The myths of ancient Greece (the exploits of Hercules, for example) must be known to every educated person. However, it often happens that the very fact of their accomplishment is known, sometimes some of them. But here among people who are not interested in this topic, one can hardly meet someone who would “perfectly” know the myths of ancient Greece, Heracles remembered all the exploits, and even legends. In the article below, we will introduce the reader to the famous acts of this character.
The whole culture of ancient Greece personified admiration for the human body and spirit. The myths of ancient Greece - the exploits of Hercules in the first place or, for example, the legend of the Odyssey - symbolized the limitless possibilities of man. Let us consider in more detail the acts of the semi-divine character of ancient legends. So, the myths of ancient Greece. The deeds of Hercules include 12 unthinkable for ordinary mortal accomplishments.
1. The first feat is the strangulation of the Nemean lion. Initially, Hercules tried to kill a monster from a bow, but the arrows bounced off his skin, and the hero strangled him with his bare hands. By the way, the myths of ancient Greece, the exploits of Hercules (in particular, the battle with Leo) are associated with the Nemean Olympic Games, allegedly established by him in the Peloponnese.
2. The second feat is the assassination of the Lernean hydra. The same monster with the body of a snake and nine heads. Hydra crawled out of the swamp near the city of Lerna and killed people. They could not kill the monster, since two new ones grew in place of each severed head. And the hero himself could not cope with it until Iolaus, the assistant of Hercules, began to burn torches on her neck, interfering with the growth of new goals.
3. During his third feat, Hercules shot from the bow of Stifmalia
birds that attacked and torn people and cattle.
4. The fourth feat was the destruction of the Kerinoe fallow deer, which was sent by the goddess Artemis to the people in punishment. She rushed tirelessly across Arcadia and everywhere destroyed the crop, devastating the fields. Hercules had to chase a doe for a year, before he overtook her at the source of the Danube.
5. The monstrously strong Erimanf boar terrorized the people of the neighborhood. Finding the monster, Hercules chased him and drove him into the snow, in which it was bogged down. The hero tied him up and carried him to Mycenae, where the frightened Eurystheus hid in a jug at the sight of a monster.
6. Among the exploits of the glorious hero there is also the purge of the Augean stables - the cunning king never managed to outwit Hercules. And the myth tells that not only strength, but also the mind is required to accomplish great things.
7. Poseidon sent rabies to one of the bulls of the herd of King Crete - Minos. The bull began to scamper around the island, destroying all life in its path. Hercules caught and tamed the animal, and then transported it to the Peloponnese.
8. The king of Thrace, Diomedes, kept horses in his stable of marvelous beauty. As food for them, he used people who accidentally ended up in its edges. Hercules stole the horses, and later defeated Diomedes himself in the battle.
9. Hercules by force takes away from the Queen of the Amazons the belt presented to her by Ares and worn as a symbol of power.
10. At the end of the earth, the terrible giant Gerion grazed cows. Hercules, sent by Eurystheus for these cows, by cunning leads them away. However, Gerion rushes in pursuit, after which he dies from the arrows of Hercules.
11. At the direction of Eurystheus, Hercules descends into the dark underworld of the god of the dead Hades and takes the guard out of there - the ferocious three-headed dog Cerberus, simultaneously freeing one of the Athenian heroes chained to the rock - Theseus.
12. Hercules is looking for a way to the giant Atlas, holding the vault of heaven on his shoulders. Then, following the order of Eurystheus, he steals three golden apples from the garden of the Atlas.
Other acts of the hero
Well, here comes the end of our story. However, this does not mean at all that the list of glorious deeds of the mythical character was limited to 12 exploits. Later, he still fights with the gods, in particular, with Acheloy, Poseidon, Apollo and Hades. Then he establishes the Olympic Games, invades Messiah ...
You can learn about all this (as well as about other heroes and gods of Antiquity) by reading a wonderful book called Myths of Ancient Greece. And if you want to plunge into the world of adventures and “experience on your own skin” everything that happened to go through a valiant hero, you can use the services of game makers. They created an exciting game in the genre of adventure, which is called - "The thirteenth feat of Hercules."