Retelling by V.V. and L.V. Uspenskikh
How Hercules caught the Kerynean hind
After listening to Eurystheus’ new order, Hercules thought deeply. He knew that the Kerynean doe had tireless copper legs, that she was cunning and careful. He also knew that the doe was the favorite of the goddess Artemis, the hunter. Artemis did not allow anyone to touch her loved ones.
After thinking about this, Hercules decided to properly prepare for the hunt. Without wasting time, he went to his homeland in Thebes and began to practice running there. Every morning, as soon as the sun rose, young Iolaus, at the request of Hercules, sat astride Amphitryon, the fastest of the four, and galloped along the valley at full speed. And Hercules ran next to the horse, holding tightly to its mane. On the first day he managed to run along with the horse for only one hour, on the second - two, on the third - three hours. Soon Hercules learned to tirelessly run after his horse all day long without food or drink, without stopping for a minute. Then he decided that the time for hunting had come, and went to the lake, where this fleet-footed doe often drank water. Hiding in the bushes, he sat motionless for three days and three nights, waiting for cautious prey. Three times the stars rose above the horizon, three times they went over the edge of the earth, but still there was no doe. Finally, on the fourth night, Hercules heard the light pattering of hooves and, sticking his head out of the bush, saw a horned shadow on the quiet lake water. Silently he crawled around the wide lake, trying to sneak up on the doe as close as possible. But the sensitive animal heard the rustling of the branches. Turning her chiseled head, the doe looked around the shore and suddenly, throwing her horns on her back, she rushed away from Hercules along a narrow forest path between the trees. Her golden horns sparkled in the stripes of moonlight. Hercules jumped up and, breathing noisily, chased after her. Trees flashed by one after another, the runners' legs moved tirelessly, barely touching the ground.
They ran through the forest, ran out into a large clearing, disappeared into the forest again, appeared in an open field and all rushed and rushed - the deer in front, and Hercules behind it. They ran past sixty villages and nine cities; the sun rose, casting two quickly running shadows on the ground. It climbed high across the vault of heaven, showering them with golden rays, and they all rushed - the doe in front, and Hercules behind.
The further they ran, the smaller the distance between them became, because Hercules ran very fast. But still he could not catch up with the doe. Exhausted from the heat of the sun, Hercules, while running, threw off the heavy skin of the Nemean lion and hung it on an oak branch. Then he threw off his clothes, leaving only a wide belt on his hips; then he took off his sandals to make it easier to run, and the doe kept rushing ahead, leading Hercules further and further into the mountains.
The sun began to set to the west, Hercules was tired from the rapid running, and the copper hooves of the wonderful doe still clattered evenly on the hard ground. Then Hercules gathered all his strength and rushed forward with such speed that the distance between him and the doe was completely reduced. It was difficult to run because the path was uphill. And yet, Hercules caught up with the doe, but barely had time to reach out his hand to grab her shiny horns, when suddenly a wide and bottomless abyss opened up right in front of him. Confident that the doe would now not go anywhere, Hercules slowed down his run a little, and the doe, like an arrow shot from a bow, flew across the terrible abyss. Hercules stopped abruptly, out of breath from running, he stood on the very edge of the cliff, and a doe on the other side was peacefully nibbling the grass, occasionally glancing at Hercules, as if laughing at him.
The distressed Hercules slowly walked around the edge of the abyss, trying not to lose sight of the doe. He spent a lot of time, several days and nights, in order to go around the abyss and track down the doe again. Then the endless chase began again. Every time Hercules overtook the doe, she left him, either jumping into deep rivers, or hiding in dense thickets, or disappearing among the sandy hills.
Each time after this, Hercules had to track down the doe's tracks. So the hunter and the game went further and further.
The doe led Hercules to a country where people with dog heads lived. She led him there to the wide Istra River, where beautiful women with fish tails lived. Now this river is called the Danube. But Hercules had no time to look at the dog heads or talk to the water beauties: he was in too much of a hurry. The tireless hunter drove the doe back without stopping, from the Istra River to Greece, until he returned to the places from which he began the hunt. Here he stopped, lay down on the ground and fell fast asleep. He would never have fallen asleep if the goddess Athena, whom Zeus entrusted to help Hercules, had not sent him sleep. In a dream, Athena appeared to Hercules and advised him to catch a doe in a net.
When Hercules woke up, he did just that. He quickly wove a light net from flexible branches and long sedge, placing it on the path along which animals go to water, and, having tracked the doe, drove it straight to the net. Having jumped out into the clearing, the doe rushed across it as fast as she could and immediately got her legs entangled in the net. Triumphant Hercules grabbed her, threw her down, tied her thin legs together and carried her in his arms to Eurystheus.
But before he had time to take even a hundred steps, the entire neighborhood rang with the barking of dogs. A whole pack of shaggy dogs jumped out onto the path and surrounded the hero, not letting him go further. Following them, the angry goddess Artemis came out from behind the bushes. In short hunting clothes, with a golden crescent in her hair and with a bow in her hands, the young goddess of hunting stood under the branches of myrtle trees. Drawing a deadly bow, the arrows of which no living creature can escape, Artemis aimed straight at the heart of Hercules. In an angry voice, she demanded that he immediately release the doe if he did not want to die. Not wanting to anger the goddess, Hercules humbly replied that he had caught the doe not of his own free will, but by order of the great gods. He asked permission only to show the doe to Eurystheus in order to release it immediately. The formidable goddess relented and allowed Hercules to take the doe to Argos.
Seeing the hero with the Kerynean doe in his arms, Eurystheus trembled with anger and envy at his great luck. After all, all of Greece was talking about Hercules. About Hercules, not about him.
Date of creation: -.
Genre: myth.
Subject: -.
Idea: -.
Issues. -.
Main characters: Hercules, Stymphalian birds.
Plot. Eurystheus's third task was the destruction of the Stymphalian birds. They nested in Arcadia near the city of Stymphala and became a real disaster for its inhabitants. The first two birds suddenly appeared on the shores of Lake Stymphalian. They quickly multiplied and very soon destroyed all the surrounding crops and domestic animals. The area has practically turned into a desert. The birds were a formidable force: their claws and beaks were copper, and their feathers were bronze. The birds mercilessly killed people, tearing them to pieces. In addition, they could drop bronze feathers on strong opponents. Eurystheus pretended that he felt sorry for the inhabitants of Stymphalus and wanted to help them get rid of the scourge. But in fact, he again mistakenly thought that this time he could finish off Hercules forever.
It would not be easy for a mighty hero to face such dangerous opponents. His incredible strength did not provide any advantage. First of all, he watched the birds for a long time. Hercules understood that he would not be able to pierce the bronze feathers with a bow. But when the birds threw them off, they needed time to grow new ones.
The goddess Athena decided to help the hero. She gave him a pair of tympani (an ancient percussion instrument) made of copper, forged by Hephaestus, and advised him to climb the highest hill. Hercules followed her advice and began beating the tympani. The deafening sound frightened the angry birds, they rose into the air and began to panic and shower the area with sharp feathers. But Hercules remained unharmed because he stood on a hill and covered himself with a shield.
