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Revision as of 09:31, 13 September 2010 by Theelf29 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) This article is about the Greek myth. For the short story collection by Agatha Christie, see The Labours of Hercules.
The Twelve Labours of Heracles (Greek: Δωδεκαθλος, dodekathlos) are a series of archaic episodes connected by a later continuous narrative, concerning a penance carried out by the greatest of the Greek heroes, Heracles, romanised as Hercules. The establishment of a fixed cycle of twelve labours was attributed by the Greeks to an epic poem, now lost, written by Peisander, dated about 600 BC (Burkert).
The labours
As they survive, the Labours of Heracles (Latinized as "Hercules") are not told in any single place, but must be reassembled from many sources. Ruck and Staples assert that there is no one way to interpret the labours, but that six were located in the Peloponnese, culminating with the rededication of Olympia. Six others took the hero farther afield. In each case, the pattern was the same: Heracles was sent to kill or subdue, or to fetch back for Hera's representative Eurystheus a magical animal or plant. "The sites selected were all previously strongholds of Hera or the 'Goddess' and were Entrances to the Netherworld".
A famous depiction of the labours in Greek sculpture is found on the metopes of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, which dates back to the 450s BC.
In his labours, Heracles was often accompanied by a companion (an eromenos), according to Licymnius and others, such as Iolaus, his nephew. Although he was only supposed to perform ten labours, this assistance led to him suffering two more. Eurystheus didn't count the Hydra, because Iolaus helped him, or the Augean stables, as he received payment for his work, or because the rivers did the work.
A traditional order of the labours found in Apollodorus is:
- 1. Slay the Nemean lion.
- 2. Slay the 9-headed Lernaean Hydra.
- 3. Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis.
- 4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
- 5. Clean the Augean stables in a single day.
- 6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
- 7. Capture the Cretan Bull.
- 8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
- 9. Obtain the Girdle of the Amazon Queen.
- 10. Obtain the Cattle of the Monster Geryon.
- 11. Steal the Apples of the Hesperides.
- 12. Capture and bring back Cerberus.
After Heracles had finished these twelve treacherous tasks he was given the gift of immortality by Zeus, his father after Hera had forgiven him and given him her daughter Hebe for his bride.
Notes
- ^ Ruck, Carl (1994). The World of Classical Myth. Durham, NC, USA: Carolina Academic Press. p. 169.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|co-authors=ignored (help) - Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheke 2.5.1-2.5.12.
References
- Burkert, Walter (1985). Greek Religion. Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press.
External links
- Livius.org - Livius Picture Archive: Labours of Heracles
- Tufst.edu - The Labours of Hercules at the Perseus Digital Library
- Gallery of Public Domain Book Engravings Depicting the Twelve Labours of Hercules
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