HERCULES
The demi-god Hercules and his
trials, adventures, joys, and
heartaches. His life was a labor
of love and repentance, ending
in godliness.
FAMILY TREE
ZEUS
PERSEUS
ZEUS
DANAE
ANDROMEDA
ELECTRYON
ALCAEUS
ALCMENE
AMPHITRYON
HERACLES
IPHICLES
*NOTE: HERACLES AND IPHICLES ARE TWINS, BUT HAVE DIFFERENT FATHERS
BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE

Zeus fell in love with ALCMENE, but she
was married to AMPHITRYON. While
Amphitryon was away, Zeus came to her,
disguised as Amphitryon. He expanded the
night to three times its length so he could
spend longer with Alcmene. After Zeus left,
the real Amphitryon came home. During
the course of those few days, Heracles and
Iphicles were conceived; twins, but the
father of Heracles is Zeus, and the father of
Iphicles is Amphitryon.
HERA GETS MAD—Big Surprise!

Hera is furious that her husband has
gotten another mortal pregnant. So, she
ordered the goddess of birth, Eileithyia, to
delay the birth of Heracles and his
brother. Hera hoped the mother and
children would die. However, Eileithyia
gets startled and the babies are allowed to
be born. Alcmene spited Hera by naming
her son HERAkles.
THE STRENGTH OF HERCULES
Hera was still angry, so she sent two
snakes to kill the infant. Hercules killed
the two snakes with his bare hands.
 As he grew up he became a great chariot
driver, archer. He didn’t like music, and
accidently killed his music teacher with his
lyre and got exiled for the homicide.

HERA CAN’T MOVE ON
While exiled, Hercules met his wife,
Megara and had three children by her.
 Hera meanwhile is still ticked off about
Hercules and sent a fit of madness to
consume him. While mad, he killed
Megara and his three children.
 Hercules went to the oracle of Delphi to
find purification.

HERCULES’ PENANCE

The oracle of Delphi told him that he had
to serve his cousin Eurystheus for twelve
years.
THE TWELVE LABORS

Hercules had to perform twelve labors to
achieve his absolution for his sins toward
his wife and children.
1. THE NEMEAN LION
Hercules was required to bring the hide of
this animal to Eurystheus. The lion could
not be wounded as his hide was
impenetrable so Hercules used a club and
then skinned the lion with its own claw.
 He then wore the skin and it became his
trademark trophy.

2. THE LERNAEAN HYDRA

This serpent had nine heads, one of which
was immortal. Each time Hercules cut off
a head, two grew back in its place.
Simultaneously while dealing with the
hydra, he was dealing with a giant crab
that Hera had sent. He killed the crab and
his nephew Iolaus helped by burning the
necks of the decapitated hydra so no more
would grow back. The immortal head was
buried under a rock.
3. THE CERYNEAN DEER
This golden horned animal was sacred to
Artemis and could not be harmed without
her wrath.
 Hercules pursued it for a whole year until
catching it and Artemis confronted him
about it. He blamed it on his cousin and
gave her the deer back.

4. THE ERYMANTIAN BOAR

This animal had ravaged the land around
Mount Erymanthus. Hercules chased it
out of its hiding spot and brought it back
to Eurystheus who was so terrified by it
that he cowered in a large jar.
5. THE AUGEAN STABLES

Augeas, the kind of Elis owned tons of
cattle. There stables had never been
cleaned out and Hercules was told to do
this. He accomplished this deed by
diverting two rivers so that they flowed
through the stables. After this labor
Heracles was said to have instituted
The Olympic games.
6. THE STYMPHALIAN BIRDS

He was required to shoot these creatures,
which had feathers that they shot like
iron. He brought them out of hiding with
a pair of castanets that Athena had given
to him; he then shot the birds with his
arrows.
7. THE CRETAN BULL

This bull was ravaging the land of Crete.
Hercules caught it and brought it back to
Eurystheus.
8. THE HORSES OF DIOMEDES

Diomedes was a Thracian king who owned
a herd of horses that fed on human flesh.
Heracles got a hold of the horses and fed
them the flesh of their master.
9. THE BELT OF HIPPOLYTA

Hippolyta was queen of the Amazons.
These women raised only their female
children and cut off their right breasts to
be able to throw the javelin more easily.
Heracles was ordered to take her belt (a
gift from Ares for her superior military
ability). She greeted him nicely and said
she would give him the belt, but Hera
stirred up trouble and he had
to kill Hippolyta.
THE CATTLE OF GERYON

Geryon was a triple bodied monster who
tended a herd of cattle. Hercules killed
him. On the way, Hercules put up the
pillars of Hercules and then he had cattle
stolen by Cacus, but found them and
strangled Cacus, thus having made a
name for himself in Italy, and became
more famously known Hercules. He was
the only Greek hero worshipped
by
by the Romans.
11. THE APPLES OF THE
HESPERIDES
The Hesperides were three
daughters of Night. They tended a tree that
had golden apples and it was guarded by a
hundred mouthed dragon named Laden. He
tricked Atlas into getting the apples and
taking the Earth back. Then, he killed a
giant named Antaeus.

12. THE CAPTURE OF CERBERUS

He captured the three-headed dog of the
underworld by wrestling him and then
took him back. He would ultimately meet
a man that would lead him to his death.
AFTER THE LABORS
He was freed from slavery, only to kill
again, and be sold back into slavery. Once
free again, he goes on to marry Deianira
and have a child with her, but then he
gets exiled for killing a slave boy in a fit of
anger.
 They meet a centaur who tries to attack
Deianira. He gives her blood to keep
Heracles “faithful”.

HIS DEATH AND APOTHEOSIS

The blood from the centaur nearly kills
Hercules so he ends up building his own
funeral pyre and burns himself to death.
His wife had killed herself out of guilt, so
he had no reason to go on. As the flames
engulfed him, the chariot of Zeus came
down and brought him up to Olympus.
Hera finally gave up her grudge and gave
 him her daughter Hebe as a wife
and he became a full god instead of
just a demi-god.