As soon as the Stymphalian birds threw off their “weapons” and became defenseless, the hero began to launch his poisoned arrows at them. When he killed many birds, the rest were frightened by the formidable enemy and, in fear, flew to the shore of the Pontus Euxine (Black Sea). Their fear of the mighty hero was so great that from that time on the Stymphalian birds never dared to return to Greece.
Review of the work. The destruction of the Stymphalian birds was for Hercules a test not so much of strength as of intelligence and intelligence. The hero did not recklessly rush into battle, but carefully studied his new opponent and found his weaknesses. In addition, he was again helped by a higher power in the person of Athena and Hephaestus.
To fulfill the third order of King Eurystheus, Hercules had to expel monstrous birds from the environs of the city of Stymphalus, which were attacking people and livestock and destroying crops.
These birds were fed by the god of war himself, Ares, so they were especially fierce and strong. The birds had menacing bronze beaks and claws, but their most terrible weapons were their metal feathers, which the monsters could throw at their victims like arrows.
Birds built their nests on Lake Stymphal. When Hercules and his companion Iolaus reached the lake, they saw a gloomy area covered with dense forest. In the center of the forest was Lake Stymphalian. It communicated with the underground rivers of the land of the dead, so it made a very depressing impression and even brought a slight headache to the heroes.
At first, Hercules wanted to shoot all the birds with a bow, but it was quite difficult: there were too many birds, and it was impossible to move through the swampy area either on foot or in a boat. Somehow it was necessary to drive the birds away from the dense thicket that served as their shelter. Then Pallas Athena came to the aid of the heroes. The goddess brought two rattles forged by Hephaestus and advised Hercules to stand on a hill that towered above the forest.
Hercules and Iolaus climbed the hill and made noise with rattles. The frightened birds left their nests, began to fly over the forest screaming and shed their deadly feathers. Hercules and Iolaus remained on the top of the hill, so the feathers did not hit them. Now that the birds had flown out of their hiding place, there was nothing stopping them from shooting them with one of the bows. The surviving birds were driven away from Stymphalus forever by the sounds of the same rattles.
The birds flew to the Black Sea. Some ancient Greek authors described a further attack by Stymphalian birds on the Argonauts' ship. The travelers escaped from them by covering themselves with shields. Later, when the Argonauts came out on the island of Die, the birds tried to attack them again, but the heroes drove the monsters away by making a noise. Later, the feathers of Stymphalian birds were used by the sorceress Medea for her divination.
Stymphalian birds: modern interpretations of the myth
The city of Stymphalos is a real Greek city, located next to the lake of the same name. The lake periodically became swampy, foul-smelling fumes began to emanate from it, and walking along the muddy banks became simply dangerous. It is not surprising that the ancient Greeks began to associate Lake Stymphalos with something sinister and demonic.
According to one version of the legend about Hercules, the birds were the daughters of Lake Stymphalus and the nymph Ornata (“Birds”). The appearance of the Stymphalian birds was somewhat different from the traditional one: they were creatures in the form of girls with bird legs. It is curious that in Stymphale there was a temple of Artemis, the roof of which was decorated with similar creatures.
Many historians and ornithologists have tried to find the prototype of Stymphalian birds in the natural world. In the works of one ancient Greek author there was a statement that Stymphalid birds live in the Arabian deserts. At the same time, Stymphalidae were described as extremely ferocious, but very real creatures without metal beaks and magic feathers. Some believe that the myth about Hercules could describe:
- spoonbills are large wading birds with an unusual beak;
- ostriches, quite common in desert areas.
In more in a broad sense modern researchers interpret the myth of Hercules and the Stymphalian birds as a struggle between a rational hero - the son of the supreme god - and primitive chaos. Hercules defeats chthonic evil not so much through strength and dexterity as through cunning and intelligence.
Sevrinovsky Vladimir
Sevrinovsky Vladimir
The third labor of Hercules
Vladimir Sevrinovsky
The third labor of Hercules
High in the mountains in the north of Arcadia, where the air is devoid of life-giving force, and the peaks overgrown with dense forest stretch with greedy noses almost to the sky, Hercules met a strange man. The stranger was tall, strong in appearance and so unkempt that his tightly matted beard had grown into the goat skins that covered his stomach, and it was impossible to distinguish human hair from animal fur. However, unlike the idlers similar to him who have inhabited all the cities of the world at all times, the stranger was completely immersed in an important matter: resting his bare feet on the frozen ground with all his might and intently humming some forgotten melody under his breath, he pushed a huge gray boulder, merrily glistening in the Sun with silicon veins.
Hey buddy! - Hercules called out to him. - Can you tell me how to quickly get to the city near Mount Erymanthos?
In the morning, the hero's face was frozen and in order to warm up, he had to pour into himself all the remaining reserves of Ephesus. This helped the nose, however, it did not become less swollen and even redder, but such trifles completely ceased to darken the mood of the son of Zeus. In response, the stranger muttered something in his gut and shook his head, either thus indicating the direction, or demonstrating his reluctance to indicate it. Hercules asked him a couple more times, but this time the old man didn’t even blink an eye and only pressed the stone even more, trying to roll it over the next ledge. Finally, the hero got tired of this and, easily overtaking the stranger, blocked his way.
It seems that for you to answer such a simple question is much more difficult than rolling your stone,” he grinned and, for greater persuasiveness, grabbed his sword from its sheath.
The stranger, quickly looking at him, stopped and his hand reflexively reached for the belt on which the sword had once hung, and now only a bunch of dried onions dangled. The stone seemed to be waiting for this and, despite the desperate efforts of the old man who had come to his senses, it escaped from his hands and rolled down with a loud knock, bouncing on the uneven paths.
“You will, of course, excuse me,” muttered a somewhat confused Hercules, watching the result of probably at least a week of desperate efforts disappear.
“It’s okay, I’m used to it,” the stranger answered indifferently. Then he yawned briefly, showing long and unnaturally white teeth, sat down straight on the ground, tucked his legs under him and began to peel the onion, as if nothing significant had happened.
“Your name is probably Sisyphus,” the hero finally decided to ask.
The stranger nodded:
And you, therefore, are Hercules,” and again flashed his white teeth. - Well, we met.
How do you know me? - exclaimed the surprised Hercules.
Sisyphus mockingly looked at the hero with his mouth gaping with a stupid look, who even forgot to sheathe his sword, and answered melancholy:
I know a lot of things that you don’t even have a vague idea about. Why are you surprised that I know what you yourself have known since infancy? After all, I am the smartest person on Earth.
At first, Hercules wanted to grin, but Sisyphus uttered these strange words so indifferently and casually that any objection or even a simple question would have sounded completely inappropriate and ridiculous. And since Sisyphus had obviously said everything he wanted, there was a languid pause, so that they could hear the feathers of an invisible bird rustling in the wind high above their heads.
Zeus's eagle flew, - Sisyphus resumed the conversation as unexpectedly as he fell silent. - Prometheus will be tormented again.
And often does he fly to him?
Every day. As it gets hungry, it flies and pecks at the liver. It’s a pity, of course, for Prometheus, but it’s his own fault. The Titans were never particularly smart, so they always considered him a special fool.
How dare you speak so disrespectfully about the great hero Prometheus, who brought to people what only the gods used before them! - Hercules was indignant.
And you, as I see it, are not at all as ignorant as you seem at first,” Sisyphus bared his teeth. - Who knows, maybe after talking with me you’ll become even wiser... It’s not often that your hero brother happens to talk with the smartest person in the world. - and he smugly collapsed right on the stones, as if on a throne.
