did not last long - the god Hermes appeared to the hero on the very shores of Greece. He conveyed the will of the gods: let Hercules humble himself and go into the service of the king of Mycenae, Eurystheus.

Jealous Hera, in her desire to get rid of the illegitimate son of Zeus, entered into an agreement with Eurystheus. She advised the ruler of Mycenae to choose the most difficult and dangerous tasks for the hero. The myths about the exploits of Hercules, one might say, appeared thanks to Hera. She herself, unwillingly, contributed to the age-old glory of the hero.

First feat

Eurystheus gave the first task to Hercules - to exterminate the Nemean lion. The monster was born from the giant Typhon and Echidna, a huge snake. The lion was striking in its size and bloodthirstiness. Its strong skin withstood the blows of swords, the arrows blunted against it.

In the vicinity of the city of Nemea, a lion lived, destroying all life in its path. Hercules searched for his lair for a whole month. Finally, he discovered a cave that served as a refuge for the Nemean lion. Hercules blocked the exit from the lair with a huge boulder, and he himself prepared to wait at the entrance. Finally there was a loud roar, and a monster appeared.

The myth of Hercules tells that the hero's arrows bounced off the skin of a lion. The sharp sword did not hurt him. Then Hercules grabbed the monster by the throat with his bare hands and strangled him.

The hero returned to Mycenae with victory. When Eurystheus saw the defeated lion, he was frightened by the incredible strength of Hercules.

Second feat

Let's try to retell the second myth about Hercules briefly. Hera came up with a new deadly task for the hero. In the poisonous swamp lurked a terrible monster - the Lernean Hydra. She had the body of a snake and nine heads.

The Lernaean Hydra lived near the entrance to the world of the dead. She crawled out of her lair and devastated the surroundings. Being the sister of the Nemean Lion, she had a huge advantage - one of her nine heads was immortal. Therefore, it was impossible to kill the Lernaean Hydra.

Iolaus offered Hercules his help - he drove the hero on his chariot to a poisonous swamp. For a long time the hero fought with the hydra. But, having struck down one head of the monster, Hercules saw two new ones appear in its place.

Assistant Iolaus set fire to a nearby grove and began to cauterize the cut heads of the hydra. When Hercules cut off the last, immortal head, he buried it deep in the ground. From above, he rolled a huge rock so that the monster could never again appear on earth.

Arrowheads soaked Hercules with the poisonous blood of the hydra. And then he returned to Mycenae, where a new task for Eurystheus awaited him.

Third feat

Myths about the exploits of Hercules indicate his strength, dexterity, speed. For more than a year, the hero was chasing the Kerinean doe in order to catch it - this was a new task for the ruler of Mycenae.

A beautiful fallow deer appeared in the vicinity of the Kerineian mountains. Her horns sparkled with gold, and her hooves were cast with copper. The skin of the animal sparkled in the sun. The Kerinean doe was created by the goddess of hunting Artemis. She did this as a reproach to people who exterminated flora and fauna.

The deer ran faster than the wind - she rushed, running away from Hercules, through Attica, Thesprotia, Boeotia. For a whole year, the hero tried to catch up with the beautiful fugitive. In desperation, Hercules took out a bow and shot the animal in the leg. Throwing a net over the prey, he carried it to Mycenae.

Artemis appeared before him in anger. Ancient myths about Hercules tell that the hero obeyed her. He explained how the will of the gods forced him to serve Eurystheus. That it was not for himself that he pursued a beautiful doe. Artemis had mercy and allowed Hercules to take the animal to Mycenae.

Fourth feat

And Eurystheus has already prepared a new task for the hero. What is it? The fourth myth about Hercules will tell us about this. Its summary allows us to find out that a wild boar appeared in Arcadia. The Erymanthian boar destroyed livestock, forest animals, travelers with huge fangs ...

On the way, Hercules went to the familiar centaur Fall. They opened wine, had fun, sang songs. Other centaurs, attracted by the aroma of the wine, armed themselves with stones and stakes and declared that the wine had been given as a gift to the whole community. A fight ensued. Hercules put the centaurs to flight with his poisonous arrows.

