Heracles' 12 Labours & Side-Deeds

Question 1

What are the 12 labors of Hercules?

Answer 1

1. Nemean lion of Nemea
2. Hydra of Lerna
3. Ceryneian deer of Mount Ceryneia
4. Erymanthian boar of Mount Erymanthus
5. Augean Stables near Elis
6. Stymphalian birds of Lake Stymphalis
7. Cretan bull of Crete
8. Diomedes’ horses in Thrace
9. Amazon’s girdle by the Thermodon River
10. Geryon’s cattle in Erythia
11. Apples from the Hesperides
12. Cerberus from the underworld

Question 2

What is the first labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 2

Nemean lion of Nemea - the lion has an impenetrable hide.
- Heracles strangles it to death and breaks its neck.
- He uses the lions claw to cut the hide, allowing him to wear it like armour.

*Eurystheus is so intimidated by the appearance of Heracles wearing the hide that he hides in a bronze jar in the ground from now on.

Question 3

What is the second labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 3

Hydra of Lerna - has nine heads; when one is chopped off, two more grow in its place.
- Iolaus, Heracles’ nephew, assists him.
- Hercules cuts off ahead and then his nephew uses a firebrand to cauterize the wound which stops additional heads from growing.
- The main head of the Hydra is immortal so a Heracles buries it.

Question 4

What is the third labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 4

Ceryneian deer of Mount Ceryneia - sacred deer of Artemis that has golden antlers.
- Hercules wounds the deer to capture it and show Eurystheus, but out of respect for Artemis and to appease her, he releases it once he’s done showing Eurystheus.

Question 5

What is the 4th labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 5

Erymanthian boar of Mount Erymanthus
- Not a lot is known.

Question 6

What is the 5th labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 6

Augean Stables near Elis - Augeas had many stables and flocks but never cleared the stables of shit.
- Heracles makes a deal where if he clears the stables then he receives 1/10 of Augeas’ herd.
- Hercules clears the stables by diverting a river and flush out the stable.
- After realizing that Heracles was not clearing the stable out of his own good character but rather by mandatory assignment, he refuses to give Heracles part of his herd.

Question 7

What is the 6th labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 7

Stymphalian birds of Lake Stymphalis - their wings shoot arrows.
- Heracles shoots the birds down.

Question 8

What is the 7th labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 8

Cretan bull of Crete - A bull sent by Poseidon for King Minos to sacrifice, Minos never sacrificed it.
- Hercules wrangled the bull and wrote it back to Mycenae like a cowboy.

Question 9

What is the 8th labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 9

Diomedes’ horses in Thrace - These horses enjoyed the taste of human flesh.
- Hercules secures them and brings them back to Mycenae.

Question 10

What is the 9th labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 10

Amazon’s girdle by the Thermodon River - Tasked with bringing back the girdle of the Queen Amazonian.
- The girdle represents sex; if it’s loosened by choice, it’s an invitation and if it’s taken by force, then it’s equivalent to assault
- Heracles charms the queen, but then a rumor spreads regarding the intentions of Heracles.
- Pressured to make a quick getaway, Heracles takes the girdle by force.

Question 11

What is the 10th labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 11

Geryon’s cattle in Erythia - Geryon is a three headed monster.
- Heracles wanders through the desert trying to find the monster.
- Heracles is so hot that he tries to shoot the sun out of the sky.
- Helius, the sun god, is so impressed by Heracles’ attempt that he offers a cup to provide him an easier way to travel.
- Geryon lives in “red land”

BASED ON EGYPTIAN MYTH

Question 12

What is the 11th labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 12

Retrieving apples from the Hesperides - a tree given to Hera as a wedding present from Zeus.
- The tree is guarded by a snake, Ladon.
- Heracles convinces Atlas to complete this task for him.
- Atlas believes he has finally been freed of his burden of holding up the sky because Heracles is strong enough to do it.
- Heracles deceives Atlas by “relenting” and asking Atlas to hold the sky up for a little bit, to allow Heracles to adjust his cloak into a more comfortable position.
- Atlas agrees to “temporarily” hold up the sky, once he does Heracles FUCKING SPRINTS away.

Question 13

What is the 12th labour of Heracles? What is notable about it?