“You seem to have started talking about Prometheus,” Hercules recalled.
About Prometheus... Oh, yes. The titan had the kindest soul, but he was still kind of unlucky. Having gone over to the side of Zeus during the war, he, of course, acted wisely, but then, it must have been when the moiras cut off the fates of the other titans that his thread was also accidentally touched. And judge for yourself - what should a lonely titan do? The gods, of course, treated him well, but still they never forgot that he, too... was one of these. And it’s almost like Prometheus is to blame. If one of Hephaestus’s crafts doesn’t work, we know who broke it. If there is no ambrosia in the cup, it is known who drank. When Zeus changes Hera, he tries to blame everything on the corrupting influence of Prometheus. Sorry that I'm in front of you...
It's okay. Continue, old man,” the son of Zeus nodded impatiently.
Why continue there? He could not live among the gods, people were afraid of him... So he had to travel back and forth between them. And so as not to waste time, he decided to engage in trading. And this was his decision main mistake. At first, I must admit, everything went well. Prometheus will fly to people and tell them some new thing from Hephaestus’ inventions, and in return he will find out something clever that they would never have thought of on Olympus. He will fly to the gods, tell them - and everyone is happy. I remember that Zeus was especially happy about the invention of the lightning rod. Maybe I heard - this is a room where specially trained priests constantly pray to the Thunderer to spare this house.
So why is such an exchange bad? - Hercules was surprised.
The fact is,” Sisyphus sighed, “that not every time he was able to explain it in an accessible and understandable way. Not all people are as smart as... However, enough about me. Let's return to our titans. I remember that Prometheus once decided to explain to his acquaintance Pharaoh who the gods were and where they lived. And the pharaoh turned out to be, frankly speaking, not very perceptive. All he realized was that the most powerful creatures where his guest had come from lived on a huge pyramid-shaped block of stone. And since the gods deprived him of modesty even more than intelligence, he ordered to make himself exactly the same. Since then, they have had such a strange tradition in the Black Land. It’s also good that our gods live on the mountain. Imagine what would happen if people ever came up with the wild idea that gods lived, say, in the sky! I am sure that they would have abandoned the pyramids and, in the end, invented some kind of flying machine! - and Sisyphus laughed contagiously.
However, the problems of people, and even somewhere far from Hellas, did not worry the gods too much. At least Prometheus' eccentricities were tolerated. But one day he appeared on Olympus in absolute jubilation and told Zeus that he had brought him one of the most wonderful and funniest human inventions - a cocktail. The Thunderer, of course, immediately became interested in the new human miracle and asked what it was. To this, Prometheus solemnly answered him that a cocktail is a magical mixture of simple cheerful drinks, as a result of which their taste becomes doubly beautiful, and their effect is completely divine. And the ruler could not resist... The next day was, perhaps, the darkest in the history of Olympus. And in every sense. The Thunderer then made such a fuss as even his Crookshank dad never dreamed of. It thunders like lightning, there is already a glow all around, roar, smoke... Gods and goddesses, those who are smaller, rush around, in which Rhea gave birth, they also scream in fear, waving their hands... They say that some artist is talking about this I even painted a picture. Everything was as it really was, but I was afraid to portray Zeus himself - the ruler was too scary with a hangover.
And how did it all end? - Hercules hurried the old man, who was clearly about to be distracted again by extraneous memories.
Yes, as usual,” Sisyphus sighed. - Hera came, gave her husband a couple of slaps on the back of the head, and then she exclaimed: “Well, how many times have I told you, goat-fed, don’t mix nectar with ambrosia, it will be bad!” Here the Thunderer calmed down, only groaned heavily - his head was splitting! And when it finally split, our wisdom, the bright Pallas Athena, came out of it. The gods, of course, were delighted, but Prometheus was not forgiven for such a “gift”. So Zeus commanded from then on, that every creature, be it a man or a titan, should pay with its own liver for the abuse of fun drinks. This is such a sad story, Sisyphus concluded his story and, as it seemed to Hercules, he looked too closely at his ill-fated nose.
All this, of course, is very interesting,” the hero noted, “but now I’m much more interested in finding out how to get to Erymanthus from here.” After all, you, the smartest person in the world, probably know about such a trifle, just in case he flattered.
Of course, I know,” Sisyphus snorted in response. - Eh, youth... For once, I was lucky to meet such a fool the smartest person, So what? It would seem that we should take the opportunity to ask, before he changes his mind, about the eternal and immutable, but you... Just now some fool outdid everyone - he tried to find out from me whether there is life on Mars. He was lucky that Mars himself was not informed about this, otherwise he would have instantly gone to Tartarus.
Sisyphus put his hands on his hips and curled his lips mockingly. His gaze became clouded and Hercules realized that the annoying old man was no longer speaking for him, but for himself. Finally, Sisyphus cooled down and again remembered that he was not alone.
How are you still here? - he was surprised.
Where else should I be while I don’t know the way to Erimanth? Hercules was indignant.
Again these stupid questions... ...
One day, the evil Hera sent a terrible illness to Hercules. The great hero lost his mind, madness took possession of him. In a fit of rage, Hercules killed all his children and the children of his brother Iphicles. When the fit passed, deep sorrow took possession of Hercules. Cleansed from the filth of the involuntary murder he committed, Hercules left Thebes and went to the sacred Delphi to ask the god Apollo what he should do. Apollo ordered Hercules to go to the homeland of his ancestors in Tiryns and serve Eurystheus for twelve years. Through the mouth of the Pythia, the son of Latona predicted to Hercules that he would receive immortality if he performed twelve great labors at the command of Eurystheus. Hercules settled in Tiryns and became the servant of the weak, cowardly Eurystheus...
First Labor: Nemean Lion
Hercules did not have to wait long for the first order of King Eurystheus. He instructed Hercules to kill the Nemean lion. This lion, born of Typhon and Echidna, was of monstrous size. He lived near the city of Nemea and devastated all the surrounding areas. Hercules boldly set out on a dangerous feat. Arriving in Nemea, he immediately went to the mountains to find the lion's lair. It was already midday when the hero reached the slopes of the mountains. There was not a single living soul to be seen anywhere: neither shepherds nor farmers. All living things fled from these places in fear of the terrible lion. For a long time Hercules searched for the lion's lair along the wooded slopes of the mountains and in the gorges; finally, when the sun began to lean towards the west, Hercules found a lair in a gloomy gorge; it was located in a huge cave that had two exits. Hercules blocked one of the exits with huge stones and began to wait for the lion, hiding behind the stones. Just in the evening, when dusk was already approaching, a monstrous lion with a long shaggy mane appeared. Hercules pulled the string of his bow and shot three arrows one after another at the lion, but the arrows bounced off his skin - it was hard as steel. The lion roared menacingly, his roar rolled like thunder across the mountains. Looking around in all directions, the lion stood in the gorge and looked with his eyes burning with rage for the one who dared to shoot arrows at him. But then he saw Hercules and rushed with a huge leap at the hero. The club of Hercules flashed like lightning and fell like a thunderbolt on the lion’s head. The lion fell to the ground, stunned by a terrible blow; Hercules rushed at the lion, grabbed him with his powerful arms and strangled him. Having lifted the dead lion onto his mighty shoulders, Hercules returned to Nemea, made a sacrifice to Zeus and established the Nemean Games in memory of his first feat. When Hercules brought the lion he had killed to Mycenae, Eurystheus turned pale with fear as he looked at the monstrous lion. The king of Mycenae realized what superhuman strength Hercules possessed. He forbade him even to approach the gates of Mycenae; when Hercules brought evidence of his exploits, Eurystheus looked at them with horror from the high Mycenaean walls.
