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The Twelve Labours of Herakles, are a series of stories connected by a continuous narrative, concerning a penance carried out by Herakles.

The narrative

Zeus, having made Alcmene pregnant with Herakles, proclaimed that the next son born of the house of Perseus would become king. Hera, Zeus' consort, hearing this, caused Eurystheus to be born two months early as he was of the house of Perseus, while Herakles, also of the house, was three months overdue. When he found out what had been done, Zeus was furious; however, his rash proclamation still stood.

In a fit of madness, induced by Hera, Herakles slew his wife and children; the fit then passed. Realising what he had done, he isolated himself, going into the wilderness and living alone. He was found (by his brother Iphicles) and convinced to visit the Oracle at Delphi. The Oracle told him that as a penance he would have to perform a series of ten tasks set by King Eurystheus,the man who had taken Herakles' birthright, the man he hated the most.

The labours vary in order (usually only mildly) between versions of the myth. The most usual order is

• 1 - Slay the Nemean Lion and bring back its skin.
• 2 - Slay the Lernaean Hydra.
• 3 - Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
• 4 - Capture the Cerynian Hind.
• 5 - Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
• 6 - Clean the Augean stables in one day.
• 7 - Capture the Cretan Bull.
• 8 - Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
• 9 - Obtain the Girdle of Hippolyte.
• 10 - Obtain the Cattle of Geryon
• 11 - Steal the Apples of the Hesperides
• 12 - Capture Cerberus

In his labours, Heracles was often accompanied by his friend, according to some, Licymnius, or by others Iolaus, his boyfriend (an eromenos) and 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 (in other versions it is because the rivers did the work).

Inner meaning

Behind its outer meaning, Greek religion often hid an inner mystical tradition, and thus the labours could be interpreted as a symbolization of the spiritual path. This is particularly evident in an analysis of the eleventh, in which Hercules travels to a garden in which grows an apple tree with magical fruit, guarded by a snake - a clear parallel to the biblical legend of the garden of Eden. The last 3 labours (10-12) of Herakles are generally considered metaphors about death.

Geographic locations

Pointing to a possible location for their origin, or at least their formalisation, is the fact that most of the geographic locations, are all located in, or on the borders of Arcadia.

• the town of Nemia, close by, and west of, Argo (the capital of Arcadia).
• lake Lerna to the south (which is now dry)
• the mountain Erymanthos, currently also called Olonos. Nearby is the mountain Pholus (which has the name of an incidental character in the story of the Erymanthian Boar). Pholus is nearer to Argo, and would be passed on the way.
• the town Ceryneia, in the far North West of the Peloponnese, 55 from Argo
• lake Stymphalia, close by, and west of, Nemia. In ancient times it was marshy.
• the river Alphaeus (in the Augean Stable myth) feeds the bay at Argo. It drains the mountains but runs mostly underground, thus was seen as having been diverted.
• the city of Sparta to the south west. It features as the entrance to the underworld in the labours myth, which may be a satirical comment on Spartan culture.

The other named locations have their own reasons for featuring.

• Crete is the setting for the legend of the Minotaur, particularly also associated with Argo. A bull-myth finds a perfect setting there.
• Thrace is the location given for Diomedes, the son of Mars, god of War. Thrace was at war with early Greece.
• Erythia is an invented symbolic location, described as being west, beyond the pillars of herakles (Cadiz and Gibralter). By being west of the world (since the Atlantic counted as the edge of the world), the direction the sun goes to set in, it is symbolic of the heavens and of the afterlife.

Connection to the Zodiac

The labours also have a strong connection to the constellations encountered by the transit of the sun through the year, many being connected to the zodiac. most of them having an association with one constellation, and as a whole, representing the passage of the sun (personified as Herakles) through the year and the zodiac. Starting at the zodiac contellation of leo, and passing through each zodiac sign in the order the sun passes through them,

• Leo was said by the greeks to have been the The Nemean Lion, placed in the sky after Herakles' slaying of it.
• When the sun is in the sign of Virgo, the constellation Hydra finally sets. The greeks considered that the hydra and the crab, of the Lernaean Hydra story, were put into the sky after Herakles slew them (the crab as the constellation Cancer). The crab is thought to be a later addition to the story to associate it with the constellation of Cancer, and thus this story equally can take place in the sign of Cancer, where the dragon (the constellation Draco, which was originally joined to the constellation Hydra) sets.
• When the sun is in the sign of Libra, the constellation Centaurus finally sets. The greeks considered that the centaur Chiron, who was accidentally poisoned and died due to Herakles, while herakles took a detour from hunting the Erymanthian Boar, was put in the sky as a mark of pity. The greeks did not consider Libra as a seperate constellation (considering it part of Scorpio), it is uncertain as to what took its place, but it may have been Centaurus, since it is a large constellation in the approximate area. The constellation Lupus is next after Centaurus in the sun's transit, also setting in Libra, and was to the Greeks an arbitrary hunted animal (Therion)- it became a wolf under the Romans. Centaurus appears to have fired an arrow, the constellation Sagitta, towards Aquila, the eagle that tortured Prometheus, thus appearing to release Prometheus from his torment.
• When the sun is in the sign of Scorpio, the constellation Hercules rises. The greeks referred to the constellation of Hercules as the Stag (hind is another word for stag), the identification of the constellation with Hercules was made by the Romans. Immediately next to the constellation Hercules, is the constellation Sagitta, the arrow, the owner of which varies amongst the various versions of each part of greek mythology. Artemis (to whom the Cerynthian Stag was sacred, causing her to draw an arrow at Herakles), is a key player in the myth discussing the origin of Scorpio and death of Orion.
• When the sun is in the sign of Sagittarius, the constellations Lyra, Aquila, and Cygnus, rise. Aquila is an eagle, and Cygnus is a swan, wheras Lyra is a lyre, but originally Lyra was a vulture, gaining the lyre over time, and eventually becoming it. At this time of year (i.e. during Sagittarius), the evenings darken, and thus the bird constellation were considered evil. Also around this time, the rain season in Greece starts, creating swampland from previously drier areas. To the Greeks, Sagittarius (the constellation) had various different interpretations, including as a rattle, but not including a whole archer (which was the interpretation of the Romans). Also, the next constellation on the sun's transit after the birds is Delphinus, whose myth concerns the saving of Arion, a court musician, by a dolphin. Herakles scared off the Symphalian Birds (who lived in a swamp) with noise.
• The Romans gave the constellation of Capricorn its name, taking it from part of a myth also concerning Pisces. To the Greeks, it was called the Augean Stable, since the sun appears goes to rest (i.e. stable) there during winter, and the sun appears heading towards the North West at this time (where Augeas was living). Since this time was so dark, early greek religious ideas were that the darkness of the sky was due to the accumulation of sin throughout the year. These sins were said to be washed away as the sun arose again, and quite possibly the idea was taken literally, and connected to a river, in the case of the relevant part of the myth of Herakles' labours.