On the way back to Tiryns from the country of the Amazons, Hercules arrived on ships with his army to Troy. A heavy sight appeared before the eyes of the heroes when they landed on the shore near Troy. They saw the beautiful daughter of the king of Troy, Laomedont, Hesion, chained to a rock near the seashore. She was doomed, like Andromeda, to be torn to pieces by a monster emerging from the sea. This monster was sent as a punishment to Laomedon by Poseidon for refusing to pay him and Apollo a fee for the construction of the walls of Troy. The proud king, who, according to the verdict of Zeus, had to serve both gods, even threatened to cut off their ears if they demanded payment. Then, the angry Apollo sent a terrible pestilence to all the possessions of Laomedont, and Poseidon - a monster that devastated, sparing no one, the surroundings of Troy. Only by sacrificing the life of his daughter could Laomedon save his country from a terrible disaster. Against his will, he had to chain his daughter Hesion to a rock by the sea.

Seeing the unfortunate girl, Hercules volunteered to save her, and for the salvation of Hesion, he demanded from Laomedont as a reward for those horses that the Thunderer Zeus gave to the king of Troy as a ransom for his son Ganymede. He was once kidnapped by the eagle of Zeus and carried to Olympus. Laomedon agreed to Hercules' demands. The great hero ordered the Trojans to build a rampart on the seashore and hid behind it. As soon as Hercules took cover behind the rampart, a monster emerged from the sea and, opening its huge mouth, rushed at Hesion. With a loud cry, Hercules ran out from behind the shaft, rushed at the monster and plunged his double-edged sword deep into his chest. Heracles saved Hesiona.

When the son of Zeus demanded the promised reward from Laomedont, it became a pity for the king to part with the marvelous horses, he did not give them to Hercules and even drove him away with threats from Troy. Hercules left the possession of Laomedont, holding his anger deep in his heart. Now he could not take revenge on the king who had deceived him, since his army was too small and the hero could not hope to soon capture impregnable Troy. Stay long under Troy great son Zeus could not - he had to rush with Hippolyta's belt to Mycenae.



Cows of Geryon

(tenth feat)

Shortly after returning from a campaign in the country of the Amazons, Hercules set off on a new feat. Eurystheus instructed him to drive to Mycenae the cows of the great Geryon, the son of Chrysaor and the Oceanid Kalliroi. Far was the way to Geryon. Hercules had to reach himself western edge earth, those places where the radiant sun god Helios descends from the sky at sunset. Hercules went on a long journey alone. He passed through Africa, through the barren deserts of Libya, through the countries wild barbarians and finally reached the ends of the earth. Here he erected two giant stone pillars on both sides of the narrow sea strait as an eternal monument to his feat.

After this, Hercules had to wander a lot more, until he reached the shores of the gray Ocean. In thought, the hero sat on the shore near the ever-noisy waters of the Ocean. How was it possible for him to reach the island of Eritheia, where Geryon pastured his flocks? The day was already drawing to a close. Here appeared the chariot of Helios, descending to the waters of the Ocean. The bright rays of Helios blinded Hercules, and an unbearable, scorching heat enveloped him. Hercules jumped up in anger and grabbed his formidable bow, but bright Helios did not get angry, he smiled affably at the hero, he liked the extraordinary courage of the great son of Zeus. Helios himself invited Hercules to cross to Eritheia in a golden boat, in which the sun god sailed every evening with his horses and chariot from the western to the eastern edge of the earth to his golden palace. The delighted hero boldly jumped into the golden boat and quickly reached the shores of Eritheia.

As soon as he landed on the island, the formidable two-headed dog Orfo sensed him and rushed at the hero with barking. Hercules killed him with one blow of his heavy club. Not only Orfo guarded the herds of Gerion. Hercules also had to fight with the shepherd of Gerion, the giant Eurytion. The son of Zeus quickly coped with the giant and drove the cows of Gerion to the seashore, where the golden boat of Helios stood. Gerion heard the lowing of his cows and went to the herd. Seeing that his dog Orfo and the giant Eurytion were killed, he chased after the stealer of the herd and overtook him on the seashore. Gerion was a monstrous giant: he had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs. He covered himself with three shields during the battle, he immediately threw three huge spears at the enemy. Hercules had to fight with such a giant, but the great warrior Pallas Athena helped him. As soon as Hercules saw him, he immediately shot his deadly arrow at the giant. An arrow pierced the eye of one of Gerion's heads. The first arrow was followed by the second, followed by the third. Hercules waved menacingly with his all-destroying club, like lightning, the hero Geryon struck it, and the three-bodied giant fell to the ground like a lifeless corpse. Hercules transported the cows of Geryon from Eritheia in the golden boat of Helios across the stormy Ocean and returned the boat to Helios. Half of the feat was over.

Much work lay ahead. It was necessary to drive the bulls to Mycenae. Through all of Spain, through the Pyrenees, through Gaul and the Alps, through Italy, Hercules drove the cows. In southern Italy, near the city of Rhegium, one of the cows escaped from the herd and swam across the strait to Sicily. There, King Eriks, the son of Poseidon, saw her, and took the cow into his herd. Hercules searched for a cow for a long time. Finally, he asked the god Hephaestus to guard the herd, and he crossed over to Sicily and there he found his cow in the herd of King Eriks. The king did not want to return her to Hercules; hoping for his strength, he challenged Hercules to single combat. The winner was to be rewarded with a cow. Eriks could not afford such an opponent as Hercules. The son of Zeus squeezed the king in his mighty arms and strangled him. Hercules returned with a cow to his herd and drove him further. On the shores of the Ionian Sea, the goddess Hera sent rabies to the whole herd. The mad cows ran in all directions. Only with great difficulty Hercules caught most of the cows already in Thrace and finally drove them to Eurystheus in Mycenae. Eurystheus sacrificed them to the great goddess Hera.

Kerberos

(eleventh feat)

As soon as Heracles returned to Tiryns, Eurystheus sent him again to the feat. This was already the eleventh feat that Hercules was to perform in the service of Eurystheus. Hercules had to overcome incredible difficulties during this feat. He was supposed to descend into the gloomy, full of horrors, the underworld of Hades and bring to Eurystheus the guardian of the underworld, the terrible hell hound Kerber. Kerberos had three heads, snakes wriggled around his neck, his tail ended in the head of a dragon with a huge mouth. Hercules went to Laconia and through the gloomy abyss at Tenar descended into the darkness of the underworld. At the very gates of the kingdom of Hades, Hercules saw the heroes Theseus and Perithous, king of Thessaly, rooted to the rock. The gods punished them so because they wanted to steal his wife Persephone from Hades. Theseus prayed to Hercules:

- Oh, great son of Zeus, free me! You see my suffering! You alone can save me from them!

Hercules extended his hand to Theseus and freed him. When he wanted to free Perifoy as well, the earth trembled, and Hercules realized that the gods did not want his release. Hercules submitted to the will of the gods and went on into the darkness of eternal night. The herald of the gods Hermes, the conductor of the souls of the dead, entered the underworld kingdom of Hercules, and the beloved daughter of Zeus herself, Pallas Athena, was the companion of the great hero. When Hercules entered the kingdom of Hades, the shadows of the dead scattered in horror. Only the shadow of the hero Meleager did not run at the sight of Hercules. With a prayer she turned to the great son of Zeus:

- Oh, great Hercules, I pray you for one thing in memory of our friendship, take pity on my orphaned sister, beautiful Dejanira! She remained defenseless after my death. Take her as your wife, great hero! Be her protector!

Hercules promised to fulfill the request of a friend and went further after Hermes. The shadow of the terrible Gorgon Medusa rose towards Hercules, she menacingly stretched out her copper hands and waved her golden wings, snakes stirred on her head. The fearless hero grabbed the sword, but Hermes stopped him with the words:

- Do not grab the sword, Hercules! After all, it's just an ethereal shadow! She doesn't threaten you with death!

Hercules saw many horrors on his way; finally, he appeared before the throne of Hades. The ruler of the kingdom of the dead and his wife Persephone looked with delight at the great son of the Thunderer Zeus, who fearlessly descended into the kingdom of darkness and sorrow. He, majestic, calm, stood before the throne of Hades, leaning on his huge club, in a lion's skin draped over his shoulders, and with a bow over his shoulders. Hades graciously greeted the son of his great brother Zeus and asked what made him leave the light of the sun and descend into the kingdom of darkness. Bowing before Hades, Hercules answered:

- Oh, the ruler of the souls of the dead, the great Hades, do not be angry with me for my request, all-powerful! You know that it was not of my own free will that I came to your kingdom, not of my own will, I will ask you. Let me, Lord Hades, take your three-headed dog Kerberos to Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to do this, whom I serve at the command of the bright Olympian gods.

Hades replied to the hero:

- I will fulfill, son of Zeus, your request; but you must tame Cerberus without weapons. If you tame him, then I will let you take him to Eurystheus.

For a long time Heracles searched for Kerberos in the underworld. Finally, he found him on the banks of the Acheron. Hercules wrapped his arms, strong as steel, around the neck of Cerberus. The dog Aida howled menacingly; the whole underworld was filled with his howl. He struggled to escape from the arms of Hercules, but only the mighty hands of the hero squeezed the neck of Kerberos more tightly. Kerber wrapped his tail around the hero's legs, the dragon's head dug its teeth into his body, but all in vain. The mighty Hercules squeezed his neck harder and harder. Finally, the half-strangled dog Aida fell at the feet of the hero. Hercules tamed him and led him from the kingdom of darkness to Mycenae. Frightened by daylight Kerberos; he was covered with cold sweat, poisonous foam dripped from his three mouths onto the ground; wherever a drop of foam dripped, poisonous herbs grew.

Hercules brought Kerberos to the walls of Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus was horrified at one glance at scary dog. Almost on his knees, he begged Hercules to take back to the kingdom of Hades Kerberos. Hercules fulfilled his request and returned Hades to his terrible guard Cerberus.

Apples of the Hesperides

(twelfth feat)

The most difficult feat of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus was his last, twelfth feat. He had to go to the great titan Atlas, who holds the vault of heaven on his shoulders, and get three golden apples from his gardens, which were watched by the daughters of Atlas, the Hesperides. These apples grew on a golden tree grown by the goddess of the earth Gaia as a gift great Hera on the day of her marriage to Zeus. To accomplish this feat, it was necessary first of all to find out the way to the gardens of the Hesperides, guarded by a dragon who never closed his eyes to sleep.

Nobody knew the way to the Hesperides and Atlas. Hercules wandered for a long time through Asia and Europe, he passed through all the countries that he had passed before along the way for the cows of Gerion; everywhere Hercules asked about the way, but no one knew him. In his search, he went to the farthest north, to the Eridanus River, forever rolling its stormy, boundless waters. On the banks of Eridanus, beautiful nymphs met the great son of Zeus with honor and gave him advice on how to find out the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Hercules was supposed to surprise the prophetic old man Nereus when he came ashore from the depths of the sea, and learn from him the way to the Hesperides; except Nereus, no one knew this way. Hercules searched for Nemeus for a long time. Finally, he managed to find Nereus on the seashore. Hercules attacked the sea god. The struggle with the sea god was difficult. To free himself from the iron embrace of Hercules, Nereus took on all sorts of forms, but still the hero did not let him out. Finally, he tied the weary Nereus, and in order to gain freedom, the sea god had to reveal to Hercules the secret of the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Having learned this secret, the son of Zeus released the sea elder and set off on a long journey.

Again he had to go through Libya. Here he met the giant Antey, the son of Poseidon, the god of the seas, and the goddess of the earth, Gaia, who gave birth to him, nurtured and raised him. Antaeus forced all travelers to fight him and mercilessly killed everyone he defeated in the fight. The giant demanded that Hercules also fight him. No one could defeat Antaeus in single combat, not knowing the secret from where the giant received more and more strength during the struggle. The secret was this: when Antaeus felt that he was beginning to lose strength, he touched the earth, his mother, and his strength was renewed: he drew them from his mother, the great goddess of the earth. But as soon as Antaeus was torn off the ground and lifted into the air, his strength disappeared. Hercules fought for a long time with Antaeus. several times he knocked him to the ground, but only Antaeus's strength increased. Suddenly, during the struggle, the mighty Hercules Anthea lifted high into the air - the strength of the son of Gaia dried up, and Hercules strangled him.

