The ancient Greeks had many heroes, but the greatest god of all times was a half blood. His Roman name was Hercules.
Hercules was a very strong boy/man. He received his strength from his father, Zeus. The goddess Hera, who was Zeus’s wife but not Hercules’s mom, was very annoyed to the fact that Hercules is not her son. So, shortly after Hercules was born, she let 3 snakes into his room, which were all beaten up by his strength. His mother went to a prophet, when the prophet said that Hercules will become the hero of everyone.
When he was young, as a child he worked as a shepherd. One day a lion attacked. Hercules easily defeated it with his bare hands. After the event, he wore the lion’s pelt as a disguise. He also made a very heavy club that no other mortal can lift except him. Soon after he grew up, he married the daughter of the King of Thebes. He had 3 children with her. Life was very happy.
But, jealous Hera made him suffer. One day she caused him to attack his own wife and children. When he realized what he had done, he was overcome with grief. Hercules went to an oracle who helped the Greek solve many problems. The oracle said that he needs to work at King Eurystheus’s palace for 12 years.
King E., secretly along with Hera, thought of 12 difficult labors for Hercules. The first one was to defeat a lion with skin that couldn’t be broken, who terrorized the valley. Using support from his club, he strangled and defeated it. Then he went to overcome a nine-headed snake monster called the Hydra. Each time 1 head was cut off, he had to burn and tie a rock on it or else two heads will grow back. After it was overcome, Hercules dipped each of his arrows into Hydra’s deadly poison. His next labor was to find God Artemis’s sacred golden stag and bring it back. Artemis let him bring it, because she knew he will bring it back. Then he killed a wild boar that was terrorizing a village. Then he cleaned the home of thousands of cattle—using a river—in 1 day. Then he killed the only man-eating birds using his poisoned arrows, and the help of God Athens. Then he killed a savage bull that was destroying the coast of an island. Then he tamed 4 man eating mares by throwing their owner, King D. into the mares. The 9th labor was to get the golden belt of the queen of a group of warrior women called the Amazons. The queen willingly gave it to him, but Hera, disguised as an Amazon, stirred up trouble by interfering that Hercules will steal the queen. After a fight, Hercules returned with victory and the belt. Then he went to get the cattle of a monster giant called Geryon. After killing the guards and Geryon, he set off with the cattle. When he stopped to take a rest, a fire breathing monster setoff with some of the cattle. After the monster was slain, Hercules returned with the cattle. Then he was sent off to get some golden apples, guarded by 3 daughters of atlas, and a dragon. Hercules asked atlas to get them, and held the sky for a while. When Atlas came back, he didn’t want to continue his job. Hercules told Atlas that he’ll just make a pad to make him comfortable with the burden, and went off with the apples. Hercules just needs to do one more labor until he will get rid of his grief, and that is to bring back the terrible 3-headed watchdog of the dead. He defeated and brought it back by strangling it. When King E. saw it, he told him to bring it back where it was.
The prophet’s words have become true. Hercules had slain all the evil, terrible beasts in the world. Now that he was the hero of all people, there is no point of grief.
