Heracles and the 12 labours (Greek) Flashcards
Who sent Heracles on the 12 labours?
King Eurystheus
How many labours were there originally?
10
Why did Heracles complete 12 labours in total?
because 2 of the original 10 were disqualified meaning he had to complete 2 extra labours
What the first Labour?
The Nemean Lion
Who was involved in the Nemean Lion labour?
Heracles and Athena
What was Heracles required to do in his first labour?
kill the Nemean lion
What was Heracles’ first action towards the Lion?
used bows and arrows to attack it
What did Heracles realise about the Nemean lion’s skin?
That it was impossible to penetrate its skin with weapons
How did Heracles kill the Nemean lion?
By strangling it
What was the problem Heracles faced after killing the lion?
He needed to skin it too show King Eurystheus evidence, but his knife was not able to cut through the skin of the lion.
What advice did Athena Give Heracles when he was struggling to skin the Nemean Lion?
She told him to use the claws of the lion to skin it.
What pieces of Heracles’ iconography comes from the labour of the Nemean Lion?
-the lion skin as a cloak
-lion’s head as a helmet
What number labour was the Lernaean Hydra?
second labour
Which people were involved in Heracles’ second labour?
Iolaus
Hera
Heracles
What was the Lernaean Hydra?
A creature with many heads and venom as blood
What was the problem when Heracles cut the Hydra?
2 more of the hydra’s heads would grow
Who did Heracles get help from?
Iolaus
What did Iolaus do?
he would seal the neck with a flaming torch after Heracles cut off a head
How did Heracles defeating the Learnean hydra affect Hera?
This angered Hera
What did Hera send whilst Heracles was fighting the hydra?
a crab
What did Heracles do to the creature Hera sent him whilst fighting the hydra?
he crushed the crab
What did Heracles do to the hydra after killing it?
he buried the heads of it in a pile of rocks
What did Heracles use the venom of the Lernaean hydra for ?
poison for his weapons
TRUE OF FALSE:
Heracles’ second labour was disqualified
True
Why was Heracles’ second labour disqualified?
because he had received outside help
What was Heracles’ third labour?
The Golden Hind
What was the Golden Hind also known as?
Ceryneian Hind
Where was the Golden Hind from?
Mount Ceryneia
Why was the golden hind special? (two reasons)
-larger than a bull
-golden from horns to hooves (fully gold)
Who was the Golden Hind Sacred to?
Artemis
Why was the Heracles’ third task difficult?
he had to track the hind for a whole year before being able to catch it.
Who did Heracles meet on his way back home after getting the Golden hind?
he met Apollo and Artemis
How did Artemis first feel towards Heracles during his third labour? and why?
angry because he had taken her sacred hind
How did Artemis’ feeling towards Heracles change? and why?
her anger subsided because Heracles explained he had been forced to do it by King Eurystheus and was only borrowing the hind.
What number Labour was the Erymanthian Boar?
The fourth Labour
What was the Erymanthian Boar?
a boar much larger than others and terrorised the countryside of Arcadia
What was Heracles instructed to do on his fourth labour?
to bring the Erynamthian Boar back to Mycenae alive
How did Heracles capture the Erymanthian Boar?
He tired the boar by chasing it through the snow. After it was tired he bound it by its legs and carries it back to Mycenae.
How did the king react to the Erymanthian Boar?
he was so frightened he hid in a sunken Pithos
What is a Pithos?
a large clay storage jar
What number labour was the Augean Stables?
Heracles’ fifth labour
What was Heracles tasked to do in his Fifth Labour?
to clean the stables of Augeas in one day
What was Augeas famed for regarding his cattle?
having an enormous herd of cattle that produced extremely large amount of dung/poo