The great Greek hero Heracles was the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alkmena, daughter of King Mycenae. From the birth of Heracles was pursued by Zeus' wife, goddess Hera, who was angry that her husband had entered into a relationship with Alkmena. In day before a birth Heracles Zeus has declared, that the baby which will appear first in these days in a sort of descendants of Perseus, will dominate over all relatives. Hera, having learned about it, hastened the birth of the wife of Perseid Sfenel, who gave birth to a weak and cowardly Eurystheus. Zeus had to agree that Hercules, born after that, would submit to Eurystheus, but not for the rest of his life, but only until he performed 6 great deeds in his service.ercules kills the German lion. Copy of the statue of Lisippe
The first feat of Hercules (summary)
Heracles strangled a huge German lion, who was born of the monsters Tiffon and Ehidna and made devastation in Argolid. Heracles' arrows bounced off the lion's thick skin, but the hero stunned the beast with a stick and strangled it with his hands. In memory of this first feat Heracles established the German Games, which were celebrated in the ancient Peloponnese once every two years. (For more details, see a separate article, Heracles' first feat, the Nemesis Lion.)
Hercules kills the German lion. Copy of the statue of Lisippe
The second feat of Hercules (brief summary)
Heracles killed a Lernean hydra, a monster with the body of a snake and 9 dragon heads, which crawled out of the swamp near the city of Lerne, killing people and destroying entire herds. In place of each cut-off head of the hero of the hydra grew two new ones, until Heracles' assistant, Iolai, began to burn the hydra neck with burning trunks of trees. He also killed a giant cancer, which came out of the swamp to help the hydra. In the poisonous bile of the Lernese hydra, Hercules soaked his arrows, making them deadly. (For more details, see a separate article, Heracles' second feat, the Lernaean Hydra.)
Heracles' second feat is the fight against the Lernaean Hydra. Painting A. Pollyolo, ok. 1475
The third feat of Hercules (summary)
Steamphalian birds attacked people and livestock, tearing them apart with copper claws and beaks. They also dropped killer bronze feathers from a height like arrows. The goddess Athena gave Hercules two thympanas, the sounds of which scared the birds. When those flocks took off, Hercules shot some of them with an onion, and the rest of them flew horrified to the shores of Pontus Euxindianus (Black Sea) and never returned to Greece again. (For more details, see a separate article, Heracles' third feat, the Steamphalian Birds.)
Hercules and Steamphalian birds. Statue A. Bourdelle, 1909
The fourth feat of Hercules (summary)
The Kerine fallow deer with golden horns and copper legs, sent as a punishment to people by the goddess Artemis, never knowing fatigue, was running through Arcadia and devastated the fields. Heracles pursued the fallow deer on the run for a year, reaching the origins of Istria (Danube) in the far north and then returning back to Hellada. Here Heracles wounded the doe with an arrow in the leg, caught it and brought it alive to Eurystheus in Mycenae. (For more details, see a separate article, Heracles' fourth feat, the Kerine deer.)
Heracles' fourth feat is the Kerine deer
Fifth heroic deed of Hercules (summary)
The monstrously powerful Erymanthian wild boar was horrifying to all surroundings. On his way to the battle with him, Heracles visited his friend, Fole's centaur. He treated the hero to wine, making the rest of the centaurs angry, for the wine belonged to them all, not to Fall alone. The Centaurs rushed on Hercules, but he fired an archery and forced the attackers to hide at Chiron's Centaur. Pursuing the Centaurs, Heracles burst into the cave of Chiron and accidentally killed many Greek myths with an arrow of this wise hero.
Having found an Erymanthian wild boar, Heracles drove him into deep snow and he got stuck there. The hero took the tied boar to Mycenae, where the frightened Eurystheus at the sight of this monster hid in a large jug. (For more details, see a separate article, Heracles' Fifth feat, the Erimanthian wild boar.)
The sixth feat of Hercules (short summary)
King Elisha Abgius, son of the sun god Helios, received from his father numerous flocks of white and red bulls. His huge cattle yard had not been cleaned for 30 years. Hercules offered to clean the stall in a day, asking for a tenth of his flock in return. Considering that the hero could not cope with the work in one day, he agreed. Heracles blocked the dam of the river Alphaeus and Pena and took their water to the cattle yard of Avgii - all the manure was washed away from him in a day.
The sixth feat is Hercules cleaning the stables of Augia. Roman mosaic of the III century by R. H. from Valencia