Continuing on his way, the hero soon saw Erymanthus boar. But the blows of the sword did not frighten the animal. Then Hercules raised his shield high. When the sun was reflected in it, the hero directed the beam directly into the eyes of the beast. Then he began to beat the sword on the shield. Blinded, the beast was frightened by the loud noise. He rushed high into the mountains, where he got stuck in deep snow. Then Hercules tied the boar, put it on his shoulders and brought it to Mycenae.

The inhabitants rejoiced at their deliverance from the formidable monster. Eurystheus, seeing the size of the boar, was so frightened that he hid in a bronze pithos.

Fifth feat

King Avgiy was famous for his herds and stables. He fenced off the barnyard with a high fence, because he was in fear around the clock that the bulls and horses might be kidnapped. For days on end Augeas tried to count the number of horses in the stables. But the herd was in motion, the horses were moving, and the count had to be started all over again.

The sewage accumulated from the horses filled all the stables. The smell from them was all over Arcadia, says the 5th myth. Hercules sent Eurystheus to clear the Augean stables of manure. The king thought that a strong and courageous hero would disdain such a task.

Hercules realized that it was necessary to make a hole in the fence. He broke on both sides of the fence that surrounded the stables. The water flow of the mountain river immediately washed away all the impurities.

The myth of Hercules briefly reports that after this feat, the hero sacrificed to the river god for unpleasant work. Then he restored the fence and returned to Mycenae for a new task.

Sixth feat

One day, two huge birds appeared near the city of Stimfal, they tell myths about Hercules. They had copper beaks and bronze feathers. Stymphalian birds eventually multiplied and formed a flock. They destroyed seedlings in the fields. They dropped their bronze feathers like arrows at everyone who happened to be near them.

Hercules, before joining the battle, studied the habits of creatures for a long time. He realized that by shedding their feathers, birds become defenseless until new ones grow back. The warrior goddess Athena appeared to Hercules and presented him with copper rattles as a gift. Hercules was delighted with the help, raised a loud noise with the instrument.

Stymphalian birds flew up in fright, began to shed their sharp feathers. Hercules took refuge under the shield from their onslaught. After the birds shed all their feathers, the hero shot them with a bow. And those who did not have time to hit flew away from these places.

The seventh feat

What will the seventh myth of Hercules tell about? The summary indicates that there are no more monstrous animals and birds left in Arcadia. But Eurystheus figured out where to send Hercules - to the island of Crete.

The sea god Poseidon presented King Minos with a marvelous bull, so that the ruler would sacrifice it to the gods. But the king liked the Cretan bull so much that he hid it in his herd. Poseidon learned about the deception of the king. In anger, he struck the bull with madness. The monster rushed around for a long time, killing people in a rage, dispersing the herds.

Eurystheus, on the slander of Hera, wished to see the Cretan bull alive. Hercules realized that only force can pacify the animal. He went out to fight, grabbed the bull by the horns, bent his head to the ground. The animal sensed that the enemy was stronger. The Cretan bull stopped resisting. Then Hercules saddled him and drove him into the sea. So, riding an animal, the hero returned to Arcadia.

The bull did not even try to throw off Hercules, calmly entered the stall of King Eurystheus. When the hero, tired after a new feat, went to sleep, the ruler was afraid to keep the mad bull in his place and, in fear, released him into the wild.

So the bull wandered around the outskirts of Arcadia until he was defeated by another hero of Hellas - Theseus.

Eighth feat

Myths about Hercules also tell about the demonic horses of Diomedes. These carnivorous monsters devoured wayward travelers. Sailors who were wrecked were killed. When Hercules and his assistant arrived in the country, he immediately went in search of carnivorous horses. By neighing, he realized where the stables of King Diomedes were.

With a blow of his fist on the head, he pacified the first horse and threw a bridle around his neck. When the whole herd was bridled, Hercules with an assistant drove him to the ship. And then King Diomedes stood in the way with his army. Hercules defeated everyone, and when he returned to the shore, he saw that the horses had torn to pieces his assistant and fled.

The hero fed the body of King Diomedes to his own horses, drove them onto a ship and took them to Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus, at the sight of carnivorous horses, in horror, ordered them to be released into the forest. There they were dealt with by wild animals.