Second Labor: Lernaean Hydra
After the first feat, Eurystheus sent Hercules to kill the Lernaean hydra. It was a monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon. Like the Nemean lion, the hydra was generated 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 the entire surrounding area. The fight with the nine-headed hydra was dangerous because one of its heads was immortal. Hercules set off on the journey to Lerna with Iphicles’ son Iolaus. Arriving at a swamp near the city of Lerna, Hercules left Iolaus with his chariot in a nearby grove, and he himself went to look for the hydra. He found her in a cave surrounded by a swamp. Having heated his arrows red-hot, Hercules began to shoot them one after another into the hydra. The arrows of Hercules enraged the Hydra. She crawled out, wriggling a body covered with shiny scales, from the darkness of the cave, rose menacingly on her huge tail and was about to rush at the hero, but the son of Zeus stepped on her torso with his foot and pressed her to the ground. The hydra wrapped its tail around the legs of Hercules and tried to knock him down. Like an unshakable rock, the hero stood and, with swings of a heavy club, knocked off the heads of the hydra one after another. The club whistled in the air like a whirlwind; The hydra's heads flew off, but the hydra was still alive. Then Hercules noticed that in the hydra, in place of each knocked-down head, two new ones grew. Help for the hydra also appeared. A monstrous cancer crawled out of the swamp and dug its pincers into Hercules’ leg. Then the hero called his friend Iolaus for help. Iolaus killed the monstrous cancer, set fire to part of the nearby grove and, with burning tree trunks, burned the hydra's necks, from which Hercules knocked off the heads with his club. The hydra has stopped growing new heads. She resisted the son of Zeus weaker and weaker. Finally, the immortal head flew off the hydra. The monstrous hydra was defeated and fell dead to the ground. The victor Hercules buried her immortal head deeply and piled a huge rock on it so that it could not come out into the light again. Then the great hero cut open the body of the hydra and plunged his arrows into its poisonous bile. Since then, the wounds from Hercules' arrows have become incurable. Hercules returned to Tiryns with great triumph. But there a new assignment from Eurystheus was waiting for him.
Third labor: Stymphalian birds
Eurystheus instructed Hercules to kill the Stymphalian birds. These birds almost turned the entire environs of the Arcadian city of Stymphalus into a desert. They attacked both animals and people and tore them apart with their copper claws and beaks. But the worst thing was that the feathers of these birds were made of solid bronze, and the birds, having taken off, could drop them, like arrows, on anyone who decided to attack them. It was difficult for Hercules to fulfill this order of Eurystheus. The warrior Pallas Athena came to his aid. She gave Hercules two copper tympani, they were forged by the god Hephaestus, and ordered Hercules to stand on a high hill near the forest where the Stymphalian birds nested, and strike the tympani; when the birds fly up, shoot them with a bow. This is what Hercules did. Having ascended the hill, he struck the timbrels, and such a deafening ringing arose that the birds in a huge flock took off above the forest and began to circle above him in horror. They rained down their feathers, sharp as arrows, onto the ground, but the feathers did not hit Hercules standing on the hill. The hero grabbed his bow and began to strike the birds with deadly arrows. In fear, the Stymphalian birds soared into the clouds and disappeared from the eyes of Hercules. The birds flew far beyond the borders of Greece, to the shores of the Euxine Pontus, and never returned to the vicinity of Stymphalos. So Hercules fulfilled this order of Eurystheus and returned to Tiryns, but he immediately had to go to an even more difficult feat.
Fourth labor: Kerynean hind
Eurystheus knew that a wonderful Kerynean doe lived in Arcadia, sent by the goddess Artemis to punish people. This doe devastated the fields. Eurystheus sent Hercules to catch her and ordered him to deliver the doe alive to Mycenae. This doe was extremely beautiful, her horns were golden and her legs were copper. Like the wind, she rushed through the mountains and valleys of Arcadia, never knowing fatigue. For a whole year, Hercules pursued the Cerynean doe. She rushed through the mountains, across the plains, jumped over chasms, swam across rivers. The doe ran further and further north. The hero did not lag behind her, he pursued her without losing sight of her. Finally, Hercules, in pursuit of the pad, reached the far north - the country of the Hyperboreans and the sources of Istra. Here the doe stopped. The hero wanted to grab her, but she escaped and, like an arrow, rushed back to the south. The chase began again. Hercules only managed to overtake a doe in Arcadia. Even after such a long chase, she did not lose strength. Desperate to catch the doe, Hercules resorted to his never-missing arrows. He wounded the golden-horned doe in the leg with an arrow, and only then did he manage to catch her. Hercules put the wonderful doe on his shoulders and was about to carry it to Mycenae, when an angry Artemis appeared before him and said: “Didn’t you know, Hercules, that this doe is mine?” Why did you insult me by wounding my beloved doe? Don't you know that I don't forgive insults? Or do you think that you are more powerful than the Olympian gods? Hercules bowed with reverence before the beautiful goddess and answered: “Oh, great daughter of Latona, do not blame me!” I have never insulted the immortal gods living on bright Olympus; I have always honored the inhabitants of heaven with rich sacrifices and never considered myself equal to them, although I myself am the son of the thunderer Zeus. I did not pursue your doe of my own free will, but at the command of Eurystheus. The gods themselves commanded me to serve him, and I do not dare disobey Eurystheus! Artemis forgave Hercules for his guilt. The great son of the thunderer Zeus brought the Cerynean doe alive to Mycenae and gave it to Eurystheus.
Fifth feat: Erymanthian boar and the battle with the centaurs
After a copper-legged fallow hunt that lasted whole year, Hercules did not rest for long. Eurystheus again gave him an assignment: Hercules had to kill the Erymanthian boar. This boar, possessing monstrous strength, lived on Mount Erymanthes and devastated the surroundings of the city of Psofis. He gave no mercy to people and killed them with his huge fangs. Hercules went to Mount Erymanthus. On the way he visited the wise centaur Fol. He accepted the great son of Zeus with honor and arranged a feast for him. During the feast, the centaur opened a large vessel of wine to treat the hero better. The fragrance of wonderful wine spread far away. Other centaurs also heard this fragrance. They were terribly angry with Pholus because he opened the vessel. Wine belonged not only to Fol, but was the property of all centaurs. The centaurs rushed to the dwelling of Pholus and surprised him and Hercules as the two of them were happily feasting, adorning their heads with ivy wreaths. Hercules was not afraid of the centaurs. He quickly jumped up from his bed and began throwing huge smoking brands at the attackers. The centaurs fled, and Hercules wounded them with his poisonous arrows. The hero pursued them all the way to Malea. There the centaurs took refuge with Hercules' friend, Chiron, the wisest of the centaurs. Following them, Hercules burst into the cave. In anger, he pulled his bow, an arrow flashed in the air and pierced the knee of one of the centaurs. Hercules did not defeat the enemy, but his friend Chiron. Great sorrow gripped the hero when he saw who he had wounded. Hercules hurries to wash and bandage his friend’s wound, but nothing can help. Hercules knew that a wound from an arrow poisoned with hydra bile was incurable. Chiron also knew that he was facing a painful death. In order not to suffer from the wound, he subsequently voluntarily descended into the dark kingdom of Hades. In deep sadness, Hercules left Chiron and soon reached Mount Erymantha. There, in a dense forest, he found a formidable boar and drove it out of the thicket with a cry. Hercules chased the boar for a long time, and finally drove it into deep snow on the top of a mountain. The boar got stuck in the snow, and Hercules, rushing at him, tied him up and carried him alive to Mycenae. When Eurystheus saw the monstrous boar, he hid in a large bronze vessel out of fear.
