Greek Animals in the Twelve Labors (W1, W2)

Throughout Greek mythology, there are many mythical animals. These are mostly seen in the twelve labors performed by Hercules in order to pay back his debt for killing his family after going insane due to Hera’s jealousy and her response to that jealousy. Some of these animals seen in the twelve labors are the Nemean Lion, Lernaean Hydra, Ceryneian Hind, Erymanthian Boar, Stymphalian Birds, Cretan Bull, Mares of Diomedes, Cattle of Geryon, and Cereberus.

                The Nemean Lion was a vicious monster that lived in Nemea. Its skin is impenetrable and is not affected by mortal weapons. Its claws were sharper that mortals’ swords and could cut through any armor. It was defeated by being strangled.

                The Lernaean Hydra was a serpent-like sea monster. It had five heads, and whenever as head was cut off in some way, it would regrow two more than it originally had. The Hydra was the guardian of the entrance to the underworld that was underwater. Its home was at the lake of Lerna. It was extremely poisonious.

                The Ceryneian Hind was a giant deer. It was the sacred animal to Artemis, animals, and unmarried women. It had golden antlers and it had hooves of either bronze or brass. It was believed to be very quick; it could outrun any arrow. It was also called the Cerynitis or the Golden Hind. It lived throughout Greece.

                The next animal Hercules faced was the Erymanthian Boar. The Erymanthian Boar was a giant boar that was loyal to the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. Whenever she would get angry, at a town for example, she would set it free and have it destroy the fields that the town had for their food supply. The Erymanthian Boar, along with many of these animals is seen in the Percy Jackson series. It showcases Greek mythology in a mystery novel, which is not often seen.

                The Stymphalian Birds were flesh-eating birds whose beaks were made of bronze. Their feathers were very sharp and were used as weapons against their enemies. These birds were pets of the god of war, Ares, and they dramatically affected mankind. They eventually migrated into a lake in Arcadia to escape a dangerous pack of wolves that were affecting their living climate. They soon bred and destroyed a lot of property, such as local crops, the countryside, fruit trees, and even the townspeople were affected by these birds.

                The Cretan Bull was the next animal seen in Hercules’ twelve labors. The Cretan Bull is seen in two situations. In some cases, it was believed to be the bull that carried Europa away. In the other situation, which is seen more commonly, it is the bull Pasiphae fell in love with. This was caused by Poseidon.  Poseidon told the king, Pasiphae’s husband, that every year he was to sacrifice his best bull. One year, instead of sacrificing his best one, he sacrificed one of lesser beauty and this angered the sea god. In anger and revenge, Poseidon caused Pasiphae to fall in love with the bull that the king did not sacrifice. This resulted in the birth of the Minotaur, which is half-bull and half-mortal. This monster lives in the labyrinth that Daedalus built for the king. It is very destructive.

                The Mares of Diomedes were man-eating horses that belonged to Diomedes, a giant. Alexander the Great’s horse was seen as a descendent of these mares. At the end of this labor of Hercules, Hercules ended up feeding Diomedes to the horses before leaving to receive his next labor, which is to get the belt of Hippolyta, but Hera didn’t want that to happen.