Then Hercules went and came to Egypt. There, weary long way, he fell asleep in the shade of a small grove on the banks of the Nile. The king of Egypt, the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Epaphus Lysianassa, Busiris, saw the sleeping Hercules, and ordered to bind the sleeping hero. He wanted to sacrifice Hercules to his father Zeus. For nine years there was a crop failure in Egypt; the soothsayer Thrasius, who came from Cyprus, predicted that the crop failure would stop only if Busiris annually sacrificed a foreigner to Zeus. Busiris ordered the soothsayer Thrasius to be seized and was the first to sacrifice him. From that time on, the cruel king sacrificed to the Thunderer all the strangers who came to Egypt. They also brought Hercules to the altar, but the great hero tore the ropes with which he was bound, and killed Busiris himself and his son Amphidamantus at the altar. So the cruel king of Egypt was punished.

Hercules had to meet a lot more on the way of his dangers, until he reached the ends of the earth, where the great titan Atlas stood. With amazement, the hero looked at the mighty titan, holding the entire heavenly vault on his broad shoulders.

- Oh, the great titan Atlas! - Hercules turned to him, - I am the son of Zeus, Hercules. I was sent to you by Eurystheus, the king of the rich gold of Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to get three golden apples from you from a golden tree in the gardens of the Hesperides.

“I will give you three apples, son of Zeus,” Atlas replied, “while I go after them, you must take my place and hold the heavenly vault on your shoulders.

Hercules agreed. He took the place of Atlas. An incredible weight fell on the shoulders of the son of Zeus. He exerted all his strength and held the vault of heaven. The weight was terribly pressing on the mighty shoulders of Hercules. He bent under the weight of the sky, his muscles swelled like mountains, sweat covered his entire body from tension, but superhuman strength and the help of the goddess Athena gave him the opportunity to hold the vault of heaven until Atlas returned with three golden apples. Returning, Atlas said to the hero:

- Here are three apples, Hercules; if you want, I myself will take them to Mycenae, and you hold the vault of heaven until my return; then I will take your place again.

- Hercules understood the cunning of Atlas, he realized that the titan wants to completely free himself from his hard work, and applied cunning against cunning.

“Okay, Atlas, I agree! Hercules replied. “Just let me first make myself a pillow, I’ll put it on my shoulders so that the vault of heaven doesn’t press them so terribly.

Atlas stood back in his place and shouldered the weight of the sky. Hercules raised his bow and quiver of arrows, took his club and golden apples and said:

Farewell, Atlas! I held the vault of the sky while you went for the apples of the Hesperides, but I do not want to carry the entire weight of the sky on my shoulders forever.

With these words, Hercules left the titan, and again Atlas had to hold, as before, the vault of heaven on his mighty shoulders. Hercules returned to Eurystheus and gave him the golden apples. Eurystheus gave them to Hercules, and he gave apples to his patroness, great daughter Zeus to Pallas Athena. Athena returned the apples to the Hesperides so that they would forever remain in the gardens.

After his twelfth feat, Hercules was freed from the service of Eurystheus. Now he could return to the seven gates of Thebes. But the son of Zeus did not stay there for long. Waiting for his new exploits. He gave his wife Megara as a wife to his friend Iolaus, and he himself went back to Tiryns.

But not only victories awaited him, Hercules and serious troubles awaited him, since the great goddess Hera still pursued him.

Hercules and Eurytus

On the island of Euboea, in the city of Oikhaliya, King Eurytus ruled. The glory of Eurytus, as the most skilled archer, went far throughout Greece. The archer Apollo himself was his teacher, even gave him a bow and arrows. Once, in his youth, Hercules also studied archery with Eurytus. It was this king who announced throughout Greece that he would give his beautiful daughter Iola as a wife to the hero who would defeat him in an archery contest. Hercules, who had just finished his service with Eurystheus, went to Oichalia, where many heroes of Greece gathered, and took part in the competition. Hercules easily defeated King Eurytus and demanded that he give him his daughter Iola as his wife. Evrit did not fulfill his promise. Forgetting the sacred custom of hospitality, he began to mock the great hero. He said that he would not give his daughter to the one who was a slave of Eurystheus. Finally, Eurytus and his arrogant sons drove Heracles, drunk during the feast, out of the palace and even out of Oichalia. Hercules left Oichalia. Full of deep sadness, he left Euboea, because the great hero fell in love with the beautiful Iola. Holding in his heart anger at Eurytus, who insulted him, he returned to Tiryns.

After some time, the most cunning of the Greeks, Autolycus, the son of Hermes, stole the flock from Eurytus. Eurytus blamed Hercules for this crash. The king of Oikhaliya thought that the hero had stolen his flocks, wanting to avenge the offense. Only Ifit, the eldest son of Eurytus, did not want to believe that the great Hercules could steal his father's herds. Ifit even volunteered to find the herds, if only to prove the innocence of Hercules, with whom he had the closest friendship. During the search, Ifit came to Tiryns. Hercules received his friend warmly. Once, when the two of them stood on the high walls of the fortress of Tiryns, built on a high rock, Hercules suddenly took possession of a violent anger sent against him by the great goddess Hera. Hercules remembered in anger the insult that Eurytus and his sons inflicted on him; no longer in control of himself, he seized Ifit and threw him off the wall of the fortress. The unfortunate Ifit crashed to death. This murder, committed against his will, angered Hercules Zeus, as he violated the sacred custom of hospitality and the sanctity of the bonds of friendship. As punishment, the great thunderer sent a serious illness to his son.

Hercules suffered for a long time, finally, exhausted by the disease, he went to Delphi to ask Apollo how to get rid of this punishment of the gods. But the soothsayer Pythia did not give him an answer. She even expelled Hercules from the temple as having defiled himself with murder. Enraged by this, Hercules stole from the temple a tripod from which the Pythia gave divinations. This angered Apollo. The golden-haired god appeared to Hercules and demanded the return of the tripod from him, but Hercules refused him. A fierce struggle ensued between the sons of Zeus - the immortal god Apollo and the mortal - the greatest of the heroes Hercules. Zeus did not want the death of Hercules. He threw his brilliant lightning from Olympus between his sons and, having separated them, stopped the fight. The brothers reconciled. Then the Pythia gave the following answer to Hercules:

“You will only be healed when you are sold into slavery for three years. Give the money received for you to Eurytus as a ransom for his son Ifit, who was killed by you.

Again Hercules had to lose his freedom. He was betrayed into slavery to Queen Lydia, daughter of Jardan, Omphale. Hermes himself took the money received for Hercules to Eurytus. But the proud king of Oichalia did not accept them, he remained as before an enemy of Hercules.

Hercules and Deianeira

After Eurytus drove Hercules out of Oichalia, the great hero came to Calydon, the city of Aetolia. Oinei ruled there. Hercules came to Oeneus to ask for the hand of his daughter Dejanira, as he promised Meleager to marry her in the kingdom of shadows. In Calydon, Hercules met a formidable opponent. Many heroes sought the hand of the beautiful Dejanira, and among them the river god Aheloy. Finally, Oineus decided that the hand of Dejanira would be received by the one who emerged victorious in the struggle. All suitors refused to fight the mighty Achelous. Only Hercules remained. He had to fight with the god of the river. Seeing the determination of Hercules to measure strength with him, Aheloy said to him:

- You say that you were born by Zeus and Alcmene? You lie that Zeus is your father!

And Aheloy began to mock the great son of Zeus and defame his mother Alcmene. Furrowing his brows, Hercules looked sternly at Achelous; his eyes flashed with fire of anger, and he said:

“Aheloy, my hands serve me better than my tongue!” Be a winner in words, but I will be a winner in deeds.

With a firm step, Hercules approached Achelous and clasped him with his mighty arms. The huge Aheloy stood firmly; the great Hercules could not topple him; all his efforts were in vain. So Aheloy stood, as an unshakable rock stands, and the waves of the sea do not shake it, hitting it with a thunderous noise. Hercules and Achelous are fighting chest to chest, like two bulls clinging with their crooked horns. Three times Hercules attacked Achelous, the fourth time, escaping from the hands of Achelous, the hero grabbed him from behind. Like a heavy mountain, he crushed the river god to the very ground. Aheloy could hardly, having gathered all his strength, free his hands, covered with sweat; no matter how he strained his strength, Hercules pressed him harder and harder to the ground. Aheloy bowed with a groan, his knees bent, and he touched the ground with his head. In order not to be defeated, Aheloy resorted to cunning; he turned into a snake. As soon as Aheloy turned into a snake and slipped out of the hands of Hercules, Hercules exclaimed laughing:

- Even in the cradle I learned to fight with snakes! True, you are superior to other snakes, Aheloy, but you are not equal to the Lernean hydra. Although she grew two new heads instead of a cut one, nevertheless I defeated her.

Hercules grabbed the neck of the snake with his hands and squeezed it like iron tongs. He struggled to escape from the hands of the hero Aheloy, but could not. Then he turned into a bull and again attacked Hercules. Hercules grabbed the bull-Aheloy by the horns and threw him to the ground. Hercules threw him down with such terrible force that he broke one of his horns. He was defeated by Aheloy and gave the Fires to Dejanira as a wife to Hercules.

After the wedding, Hercules remained in the palace of Oeneus; but he did not stay long with him. Once, during a feast, Hercules hit the son of Architel, Evnom, because the boy poured water on his hands, prepared for washing his feet. The blow was so strong that the boy fell dead. Hercules was saddened, and although Architel forgave him the involuntary murder of his son, the hero Calydon nevertheless left and went with his wife Dejanira and Tiryns.

During the journey, Hercules came with his wife to the river Even. Through this stormy river, the centaur Nessus transported travelers for a fee on his broad back. Nessus offered to move Deianira to the other side, and Hercules put her on the back of a centaur. The hero himself threw his club and bow to the other side and swam across the stormy river. Hercules had just come ashore, when he suddenly heard the loud cry of Dejanira. She called for help from her husband. The centaur, captivated by her beauty, wanted to kidnap her. The son of Zeus shouted menacingly to Nessus:

– Where are you running? Don't you think that your legs will save you? No, you won't be saved! No matter how fast you run, will my arrow still reach you?

Hercules pulled his bow, and an arrow flew from a tight bowstring. The deadly arrow overtook Nessus, pierced his back, and its tip went through the centaur's chest. The mortally wounded Ness fell to his knees. The stream drinks blood from his wound, mixed with the poison of the Lernean hydra. Ness did not want to die unavenged; he collected his blood and gave it to Dejanira, saying:

- Oh, daughter of Oinea, I carried you last through the turbulent waters of Even! Take my blood and keep it! If Hercules stops loving you, this blood will return his love to you, and not a single woman will be dearer to him than you, rub only Hercules' clothes with it.

She took the blood of Nessus Dejanira and hid it. Ness died. Hercules and Dejanira arrived in Tiryns and lived there until the involuntary murder of Hercules' friend Ifit forced them to leave the glorious city.

Hercules and Omphales

For the murder of Ifit, Hercules was sold into slavery to Queen Lydia Omphale. Hercules had never experienced such hardships as in the service of the proud Lydian queen. The greatest of heroes endured constant humiliation from her. It seemed that Omphala finds pleasure in bullying the son of Zeus. Dressing up Hercules in women's clothing, she made him spin and weave with her maids. The hero who struck the Lernean hydra with his heavy club, the hero who brought the terrible Cerberus from the kingdom of Hades, strangled the Nemean lion with his hands and held the weight of the firmament of heaven on his shoulders, the hero, at whose name his enemies trembled, had to sit, bent over, at the weaving loom or spinning wool with hands accustomed to wielding a sharp sword, pulling a tight bowstring and smashing enemies with a heavy club. And Omphala, putting on the lion skin of Hercules, which covered it all and dragged along the ground after it, in his golden shell, girded with his sword and with difficulty shouldering the heavy club of the hero, stood in front of the son of Zeus and mocked him - her slave. Omphale, as it were, set out to extinguish in Hercules all his invincible strength. Hercules had to demolish everything, because he was in complete slavery to Omphala, and this should have lasted three long years.