Sixth labor: Animal Farm of King Augius
Soon Eurystheus gave a new assignment to Hercules. He had to clear the entire farmyard of Augeas, king of Elis, son of the radiant Helios, from manure. The sun god gave his son innumerable wealth. Augeas' herds were especially numerous. Among his herds were three hundred bulls with legs as white as snow, two hundred bulls were red like Sidonian purple, twelve bulls dedicated to the god Helios were white like swans, and one bull, distinguished by its extraordinary beauty, shone like a star. Hercules invited Augeas to cleanse his entire huge cattle yard in one day if he agreed to give him a tenth of his herds. Augeas agreed. It seemed impossible to him to complete such work in one day. Hercules broke the wall surrounding the barnyard on two opposite sides and diverted the water of two rivers, Alpheus and Peneus, into it. The water of these rivers in one day carried away all the manure from the barnyard, and Hercules again built the walls. When the hero came to Augeas to demand a reward, the proud king did not give him the promised tenth of the herds, and Hercules had to return to Tiryns with nothing. The great hero took terrible revenge on the king of Elis. A few years later, having already been freed from service with Eurystheus, Hercules invaded Elis with a large army, defeated Augeas in a bloody battle and killed him with his deadly arrow. After the victory, Hercules gathered an army and all the rich booty near the city of Pisa, made sacrifices to the Olympic gods and established the Olympic Games, which have since been celebrated by all Greeks every four years. sacred plain, planted with olive trees dedicated to the goddess Athena-Pallas by Hercules himself. The Olympic Games are the most important of the pan-Greek festivals, during which universal peace was declared throughout Greece. A few months before the games, ambassadors were sent throughout Greece and the Greek colonies inviting people to the games in Olympia. The games were held every four years. Competitions took place there in running, wrestling, fist fighting, discus and javelin throwing, as well as chariot racing. The winners of the games received an olive wreath as a reward and enjoyed great honor. The Greeks kept their chronology by the Olympic Games, counting those that took place first in 776 BC. e. The Olympic Games existed until 393 AD. e., when they were banned by Emperor Theodosius as incompatible with Christianity. Thirty years later, Emperor Theodosius II burned the Temple of Zeus at Olympia and all the luxurious buildings that adorned the place where the Olympic Games took place. They turned into ruins and were gradually covered by the sand of the Alpheus River. Only excavations carried out at the site of Olympia in the 19th century. n. e., mainly from 1875 to 1881, gave us the opportunity to get an accurate idea of the former Olympia and olympic games. Hercules took revenge on all of Augeas’s allies. The king of Pylos, Neleus, paid especially. Hercules, coming with an army to Pylos, took the city and killed Neleus and his eleven sons. Neleus’s son Periclymenus, who was given the gift of turning into a lion, snake and bee by the ruler of the sea, Poseidon, did not escape either. Hercules killed him when, having turned into a bee, Periclymenes sat on one of the horses harnessed to Hercules' chariot. Only Neleus' son Nestor survived. Nestor subsequently became famous among the Greeks for his exploits and great wisdom.
Seventh labor: Cretan bull
To fulfill Eurystheus' seventh order, Hercules had to leave Greece and go to the island of Crete. Eurystheus instructed him to bring him to Mycenae Cretan bull. This bull was sent to the king of Crete Minos, son of Europa, by the shaker of the earth Poseidon; Minos had to sacrifice a bull to Poseidon. But Minos felt sorry for sacrificing such a beautiful bull - he left it in his herd, and sacrificed one of his bulls to Poseidon. Poseidon was angry with Minos and sent the bull that came out of the sea into a frenzy. The bull rushed all over the island and destroyed everything in its path. Great hero Hercules caught the bull and tamed it. He sat on the broad back of a bull and swam on it across the sea from Crete to the Peloponnese. Hercules brought the bull to Mycenae, but Eurystheus was afraid to leave Poseidon's bull in his herd and let him go free. Sensing freedom again, the mad bull rushed across the entire Peloponnese to the north and finally ran to Attica to the Marathon field. There he was killed by the great Athenian hero Theseus.
Eighth labor: Horses of Diomedes
After taming the Cretan bull, Hercules, on behalf of Eurystheus, had to go to Thrace to the king of the Bystons, Diomedes. This king had horses of marvelous beauty and strength. They were chained with iron chains in the stalls, since no fetters could hold them. King Diomedes fed these horses with human meat. He threw to them all the foreigners who, driven by the storm, came to his city to be devoured. It was to this Thracian king that Hercules appeared with his companions. He took possession of Diomedes' horses and took them to his ship. On the shore, Hercules was overtaken by Diomedes himself with his warlike bistons. Having entrusted the guard of the horses to his beloved Abdera, the son of Hermes, Hercules entered into battle with Diomedes. Hercules had few companions, but Diomedes was still defeated and fell in battle. Hercules returned to the ship. How great was his despair when he saw that wild horses had torn to pieces his favorite Abdera. Hercules gave a magnificent funeral to his favorite, built a high hill on his grave, and next to the grave he founded a city and named it Abdera in honor of his favorite. Hercules brought the horses of Diomedes to Eurystheus, and he ordered them to be released. The wild horses fled to the mountains of Lykeion, covered with dense forest, and were torn to pieces by wild animals there.
Hercules at Admetus
Based mainly on Euripides' tragedy "Alcestis"
When Hercules sailed on a ship across the sea to the shores of Thrace for the horses of King Diomedes, he decided to visit his friend, King Admetus, since the path lay past the city of Fer, where Admetus ruled.
Hercules chose a difficult time for Admet. Great grief reigned in the house of King Fer. His wife Alcestis was supposed to die. Once upon a time, the goddesses of fate, the great Moirai, at the request of Apollo, determined that Admetus could get rid of death if, in the last hour of his life, someone agreed to voluntarily descend in his place to the dark kingdom of Hades. When the hour of death came, Admetus asked his elderly parents that one of them would agree to die in his place, but the parents refused. None of the inhabitants of Fer agreed to die voluntarily for King Admet. Then the young, beautiful Alcestis decided to sacrifice her life for her beloved husband. On the day when Admetus was supposed to die, his wife prepared for death. She washed the body and put on funeral clothes and jewelry. Approaching the hearth, Alcestis turned to the goddess Hestia, who gives happiness in the house, with a fervent prayer:
- Oh, great goddess! For the last time I kneel here before you. I pray to you, protect my orphans, because today I must descend into the kingdom of dark Hades. Oh, don’t let them die like I am dying, untimely! May their life be happy and rich here in their homeland.
