Hercules was a Greek hero known for
being the strongest of all of the immortals. Where he makes up in strength, he
lacks intelligence and wisdom. Hercules
is the last mortal child of Zeus. His
mother was Alcmene. Alcmene was married to Amphitryon, the king of the Thebes.
Zeus disguised himself as Amphitryon. Alcmene had twins, Hercules and Iphicles.
The
goddess, Hera, did not like Hercules and determined to hurt him. She made him
go insane and during this insanity, Hercules killed his family. He prayed to
Apollo for guidance and he was told that he was to serve Eurystheus for twelve
years for punishment for the murders he committed.
For Hercules’s first labor he was
ordered to kill a lion that’s skin was impenetrable. He reached the city of
Nemea and went off to kill the lion. He picked up a club and went into a cave
to kill the lion. When he reached it he used his strength and killed the lion
by strangling it. Hercules, along with Molorchus sacrificed the lion to the
god, Zeus. Hercules kept the lion skin in case he needed it throughout other labors
he would have to go on.
For the second labor, Hercules had
to kill the Lernean Hydra. The Hydra is a nine headed serpent. It attacks with
poisonous venom. It is very difficult to kill because the nine heads on the
monster are immortal. Hercules’s nephew went and assisted him throughout this
labor, and he accompanies Hercules on other labors too. Iolaus, his nephew, was
known for winning a chariot race on Olympus and was also known as Hercules’s
charioteer. Hercules went into the cave and attacked the Hydra, but when he
decapitated one head, two heads would grow back in place. Hercules then
continued attacking the Hydra, but Iolaus took a torch to the neck and
prevented it from growing back. Hercules successfully completed his second
labor.
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