Only occasionally let the hero out of her palace Omphala. One day, leaving the palace of Omphala, Hercules fell asleep in the shade of a grove, in the vicinity of Ephesus. During sleep, kercop dwarfs crept up to him and wanted to steal his weapons from him, but Hercules woke up just at the time when the kercops grabbed his bow and arrows. The hero caught them and tied their hands and feet. Hercules passed a large pole between the bound legs of the kerkop and carried them to Ephesus. But the kercops made Hercules laugh so much with their antics that the great hero let them go.

During slavery at Omphala, Hercules came to Aulis, to King Silei, who forced all strangers who came to him to work like slaves in the vineyards. He made Heracles work. The angry hero tore out all the vines from Silea and killed the king himself, who did not honor the sacred custom of hospitality. During the slavery of Omphale, Hercules took part in the campaign of the Argonauts. But, finally, the term of punishment ended, and the great son of Zeus was again free.

Hercules takes Troy

As soon as Hercules was freed from slavery at Omphala, he immediately gathered large army heroes and went on eighteen ships to Troy to take revenge on the king Laomedont who had deceived him. Arriving at Troy, he entrusted the protection of the ships to Oicles with small detachment, he himself with the whole army moved to the walls of Troy. As soon as Hercules left with the army from the ships, Laomedont attacked Oicles, killed Oicles and killed almost his entire detachment. Hearing the noise of the battle near the ships, Hercules returned, put Laomedont to flight and drove him to Troy. The siege of Troy did not last long. Heroes broke into the city, climbing high walls. The first to enter the city was the hero Telamon. Hercules, the greatest of heroes, could not bear to be surpassed by anyone. Drawing his sword, he rushed at Telamon, who was ahead of him. Seeing that imminent death threatened him, Telamon quickly bent down and began to collect stones. Hercules was surprised and asked:

“What are you doing, Telamon?

- Oh, the greatest son of Zeus, I am erecting an altar to Hercules the victor! - answered the cunning Telamon and with his answer humbled the anger of the son of Zeus.

During the capture of the city, Hercules killed Laomedont and all his sons with his arrows; only the youngest of them, Gift, was spared by the hero. Hercules gave the beautiful daughter of Laomedont, Hesion, as a wife to Telamon, who distinguished himself by his courage, and allowed her to choose one of the captives and set him free. Hesiona chose her brother Podarka.

- He must become a slave before all the prisoners! - Hercules exclaimed, - only if you give a ransom for him, will he be released.

Hesiona removed the veil from her head and gave it as a ransom for her brother. Since then, they began to call Gift - Priam (that is, bought). Hercules gave him power over Troy, and he went with his army to new exploits.

When Hercules sailed across the sea with his army, returning from Troy, the goddess Hera, wanting to destroy the hated son of Zeus, sent a great storm. And so that Zeus would not see what danger threatens his son, Hera begged the god of sleep Hypnos to put the aegis-powerful Zeus to sleep. The storm brought Hercules to the island of Kos.

The inhabitants of Kos took the ship of Hercules for a robber and, throwing stones at it, did not allow it to land on the shore. At night, Hercules landed on the island, defeated the inhabitants of Kos, killed their king, the son of Poseidon Eurypylus, and devastated the entire island.

Zeus was terribly angry when, waking up, he found out what danger his son Hercules was exposed to. In anger, he chained Hera in indestructible golden chains and hung her between earth and sky, tying two heavy anvils to her feet. Each of the Olympians who wanted to come to the aid of Hera was overthrown from the high Olympus by Zeus, formidable in anger. He also searched for Hypnos for a long time, the ruler of the gods and mortals would have overthrown him from Olympus, if the goddess Night had not sheltered the god of sleep.

