by Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Thu May 29, 2003 1:09 pm
Khairete
One of my favorite myths are the 12 labours of Herakles. These myths show us that heroes are also humans. Harkles maybe the strongest halfgod, but he is also part human. He didn't do the labours because he had a good heart. Apollo through the Pythia ordered him to work for his cousin when he had killed his wife and children in order to purify himself. Its a shame what the producers of Hercules: the legendary journeys did with the hero. I admit: it was a fresh approach, but to me they damaged the integrity of both the hero as of mythology.
HERAKLES
Herakles was the son of Zeus and Alkmene. As Hera was always hostile to the offspring of her husband by mortal mothers, she declared war against Hercules from his birth. She sent two serpents to destroy him as he lay in his cradle, but the precocious infant strangled them with his own hands. He was, however, by the arts of Hera rendered subject to Eurystheos and compelled to perform all his commands. Eurystheos enjoined upon him a succession of desperate adventures, which are called the "Twelve Labours of Herakles."
The Nemean Lion
The first was the fight with the Nemean lion. The valley of Nemea was infested by a terrible lion. Eurystheos ordered Herakles to bring him the skin of this monster. After using in vain his club and arrows against the lion, Herakles strangled the animal with his hands. He returned carrying the dead lion on his shoulders; but Eurystheos was so frightened at the sight of it and at this proof of the prodigious strength of the hero, that he ordered him to deliver the account of his exploits in future outside the town.
The Hydra
His next labour was the slaughter of the Hydra. This monster ravaged the country of Argos, and dwelt in a swamp near the well of Amymone. This well had been discovered by Amymone when the country was suffering from drought, and the story was that Poseidon, who loved her, had permitted her to touch the rock with his trident, and a spring of three outlets burst forth. Here the Hydra took up his position, and Herakles was sent to destroy him. The Hydra had nine heads, of which the middle one was immortal. Herakles struck off its heads with his club, but in the place of the head knocked off, two new ones grew forth each time. At length with the assistance of his faithful servant Iolaos, he burned away the heads of the Hydra, and buried the ninth or immortal one under a huge rock.
The Augian Stables
Another labour was the cleaning of the Augian stables. Augias, king of Elis, had a herd of three thousand oxen, whose stalls had not been cleansed for thirty years. Herakles brought the rivers Alpheos and Peneos through them, and cleansed them thoroughly in one day.
Herakles & the belt of Hippolyta
His next labour was of a more delicate kind. Admeta, the daughter of Eurystheos, longed to obtain the belt of the queen of the Amazons, and Eurystheus ordered Herakles to go and get it. The Amazons were a nation of women. They were very warlike and held several flourishing cities. It was their custom to bring up only the female children; the boys were either sent away to the neighbouring nations or put to death. Herakles was accompanied by a number of volunteers, and after various adventures at last reached the country of the Amazons. Hippolyta, the queen, received him kindly, and consented to yield him her girdle, but Hera, taking the form of an Amazon, went and persuaded the rest that the strangers were carrying off their queen. They instantly armed and came in great numbers down to the ship. Herakles, thinking that Hippolyta, had acted treacherously, slew her, and taking her girdle made sail homewards.
The cattle of Geryoneos
Another task enjoined him was to bring to Eurystheos the oxen of Geryoneos, a monster with three bodies, who dwelt in the island of Erytheia (the red), so called because it lay at the west, under the rays of the setting sun. This description is thought to apply to Spain, of which Geryoneos was king. After traversing various countries, Herakles reached at length the frontiers of Libya and Europe, where he raised the two mountains of Calpe and Abyla, as monuments of his progress, or, according to another account, rent one mountain into two and left half on each side, forming the straits of Gibralter, the two mountains being called the pillars of Herakles. The oxen were guarded by the giant Eurytion and his two-headed dog, but Herakles killed the giant and his dog and brought away the oxen in safety to Eurystheos.
The Golden Apples
The most difficult labour of all was getting the golden apples of the Herakles, for Herakles did not know where to find them. These werethe apples which Hera had received at her wedding from the goddess of the Earth (Gaia), and which she had intrusted to the keeping of the daughters of Hesperos, assisted by a watchful dragon. After various adventures Herakles arrived at Mount Atlas in Africa. Atlas was one of the Titans who had warred against the gods, and after they were subdued, Atlas was condemned to bear on his shoulders the weight of the heavens. He was the father of the Hesperides, and Herakles thought might, if any one could, find the apples and bring them to him. But how to send Atlas away from his post, or bear up the heavens while he was gone? Herakles took the burden on his own shoulders, and sent Atlas to seek the apples. He returned with them, and though somewhat reluctantly, took his burden upon his shoulders again, and let Hercules return with the apples to Eurystheos.
A celebrated exploit of Herakles was his victory over Anteos. Antaeos, the son of Gaia, the Earth, was a mighty giant and wrestler, whose strength was invincible so long as he remained in contact with his mother Earth. He compelled all strangers who came to his country to wrestle with him, on condition that if conquered (as they all were) they should be put to death. Herakles encountered him, and finding that it was of no avail to throw him, for he always rose with renewed strength from every fall, he lifted him up from the earth and strangled him in the air.
Kakos was a huge giant, who inhabited a cave on Mount Aventine, and plundered the surrounding country. When Herakles was driving home the oxen of Geryoneos, Kakos stole part of the cattle, while the hero slept. That their footprints might not serve to show where they had been driven, be dragged them backward by their tails to his cave; so their tracks all seemed to show that they had gone in the opposite direction. Herakles was deceived by this stratagem, and would have failed to find his oxen, if it had not happened that in driving the remainder of the herd past the cave where the stolen ones were concealed, those within began to low, and were thus discovered. Kakos was slain by Herakles.
Herakles & Cerberos
The last exploit we shall record was bringing Cerberos from the lower world. Herakles descended into Hades, accompanied by Hermes and Athena. He obtained permission from Plouton (Hades) to carry Cerberus to the upper air, provided he could do it without the use of weapons; and in spite of the monster's struggling, he seized him, held him fast, and carried him to Eurystheos, and afterwards brought him back again. When he was in Hades he obtained the liberty of Theseos, his admirer and imitator, who had been detained a prisoner there for an unsuccessful attempt to carry off Persephone.
I think i forgot a couple of labours but i will post them later.
Quintus Aurelius Orcus
Rector ColRel
Rogator
Princeps gentis Aureliae