Then Alcestis went around all the altars of the gods and decorated them with myrtle.
Finally, she went to her chambers and fell in tears on her bed. Her children came to her - a son and a daughter. They wept bitterly on their mother's chest. Alcestis's maids also cried. In despair, Admet hugged his young wife and begged her not to leave him. Alcestis is already ready for death; Tanat, the god of death, hated by gods and people, is already approaching the palace of King Fer with silent steps to cut off a strand of hair from Alcestis’s head with a sword. The golden-haired Apollo himself asked him to delay the hour of death of the wife of his favorite Admetus, but Tanat was inexorable. Alcestis feels the approach of death. She exclaims in horror:
- Oh, Charon’s two-oared boat is already approaching me, and the carrier of the souls of the dead, driving the boat, shouts menacingly to me: “Why are you delaying? Hurry, hurry! Time is running out! Don’t delay us. Everything is ready! Hurry!” Oh, let me go! My legs are getting weaker. Death is approaching. Black night covers my eyes! Oh children, children! Your mother is no longer alive! Live happily! Admet, it was dearer to me than mine own life Your life. Let it be better for you, and not for me, to shine. Admet, you love our children no less than me. Oh, don’t take a stepmother into their house so that she doesn’t offend them!
The unfortunate Admetus suffers.
- You take all the joy of life with you, Alcestis! - he exclaims, - all my life now I will grieve for you. Oh gods, gods, what a wife you are taking away from me!
Alcestis says barely audibly:
- Goodbye! My eyes have already closed forever. Goodbye children! Now I am nothing. Farewell, Admet!
- Oh, look at least once again! Don't leave your children! Oh, let me die too! - Admet exclaimed with tears.
Alcestis's eyes closed, her body grew cold, she died. Admet weeps inconsolably over the deceased and bitterly complains about her fate. He orders a magnificent funeral to be prepared for his wife. For eight months he orders everyone in the city to mourn Alcestis, the best of women. The whole city is full of sorrow, since everyone loved the good queen.
They were already preparing to carry the body of Alcestis to her tomb, when Hercules came to the city of Thera. He goes to Admetus's palace and meets his friend at the palace gates. Admet greeted the great son of the aegis-power Zeus with honor. Not wanting to sadden the guest, Admet tries to hide his grief from him. But Hercules immediately noticed that his friend was deeply saddened, and asked about the reason for his grief. Admet gives an unclear answer to Hercules, and he decides that Admet’s distant relative died, whom the king sheltered after the death of his father. Admetus orders his servants to take Hercules to the guest room and arrange a rich feast for him, and to lock the doors to the women’s quarters so that the groans of sorrow do not reach Hercules’ ears. Unaware of the misfortune that befell his friend, Hercules happily feasts in the palace of Admetus. He drinks cup after cup. It is difficult for the servants to serve the cheerful guest - after all, they know that their beloved mistress is no longer alive. No matter how hard they try, by order of Admetus, to hide their grief, Hercules nevertheless notices tears in their eyes and sadness on their faces. He invites one of the servants to feast with him, says that the wine will give him oblivion and smooth out the wrinkles of sadness on his brow, but the servant refuses. Then Hercules realizes that a grave grief has befallen the house of Admetus. He starts asking the servant what happened to his friend, and finally the servant tells him:
- Oh, stranger, the wife of Admetus descended today to the kingdom of Hades.
Hercules was saddened. It pained him that he had feasted in a wreath of ivy and sung in the house of a friend who had suffered such great grief. Hercules decided to thank the noble Admetus for the fact that, despite the grief that befell him, he still received him so hospitably. The great hero quickly decided to take away his prey - Alcestis - from the gloomy god of death Tanat.
Having learned from the servant where the tomb of Alcestis is located, he hurries there as soon as possible. Hiding behind the tomb, Hercules waits for Tanat to fly in to drink at the grave of sacrificial blood. Then the flapping of Tanat’s black wings was heard, and a breath of grave cold blew in; the gloomy god of death flew to the tomb and greedily pressed his lips to the sacrificial blood. Hercules jumped out of the ambush and rushed at Tanat. He grabbed the god of death with his mighty arms, and a terrible struggle began between them. Straining all his strength, Hercules fights with the god of death. Tanat squeezed the chest of Hercules with his bony hands, he breathes on him with his chilling breath, and from his wings the cold of death blows on the hero. Nevertheless, the mighty son of the thunderer Zeus defeated Tanat. He tied up Tanat and demanded that the god of death bring Alcestis back to life as a ransom for freedom. Thanat gave Hercules the life of Admetus's wife, and the great hero led her back to her husband's palace.
Admetus, returning to the palace after his wife’s funeral, bitterly mourned his irreplaceable loss. It was hard for him to stay in the empty palace. Where should he go? He envies the dead. He hates life. He calls death. All his happiness was stolen by Tanat and taken to the kingdom of Hades. What could be harder for him than the loss of his beloved wife! Admet regrets that she did not allow Alcestis to die with her, then their death would have united them. Hades would have received two souls faithful to each other instead of one. Together these souls would cross the Acheron. Suddenly Hercules appeared before the mournful Admetus. He leads a woman covered with a veil by the hand. Hercules asks Admetus to leave this woman, who he got after a difficult struggle, in the palace until his return from Thrace. Admet refuses; he asks Hercules to take the woman to someone else. It’s hard for Admet to see another woman in his palace when he lost the one he loved so much. Hercules insists and even wants Admetus to bring the woman into the palace himself. He does not allow Admetus' servants to touch her. Finally, Admetus, unable to refuse his friend, takes the woman by the hand to lead her into his palace. Hercules tells him:
- You took it, Admet! So protect her! Now you can say that the son of Zeus is a true friend. Look at the woman! Doesn't she look like your wife Alcestis? Stop being sad! Be happy with life again!
- Oh, great gods! - Admetus exclaimed, lifting the woman’s veil, “my wife Alcestis!” Oh no, it's just her shadow! She stands silently, she didn’t say a word!
- No, it’s not a shadow! - Hercules answered, - this is Alcestis. I obtained it in a difficult struggle with the lord of souls, Thanat. She will remain silent until she frees herself from the power of the underground gods, bringing them atonement sacrifices; she will remain silent until night gives way to day three times; only then will she speak. Now farewell, Admet! Be happy and always observe the great custom of hospitality, sanctified by my father himself - Zeus!
- Oh, great son of Zeus, you gave me the joy of life again! - Admet exclaimed, - how can I thank you? Stay as my guest. I will command that your victory be celebrated in all my domains, I will command that great sacrifices be made to the gods. Stay with me!
Hercules did not stay with Admetus; a feat awaited him; he had to fulfill the order of Eurystheus and get him the horses of King Diomedes.
Ninth labor: Hippolyta's Belt
The ninth labor of Hercules was his trip to the land of the Amazons under the belt of Queen Hippolyta. This belt was given to Hippolyta by the god of war Ares, and she wore it as a sign of her power over all the Amazons. The daughter of Eurystheus Admet, a priestess of the goddess Hera, definitely wanted to have this belt. To fulfill her wish, Eurystheus sent Hercules for the belt. Gathering a small detachment of heroes, the great son of Zeus set off on a long journey on only one ship. Although the detachment of Hercules was small, there were many glorious heroes in this detachment, including the great hero of Attica, Theseus.