HERCULES SAVE HESIONE, LAOMEDON'S DAUGHTER On his way back to Tiryns from the country of the Amazons, Hercules arrived on ships with his army to Troy. A heavy sight appeared before the eyes of the heroes when they landed on the shore not far from Troy. They saw the beautiful daughter of the king of Troy, Laomedont, Hesion, chained to a rock near the seashore. She was doomed, like Andromeda, to be torn to pieces by a monster emerging from the sea. Poseidon sent this monster as a punishment to Laomedon for refusing to pay him and Apollo a fee for the construction of the walls of Troy. The proud king, who, according to the verdict of Zeus, had to serve both gods, even threatened to cut off their ears if they demanded payment. Then, the angry Apollo sent a terrible pestilence to all the possessions of Laomedont, and Poseidon - a monster that devastated, sparing no one, the surroundings of Troy. Only by sacrificing the life of his daughter could Laomedon save his country from a terrible disaster. Against his will, he had to chain his daughter Hesion to a rock by the sea. Seeing the unfortunate girl, Hercules volunteered to save her, and for the salvation of Hesion, he demanded from Laomedont as a reward for those horses that the Thunderer Zeus gave to the king of Troy as a ransom for his son Ganymede. He was once kidnapped by the eagle of Zeus and carried to Olympus. Laomedon agreed to Hercules' demands. The great hero ordered the Trojans to build a rampart on the seashore and hid behind it. As soon as Hercules took cover behind the rampart, a monster emerged from the sea and, opening its huge mouth, rushed at Hesion. With a loud cry, Hercules ran out from behind the shaft, rushed at the monster and plunged his double-edged sword deep into his chest. Hercules saved Hesion. When the son of Zeus demanded the promised reward from Laomedont, it became a pity for the king to part with the marvelous horses, he did not give them to Hercules and even drove him away with threats from Troy. Hercules left the possession of Laomedont, holding his anger deep in his heart. Now he could not take revenge on the king who had deceived him, since his army was too small and the hero could not hope to soon capture impregnable Troy. The great son of Zeus could not stay under Troy for a long time - he had to hurry with Hippolyta's belt to Mycenae. THE COWS OF HERION (THE LABOR) Shortly after returning from a campaign in the country of the Amazons, Hercules set out on a new feat. Eurystheus instructed him to drive to Mycenae the cows of the great Geryon, the son of Chrysaor and the Oceanid Kalliroi. Far was the way to Geryon. Hercules had to reach the westernmost edge of the earth, those places where the radiant sun god Helios descends from the sky at sunset. Hercules went on a long journey alone. He passed through Africa, through the barren deserts of Libya, through the countries of wild barbarians, and finally reached the ends of the earth. Here, on both sides of the narrow sea strait, he erected two giant stone pillars as an eternal monument of his feat. *1 ___________ *1 Pillars of Hercules, or Pillars of Hercules . The Greeks believed that the rocks along the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar were placed by Hercules. After this, Hercules had to wander a lot more, until he reached the shores of the gray Ocean. In thought, the hero sat on the shore near the ever-noisy waters of the Ocean. How was it possible for him to reach the island of Eritheia, where Geryon pastured his herds? The day was already drawing to a close. Here appeared the chariot of Helios, descending to the waters of the Ocean. The bright rays of Helios blinded Hercules, and embraced his unbearable, scorching heat. Hercules jumped up in anger and grabbed his formidable bow, but bright Helios did not get angry, he smiled affably at the hero, he liked the extraordinary courage of the great son of Zeus. Helios himself offered Hercules to cross to Eritheia in a golden boat, in which the sun god sailed every evening with his horses and chariot from the western to the eastern edge of the earth to his golden palace. The delighted hero boldly jumped into the golden boat and quickly reached the shores of Eritheia. As soon as he landed on the island, the formidable two-headed dog Orfo sensed him and rushed at the hero with barking. Hercules killed him with one blow of his heavy club. Not only Orfo guarded the flocks of Gerion. Hercules also had to fight with the shepherd of Gerion, the giant Eurytion. The son of Zeus quickly coped with the giant and drove the cows of Gerion to the seashore, where the golden boat of Helios stood. Geryon heard the lowing of his cows and went to the herd. Seeing that his dog Orfo and the giant Eurytion were killed, he chased after the stealer of the herd and overtook him on the seashore. Geryon was a monstrous giant: he had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs. He covered himself with three shields during the battle, he immediately threw three huge spears at the enemy. Hercules had to fight with such a giant, but the great warrior Pallas Athena helped him. As soon as Hercules saw him, he immediately launched into the giant - on his deadly arrow. An arrow pierced the eye of one of Gerion's heads. The first arrow was followed by the second, followed by the third. Menacingly, Hercules waved his all-destroying mace like lightning, the hero Gerion struck it, and the three-bodied giant fell to the ground like a lifeless corpse. Hercules transported the cows of Geryon from Eritheia in the golden boat of Helios across the stormy Ocean and returned the boat to Helios. Half of the feat was over. Much work lay ahead. It was necessary to drive the bulls to Mycenae. Through all of Spain, through the Pyrenees, through Gaul and the Alps, through Italy, Hercules drove the cows. In southern Italy, near the city of Rhegium, one of the cows escaped from the herd and swam across the strait to Sicily. There, King Eriks, the son of Poseidon, saw her, and took the cow into his herd. Hercules searched for a cow for a long time. Finally, he asked the god Hephaestus to guard the herd, and he crossed over to Sicily and there he found his cow in the herd of King Eriks. The king did not want to return her to Hercules; hoping for his strength, he challenged Hercules to single combat. The winner was to be rewarded with a cow. Eriks could not afford such an opponent as Hercules. The son of Zeus squeezed the king in his mighty arms and strangled him. Hercules returned with a cow to his herd and drove him further. On the shores of the Ionian Sea, the goddess Hera sent rabies to the whole herd. Mad cows fled in all directions. Only with great difficulty Hercules caught most of the cows already in Thrace and finally drove them to Eurystheus in Mycenae. Eurystheus sacrificed them to the great goddess Hera. CERBER*1 (THE ELEVENTH LABOR) ___________ *1 Otherwise - Cerberus. As soon as Heracles returned to Tiryns, Eurystheus sent him again to the feat. This was already the eleventh feat that Hercules had to perform in the service of Eurystheus. Hercules had to overcome incredible difficulties during this feat. He had to descend into the gloomy, full of horrors of the underworld kingdom of Hades and bring to Eurystheus the guardian of the underworld, the terrible hellish dog Kerber. Cerberus had three heads, snakes writhed around his neck, his tail ended in the head of a dragon with a huge mouth. Hercules went to Laconia and through the gloomy abyss at Tenar*2 descended into the darkness of the underworld. At the very gates of the kingdom of Hades, Hercules saw the heroes Theseus and Perithous, king of Thessaly, rooted to the rock. They were punished in this way by the gods because they wanted to steal his wife Persephone from Hades. Theseus prayed to Hercules: ___________ *2 Cape, the southern tip of the Peloponnese. - Oh, great son of Zeus, free me! You see my suffering! You alone can save me from them! Hercules extended his hand to Theseus and freed him. When he wanted to free Perifoy as well, the earth trembled, and Hercules realized that the gods did not want his release. Hercules submitted to the will of the gods and went on into the darkness of eternal night. The herald of the gods Hermes, the guide of the souls of the dead, introduced Heracles into the underworld, and the beloved daughter of Zeus herself, Pallas Athena, was the companion of the great hero. When Hercules entered the kingdom of Hades, the shadows of the dead scattered in horror. Only the shadow of the hero Meleager did not run at the sight of Hercules. With a prayer she turned to the great son of Zeus: - Oh, great Hercules, I pray you for one thing in memory of our friendship, take pity on my orphaned sister, beautiful Dejanira! She remained defenseless after my death. Take her as your wife, great hero! Be her protector! Hercules promised to fulfill the request of a friend and went further after Hermes. The shadow of the terrible Gorgon Medusa rose towards Hercules, she menacingly stretched out her copper hands and waved her golden wings, snakes stirred on her head. Grabbed the sword fearless hero, but Hermes stopped him with the words: - Do not grab the sword, Hercules! After all, it is only a disembodied shadow! She doesn't threaten you with death! Hercules saw many horrors on his way; finally, he appeared before the throne of Hades. The ruler of the kingdom of the dead and his wife Persephone looked with delight at the great son of the Thunderer Zeus, who fearlessly descended into the kingdom of darkness and sorrows. He, majestic, calm, stood before the throne of Hades, leaning on his huge club, in a lion's skin draped over his shoulders, and with a bow over his shoulders. Hades graciously greeted the son of his great brother Zeus and asked what made him leave the light of the sun and descend into the kingdom of darkness. Bowing before Hades, Hercules replied: - Oh, the ruler of the souls of the dead, the great Hades, do not be angry with me for my request, almighty! You know, after all, that it was not of my own free will that I came to your kingdom, that it was not of my own free will that I would ask you. Let me, Lord Hades, take your three-headed dog Kerberos to Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to do this, whom I serve at the command of the bright Olympian gods. Hades answered the hero: - I will fulfill, son of Zeus, your request; but you must tame Cerberus without weapons. If you tame him, then I will let you take him to Eurystheus. For a long time Heracles searched for Kerberos in the underworld. Finally, he found him on the banks of the Acheron. Hercules wrapped his arms, strong as steel, around the neck of Kerberos. The dog Aida howled menacingly; the whole underworld was filled with his howl. He struggled to escape from the arms of Hercules, but the hero's mighty hands only tightened their grip on Kerber's neck. Cerberus wrapped his tail around the hero's legs, the dragon's head dug its teeth into his body, but all in vain. The mighty Hercules squeezed his neck harder and harder. Finally, the half-strangled dog Hades fell at the feet of the hero. Hercules tamed him and led him from the kingdom of darkness to Mycenae. Frightened by daylight Kerberos; he was covered with cold sweat, poisonous foam dripped from his three mouths onto the ground; wherever even a drop of foam dripped, poisonous herbs grew. Hercules brought Kerberos to the walls of Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus was horrified at one glance at the terrible dog. Almost on his knees, he begged Hercules to take back to the kingdom of Hades Kerberos. Hercules fulfilled his request and returned Hades to his terrible guard Cerberus. APPLES OF THE HESPERIDES (THE TWELVE LABOR) The most difficult feat of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus was his last, twelfth labor. He had to go to the great titan Atlas, who holds the vault of heaven on his shoulders, and get three golden apples from his gardens, which were watched by the daughters of Atlas, the Hesperides. These apples grew on a golden tree grown by the goddess of the earth Gaia as a gift to the great Hera on the day of her wedding with Zeus. To accomplish this feat, it was necessary first of all to find out the way to the gardens of the Hesperides, guarded by a dragon who never closed his eyes to sleep. Nobody knew the way to the Hesperides and Atlas. Hercules wandered for a long time in Asia and Europe, he passed through all the countries that he passed earlier on the way behind the cows of Geryon; everywhere Hercules asked about the way, but no one knew him. In his search, he went to the most extreme north, to the Eridanus*1 river, eternally rolling its stormy, boundless waters. On the banks of Eridan, beautiful nymphs met the great son of Zeus with honor and gave him advice on how to find the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Hercules was supposed to surprise the prophetic old man Nereus when he came ashore from the deep sea, and learn from him the way to the Hesperides; except Nereus, no one knew this way. Hercules searched for Nemeus for a long time. Finally, he managed to find Nereus on the seashore. Hercules attacked the sea god. The struggle with the sea god was difficult. To free himself from the iron embrace of Hercules, Nereus took on all sorts of forms, but still the hero did not let him out. Finally, he tied the weary Nereus, and in order to gain freedom, the sea god had to reveal to Hercules the secret of the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Having learned this secret, the son of Zeus released the sea elder and set off on a long journey. ___________ *1 Mythical river. Again he had to go through Libya. Here he met the giant Antey, the son of Poseidon, the god of the seas, and the goddess of the earth, Gaia, who gave birth to him, nurtured and raised him. Antaeus forced all travelers to fight him and mercilessly killed everyone he defeated in the fight. The giant demanded that Hercules also fight him. No one could defeat Antaeus in single combat, not knowing the secret from where the giant received more and more strength during the struggle. The secret was this: when Antaeus felt that he was beginning to lose strength, he touched the earth, his mother, and his strength was renewed: he drew them from his mother, the great goddess of the earth. But as soon as Antaeus was torn off the ground and lifted into the air, his strength disappeared. Hercules fought for a long time with Antaeus. several times he knocked him to the ground, but only Antaeus's strength increased. Suddenly, during the struggle, the mighty Hercules Anthea lifted high into the air - the strength of the son of Gaia dried up, and Hercules strangled him. Then Hercules went and came to Egypt. There, tired from the long journey, he fell asleep in the shade of a small grove on the banks of the Nile. The king of Egypt, the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Epaphus Lysianassa, Busiris, saw the sleeping Hercules, and ordered to bind the sleeping hero. He wanted to sacrifice Hercules to his father Zeus. For nine years there was a crop failure in Egypt; The soothsayer Thrasius, who came from Cyprus, predicted that the crop failure would stop only if Busiris annually sacrificed a foreigner to Zeus. Busiris ordered the soothsayer Thrasius to be seized and was the first to sacrifice him. From that time on, the cruel king sacrificed to the Thunderer all the strangers who came to Egypt. They also brought Hercules to the altar, but the great hero tore the ropes with which he was bound, and killed Busiris himself and his son Amphidamantus at the altar. So the cruel king of Egypt was punished. Hercules had to meet many more on his way of dangers, until he reached the ends of the earth, where the great titan Atlas stood. The hero looked with amazement at the mighty titan, holding the entire heavenly vault on his broad shoulders. - Oh, the great titan Atlas! - Hercules turned to him, - I am the son of Zeus, Hercules. I was sent to you by Eurystheus, the king of the rich gold of Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to get three golden apples from you from a golden tree in the gardens of the Hesperides. “I will give you three apples, son of Zeus,” Atlas replied, “while I go after them, you must take my place and hold the vault of heaven on your shoulders. Hercules agreed. He took the place of Atlas. An incredible weight fell on the shoulders of the son of Zeus. He exerted all his strength and held the vault of heaven. The weight was terribly pressing on the mighty shoulders of Hercules. He bent under the weight of the sky, his muscles swelled like mountains, sweat covered his entire body from tension, but superhuman strength and the help of the goddess Athena gave him the opportunity to hold the firmament until Atlas returned with three zones. lotus apples. Returning, Atlas said to the hero: - Here are three apples, Hercules; if you want, I myself will take them to Mycenae, and you hold the vault of heaven until my return; then I will take your place again. - Hercules understood the cunning of Atlas, he realized that the titan wants to completely free himself from his hard work, and applied cunning against cunning. - All right, Atlas, I agree! Hercules answered. “Just let me first make myself a pillow, I’ll put it on my shoulders so that the vault of heaven doesn’t press them so terribly. Atlas stood back in his place and shouldered the weight of the sky. Hercules raised his bow and quiver of arrows, took his club and golden apples and said: - Farewell, Atlas! I held the vault of the sky while you went for the apples of the Hesperides, but I do not want to carry the entire weight of the sky on my shoulders forever. With these words, Hercules left the titan, and again Atlas had to hold, as before, on his mighty shoulders the vault of heaven. Hercules returned to Eurystheus and gave him the golden apples. Eurystheus gave them to Hercules, and he gave the apples to his patroness, the great daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athena. Athena returned the apples to the Hesperides so that they would forever remain in the gardens. After his twelfth feat, Hercules was freed from the service of Eurystheus. Now he could return to the seven gates of Thebes. But the son of Zeus did not stay there for long. Waiting for his new exploits. He gave his wife Megara in marriage to his friend Iolaus, and he himself went back to Tiryns. But not only victories awaited him, but Hercules and serious troubles awaited him, as the great goddess Hera still pursued him. HERCULES AND EVRYTOS On the island of Euboea, in the city of Oichalia, King Eurytus ruled. The glory of Eurytus, as the most skilled archer, went far throughout Greece. The archer Apollo himself was his teacher, even gave him a bow and arrows. Once, in his youth, Hercules also studied archery with Eurytus. It was this king who announced throughout Greece that he would give his beautiful daughter Iola as a wife to the hero who would defeat him in an archery contest. Hercules, who had just finished his service with Eurystheus, went to Oichalia, where many heroes of Greece gathered, and took part in the competition. Hercules easily defeated King Eurytus and demanded that he give him his daughter Iola as a wife. Evrit did not fulfill his promise. Forgetting the sacred custom of hospitality, he began to mock the great hero. He said that he would not give his daughter to the one who was a slave of Eurystheus. Finally, Eurytus and his arrogant sons drove Hercules, drunk during the feast, out of the palace and even out of Oichalia. Hercules left Oichalia. Full of deep sadness, he left Euboea, because the great hero fell in love with the beautiful Iola. Holding in his heart anger at Eurytus, who insulted him, he returned to Tiryns. After some time, the most cunning of the Greeks, Autolycus, the son of Hermes, stole the herd from Eurytus. Eurytus blamed Hercules for this crash. The king of Oikhaliya thought that the hero had stolen his flocks, wanting to avenge the offense. Only Ifit, the eldest son of Eurytus, did not want to believe that the great Hercules could steal his father's herds. Ifit even volunteered to find the herds, just to prove the innocence of Hercules, with whom he had the closest friendship. While searching, Ifit came to Tiryns. Hercules received his friend warmly. Once, when the two of them stood on the high walls of the fortress of Tiryns, built on a high rock, Hercules suddenly took possession of a violent anger sent against him by the great goddess Hera. Hercules remembered in anger the insult that Eurytus and his sons inflicted on him; no longer in control of himself, he seized Ifit and threw him off the wall of the fortress. The unfortunate Ifit crashed to death. This murder, committed against his will, angered Hercules Zeus, as he violated the sacred custom of hospitality and the sanctity of the bonds of friendship. As punishment, the great thunderer sent a serious illness to his son. Hercules suffered for a long time, finally, exhausted by the disease, he went to Delphi to ask Apollo how to get rid of this punishment of the gods. But the soothsayer Pythia did not give him an answer. She even expelled Hercules from the temple as having defiled himself with murder. Enraged by this, Hercules stole from the temple the tripod from which the Pythia gave prophecies. This angered Apollo. The golden-haired god appeared to Hercules and demanded the return of the tripod from him, but Hercules refused him. A fierce struggle ensued between the sons of Zeus - the immortal god Apollo and the mortal - the greatest of the heroes Hercules. Zeus did not want the death of Hercules. He threw his brilliant lightning from Olympus between his sons and, having separated them, stopped the fight. The brothers reconciled. Then the Pythia gave the following answer to Hercules: - You will receive healing only when you are sold into slavery for three years. Give the money received for you to Eurytus as a ransom for his son Ifit, who was killed by you. Again Hercules had to lose his freedom. He was betrayed into slavery to Queen Lydia, daughter of Jardan, Omphale. Hermes himself took the money received for Hercules to Eurytus. But the proud king of Oichalia did not accept them, he remained as before an enemy of Hercules. HERCULES AND DEJANIRHE After Eurytus had driven Hercules out of Oichalia, the great hero came to Calydon, the city of Aetolia. Oinei ruled there. Hercules came to Oeneus to ask for the hand of his daughter Dejanira, as he promised Meleager to marry her in the kingdom of shadows. In Calydon, Hercules met a formidable opponent. Many heroes sought the hand of the beautiful Dejanira, and among them the river god Aheloy. Finally, Oineus decided that the hand of Dejanira will be given to the one who emerges victorious in the struggle. All suitors refused to fight the mighty Achelous. Only Hercules remained. He had to fight with the god of the river. Seeing the determination of Hercules to measure his strength with him, Aheloy said to him: - You say that you were born by Zeus and Alcmene? You lie that Zeus is your father! And Aheloy began to mock the great son of Zeus and defame his mother Alcmene. Furrowing his brows, Hercules looked sternly at Achelous; his eyes flashed with fire of anger, and he said: - Aheloy, my hands serve me better than my tongue! Be a winner in words, but I will be a winner in deeds. With a firm step, Hercules approached Achelous and clasped him with his mighty arms. The huge Aheloy stood firmly; the great Hercules could not topple him; all his efforts were in vain. Thus stood Aheloy, as an unshakable rock stands, and the waves of the sea do not shake it, striking against it with a thunderous noise. Hercules and Achelous are fighting chest to chest, like two bulls clinging with their crooked horns. Three times Hercules attacked Achelous, the fourth time, escaping from the hands of Achelous, the hero grabbed him from behind. Like a heavy mountain, he crushed the river god to the very ground. Aheloy could hardly, having gathered all his strength, free his hands, covered with sweat; no matter how he strained his strength, Hercules pressed him harder and harder to the ground. Aheloy bowed with a groan, his knees bent, and he touched the ground with his head. In order not to be defeated, Aheloy resorted to cunning; he turned into a snake. As soon as Aheloy turned into a snake and slipped out of the hands of Hercules, Hercules exclaimed laughing: - Even in the cradle I learned to fight snakes! True, you are superior to other snakes, Aheloy, but you are not equal to the Lernean hydra. Although she grew two new heads instead of a