The strongest of all heroes, son of Zeus, who completed twelve impossible labours and became a god – Heracles, known to the Romans as Hercules, is the most famous hero of Greek mythology. Here is his story.
Who was Heracles?
Heracles (Hercules in Latin) was the son of Zeus and the mortal princess Alcmene. Gifted with superhuman strength, he was honoured as the protector of mankind and the patron of athletes. In art he is a powerfully built bearded man wearing the skin of the Nemean lion as a cloak, its head as a hood, and carrying a heavy wooden club. The Farnese Hercules, resting on his club after his labours, is one of the most famous statues of antiquity.
A hero hated by Hera
Because he was the son of one of Zeus' lovers, Hera pursued Heracles with hatred from birth. When he was a baby she sent two serpents into his cradle – and the infant strangled them with his bare hands. Later she sent a madness upon him in which he harmed his own family. To atone, Heracles went to the oracle of Delphi, which ordered him to serve King Eurystheus for twelve years and complete the tasks the king set him: the Twelve Labours.
The Twelve Labours
- Slay the Nemean lion, whose skin no weapon could pierce.
- Kill the many-headed Hydra of Lerna.
- Capture the golden-horned Ceryneian hind, sacred to Artemis.
- Capture the Erymanthian boar.
- Clean the Augean stables in a single day, by diverting two rivers.
- Drive away the Stymphalian birds.
- Capture the Cretan bull.
- Tame the man-eating mares of Diomedes.
- Bring back the belt of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons.
- Steal the cattle of Geryon, the three-bodied giant.
- Fetch the golden apples of the Hesperides – with the help of Atlas.
- Bring Cerberus, the three-headed hound, up from the underworld.
Other adventures
Heracles sailed with Jason and the Argonauts, fought alongside the gods against the Giants, freed Prometheus from his chains by shooting the eagle that tormented him, and rescued Alcestis from Death itself. On his journey to the far west he set up two great pillars at the Strait of Gibraltar – the Pillars of Hercules, which marked the edge of the known world.
From hero to god
Heracles died after putting on a robe poisoned with the blood of the centaur Nessus. In agony, he built his own funeral pyre on Mount Oeta. As the flames rose, his mortal part burned away and his divine part was carried up to Olympus by Zeus. There he was reconciled with Hera and married her daughter Hebe, goddess of youth, living forever among the gods.
Heracles in art and in your home
Heracles symbolises strength, perseverance and triumph over impossible challenges. A Heracles or Hercules statue is a natural piece for a home gym, office or study, and a meaningful gift for athletes, coaches, firefighters and anyone who has overcome hardship. Look for him with his club and lion skin, wrestling the lion or the Hydra, or resting like the Farnese Hercules.
Related gods
Read the stories of his father Zeus, his enemy Hera, Atlas, Prometheus and Hades, whose hound he captured. Browse all the gods and heroes in our Greek Mythology collection.