The heroes had a long journey ahead of them. They had to achieve the most distant shores Euxine Pontus, since there was a country of the Amazons with the capital Themiscyra. Along the way, Hercules landed with his companions on the island of Paros, where the sons of Minos ruled. On this island the sons of Minos killed two companions of Hercules. Hercules, angry at this, immediately began a war with the sons of Minos. He killed many of the inhabitants of Paros, but drove others into the city and kept them under siege until the besieged sent envoys to Hercules and asked him to take two of them instead of the killed companions. Then Hercules lifted the siege and took the grandchildren of Minos, Alcaeus and Sthenelus instead of those killed.
From Paros, Hercules arrived in Mysia to King Lycus, who received him with great hospitality. The king of the Bebriks unexpectedly attacked Lik. Hercules defeated the king of the Bebriks with his detachment and destroyed his capital, and gave the entire land of the Bebriks to Lika. King Lycus named this country Hercules in honor of Hercules. After this feat, Hercules went further, and finally arrived at the city of the Amazons, Themiscyra.
The fame of the exploits of the son of Zeus has long reached the land of the Amazons. Therefore, when Hercules’ ship landed at Themiscyra, the Amazons and the queen came out to meet the hero. They looked with surprise at the great son of Zeus, who stood out like an immortal god among his heroic companions. Queen Hippolyta asked the great hero Hercules:
- Glorious son of Zeus, tell me what brought you to our city? Are you bringing us peace or war?
This is how Hercules answered the queen:
- Queen, it was not of my own free will that I came here with an army, having made a long journey across a stormy sea; Eurystheus, the ruler of Mycenae, sent me. His daughter Admeta wants to have your belt, a gift from the god Ares. Eurystheus instructed me to get your belt.
Hippolyta was unable to refuse Hercules anything. She was ready to voluntarily give him the belt, but the great Hera, wanting to destroy Hercules, whom she hated, took the form of an Amazon, intervened in the crowd and began to convince the warriors to attack the army of Hercules.
“Hercules is telling a lie,” Hera said to the Amazons, “he came to you with insidious intent: the hero wants to kidnap your queen Hippolyta and take her as a slave to his home.”
The Amazons believed Hera. They grabbed their weapons and attacked the army of Hercules. Aella, fast as the wind, rushed ahead of the Amazon army. She was the first to attack Hercules, like a stormy whirlwind. The great hero repelled her onslaught and put her to flight. Aella thought to escape from the hero by quick flight. All her speed did not help her; Hercules overtook her and struck her with his sparkling sword. Protoya also fell in battle. She killed seven heroes from among the companions of Hercules with her own hand, but she did not escape the arrow of the great son of Zeus. Then seven Amazons attacked Hercules at once; they were companions of Artemis herself: no one was equal to them in the art of wielding a spear. Covering themselves with shields, they launched their spears at Hercules. but the spears flew past this time. The hero struck them all down with his club; one after another they burst onto the ground, sparkling with their weapons. The Amazon Melanippe, who led the army into battle, was captured by Hercules, and Antiope was captured with her. The formidable warriors were defeated, their army fled, many of them fell at the hands of the heroes pursuing them. The Amazons made peace with Hercules. Hippolyta bought the freedom of the mighty Melanippe at the price of her belt. The heroes took Antiope with them. Hercules gave it as a reward to Theseus for his great courage.
This is how Hercules obtained Hippolyta’s belt.
Hercules saves Hesione, daughter of Laomedon
On the way back to Tiryns from the land of the Amazons, Hercules arrived on ships with his army to Troy. A difficult sight appeared before the eyes of the heroes when they landed on the shore near Troy. They saw the beautiful daughter of King Laomedon of Troy, Hesione, 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 by Poseidon as punishment to Laomedon for refusing to pay him and Apollo a fee for the construction of the walls of Troy. The proud king, whom, according to the verdict of Zeus, both gods had to serve, even threatened to cut off their ears if they demanded payment. Then, the angry Apollo sent a terrible pestilence to all the possessions of Laomedon, and Poseidon sent a monster that devastated the surroundings of Troy, sparing no one. 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 Hesione to a rock by the sea.
Seeing the unfortunate girl, Hercules volunteered to save her, and for saving Hesione he demanded from Laomedon as a reward those horses that the thunderer Zeus had given 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. Laomedont 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 hid behind the rampart, a monster swam out of the sea and, opening its huge mouth, rushed at Hesione. With a loud cry, Hercules ran out from behind the rampart, rushed at the monster and plunged his double-edged sword deep into its chest. Hercules saved Hesione.
When the son of Zeus demanded the promised reward from Laomedon, the king felt sorry to part with the wondrous horses; he did not give them to Hercules and even drove him out of Troy with threats. Hercules left the possessions of Laomedont, hiding 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 near Troy for a long time - he had to rush to Mycenae with Hippolyta’s belt.
Tenth labor: Cows of Geryon
Soon after returning from a campaign in the land of the Amazons, Hercules set out on a new feat. Eurystheus instructed him to drive the cows of the great Geryon, the son of Chrysaor and the oceanid Callirhoe, to Mycenae. The path to Geryon was long. Hercules needed to reach the westernmost edge of the earth, those places where the radiant sun god Helios descends from the sky at sunset. Hercules set out on a long journey alone. He passed through Africa, through the barren deserts of Libya, through the countries of savage barbarians and finally reached the ends of the earth. Here he erected two giant stone pillars on both sides of the narrow sea strait. eternal monument about your feat.
After this, Hercules had to wander a lot more until he reached the shores of the gray Ocean. The hero sat down in thought on the shore near the ever-noisy waters of the Ocean. How could he reach the island of Erythea, where Geryon grazed his flocks? The day was already approaching evening. Here the chariot of Helios appeared, descending to the waters of the Ocean. The bright rays of Helios blinded Hercules, and he was engulfed in unbearable, scorching heat. Hercules jumped up in anger and grabbed his formidable bow, but the bright Helios did not get angry, he smiled welcomingly at the hero, he liked the extraordinary courage of the great son of Zeus. Helios himself invited Hercules to cross to Erythea in a golden canoe, 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 Erythea.
As soon as he landed on the island, the formidable two-headed dog Orfo sensed it and barked at the hero. Hercules killed him with one blow of his heavy club. Ortho was not the only one who guarded Geryon's herds. Hercules also had to fight with the shepherd of Geryon, the giant Eurytion. The son of Zeus quickly dealt with the giant and drove the cows of Geryon 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 Ortho and the giant Eurytion had been killed, he chased the herd thief and overtook him on the seashore. Geryon was a monstrous giant: he had three torsos, three heads, six arms and six legs. He covered himself with three shields during the battle, and he threw three huge spears at once at the enemy. Hercules had to fight such and such a giant, but the great warrior Pallas Athena helped him. As soon as Hercules saw him, he immediately fired his deadly arrow at the giant. An arrow pierced the eye of one of Geryon's heads. After the first arrow, a second one flew, followed by a third. Hercules waved his all-crushing club menacingly, like lightning, struck the hero Geryon with it, and the three-body giant fell to the ground as a lifeless corpse. Hercules transported Geryon's cows from Erythea in the golden shuttle of Helios across the stormy Ocean and returned the shuttle to Helios. Half of the feat was over.