The ninth feat

12 myths about Hercules are extremely interesting. All of them tell about the strength and courage of the son of Zeus, about the amazing adventures that fell to his lot. The ninth tells about the girdle of Hippolyta. He wanted to get the daughter of Eurystheus Admet. She heard that the belt was given to the Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta by Ares himself, the god of war.

Hercules went on a journey with companions. The Amazons greeted them friendly and asked about the purpose of the trip. Hercules honestly told Queen Hippolyta about how the daughter of Eurystheus wanted to receive her belt as a gift.

Hippolyta agreed to give the jewelry to Hercules. But the goddess Hera interfered. She did not like the peaceful solution of the issue - she wanted to destroy the hero. Hera, transformed into one of the Amazons, spread the rumor that Hercules wants to sell them into slavery.

The militant women believed the vicious slander, and a fight ensued. Hercules and his companions defeated the Amazons. With a heavy heart, the son of Zeus completed this task. Hercules, the hero of myths, did not want to fight with women, even if they were warriors.

Tenth feat

The tenth myth about Hercules continues our story. King Eurystheus thought for a long time before giving the hero a new task. He wanted to send his hated half-brother to a distant country, so far away that it would take a month or more to sail there.

Hercules traveled a long way. He defeated the son of the god Vulcan - the monster Kakus. Later, the city of Rome was founded on the site of their battle.

In the green meadows of Erithia, the cows of Geryon, a giant with three bodies, three heads and three pairs of arms and legs, grazed. They were guarded by a two-headed dog. At the sight of Hercules, he growled and rushed at him. The hero quickly defeated the dog, but then the giant shepherd woke up. The goddess Athena doubled the strength of Hercules, and he knocked down the giant with several blows of the club. The hero won another victory.

Sailing on a ship to Iberia, Hercules lay down to rest, letting go of the herd to graze. With the first rays of the sun, he decided to drive the herd overland. Cows went through Iberia, Gaul, Italy. Near the sea, one of them rushed to the water and swam. She ended up on the island of Sicily. The local ruler Eriks did not want to give the cow to Hercules. I had to defeat him too.

With the fugitive, the hero returned to the herd and led him to King Eurystheus. The latter sacrificed cows to Hera, hoping to get rid of Hercules.

Eleventh feat

And again a long road awaited the hero. Eurystheus sent Heracles for the golden apples of the Hesperides. They gave immortality and eternal youth. In the garden of the Hesperides, only nymphs guarded the apples. And the garden itself was on the edge of the earth, where Atlas held the vault of heaven on his shoulders.

On the way to the end of the world, Hercules freed Prometheus in the mountains of the Caucasus. He fought with the son of the land of Gaia - Antey. Only by tearing the giant off the ground, could his hero defeat him. Having reached Atlanta, Hercules told him about the purpose of his journey. They agreed that the hero would hold the heavens on his shoulders, and Atlas would ask the nymphs for apples.

Hercules was already exhausted under the weight of the vault, and Atlas returned. The giant did not want to again take on his shoulders an exorbitant burden. The cunning man suggested that Hercules hold the sky for more while he himself reached Mycenae and gave the apples to the king. But our hero is not so stupid. He agreed, but on the condition that the giant hold the heavens, and Hercules, in the meantime, make himself a grass pillow - the burden is very heavy. Atlas believed and stood in his place, and the hero took the apples and returned home.

Twelfth feat

The last task of Eurystheus was the most difficult, according to myth 12. The exploits of Hercules (they are summarized in this article) take the reader into the amazing world of the mythology of Ancient Greece, a world full of amazing adventures, powerful and insidious gods and strong, brave heroes. But we digress. So, 12 feat. Hercules was to descend into the realm of the dead and kidnap the dog Cerberus. Three heads, a tail in the form of a snake - at the sight of this fiend, the blood ran cold in the veins.

He descended into Hades Hercules and fought with Cerberus. Having defeated the dog, the hero brought him to Mycenae. The king did not allow the gate to be opened and shouted that Hercules let the terrible monster go back.

