Twelve Labours of Hercules

• In Greek Mythology, Hercules was the Greek Hero Heracles. He was the son of Zeus, and a mortal, Alcmnene.
• Hercules was placed in the service of King Eurystheus who made him perform a number of difficult tasks or Labours.

The Twelve Labours

1. Slaying the Lion of Nemea or Kithairon (the Harp Mountain).
2. Slaying the Lernaian Hydra with 3 or 7 heads.
3. Capturing the swift Hind of Arkadia with its golden horns and brazen hooves.
4. Slaying the Boar of Erumanthos or Kaludon.
5. Cleaning the Augean Stables from 30 years of dung produced by 1,000 cattle, in one day, which he did by diverting two rivers through it, the Alpheus and the Peneus.
6. Slaying the flesh-eating birds of Lake Stumphalia.
7. Capturing the Wild Bull of Crete.
8. Taming the Wild man-eating Mares of Diomedes.
9. Removing the Girdle of the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta.
10. Slaying Geryon the Old Man of Gades, to collect his Cattle.
11. Locating the Garden of Hesperides, to slay the Dragon and collect the Golden Apples.
12. Capturing Cerberus, the three headed dog, which guarded Hades, the Underworld. Cerberus prevented the Dead from escaping and the living from entering. Hercules had to be initiated in the Eleusinian Mysteries in order to learn how to enter and leave Hades alive.