cut one, nevertheless I defeated her. Hercules grabbed the neck of the snake with his hands and squeezed it like iron tongs. He struggled to escape from the hands of the hero Aheloy, but could not. Then he turned into a bull and again attacked Hercules. Hercules grabbed the bull-Aheloy by the horns and threw him to the ground. Hercules threw him down with such terrible force that he broke one of his horns. He was defeated by Aheloy and gave the Fires to Dejanira as a wife to Hercules. After the wedding, Hercules remained in the palace of Oeneus; but he did not stay long with him. Once, during a feast, Hercules hit the son of Architel, Evnom, because the boy poured water on his hands, prepared for washing his feet. The blow was so strong that the boy fell dead. Hercules was saddened, and although Architel forgave him the involuntary murder of his son, the hero Calydon nevertheless left and went with his wife Dejanira and Tiryns. During the journey, Hercules came with his wife to the river Even*1. Through this stormy river, the centaur Nessus transported travelers for a fee on his broad back. Nessus offered to carry Dejanira to the other side, and Hercules put her on the back of a centaur. The hero himself threw his club and bow to the other side and swam across the stormy river. Hercules had just come ashore, when he suddenly heard the loud cry of Deianira. She called for help from her husband. The centaur, captivated by her beauty, wanted to kidnap her. The son of Zeus Nessus shouted menacingly: ___________ *1 A river in Aetolia, a region in the west of Central Greece. - Where are you running? Don't you think that your legs will save you? No, you won't be saved! No matter how fast you run, will my arrow still reach you? Hercules pulled his bow, and an arrow flew from a tight bowstring. The deadly arrow overtook Nessus, pierced his back, and its tip went through the centaur's chest. The mortally wounded Ness fell to his knees. The stream drinks blood from his wound, mixed with the poison of the Lernean hydra. Ness did not want to die unavenged; he collected his blood and gave it to Dejanira, saying: - Oh, daughter of Oinea, I carried you last through the turbulent waters of Even! Take my blood and keep it! If Hercules stops loving you, this blood will return his love to you, and not a single woman will be dearer to him than you, rub only Hercules' clothes with it. She took the blood of Nessus Dejanira and hid it. Ness died. Hercules and Dejanira arrived in Tiryns and lived there until the involuntary murder of Hercules' friend Ifit forced them to leave the glorious city. HERCULES AND OMPHALES For the murder of Ifit, Hercules was sold into slavery to Queen Lydia Omphale. Hercules had never experienced such hardships as in the service of the proud Lydian queen. The greatest of heroes endured constant humiliation from her. It seemed that Omphala finds pleasure in bullying the son of Zeus. Having dressed Hercules in women's clothes, she made him spin and weave with her maids. The hero who struck down the Lernean hydra with his heavy club, the hero who brought the terrible Cerberus from the kingdom of Hades, strangled the Nemean lion with his hands and held the weight of the firmament of heaven on his shoulders, the hero, at whose very name his enemies trembled, had to sit, bent over, at a loom or spinning wool with hands accustomed to wielding a sharp sword, pulling a tight bowstring and striking enemies with a heavy club. And Omphale, putting on the lion skin of Hercules, which covered her all and dragged along the ground behind her, in his golden shell, girded with his sword and with difficulty shouldering the heavy mace of the hero, stood in front of the son of Zeus and mocked over him - his slave. Omphale, as it were, set out to extinguish in Hercules all his invincible strength. Hercules had to demolish everything, because he was in complete slavery to Omphala, and this should have lasted for three long years. Only occasionally let the hero out of her palace Omphala. Once, leaving the palace of Omphale, Hercules fell asleep in the shade of a grove, in the vicinity of Ephesus*1. During his sleep, kercop dwarfs crept up to him and wanted to steal his weapons from him, but Hercules woke up just at the time when the kercops grabbed his bow and arrows. The hero caught them and tied their hands and feet. Hercules passed a large pole between the bound legs of the kerkop and carried them to Ephesus. But the kercops made Hercules laugh so much with their antics that the great hero let them go. ___________ *1 City on the western coast of Asia Minor. During his slavery at Omphale, Hercules came to Aulis*1, to King Silei, who forced all strangers who came to him to work like slaves in the vineyards. He made Heracles work. The angry hero tore out all the vines from Silea and killed the king himself, who did not honor the sacred custom of hospitality. During the slavery of Omphale, Hercules took part in the campaign of the Argonauts. But, finally, the term of punishment ended, and the great son of Zeus, ___________ *1 City in Boeotia, was free again. HERCULES TAKES TROY As soon as Hercules was freed from slavery at Omphala, he immediately gathered a large army of heroes and set off on eighteen ships to Troy to take revenge on the king Laomedont who had deceived him. Arriving at Troy, he entrusted the protection of the ships to Oiklus with a small detachment, while he himself with the whole army moved to the walls of Troy. As soon as Hercules left with the army from the ships, Laomedont attacked Oikles, killed Oikles and killed almost his entire detachment. Hearing the noise of the battle near the ships, Hercules returned, put Laomedont to flight and drove him to Troy. The siege of Troy did not last long. Heroes broke into the city, climbing high walls. The first to enter the city was the hero Telamon. Hercules, the greatest of heroes, could not bear to be surpassed by anyone. Drawing his sword, he rushed at Telamon, who was ahead of him. Seeing that imminent death threatened him, Telamon quickly bent down and began to collect stones. Hercules was surprised and asked: - What are you doing, Telamon? - Oh, the greatest son of Zeus, I am erecting an altar to Hercules the victor! - answered the cunning Telamon and with his answer humbled the anger of the son of Zeus. During the capture of the city, Hercules killed Laomedont and all his sons with his arrows; only the youngest of them, Gift, was spared by the hero. Hercules gave the beautiful daughter of Laomedont, Hesion, as a wife to Telamon, who distinguished himself by his courage, and allowed her to choose one of the captives and set him free. Hesiona chose her brother Gift. - He must become a slave before all the prisoners! - exclaimed Hercules, - only if you give him a ransom, he will be set free. Hesiona removed the veil from her head and gave it as a ransom for her brother. Since then, they began to call Podarka - Priam (that is, bought). Hercules gave him power over Troy, and he went with his army to new exploits. When Hercules sailed across the sea with his army, returning from Troy, the goddess Hera, wanting to destroy the hated son of Zeus, sent a great storm. And so that Zeus would not see what danger threatens his son, Hera begged the god of sleep Hypnos to put the aegis-powerful Zeus to sleep. The storm brought Hercules to the island of Kos*1. ___________ *1 One of the Sporades Islands off the coast of Asia Minor. The inhabitants of Kos took the ship of Hercules for a robber and, throwing stones at it, did not allow it to land on the shore. At night, Hercules landed on the island, defeated the inhabitants of Kos, killed their king, the son of Poseidon Eurypylus, and devastated the entire island. Zeus was terribly angry when, waking up, he found out what danger his son Hercules was exposed to. In anger, he chained Hera in indestructible golden chains and hung her between earth and sky, tying two heavy anvils to her feet. Each of the Olympians who wanted to come to the aid of Hera was overthrown from the high Olympus by Zeus, formidable in anger. He also searched for Hypnos for a long time, the ruler of the gods and mortals would have overthrown him from Olympus, if the goddess Night had not sheltered the god of sleep. HERCULES BATTLE WITH THE GODS AGAINST THE GIANTS Father Zeus sent his beloved daughter Pallas Athena to Hercules on the island of Kos to call on the great hero for help in their fight against the giants. The goddess Gaia gave birth to giants from the drops of blood of Uranus overthrown by Cronus. These were monstrous giants with snakes instead of legs, with shaggy long hair on his head and beard. The giants possessed terrible power, they were proud of their power and wanted to take away the power over the world from the bright Olympian gods. They entered into battle with the gods on the Phlegrean fields, which lay on the Chalkid peninsula of Pallene. The gods of Olympus were not afraid of them. The mother of giants, Gaia, gave them a healing agent that made them invulnerable to the weapons of the gods. Only a mortal could kill giants; Gaia did not protect them from the weapons of mortals. All over the world, Gaia was looking for a healing herb that was supposed to protect the giants from the weapons of mortals, but Zeus forbade the goddesses to shine - the dawn of Eos and the moon Selene and the radiant sun god Helios, and cut the healing grass himself. Not afraid of death at the hands of the gods, the giants rushed into battle. The fight went on for a long time. The giants threw huge rocks and burning trunks of ancient trees at the gods. The thunder of battle resounded throughout the world. Finally, Hercules appeared with Pallas Athena. The bowstring of the formidable bow of the son of Zeus rang, an arrow flashed, drunk with the poison of the Lernean hydra, and pierced into the chest of the most powerful of the giants, Alcyoneus. A giant crashed to the ground. I could not comprehend his death on Pallene, here he was immortal - falling to the ground, he got up after a while even more powerful than before. Hercules quickly put him on his shoulders and carried him away from Pallene; outside it, a giant died. After the death of Alcyoneus, the giant Porphyrion attacked Hercules and Hera, he tore off her veil from Hera and already wanted to grab her, but Zeus threw him to the ground with his lightning, and Hercules took his life with his arrow. Apollo pierced the left eye of the giant Ephialtes with his golden arrow, and Hercules killed him, hitting him with an arrow in his right eye. Dionysus slew the giant Eurytus with his thyrsus, Hephaestus the giant Clytius, throwing a whole block of red-hot iron at him. Pallas Athena piled on the fleeing giant Enkelada the entire island of Sicily. The giant Polybot, escaping by sea from the persecution of the formidable shaker of the earth Poseidon, fled to the island of Kos. Poseidon broke off a part of Kos with his trident and piled it on Polybotes. This is how the island of Nisyros was formed. Hermes slew the giant Hippolytus, Artemis - Gration, the great Moira - the giants Agria and Foon, who fought with copper clubs. All the other giants were slain by the thunderer Zeus with his sparkling lightning, but the great Hercules sent death to them all with his arrows that did not know a miss. THE DEATH OF HERCULES AND HIM'S ACCEPTANCE INTO THE OLYMPIC GODS As set forth in the tragedy of Sophocles "The Trachinian Woman" When Hercules was sold into slavery to Omphale for the murder of Ifit, Dejanira and her children had to leave Tiryns. The wife of Hercules was given shelter by the king of the Thessalian city of Trakhina Keik. Three years and three months have already passed since Hercules left Dejanira. The wife of Hercules was worried about the fate of her husband. There was no news from Hercules. Dejanira didn't even know if her husband was still alive. Heavy forebodings tormented Deianira. She called her son Gill and said to him: - Oh, my beloved son! It's a shame you don't look for your father. It's been fifteen months since he's been silent. “If you can only believe the rumors,” Gill answered his mother, “they say that after three years his father had been a slave to Omphala, when his term of slavery ended, he went with an army to Euboea to the city of Oichalia to take revenge on the king Evritu for the insult. - My son! - interrupted Gilla's mother, - your father Hercules never left me before, leaving for great deeds, in such anxiety as in last time . Even at parting, he left me a tablet with an old prediction written on it, given to him in Dodona *1. It is said there that if Hercules stays in a foreign land for three years and three months, then either death befalls him, or, returning home, he will lead a joyful and calm life. Leaving me, Hercules also left me an order that from the lands of his fathers, in the event of his death, his children should inherit. The fate of my husband worries me. After all, he told me about the siege of Oikhaliya, that he would either die under the city, or, having taken it, he would live happily. No, my son, go, I beg you, look for your father. ___________ *1 A city in Epirus, in the west of northern Greece, with the famous ancient oracle of Zeus. Gill, obedient to the will of his mother, set off on a long journey to Euboea, to Oichalia, to look for his father. Some time later, after Gill left Trakhina, a messenger comes running to Dejanira. He informs her that Ambassador Lichas will come from Hercules. Good news will bring Lichas. Hercules is alive. He defeated Eurytus, took and destroyed the city of Oichalia, and will soon return to Trakhina in the glory of victory. Following the messenger comes to Dejanira and Lichas. He leads the captives, among them Iola, the daughter of Eurytus. Joyfully meets Deianir Lichas. Ambassador Hercules tells her that Hercules is still powerful and healthy. He is about to celebrate his victory and prepares to make rich sacrifices before he leaves Euboea. Dejanira looks at the prisoners; noticing a beautiful woman among them, he asks Lichas: - Tell me, Lichas, who is this woman? Who is her father and mother? She grieves the most. Isn't this the daughter of Eurytus himself? But Lichas answers the wife of Hercules: - I don’t know, queen, who she is. Probably, this woman belongs to a noble Euboean family. She did not say a word during the journey. She has been shedding tears of sorrow since she left her hometown. - Unhappy! - exclaimed Dejanira, - to this grief I will not add new suffering to you! Lead, Lichas, to the palace of the prisoners, I will now come after you! Lichas went with the prisoners to the palace. As soon as he left, a servant approached Dejanira and said to her: - Wait, queen, listen to me. Lichas did not tell you the whole truth. He knows who this woman is; this is the daughter of Eurytus, Iola. Out of love for her, Hercules once competed with Eurytus in archery. The proud king did not give him, the winner, his daughter as his wife, as he had promised - insulting him, he drove the great hero out of the city. For the sake of Iola, Hercules now took Oichalia and killed King Eurytus. Not as a slave, the son of Zeus sent Iola here - he wants to take her as his wife. Dejanira was saddened. She reproaches Lichas for hiding the truth from her. Lichas confesses that Hercules, captivated by the beauty of Iola, really wants to marry her. Dejanira is grieving. Hercules forgot her during a long separation. Now he loves someone else. What should she do, non-private? She loves the great son of Zeus and cannot give him to another. The heartbroken Dejanira remembers the blood that the centaur Ness once gave her, and what he said to her before his death. Dejanira decides to resort to the blood of a centaur. After all, he said to her: "Rub the clothes of Hercules with my blood, and he will love you forever, not a single woman will be dearer to him than you." She is afraid to resort to Dejanira to a magical remedy, but her love for Hercules and the fear of losing him finally overcome her fears. She takes out the blood of Nessus, which she kept in a vessel for so long, so that a ray of the sun would not fall on her, so that the fire in the hearth would not warm her. Dejanira rubs her luxurious cloak, which she wove as a gift to Hercules, puts it in a tightly closed box, calls Lichas and tells him: - Hurry, Lichas, to Euboea and take this box to Hercules. It has a cloak in it. Let Hercules put on this cloak when he makes a sacrifice to Zeus. Tell him that no mortal should put on this cloak except him, so that even the ray of bright Helios does not touch the cloak before he puts it on. Hurry, Lichas! Lichas left with a cloak. After his departure, Deianira was seized with anxiety. She went to the palace and, to her horror, she sees that the wool with which she rubbed her cloak with the blood of Ness has decayed. Dejanira threw this wool on the floor. A ray of sun fell on the wool and warmed the blood of the centaur, poisoned by the poison of the Lernean hydra. Together with the blood, the poison of the hydra heated up and turned the wool into ashes, and poisonous foam appeared on the floor where the wool lay. Dejanira was horrified; she is afraid that Hercules will die, wearing a poisoned cloak. Hercules' wife is tormented more and more by the premonition of an irreparable disaster. A little time has passed since Lichas left for Euboea with a poisoned cloak. Gill, who has returned to Trakhina, enters the palace. He is pale, his eyes are full of tears. Looking at his mother, he exclaims: - Oh, how I would like to see one of three: either that you were not alive, or that another called you mother, and not I, or that you had a better mind than now! Know that you have killed your own husband, my father! - Oh grief! Dejanira exclaimed in horror. - What are you saying, my son? Which person told you this? How can you accuse me of such a crime! - I myself saw the suffering of my father, I did not learn this from people! Gill tells his mother what happened on Mount Canion, near the city of Oichalia: Hercules, having erected an altar, was already preparing to make sacrifices to the gods, and above all to his father Zeus, when Lichas came with a cloak. The son of Zeus put on a cloak - a gift from his wife - and proceeded to the sacrifice. First, he sacrificed twelve selected bulls to Zeus, in total, the hero slaughtered a hundred sacrifices to the Olympian gods. Flames flared brightly on the altars. Hercules stood, reverently raising his hands to the sky, and called on the gods. The fire, burning hot on the altars, warmed the body of Hercules, and sweat came out on the body. Suddenly, a poisoned cloak stuck to the hero's body. Convulsions ran through the body of Hercules. He felt terrible pain. Terribly suffering, the hero called Lichas and asked him why he brought this cloak. What could innocent Lichas answer him? He could only say that Dejanira had sent him with the cloak. Hercules, unconscious of the terrible pain, grabbed Lichas by the leg and hit him against a rock, around which the sea waves roared. Lichas crashed to death. Hercules fell to the ground. He fought in unspeakable agony. His cry carried far across Euboea. Hercules cursed his marriage to Dejanira. The great hero called his son and with a heavy groan said to him: - Oh, my son, do not leave me in misfortune - even if death threatens you, do not leave me! Lift me up! Get me out of here! Take me where no mortal can see me. Oh, if you feel compassion for me, don't let me die here! They lifted Hercules, put him on a stretcher, carried him to the ship to transport him to Trakhina. This is what Gill told his mother and ended the story with these words: - Now you will all see the great son of Zeus here, maybe still alive, or maybe already dead. Oh, let the harsh Erinyes and the avenger Dike*1 punish you, mother! You have killed the best man the earth has ever carried! You will never see such a hero! Silently she left for the palace of Dejanira, without uttering a single word. There, in the palace, she grabbed a double-edged sword. The old nanny saw Dejanira. She calls rather Gill. Gill hurries to her mother, but she has already pierced her chest with a sword. With a loud cry, the unfortunate son rushed to his mother, he embraces her and covers her cold body with kisses. At this time, the dying Hercules is brought to the palace. He fell asleep on the way, but when the stretcher was lowered to the ground at the entrance to the palace, Hercules woke up. The great hero was unconscious of the terrible pain. - Oh, great Zeus! he exclaims, “what country am I in?” Oh, where are you, men of Greece? Help me! For your sake, I cleansed the land and the sea from monsters and evil, but now none of you wants to save me from severe suffering with fire or a sharp sword! Oh, you, brother of Zeus, the great Hades, put me to sleep, put me to sleep, the unfortunate one, put me to sleep with fast-flying death! ___________ *1 Goddess of justice. “Father, listen to me, I beg you,” Gill asks with tears, “the mother unwittingly committed this atrocity. Why do you want revenge? Learning that she herself is the cause of your death, she pierced the heart with the edge of the sword! - Oh, gods, she died, and I could not take revenge on her! It was not by my hand that the insidious Dejanira died! - Father, it's not her fault! Gill says. - Seeing Iola, the daughter of Evrit, in her house, my mother wanted to return your love by a magical means. She rubbed her cloak with the blood of the centaur Nessus, slain by your arrow, not knowing that this blood was poisoned by the poison of the Lernean hydra. - Oh, woe, woe! exclaims Hercules. - So this is how the prediction of my father Zeus came true! He told me that I would not die by the hand of the living, that I was destined to die from the machinations of Hades who had descended into the dark kingdom. This is how Nessus, who was slain by me, ruined me! So this is what the oracle in Dodona promised me - the peace of death! Yes, it's true - the dead have no worries! Fulfill my last will, Gill! Take it with mine true friends me to the high Oetu*1, lay a funeral pyre on its top, place me on the pyre and set it on fire. Do it soon, end my suffering! ___________ *1 Mountain in Thessaly near the city of Trakhina. - Oh, have pity, father, are you really forcing me to be your killer! Gill begs his father. - No, you will not be a killer, but a healer of my suffering! I still have a wish, make it come true! Hercules asks his son. - Take to wife the daughter of Eurytus, Iola. But Gill refuses to fulfill his father's request and says: - No, father, I can not marry the one who was responsible for the death of my mother! - Oh, submit to my will, Gill! Do not cause in me again subsided suffering! Let me die in peace! Hercules persistently prays to his son. Gill resigned himself and obediently answers his father: - All right, father. I will be submissive to your dying will. Hercules hurries his son, asks to fulfill his last request as soon as possible. - Hurry, my son! Hurry to put me on the fire before these unbearable torments begin again! Carry me! Farewell, Gill! Friends of Hercules and Gill lifted the stretcher and carried Hercules to high Oeta. There they built a huge fire and placed the greatest of heroes on it. The suffering of Hercules is becoming stronger, the poison of the Lernean hydra penetrates deeper and deeper into his body. Hercules tears the poisoned cloak from himself, it sticks tightly to the body; together with the cloak, Hercules tears off pieces of skin, and the terrible torment. The only salvation from these superhuman torments is death. It is easier to die in the flames of a fire, it is hard to endure them, but none of the hero's friends dare to light a fire. Finally, Philoctetes came to Oeta, Hercules persuaded him to set fire to a fire and, as a reward for this, presented him with his bow and arrows, poisoned by the poison of the hydra. Philoctetes set fire to the fire, the flame of the fire flared up brightly, but the lightning of Zeus flashed even brighter. Thunder rolled across the sky. On a golden chariot, Athena-Pallas * 1 with Hermes was brought to the fire and they lifted the greatest of the heroes of Hercules to the bright Olympus. There the great gods met him. Hercules became the immortal god. Hera herself, forgetting her hatred, gave Hercules her daughter, the eternally young goddess Hebe, as a wife. Since then, Hercules has been living on the bright Olympus in the host of the great immortal gods. This was his reward for all his great deeds on earth, for all his great sufferings. ___________ *1 According to some versions of the myth, the chariot was not Athena, but the goddess of victory - Nike.

