The most outstanding HERCULES MYTHS

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In the Greek and Roman mythologies there are so-called heroes, being humans related to the gods who perform great feats. The best known hero of all is Hercules, son of Zeus and Alcmena, a cross between god and human who at the end of his days was rewarded with immortality. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about the most prominent Hercules myths so that you know the most important stories related to this important Greek hero.

Hercules or Heracles is a hero of the greek and roman mythology, being the son of Zeus and Alcmena, one of the many human lovers who had relations with Zeus.

The great importance of Hercules means that in many Greek and Roman texts it is considered that was rewarded with immortality at the end of his days, due to his incredible feats and the great help he was for some of the gods. Even in some texts he is spoken of as one of the Olympians who inhabited Mount Olympus after his death. Meanwhile in other stories none of this was commented on, so his death is spoken of as if it were that of any other mortal.

The great relevance of him in mythology means that there are many myths in which he participated, the most famous of them being 12 jobs. In this lesson we will try to go beyond these twelve, commenting on some of their individual feats that exemplify the importance of Hercules as one of the demigodsmore important.

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The 12 labors is one of the myths of Hercules, not to say that he is the most famous of all. People say that after Hercules killed his sons Because of Hera, he was sent by the Oracle of Delphi to carry out a series of tasks, which, according to the seer, would serve to end the great guilt that the Greek hero had on his shoulders. The 12 Labors of Hercules They were the following ones:

1. Kill the Nemean Lion: Hercules had to kill a large lion-shaped monster that threatened the city of Nemea. After killing him, he tore off the skin, which he began to use as armor in the rest of the work, since the animal's skin was impenetrable.
2. Kill the Hydra of Lerna: The Hydra was a gigantic monster that grew two heads for each one they cut, so the Greek hero burned their heads so that they would not come out again.
3. Cierva de Cerinea Capture: The speed of the doe was such that not even the goddess Artemis could have caught her, Hercules being able to do so after piercing her legs.
4. Erymanthus Wild Boar: The wild boar was a creature capable of making earthquakes, but Hercules was able to catch it and carry it in chains to Mycenae.
5. Cleaning the Augean stables in a single day: Hercules diverted the course of two rivers to clean these stables that had never been cleaned, being the place with the most horses in the entire ancient world.
6. Kill the Stymphalian birds: Hercules killed all these birds with bronze beaks and that they sent poisonous excrement by means of arrows.
7. Capture the Cretan Bull: This Bull was the father of the famous Minotaur, and only Hercules was able to tame him.
8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes: These mares were carnivorous animals that fed on people trapped by the giant Diomedes. Hercules made the mares eat the giant, after which they became totally tame animals.
9. Steal Hippolyta's Belt: Hercules went to the territory of the Amazons to steal this important belt from his leader, Hippolyta.
10. Steal Geryon's cattle: Hercules was able to rob the giant Geryon, killing him and the rest of his allies.
11. Steal the apples from the Garden of the Hesperides: Hercules stole these stolen apples thanks to the help of Atlas.
12. Capture Cerberus: Hercules had to go down to the Underworld itself to capture the three-headed dog and take it outside.

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To conclude this lesson on the most prominent Hercules myths, we must talk about those adventures of the Greek hero that are not part of the 12 works. These other myths are as follows:

• Gigantomachy: The gigantomachy was the confrontation that took place between the Olympians and the giants engendered by Gaea. It is said that the oracles told Zeus that he could only win with the help of a mortal, this being the reason why the god called Hercules. Hercules was key in the battles, using Hydra's poison to finish off several of the giants. According to some sources it was thanks to the support that the hero gave to the gods that he finally became one of the Olympians.
• Cicno and Ares: Cicno was a giant who used the bones of the people he killed to build a palace. Hercules felt great contempt for the actions carried out by this giant so he challenged him to an individual duel, killing him with ease. Cicno's father was Ares, the god of war, who, annoyed with Hercules, confronted him, but the hero demonstrated his great ability by defeating the god himself.
• Hercules and the Olympics: Some myths speak that it was Hercules who established the Olympic Games, being a competition created to worship his father. The versions are very different, there being some in which the demigod himself participated, and others in which he only summoned the athletes to compete.
• Hercules and the Argonauts: It is said that during part of their journey the Argonauts were helped by Hercules, although there are very different versions of this fact.

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