How much mysterious and unknown is hidden in Ancient Greece. The deeds of Hercules, committed thousands of years ago by a demigod man, are still attracting millions of readers. And no one can answer for sure whether it is a myth or a reality.
Gods of ancient greece
The ancient Greeks professed polytheism. They sacredly believed that all the gods live on Olympus, but sometimes they descend into the world of people in human guise. Zeus - the supreme god of Olympus - became the father of Hercules, and his mother was Alkmena, an earthly woman from the descendants of Perseus himself. The goddess of the land Hera was jealous of her husband for Alkmena and tried her best to harm her and her child.
Still lying in the cradle, Hercules stood in the balance of death. Hera sent two snakes to him. But the brother of Hercules, the son of Alcmene, cried out in fear. Then Hercules stood up and strangled the vipers. On this the goddess’s machinations do not end there. Years pass. Hercules marries, he has children. But here Hera sends an attack of madness on him, and he kills his relatives. Then the hero goes to the Oracle, who offers him to atone for his sin by performing feats.
Feats of Hercules
The first on the path of Hercules is the Nemean lion. This is a beast of such strength that neither spears nor arrows take it. The demigod lures him into his own den, stuns him with a club and strangles him. Having removed the skin from the animal, he pulls it onto himself and becomes invincible.
Hercules fights with the hydra. She mercilessly exterminates people and cattle, but Hercules was able to defeat her. Hydra is a nine-headed snake. When a hero cuts off one head, two grow in its place. Hercules' nephew helped him, he burned his heads with fire, and Hercules cut down the main one.
After that, Hercules catches the golden-horned fallow deer, the Erymanthian boar and clears the famous Augean stables (there is still a winged expression that means a huge amount of work that is almost impossible to do). Then Hercules tames the ferocious Cretan bull. The sea god Poseidon himself presented this animal to King Minos to sacrifice it. But Minos refused to kill the bull, then Poseidon sent ferocity and fury on the bull. This is not all the deeds of Hercules. He seizes the belt of Ares, tames the mares of Diamed. Colorful battles, an exciting plot - this is what distinguishes the exploits of Hercules. The book "The Twelve Feats of Hercules" conveys this vividly.
The battle with Cerberus
The king of the Peloponnese could not destroy Hercules, he passed all 11 trials. There remains the last test, perhaps the most impudent and terrible. Hercules must go down to hell to deliver the three-headed Cerberus to the king. The hero is so strong that he grabbed the dog with his bare hands. He brought it to the king, and then again released him, so that he would continue to guard the kingdom of Hades.
On this, the exploits of Hercules ended, but adventures took place in his life. Hercules marries Dejanir. Once they swam across the ocean, and a violent centaur wanted to abduct the wife of Hercules. But he managed to shoot him with a poisoned arrow (its tip was saturated with the blood of a hydra, once defeated by Hercules). While dying, the Centaur whispered to Dejanira to collect his blood and soak her husband’s clothes - then he will forever only love her. Years passed. Hercules fell in love with another. Obsessed with jealousy, the wife decided to take the advice of a centaur. But his blood from the blood of hydra itself turned into poison. Hercules could not take off his torturous clothes. The tissue came off with pieces of leather. Dejanira, having seen what she had done, committed suicide. And Hercules made a fire and rushed into it, so as not to experience terrible torment.
For all the deeds of Hercules, the gods of Olympus endow him with immortality.