Answer 13

Retrieving Cerberus from the underworld - Cerberus has snakes in his fur.
- Heracles goes to Hades and requests to take Cerberus for a little bit because of his mission.
- Hades agrees but says that Heracles cannot hurt
Cerberus.

THIS IS ALWAYS THE LAST LABOUR.

Question 14

What is an example of a “side-deed” not covered in the textbook?

Answer 14

Cycnus - son of Ares; has an impenetrable figure.
- Hercules kills him.
- Ares is mad that Heracles killed his son, therefore Heracles has to fight Ares as well.

Question 15

Eurystheus became intimidated by the appearance of Heracles. Why was Eurystheus intimidated? And what resulted from this intimidation?

Answer 15

1. He was intimidated after Heracles completed his first labour. Heracles killed the Nemean Lion and
   henceforth, adorned the hide of the lion.
2. Because of the
   intimidation, Eurystheus had an enormous bronze jar set into the ground (acting as a sort of panic
   room) for whenever Heracles came back to prove his completed labour.

Question 16

What is an incredibly important detail regarding the completion of killing the Hydra of Lerna?

Answer 16

Hercules opened the body, causing deadly bile to spill
out.
- Heracles dipped his arrows
in this black liquid, which was so poisonous that a trace could kill the strongest man.

Question 17

Describe a “side deed” that occurred while Heracles was tracking the Erymanthian boar.

Answer 17

While tracking the boar, Hercules stopped to visit Pholus, a centaur, in a remote cave.
- Pholus was hospitable and hosted Hercules but when Heracles asked for the wine that was in a cask in the cave, Pholus explained the wine belonged to all the centaurs and he shouldn’t open it. Heracles assured him there would be no problems.
- After opening the cask, neighboring centaurs gathered carrying weapons. Alarmed at their aggression, Heracles shot at them.
- The Centaurs found refuge with Chiron, who was immortal, but one of Heracles’s poisoned arrows wounded him.
- Eventually, Prometheus traded his mortality for Chiron’s immortality, allowing Chiron to die.

Question 18

In terms of geography, what was significant about the seventh labour?

Answer 18

Labors 1-6 were confined to the Peloponnesus, but labour 7 required Heracles to sail to Crete.
- Labour 7 was to capture the Cretan Bull.

Question 19

What “side deed” occurred
prior to the completion of labour 8?

Answer 19

ORDER OF EVENTS:
1. Asclepius brings
Hippolytus back from the dead.
- Zeus kills Asclepius.
- Apollo, Asclepius’ father, killed the cyclopes that
created Zeus’ thunderbolt as revenge.
- Zeus forces Apollo to serve under Admetus for 1 year.

2. Apollo is treated so well
   that he allows Admetus to avoid death as long as he
   can find someone to die in
   his place.
   - His wife, Alcestis, dies in
   his place.
3. Heracles, while travelling
   to Thrace to kill Diomedes’
   horse, stops at the House of Admetus.
   - He notices the house is in mourning, but no one
   explains why they are mourning.
   - Heracles demands to be hosted “properly,” but learns the house is in mourning for the queen.
   - Regretful of his behaviour,
   he claims that he will return her from the dead.
   - He fights death and brings Alcestis back.

Question 20

What “side deed” occurred after the 10th labour?

Answer 20

Cacus, a 3 headed fire-breathing monster, stole
some of Heracles cattle from his 10th labour.
- Cacus hid the cattle in a
cave on the Palatine hill, Heracles heard the cattle
and tore away the rocks from the cave.
- Heracles killed Cacus with his club.

Question 21

While traveling to the Hesperides (far west) for his 11th labour, Heracles got lost. What “side deed” occurred after Heracles accidentally went East instead?

Answer 21

BUSIRIS, a son of Poseidon.
- Years prior when Egypt was barren, a foreign seer informed the king that to restore abundance, a foreigner must be sacrificed.
- After hearing this, the king sacrificed every foreigner he could (including the seer)
- Heracles was bound and led to an altar.
- He eventually burst his bonds, seized Busiris and his sons and killed them all.

Question 22

While traveling to complete his 11th labour at
Hesperides (far west), Heracles came across a peculiar situation. What was this “side deed”?

Answer 22

Heracles came across Prometheus, still nailed to a rock on Mount Caucasus.
- Heracles killed the eagle that had been tormenting Prometheus, devouring his liver everyday, and released Prometheus.