On the way back to Tiryns from the country of the Amazons, Hercules arrived on ships with his army to Troy. A heavy sight appeared before the eyes of the heroes when they landed on the shore near Troy. They saw the beautiful daughter of the king of Troy, Laomedont, Hesion, chained to a rock near the seashore. She was doomed, like Andromeda, to be torn to pieces by a monster emerging from the sea. This monster was sent as a punishment to Laomedon by Poseidon for refusing to pay him and Apollo a fee for the construction of the walls of Troy. The proud king, who, according to the verdict of Zeus, had to serve both gods, even threatened to cut off their ears if they demanded payment. Then the angry Apollo sent a terrible pestilence to all the possessions of Laomedont, and Poseidon - a monster that devastated, sparing no one, the surroundings of Troy. Only by sacrificing the life of his daughter could Laomedon save his country from a terrible disaster. Against his will, he had to chain his daughter Hesion to a rock by the sea.

Seeing the unfortunate girl, Hercules volunteered to save her, and for the salvation of Hesion, he demanded from Laomedont as a reward for those horses that the Thunderer Zeus gave to the king of Troy as a ransom for his son Ganymede. He was once kidnapped by the eagle of Zeus and carried to Olympus. Laomedon agreed to Hercules' demand. The great hero ordered the Trojans to build a rampart on the seashore and hid behind it. As soon as Hercules took cover behind the rampart, a monster emerged from the sea and, opening its huge mouth, rushed at Hesion. With a loud cry, Hercules ran out from behind the shaft, rushed at the monster and plunged his double-edged sword deep into his chest. Heracles saved Hesiona.

