1.2 the universal hero: Heracles/Hercules

Question 1

Alcmene

Answer 1

wife of Amphitryon, mum to Heracles

Question 2

Amphitryon

Answer 2

nephew of Sthenelus

Question 3

seer

Answer 3

a person who is able to see the future

Question 4

Eileithya

Answer 4

Daughter of Zeus and Hera goddess of midwives and childbirth: prevented Alcmene from giving birth

Question 5

Eurystheus

Answer 5

Sun of Sthenelus, king of Mycenae

Question 6

Iphicles

Answer 6

Hercules’s half brother

Question 7

Sthenelus

Answer 7

king of Mycenae

Question 8

Homeric hymn 14, lines 6-7: referencing hercules’s early life

Answer 8

Many things heated that were, reckless many things he suffered

Question 9

Hercules’ first labour

Answer 9

Slaying the Nemean Lion whose skin was impervious to all weapons. Unable to harm it with arrows or blades, Hercules used his incredible strength to strangle the lion with his bare hands. He later skinned the creature using its own claws and wore its hide as a protective cloak.

Question 10

Hercules’ second labour

Answer 10

Lernaean Hydra, a serpent-like creature with nine heads. Each time one head was severed, two more grew in its place. To overcome this challenge, Hercules enlisted the help of his nephew Iolaus, who cauterized each stump with a torch as Hercules decapitated the heads. The final, immortal head was buried under a heavy rock.

Question 11

Hercules’ third labour

Answer 11

Ceryneian Hind, a golden-antlered deer sacred to the goddess Artemis. Determined not to harm the animal, Hercules spent an entire year pursuing it. When he finally caught the hind, he convinced Artemis to allow him to complete his task without incurring her wrath.

Question 12

Hercules’ fourth labour

Answer 12

to catch the Erymanthian Boar, a colossal and ferocious wild boar terrorizing the countryside. Hercules cleverly drove the beast into a snowdrift, where it became trapped, allowing him to capture it alive and bring it back to Eurystheus.

Question 13

Hercules’ fifth labour

Answer 13

Hercules was tasked with cleaning the Augean Stables, home to 3,000 cattle whose manure had accumulated for thirty years. Using both ingenuity and strength, Hercules diverted the flow of two nearby rivers through the stables, washing them clean in a single day.

Question 14

Hercules’ sixth labour

Answer 14

the Stymphalian Birds, man-eating creatures with sharp bronze beaks and metallic feathers they could launch like arrows. To drive the birds from their marshy habitat, Hercules used bronze rattles gifted by the goddess Athena to create a cacophony that frightened the birds into flight, after which he shot them down with his bow.

Question 15

Hercules’ seventh labour

Answer 15

Hercules’ seventh labor took him to Crete, where a rampaging bull was wreaking havoc. Known as the Cretan Bull, it had been sent by Poseidon and was the father of the Minotaur. Hercules wrestled the bull bare-handed, subdued it, and brought it back to Eurystheus.

Question 16

Hercules’ eighth labour

Answer 16

Hercules had to capture the Mares of Diomedes, carnivorous horses owned by the Thracian king Diomedes, who fed them human flesh. Hercules tamed the horses by feeding them their master, Diomedes, after which they became manageable and were delivered to Eurystheus.

Question 17

Hercules’ ninth labour

Answer 17

the girdle (belt) of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. In one version of the tale, Hercules persuaded Hippolyta to give him the girdle peacefully. However, in another account, Hera incited the Amazons to attack Hercules, forcing him to fight and take the girdle by force.

Question 18

Hercules’ tenth labour

Answer 18

the cattle of Geryon, a three-bodied giant who lived on an island at the edge of the world. After slaying Geryon and his two-headed guard dog, Hercules herded the distinctive red cattle back to Eurystheus, overcoming further obstacles along the way.

Question 19

Hercules’ eleventh labour

Answer 19

the golden apples of the Hesperides, sacred fruits guarded by a dragon named Ladon. Hercules persuaded the Titan Atlas to retrieve the apples for him, temporarily taking the burden of holding up the sky. When Atlas returned, Hercules tricked him into resuming his eternal duty.

Question 20

Hercules’ twelfth labour

Answer 20

Hercules to descend into the Underworld and capture Cerberus, the ferocious three-headed guard dog of Hades. With permission from Hades, Hercules subdued Cerberus using his immense strength and brought the creature to the surface. After displaying the dog to Eurystheus, he returned it safely to the Underworld.

Question 21

pithos

Answer 21

a large jar

Question 22

hind

Answer 22

dear

Question 23

year the Olympic games was founded

Answer 23

776 BC

Question 24

Pisa

Answer 24

A town near Olympia in the Greek Peloponnese

Question 25

Deianira

Answer 25

Hercules’s second wife

Question 26

Megara

Answer 26

Hercules’s first wife (who he kills, but they don’t add that in the Disney movie)

Question 27

Linchpin

Answer 27

A fastener used stop the wheel coming off the axis

Question 28

pediment

Answer 28

triangular area at the top of each end of a temple

Question 29

metope

Answer 29

Square decorative spaces that run around a Doric temple and could contain sculpture

Question 30

Cacus

Answer 30

a fire-breathing giant and the son of Vulcan