But the myths about Hercules do not end there. 12 feats that the hero performed in the service of Eurystheus glorified him for centuries. Later, he distinguished himself in military campaigns, arranged his personal life.

The thirteenth feat and the death of Hercules

The legends of Hellas say that there are 13 feats of Hercules. The myth has conveyed to this day the story of King Thespia. Hercules stopped in his house when he hunted the Kiferon lion. Thespius was worried that his daughters would choose unsightly suitors for themselves, give birth to ugly grandchildren. The king offered Heracles to impregnate his 50 daughters. So the hero hunted a lion during the day, and spent the nights with the royal daughters.

Many years later, Hercules married Dejanira. They had many children. One day the couple were crossing a fast river. Dejanira was transported by the centaur Ness. He was seduced by the beauty of the woman and wanted to take possession of her. Hercules hit him with a poisonous arrow. Experiencing terrible torment, Ness decided to take revenge on the hero. He persuaded Dejanira to draw his blood. If Heracles falls out of love with her, you just need to soak his clothes with the blood of a centaur, and then the husband will not look at any more women.

Dejanira kept the bottle with the gift of Nessus. Returning from a military campaign, Hercules brought a young captive princess into the house. In a fit of jealousy, Dejanira soaked her husband's clothes with blood. The poison quickly acted and began to deliver Hercules severe torment, and it was not possible to take off his clothes. The eldest son carried his father in his arms to Mount Etu, where he made a funeral pyre. When the flame flared up, a huge cloud covered Hercules. So the gods decided to take the hero to Olympus and grant him immortal life.

Date of creation: -.

Genre: myth.

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Main heroes: Heracles, Cretan bull.

Plot. There are no more monsters left in the Peloponnese. Hercules dealt with everyone. Eurystheus nevertheless came up with a new impossible assignment. This time the son of Zeus had to catch the Cretan bull. Poseidon, the god of the sea, sent a huge beautiful bull to the Cretan king Minos to be sacrificed. Minos was sorry to kill a magnificent animal and he included him in his countless herds. In return, he slaughtered another bull in honor of Poseidon. The god of the sea noticed the deception and became terribly angry. He made the donated bull go mad. The Cretan bull began to rush all over the island, terrifying its inhabitants. Nobody dared to fight him. The bull trampled the fields with impunity and destroyed outbuildings. Some sources indicate that flames burst out of the bull's mouth.

Eurystheus has already appreciated the incredible strength of the hero. He knew that taming the monster would not be a big problem for him. The king hoped that Hercules would not be able to find a way to ship his prey across the sea.

The son of Zeus silently listened to the order of Eurystheus. He was not afraid to anger Poseidon, because God himself sent madness to the sacrificial bull and, thus, removed his patronage from him.

Hercules sailed to Crete and appeared before Minos. The king rejoiced at the appearance of a mighty hero. He offered him any help, but the son of Zeus refused it and went in search of a bull alone. People bypassed the rabid animal, and the hero calmly approached the bull, took it by the horns and bent its head to the ground. The animal immediately felt the inhuman strength of the enemy and did not even try to resist. Sitting on a bull, the son of Zeus crossed on it to the Peloponnese. Eurystheus, as usual, was very frightened at the sight of another monster. He ordered to let him go. The Cretan bull rushed north. Having reached the Marathon field, he met death at the hands of another mighty hero, Theseus.

Review of the product. The seventh feat was relatively easy for Hercules. Neither he nor Eurystheus doubted that the rabid animal could not resist the incredible strength of the son of Zeus. The difficulty and danger of the assignment consisted in crossing the bull from Crete to the Peloponnese. Hercules showed great courage when he decided to swim on the back of a rabid animal.

Separately, not everyone knows each of the twelve exploits of the main ancient hero. Perhaps the majority will name the feat in the Augean stables, the victory of Hercules over the Lernean Hydra and the Nemean Lion. Actually, that's all. The Cretan bull is one of the neglected exploits of Hercules. Although, in fact, this is one of the most interesting plots of the "heracle" cycle from a historical and cultural point of view. Since he is associated not only with other important mythological heroes, but also has a link to historical events and the legends conditioned by them.

Taming of the Cretan bull: the victory of some nations over others?