When the son of Zeus demanded the promised reward from Laomedont, it became a pity for the king to part with the marvelous horses, he did not give them to Hercules and even drove him away with threats from Troy. Hercules left the possession of Laomedont, holding his anger deep in his heart. Now he could not take revenge on the king who had deceived him, since his army was too small and the hero could not hope to soon capture impregnable Troy. The great son of Zeus could not stay under Troy for a long time - he had to rush with Hippolyta's belt to Mycenae.

Cows of Geryon (tenth feat)

Shortly after returning from a campaign in the country of the Amazons, Hercules set off on a new feat. Eurystheus instructed him to drive to Mycenae the cows of the giant Geryon, the son of Chrysaor and the Oceanid Kalliroi. Far was the way to Geryon. Hercules had to reach the westernmost edge of the earth, those places where the radiant sun god Helios descends from the sky at sunset. Hercules went on a long journey alone. He passed through Africa, through the barren deserts of Libya, through the countries of wild barbarians, and finally reached the ends of the earth. Here he erected two giant stone pillars on both sides of the narrow sea strait as an eternal monument to his feat.

After this, Hercules had to wander a lot more, until he reached the shores of the gray Ocean. In thought, the hero sat down on the shore, by the ever-noisy waters of the Ocean. How was it possible for him to reach the island of Eritheia, where Geryon pastured his flocks? The day was already drawing to a close. Here appeared the chariot of Helios, descending to the waters of the Ocean. The bright rays of Helios blinded Hercules, and an unbearable, scorching heat seized him. Hercules jumped up in anger and grabbed his formidable bow, but bright Helios did not get angry, he smiled affably at the hero, he liked the extraordinary courage of the great son of Zeus. Helios himself invited Hercules to cross to Eritheia in a golden boat, in which the sun god sailed every evening with his horses and chariot from the western to the eastern edge of the earth to his golden palace. The delighted hero boldly jumped into the golden boat and quickly reached the shores of Eritheia.

As soon as he landed on the island, the formidable two-headed dog Orfo sensed him and rushed at the hero with barking. Hercules killed him with one blow of his heavy club. Not only Orfo guarded the herds of Gerion. Hercules also had to fight with the shepherd of Gerion, the giant Eurytion. The son of Zeus quickly coped with the giant and drove the cows of Gerion to the seashore, where the golden boat of Helios stood. Gerion heard the lowing of his cows and went to the herd. Seeing that his dog Orfo and the giant Eurytion were killed, he chased after the stealer of the herd and overtook him on the seashore. Gerion was a monstrous giant: he had three bodies, three heads, six arms and

Hercules fights the three-headed giant Gerion. At the feet of Hercules lies the two-headed dog Orfo, behind Hercules are the goddess Athena and Iolaus, at their feet lies the slain giant Eurythioi. (Drawing on a vase.)

six legs. He covered himself with three shields during the battle, he immediately threw three huge spears at the enemy. Hercules had to fight with such a giant, but the great warrior Pallas Athena helped him. As soon as Hercules saw him, he immediately shot his deadly arrow at the giant. An arrow pierced the eye of one of Gerion's heads. The first arrow was followed by the second, followed by the third. Hercules waved menacingly with his all-destroying club, like lightning, the hero Geryon struck it, and the three-bodied giant fell to the ground like a lifeless corpse. Hercules transported the cows of Geryon from Eritheia in the golden boat of Helios across the stormy Ocean and returned the boat to Helios. Half of the feat was over.

Much work lay ahead. It was necessary to drive the bulls to Mycenae. Through all of Spain, through the Pyrenees, through Gaul and the Alps, through Italy, Hercules drove the cows. In southern Italy, near the city of Rhegium, one of the cows escaped from the herd and swam across the strait to Sicily. There, the king Erike, the son of Poseidon, saw her, and took the cow into his herd. Hercules searched for a cow for a long time. Finally, he asked the god Hephaestus to guard the herd, and he crossed over to Sicily and there he found his cow in the herd of King Eriks. The king did not want to return her to Hercules; hoping for his strength, he challenged Hercules to single combat. The winner was to be rewarded with a cow. Eriks could not afford such an opponent as Hercules. The son of Zeus squeezed the king in his mighty arms and strangled him. Hercules returned with a cow to his herd and drove him further. On the shores of the Ionian Sea, the goddess Hera sent rabies to the whole herd. The mad cows ran in all directions. Only with great difficulty Hercules caught most of the cows already in Thrace and finally drove them to Eurystheus in Mycenae. Eurystheus sacrificed them to the great goddess Hera.

Kerber 1 (eleventh feat)

As soon as Heracles returned to Tiryns, Eurystheus sent him again to the feat. This was already the eleventh feat that Hercules was to perform in the service of Eurystheus. Hercules had to overcome incredible difficulties during this feat. He was supposed to descend into the gloomy, full of horrors of the underworld of Hades and bring to Eurystheus the guardian of the underworld, the terrible hellish dog Kerber. Kerberos had three heads, snakes wriggled around his neck, his tail ended in the head of a dragon with a huge mouth. Hercules went to Laconia and through the gloomy abyss at Tenar 2 descended into the darkness of the underworld. At the very gates of the kingdom of Hades, Hercules saw the heroes of Theseus and the king of Thessaly, Perithous, rooted to the rock. The gods punished them so because they wanted to steal his wife Persephone from Hades. Theseus prayed to Hercules:

Oh, great son of Zeus, set me free! You see my suffering! You alone can save me from them!

Hercules extended his hand to Theseus and freed him. When he wanted to free Perifoy as well, the earth trembled, and Hercules realized that the gods did not want his release. Hercules submitted to the will of the gods and went on into the darkness of eternal night. The herald of the gods Hermes, the conductor of the souls of the dead, entered the underworld kingdom of Hercules, and the beloved daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athena, was the companion of the great hero. When Hercules entered the kingdom of Hades, the shadows of the dead scattered in horror. Only the shadow of the hero Meleager did not run at the sight of Hercules. With a prayer she turned to the great son of Zeus:

Oh, great Hercules, I pray you one thing in memory of our friendship: have pity on my orphaned sister, beautiful Deianira! She remained defenseless after my death! Take her as your wife, great hero! Be her protector!

Hercules promised to fulfill the request of a friend and went further after Hermes. The shadow of the terrible Gorgon Medusa rose towards Hercules, she menacingly stretched out her copper hands and waved her golden wings, snakes stirred on her head. The fearless hero grabbed the sword, but Hermes stopped him with the words:

Don't grab the sword, Hercules! After all, it's just an ethereal shadow! She doesn't threaten you with death!

Hercules saw many horrors on his way; finally, he appeared before the throne of Hades. The ruler of the kingdom of the dead and his wife Persephone looked with delight at the great son of the Thunderer Zeus, who fearlessly descended into the kingdom of darkness and sorrow. He, majestic, calm, stood before the throne of Hades, leaning on his huge club, in a lion's skin draped over his shoulders, and with a bow over his shoulders. Hades graciously greeted his son

his great brother Zeus and asked what made him leave the light of the sun and descend into the kingdom of darkness. Bowing before Hades, Hercules answered:

Oh, ruler of the souls of the dead, great Hades, do not be angry with me for my request, omnipotent! You know, after all, that it was not of my own free will that I came to your kingdom, that it was not of my own free will that I would ask you. Let me, Lord Hades, take your three-headed dog Kerberos to Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to do this, whom I serve at the command of the bright Olympian gods.

Hades replied to the hero:

I will fulfill, son of Zeus, your request; but you must tame Cerberus without weapons. If you tame him, then I will let you take him to Eurystheus.

For a long time Heracles searched for Kerberos in the underworld. Finally, he found him on the banks of the Acheron. Hercules wrapped his arms, strong as steel, around the neck of Cerberus. The dog Aida howled menacingly; the whole underworld was filled with his howl. He struggled to escape from the arms of Hercules, but only the mighty hands of the hero squeezed the neck of Kerberos more tightly. Kerber wrapped his tail around the hero's legs, the dragon's head dug its teeth into his body, but all in vain. The mighty Hercules squeezed his neck harder and harder. Finally, the half-strangled dog Aida fell at the feet of the hero. Hercules tamed him and led him from the kingdom of darkness to Mycenae. Frightened by daylight Kerberos; he was covered with cold sweat, poisonous foam dripped from his three mouths onto the ground; wherever a drop of foam dripped, poisonous herbs grew.

Hercules brought Kerberos to the walls of Mycenae. The cowardly Eurystheus was horrified at the mere sight of a terrible dog. Almost on his knees, he begged Hercules to take back to the kingdom of Hades Kerberos. Hercules fulfilled his request and returned Hades to his terrible guard Cerberus.

Apples of the Hesperides (twelfth feat)

The most difficult feat of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus was his last, twelfth feat. He had to go to the great titan Atlas, who holds the vault of heaven on his shoulders, and get three golden apples from his gardens, which were watched by the daughters of Atlas Hesperides. These apples grew on a golden tree grown by the goddess of the earth Gaia as a gift to the great Hera on the day of her wedding with Zeus. To accomplish this feat, it was necessary first of all to find out the way to the gardens of the Hesperides, guarded by a dragon who never closed his eyes to sleep.

Nobody knew the way to the Hesperides and Atlas. Hercules wandered for a long time through Asia and Europe, he passed through all the countries that he had passed before along the way for the cows of Gerion; everywhere Hercules asked about the ‘way, but no one knew him. In his search, he went to the farthest north, to the eternally rolling its stormy, boundless


Hercules fights Antaeus. (Drawing on a vase.)

waters of the Eridanus River. On the banks of Eridan, beautiful nymphs met the great son of Zeus with honor and gave him advice on how to find out the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Hercules was supposed to surprise the prophetic old man Nereus when he came ashore from the depths of the sea, and learn from him the way to the Hesperides; except Nereus, no one knew this way. Hercules searched for Nereus for a long time. Finally, he managed to find Nereus on the seashore. Hercules attacked the sea god. The struggle with the sea god was difficult. To free himself from the iron embrace of Hercules, Nereus took on all sorts of forms, but still the hero did not let him out. Finally, he tied the weary Nereus, and in order to gain freedom, the sea god had to reveal to Hercules the secret of the way to the gardens of the Hesperides. Having learned this secret, the son of Zeus released the sea elder and set off on a long journey.

Again he had to go through Libya. Here he met the giant Antey, the son of Poseidon, the god of the seas, and the goddess of the earth, Gaia, who gave birth to him, nurtured and raised him. Antaeus forced all travelers to fight him and mercilessly killed everyone he defeated in the fight. The giant demanded that Hercules also fight him. No one could defeat Antaeus in single combat, not knowing the secret from where the giant received more and more strength during the struggle. The secret was this: when Antaeus felt that he was beginning to lose strength, he touched the earth, his mother, and his strength was renewed: he drew them from his mother, the great goddess of the earth. But as soon as Antaeus was torn off the ground and lifted into the air, his strength disappeared. Hercules fought the share with Antaeus, several times he knocked him to the ground, but only


Hercules kills Busiris, king of Egypt. (Drawing on a vase.)

Antey’s strength increased, “a friend during the struggle raised the mighty Hercules Antey high into the air, the strength of the son of Gaia dried up, and Hercules strangled him.

