Hercules, in Greek Heracles, is the most famous of the Greek heroes: immensely strong, impulsive, capable of impossible feats and at the same time deeply human. His twelve labours are among the best-known stories in mythology. Here is his story, the complete list of labours and their meaning.
Son of Zeus, hated by Hera
Hercules was the son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. For this reason he was persecuted all his life by Hera, Zeus's wife, jealous of the betrayal. While he was still in the cradle, Hera sent two snakes against him: baby Hercules strangled them with his bare hands, the first proof of his extraordinary strength.
Why Hercules had to perform the labours
As an adult, Hercules was struck by a fit of madness sent by Hera and, out of his mind, killed his own children. When he came to his senses, in despair, he asked the oracle of Delphi how to atone. The answer was to serve King Eurystheus and carry out the tasks he would set. So the twelve labours were born.
The twelve labours of Hercules
- The Nemean lion. A beast immune to weapons: Hercules strangled it and wore its skin as a cloak.
- The Lernaean Hydra. A many-headed serpent whose heads grew back when cut off; with the help of his nephew Iolaus, Hercules burned the stumps.
- The Ceryneian Hind. A golden-horned deer sacred to Artemis, which Hercules chased for a year.
- The Erymanthian Boar. Captured alive and brought to Eurystheus.
- The Augean stables. Cleaned in a single day by diverting two rivers.
- The Stymphalian birds. Fierce birds scared off with bronze rattles and shot down with arrows.
- The Cretan Bull. Captured and brought to Greece.
- The Mares of Diomedes. Man-eating horses tamed by the hero.
- The belt of Hippolyta. The girdle of the queen of the Amazons.
- The cattle of Geryon. The herd of a three-bodied giant. On this journey Hercules is said to have set up the Pillars of Hercules, today's Strait of Gibraltar.
- The golden apples of the Hesperides. Obtained with the help, and the trickery, of the Titan Atlas. Read the full episode in our guide Who was Atlas.
- Cerberus. The three-headed dog guarding the Underworld, brought up to the surface and then returned.
Death and immortality
Hercules died because of a deception. The centaur Nessus, killed by the hero, persuaded Hercules's wife Deianira to keep his blood as a love potion. Years later, jealous, Deianira soaked a tunic in it and gave it to her husband: the blood was poisoned and the tunic burned his skin. Hercules had a pyre built on Mount Oeta and climbed onto it. But instead of dying he was welcomed to Olympus among the gods, where he made peace with Hera and married her daughter Hebe, goddess of youth.
The meaning of Hercules
- Strength in the service of redemption. The labours arise from a terrible guilt: Hercules is the hero who redeems himself through effort.
- Perseverance. Every labour seems impossible, yet each is overcome with strength and ingenuity.
- The hero's humanity. Hercules makes mistakes, suffers and gets angry: he is perhaps the most human of the Greek heroes.
The Farnese Hercules
The most famous depiction of the hero is the Farnese Hercules, a Roman statue signed by Glycon and based on an original by the Greek sculptor Lysippos, now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. It shows Hercules at rest, leaning on his club covered with the skin of the Nemean lion, with the apples of the Hesperides hidden in the hand behind his back: a weary hero at the end of his labours.
A Hercules statue for your home
We were inspired by the Farnese Hercules itself. You'll find the classic version in white marble-effect resin and the gold one, all hand-finished in Turin. And for those with a sense of humour there's Burnout Hercules, the ironic version of the hero exhausted after twelve labours: a perfect desk gift for someone who works too much. Discover the other heroes in the Greek Heroes collection.