According to legend, the Cretan bull is a divine gift to Minos, the mighty king of Crete. Poseidon allowed Minos to get this incredibly strong and beautiful bull to sacrifice to the Olympian gods. However, the king did not want to sacrifice the bull and instead slaughtered another bull from his herd. The wife of Minos, Queen Pasiphae, was also seduced by the incredible bull; and to such an extent that she entered into an unnatural relationship with him and subsequently gave birth to a son. This son was born with the body of a man and the head of a bull, and thus became the Minotaur from the legend of Theseus. Minos hid the Minotaur in a specially built labyrinth, where he sent tributaries from the peoples subject to him as victims.

The legend of Theseus says that this son of the Athenian king himself volunteered to be among the Athenians intended as a sacrifice to the Minotaur, and then killed the monster in the Labyrinth, using the help of Ariadne. Culturologists and historians believe that the myth of the Cretan Bull and the Minotaur reflected the cultural memory of the Greeks about their confrontation with the population of the Eastern Mediterranean, primarily with the inhabitants of Crete. These groups of peoples worshiped the bull as a deity of the earth, underground elements, earthquakes and the deep sea. The ancestors of the Greeks worshiped primarily solar and celestial deities. Thus, in the form of a myth about the fight between Theseus and the Minotaur and the victory over him, the Greeks' memories of the struggle against the indigenous peoples of the East were expressed.

As for the Cretan bull itself, he soon went mad: Poseidon became angry with Minos for the “fake” sacrifice and sent madness to the animal. The bull, completely invulnerable to human weapons, rushed across Crete and destroyed everything in its path.

The seventh feat of Hercules: the Cretan bull

After completing the sixth feat of the ten appointed to obtain complete freedom from his relative, King Eurystheus of Mycenae, Hercules found himself on a “sabbatical leave” for a long time. Eurystheus simply did not have a task difficult and dangerous enough to entrust to his son Zeus. Hercules was so exhausted from idleness that he even agreed to participate in the voyage of the hero Jason on the Argo ship to Colchis for the Golden Fleece. True, Hercules got bored along the way and returned halfway. And just then a new task arrived: Efristheus wanted to get himself a Cretan bull. By that time, the animal had already gone crazy and became the thunderstorm of Crete, but its fame as an incredibly beautiful animal spread throughout many lands. In addition, Eurystheus hoped to tame the famous bull and get noble offspring from him, which would make his herds the most prolific.

Hercules obeyed the order and set sail for Crete, but a grandiose storm awaited him along the way. This storm, according to some versions, was the work of Hera, the wife of Zeus, who did not abandon her attempts to kill the illegitimate offspring of her husband, or at least make it difficult for him to complete the task he received. Hercules survived, but stormy waves and a strong wind carried him along with his companions not just anywhere, but to Egypt. Here they were seized and even tried to be sacrificed to the Egyptian gods, but, of course, nothing came of this venture. Hercules killed all opponents, captured a high-speed ship and on the second attempt nevertheless reached Crete. What happened next was already a matter of technique: with the consent of Minos, who dreamed of getting rid of the recalcitrant bull, Hercules went hunting.

He jumped on the back of the Cretan bull and twisted its horns with a large chain. The bull tried to throw off the hero, but he held on tight. In desperation, the bull, once out of the sea, rushed into his native element, hoping to drown Hercules. But the son of Zeus humbled the animal and on his broad back swam to the Peloponnese. Here he hobbled the bull and brought it to Eurystheus, who was impressed by the strength and beauty of the bull.

However, he did not stay long in the herds of the Mycenaean king: either due to an oversight of the shepherds, or on the unreasonable order of the king, the bull broke free, again fell into madness and began to destroy the Greek lands. The bull ran north from Mycenae and reached Attica. Here he was met by Theseus, who killed him, thus completing his "family feat": after defeating his son, the Minotaur, he also defeated his father, the Cretan bull. However, Hercules was already a little worried, as well as the fact that he had to share the laurels of the winner of the Cretan bull with Theseus: the main thing is that he fulfilled the next task of Eurystheus and became one step closer to freedom.

Alexander Babitsky