Then Hercules went and came to Egypt. There, tired from the long journey, he fell asleep in the shade of a small grove on the banks of the Nile. The king of Egypt, the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Epaphus Lysianassa, Busiris, saw the sleeping Hercules, and ordered to bind the sleeping hero. He wanted to sacrifice Hercules to his father Zeus. For nine years there was a crop failure in Egypt; the soothsayer Thrasius, who came from Cyprus, predicted that the crop failure would stop only if Busiris annually sacrificed a foreigner to Zeus. Busiris ordered the soothsayer Thrasius to be seized and was the first to sacrifice him. Since then, the cruel king sacrificed to the Thunderer all the strangers who came to Egypt. They also brought Hercules to the altar, but the great hero tore the ropes with which he was bound, and killed Busiris himself and his son Amphidamantus at the altar. So the cruel king of Egypt was punished.

Hercules had to meet a lot more on the way of his dangers, until he reached the ends of the earth, where the great titan Atlas stood. With amazement, the hero looked at the mighty titan, holding the entire heavenly vault on his broad shoulders.

  • - Oh, the great titan Atlas! Hercules turned to him. - I am the son of Zeus, Hercules. I was sent to you by Eurystheus, the king of the rich gold of Mycenae. Eurystheus ordered me to get three golden apples from you from a golden tree in the gardens of the Hesperides.
  • “I will give you three apples, son of Zeus,” Atlas replied. “You, while I follow them, must take my place and hold the vault of heaven on your shoulders.

Hercules agreed. He took the place of Atlas. An incredible weight fell on the shoulders of the son of Zeus. He exerted all his strength and held the vault of heaven. The weight was terribly pressing on the mighty shoulders of Hercules. He bent under the weight of the sky, his muscles swelled like mountains, sweat covered his entire body from tension, but superhuman strength and the help of the goddess Athena gave him the opportunity to hold the vault of heaven until Atlas returned with three golden apples. Returning, Atlas said to the hero:

Atlas brings Hercules apples from the garden of the Hesperides. Behind Hercules stands Athena, helping Hercules to hold the vault of heaven. (Bas-relief of the 5th century BC)

Here are three apples, Hercules; if you want, I myself will take them to Mycenae, and you hold the vault of heaven until my return; then I will take your place again.

Hercules understood the cunning of Atlas, he realized that the titan wanted to completely free himself from his hard work, and applied cunning against cunning.

Okay, Atlas, I agree! Hercules answered. “Just let me first make myself a pillow, I will put it on my shoulders so that the vault of heaven does not press them so terribly.

Atlas stood back in his place and shouldered the weight of the sky. Hercules raised his bow and quiver of arrows, took his club and golden apples and said:

Farewell Atlas! I held the vault of the sky while you went for the apples of the Hesperides, but I do not want to carry the entire weight of the sky on my shoulders forever.

With these words, Hercules left the titan, and again Atlas had to hold, as before, the vault of heaven on his mighty shoulders. Hercules returned to Eurystheus and gave him the golden apples. Eurystheus gave them to Hercules, and he gave the apples to his patroness, the great daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athena. Athena returned the apples to the Hesperides so that they would forever remain in their gardens.

After his twelfth feat, Hercules was freed from the service of Eurystheus. Now he could return to the seven gates of Thebes. But the son of Zeus did not stay there for long. Waiting for his new exploits. He gave his wife Megara as a wife to his friend Iolaus, and he himself went back to Tiryns.

But not only victories awaited him, Hercules and serious troubles awaited him, since the great goddess Hera still pursued him.

  • Pillars of Hercules, or Pillars of Hercules. The Greeks believed that the rocks on the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar were placed by Hercules.
  • 1 Otherwise - Cerberus.
  • Cape, southern tip of the Peloponnese.
  • mythical river.

    Rejoicing that his son would soon be born, the auspicious Zeus said to the gods: Hear, gods and goddesses, what I will tell you: it is my heart that tells me to say! Today a great hero will be born; he will rule over all his relatives who descend from my son, the great Perseus...

    Having matured, Hercules defeated the king Orchomenus Ergin, to whom Thebes paid a large tribute every year. He killed Ergin during the battle, and imposed a tribute on the Minian Orchomenus, which was twice as much as that paid by Thebes. For this feat, the king of Thebes Creon gave Hercules his daughter Megara as a wife, and the gods sent him three beautiful sons ...

    Hercules searched for a long time on the wooded slopes of the mountains and in the gorges of the lion's lair, finally, when the sun was already leaning towards the west, Hercules found the lair in the gloomy gorge; it was in a huge cave, which had two exits. Hercules blocked one of the exits with huge stones and began to wait for the lion, hiding behind the stones ...

    After the first feat, Eurystheus sent Hercules to kill the Lernean hydra. It was a monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon. Like the Nemean lion, the hydra was spawned by Typhon and Echidna. The hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna and, crawling out of its lair, destroyed entire herds and devastated all the surroundings ...

    Eurystheus instructed Hercules to kill the Stymphalian birds. Almost all the neighborhoods of the Arcadian city of Stimfal turned these birds into the desert. They attacked both animals and people and tore them apart with their copper claws and beaks. But the most terrible thing was that the feathers of these birds were made of hard bronze, and the birds, having taken off, could drop them, like arrows, on the one who would take it into his head to attack them...

    Eurystheus knew that a wonderful Kerinean doe lives in Arcadia, sent by the goddess Artemis to punish people. This deer devastated the fields. Eurystheus sent Hercules to catch her and ordered him to deliver the doe to Mycenae alive. This deer was extraordinarily beautiful, her horns were golden, and her legs were copper ...

    Eurystheus again gave him a commission: Hercules was supposed to kill the Erymanthian boar. This boar, possessing monstrous strength, lived on Mount Erimanthe and devastated the surroundings of the city of Psofis. He did not give mercy to people either and killed them with his huge fangs. Hercules went to Mount Erimanfu. On the way he visited the wise centaur Fall...

    Soon, Eurystheus gave a new assignment to Hercules. He had to clear the entire barnyard of Avgius, the king of Elis, the son of the radiant Helios, from manure. The sun god gave his son innumerable riches. The flocks of Avgeas were especially numerous. Among his herds were three hundred bulls with snow-white legs...

    To fulfill the seventh order of Eurystheus, Hercules had to leave Greece and go to the island of Crete. Eurystheus instructed him to bring a Cretan bull to Mycenae. This bull was sent to the king of Crete by Minos, the son of Europe, Poseidon, the shaker of the earth; Minos was supposed to sacrifice a bull to Poseidon...

    After taming the Cretan bull, Hercules, on behalf of Eurystheus, had to go to Thrace to the king of the bistones, Diomedes. This king had marvelous beauty and strength of horses. They were chained with iron chains in their stalls, since no fetters could hold them. King Diomedes fed these horses human flesh. He threw them all the foreigners to be devoured...

    Hercules chose a difficult time for Admetus. Great grief reigned in the house of King Fer. His wife Alcestis was to die. Once upon a time, the goddesses of fate, the great moiras, at the request of Apollo, determined that Admet could get rid of death if, in the last hour of his life, someone agreed to voluntarily descend instead of him into the gloomy kingdom of Hades...

    The fame of the exploits of the son of Zeus has long reached the country of the Amazons. Therefore, when the ship of Hercules landed at Themyscira, the Amazons came out with the queen to meet the hero. They looked with surprise at the great son of Zeus, who stood out, like an immortal god, among his fellow heroes. Queen Hippolyta asked the great hero Heracles...

  • On the way back to Tiryns from the country of the Amazons, Hercules arrived on ships with his army to Troy. A heavy sight appeared before the eyes of the heroes when they landed on the shore near Troy. They saw the beautiful daughter of the king of Troy, Laomedont, Hesion, chained to a rock near the seashore. She was doomed, like Andromeda, to be torn to pieces by a monster emerging from the sea...

    • Shortly after returning from a campaign in the country of the Amazons, Hercules set off on a new feat. Eurystheus instructed him to drive to Mycenae the cows of the great Geryon, the son of Chrysaor and the Oceanid Kalliroi. Far was the way to Geryon. Hercules had to reach the westernmost edge of the earth, those places where the radiant sun god Helios descends from the sky at sunset...

    As soon as Heracles returned to Tiryns, Eurystheus sent him again to the feat. This was already the eleventh feat that Hercules was to perform in the service of Eurystheus. Hercules had to overcome incredible difficulties during this feat. He had to descend into the gloomy, full of horrors, the underworld of Hades and bring to Eurystheus the guardian of the underworld, the terrible hellish dog Kerberus...

    The most difficult feat of Hercules in the service of Eurystheus was his last, twelfth feat. He had to go to the great titan Atlas, who holds the vault of heaven on his shoulders, and get three golden apples from his gardens, which were watched by the daughters of Atlas, the Hesperides...

    On the island of Euboea, in the city of Oikhaliya, King Eurytus ruled. The glory of Eurytus, as the most skilled archer, went far throughout Greece. The archer Apollo himself was his teacher, even gave him a bow and arrows. Once, in his youth, he studied archery with Eurytus and Hercules ...

    After Eurytus drove Hercules out of Oichalia, the great hero came to Calydon, the city of Aetolia. Oinei ruled there. Hercules came to Oeneus to ask for the hand of his daughter Dejanira, as he promised Meleager to marry her in the kingdom of shadows...

    Father Zeus sent his beloved daughter Pallas Athena to the island of Kos to Hercules to call on the great hero to help in their fight against the giants. The goddess Gaia gave birth to giants from the drops of blood of Uranus overthrown by Cronus. They were monstrous giants with snakes instead of legs, with shaggy long hair on their heads and beards...

    There they built a huge fire and placed the greatest of heroes on it. The suffering of Hercules is becoming stronger, the poison of the Lernean hydra penetrates deeper into his body. Hercules tears the poisoned cloak from himself, it sticks tightly to the body; together with the cloak, Hercules tears off pieces of skin, and terrible torments become even more unbearable. The only salvation from these superhuman torments is death...

    After the death of Hercules, his children and his mother Alcmene lived in Tiryns with Hercules' eldest son, Gylus. They did not live long there. Out of hatred for Hercules, Eurystheus drove the children away greatest hero from their father's domain and followed them wherever they tried to hide. The children of Hercules wandered all over Greece for a long time: finally, the aged Iolaus, nephew and friend of Hercules, sheltered them ...

Hesione, daughter of Laomedont, freed by Hercules from a sea monster

Hesiona Greek Daughter of Laomedont and his wife Leucippe.

Hesiona became an indirect victim of her father's treachery. When Laomedon strengthened Troy, on the orders of Zeus, Poseidon also helped him in this. For this, Laomedon promised to reward them royally, but at the end of the work he refused to pay them and even threatened to cut off their ears if they solicited her. Therefore, Apollo sent pestilence to Troy, and Poseidon - a sea monster.

The Trojan soothsayers found out that the only way to get rid of the monster was to sacrifice it to Hesion. Then Laomedon ordered Hesion to be chained to a rock by the sea, but even earlier than the monster, he appeared off the coast of Troy, returning from. Hercules offered Laomedont to save Hesion if he would give him the horses that Zeus gave Tros as a ransom for him as a reward. Laomedon agreed.


When the monster emerged from sea ​​depths and approached Hesion, Hercules rushed at him and, after a merciless battle, killed him. However, Laomedont remained true to himself: he did not give up the promised horses and drove Hercules away, showering him with threats and insults. Hercules did not forget this insult. Freed from his service with Eurystheus, he gathered his friends, sailed to Troy on six ships, took it by storm and killed Laomedont.

Hercules gave the captive Hesion by right of the winner to his friend Telamon, who married her after the death of his first wife Periboea. Their son Teucer subsequently participated in Trojan War on the side.

Another Hesion, daughter of the titan Iapetus, was the wife of Prometheus.

Four images of Hesiona are known on antique vases. Artists of the new time rarely addressed her. The opera Hesiona was written by A. Kampra (1700).


In the photo: Hesiona evening dress. On the top illustration: "Hercules saves Hesion", a medieval miniature.