Much work still lay ahead. It was necessary to drive the bulls to Mycenae. Hercules drove cows across all of Spain, through the Pyrenees Mountains, through Gaul and the Alps, through Italy. In the south of Italy, near the city of Regium, one of the cows escaped from the herd and swam across the strait to Sicily. There King Eryx, son of Poseidon, saw her and took the cow into his herd. Hercules looked for a cow for a long time. Finally, he asked the god Hephaestus to guard the herd, and he himself crossed to Sicily and there he found his cow in the herd of King Eryx. The king did not want to return her to Hercules; Relying on his strength, he challenged Hercules to single combat. The winner was to be rewarded with a cow. Eryx was unable to cope with such an opponent as Hercules. The son of Zeus squeezed the king in his mighty embrace and strangled him. Hercules returned with the cow to his herd and drove it further. On the shores of the Ionian Sea, the goddess Hera sent rabies through the entire herd. Mad cows ran in all directions. Only with great difficulty did Hercules catch most of the cows already in Thrace and finally drive them to Eurystheus in Mycenae. Eurystheus sacrificed them to the great goddess Hera.
Pillars of Hercules, or Pillars of Hercules. The Greeks believed that Hercules placed the rocks along the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar.
The eleventh feat. The abduction of Cerberus.
There were no more monsters left on earth. Hercules destroyed everyone. But underground, guarding the domain of Hades, lived the monstrous three-headed dog Cerberus. Eurystheus ordered him to be delivered to the walls of Mycenae.
Hercules had to descend into the kingdom from where there is no return. Everything about him was terrifying. Cerberus himself was so powerful and terrible that his very appearance chilled the blood in his veins. In addition to three disgusting heads, the dog had a tail in the form of a huge snake with an open mouth. Snakes also wriggled around his neck. And such a dog had to not only be defeated, but also brought out alive from the underworld. Only the rulers of the kingdom of the dead Hades and Persephone could give consent to this.
Hercules had to appear before their eyes. For Hades they were black, like coal formed at the site of burning the remains of the dead, for Persephone they were light blue, like cornflowers in arable land. But in both of them one could read genuine surprise: what does this impudent man want here, who violated the laws of nature and descended alive into their dark world?
Bowing respectfully, Hercules said:
Do not be angry, mighty lords, if my request seems impertinent to you! The will of Eurystheus, hostile to my desire, dominates me. It was he who instructed me to deliver to him your faithful and valiant guard Cerberus.
Hades's face fell with displeasure.
Not only did you come here alive, but you intended to show the living someone whom only the dead can see.
Forgive my curiosity,” Persephone intervened. “But I would like to know how you think about your feat.” After all, Cerberus has never been given to anyone.
“I don’t know,” Hercules admitted honestly. “But let me fight him.”
Ha! Ha! - Hades laughed so loudly that the vaults of the underworld shook. - Try it! But just fight on equal terms, without using weapons.
On the way to the gates of Hades, one of the shadows approached Hercules and made a request.
“Great hero,” said the shadow, “you are destined to see the sun.” Would you agree to fulfill my duty? I still have a sister, Deianira, whom I did not have time to marry.
“Tell me your name and where you’re from,” Hercules responded.
“I am from Calydon,” answered the shadow. “There they called me Meleager.” Hercules, bowing low to the shadow, said:
I heard about you as a boy and always regretted that I could not meet you. Stay calm. I myself will take your sister as my wife.
Cerberus, as befits a dog, was in his place at the gates of Hades, barking at souls who were trying to approach Styx in order to get out into the world. If earlier, when Hercules entered the gate, the dog did not pay attention to the hero, now he attacked him with an angry growl, trying to gnaw the hero's throat. Hercules grabbed two of Cerberus' necks with both hands, and struck the third head with a powerful blow with his forehead. Cerberus wrapped his tail around the hero's legs and torso, tearing the body with his teeth. But Hercules’ fingers continued to squeeze, and soon the half-strangled dog went limp and wheezed.
Without allowing Cerberus to come to his senses, Hercules dragged him to the exit. When it began to get light, the dog came to life and, throwing up his head, howled terribly at the unfamiliar sun. Never before has the earth heard such heartbreaking sounds. Poisonous foam fell from the gaping jaws. Wherever even one drop fell, poisonous plants grew.
Here are the walls of Mycenae. The city seemed empty, dead, since everyone had already heard from afar that Hercules was returning victorious. Eurystheus, looking at Cerberus through the crack of the gate, yelled:
Let him go! Let go!
Hercules did not hesitate. He released the chain on which he was leading Cerberus, and the faithful dog Hades rushed to his master with huge leaps...
The twelfth feat. Golden apples of the Hesperides.
On the western tip of the earth, near the Ocean, where day met Night, lived the beautiful-voiced nymphs of the Hesperides. Their divine singing was heard only by Atlas, who held the firmament on his shoulders, and by the souls of the dead, who sadly descended into underworld. The nymphs were walking in a wonderful garden where a tree grew, bending its heavy branches to the ground. Golden fruits sparkled and hid in their greenery. They gave everyone who touched them immortality and eternal youth.
Eurystheus ordered these fruits to be brought, and not in order to become equal to the gods. He hoped that Hercules would not fulfill this order.
Throwing a lion's skin on his back, throwing a bow over his shoulder, taking a club, the hero walked briskly towards the Garden of the Hesperides. He is already accustomed to the fact that the impossible is achieved from him.
Hercules walked for a long time until he reached the place where heaven and earth converged on Atlanta, like on a giant support. He looked in horror at the titan holding an incredible weight.
“I am Hercules,” the hero responded. “I was ordered to bring three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides.” I heard that you can pick these apples alone.
Joy flashed in Atlas's eyes. He was up to something bad.
“I can’t reach the tree,” said Atlas. “And, as you can see, my hands are full.” Now, if you hold my burden, I will willingly fulfill your request.
“I agree,” Hercules answered and stood next to the titan, who was many heads taller than him.
Atlas sank, and a monstrous weight fell on Hercules’ shoulders. Sweat covered my forehead and entire body. The legs sank up to the ankles into the ground trampled by Atlas. The time it took the giant to get the apples seemed like an eternity to the hero. But Atlas was in no hurry to take back his burden.
If you want, I’ll take the precious apples to Mycenae myself,” he suggested to Hercules.
The simple-minded hero almost agreed, fearing to offend the titan who had rendered him a favor by refusing, but Athena intervened in time - she taught him to respond with cunning to cunning. Pretending to be delighted by Atlas's offer, Hercules immediately agreed, but asked the Titan to hold the arch while he made a lining for his shoulders.
As soon as Atlas, deceived by the feigned joy of Hercules, shouldered the usual burden on his weary shoulders, the hero immediately raised his club and bow and, not paying attention to the indignant cries of Atlas, set off on the way back.
Eurystheus did not take the apples of the Hesperides, obtained by Hercules with such difficulty. After all, he didn’t need apples, but the death of the hero. Hercules gave the apples to Athena, who returned them to the Hesperides.
This ended the service of Hercules to Eurystheus, and he was able to return to Thebes, where new exploits and new troubles awaited him.
