Hercules

Hercules

Hercules

Heracles Name : Heracles Other name: Hercules Birth: the son of Zeus and Alcmene Depicted as : the strongest and most courageous of mortal ,capable of ridding mankind of any ills . Hera’s persecution: P115 The Twelve Labours P116

Heracles strength, courage, good nature and compassion. a great eater as well as a great fighter. Hera declared war against Heracles from his birth. She sent two serpents to destroy him as he lay in his cradle, but the newborn baby strangled (扼死) them with his own hands.

Twelve Labors of Heracles 1. To kill the Nemean lion杀死涅墨亚的狮子 2. To destroy the Lernaean Hydra. 杀死毒蛇许德拉 3. To capture the Ceryneian Hind. 生擒赤母鹿 4. To capture the Erymanthian Boar. 活捉大野猪 5. To clean the Augean Stables. 清扫国王奥革阿斯的牛圈 6. To kill the Stymphalian Birds消灭食肉怪鸟

7. To capture the Cretan Bull. 捕捉克里特疯牛 8. To round up the Mares of Diomedes. 驯服食人马 9. To steal the Girdle of Hippolyte. 夺取亚马逊女王的腰带 10. To herd the Cattle of Geryon. 夺取巨人牛群 11. To fetch the Apples of Hesperides. 取回金苹果 12. To capture Cerberus.带回地狱看门狗

The fight with Nemean lion (涅墨亚的狮子) The lion was sent by Hera to Nemea. Eurystheus ordered Heracles to bring him the skin of this monster. When he found he could not hurt the lion with his club (大棒) and arrows, he strangled the animal with his hands. Then he separated the skin of the beast from its body by using its own claws, as it was the only way to do so, and clothed himself with the skin.

The killing of the Hydra (许德拉) a poisonous snake living in Lerna (勒耳那). This serpent had nine heads; when one was cut off another grew in its place. Heracles cut off the heads, and Iolaus, his follower, burned the necks with fire to prevent them from growing back. The Hydra had one head that was immortal, which Heracles buried under a rock. He then dipped his arrows in the Hydra's水蛭blood to make them poisonous.

The bringing of the Golden Apples The Garden of the Hesperides (赫斯珀里得斯三仙女) was Hera's orchard in the east, where grew either a single tree or a grove of trees bearing immortality and giving golden apples . These were the apples given by Gaia, the goddess of the earth, to Hera as a wedding present.

The tree was guarded by the Hesperides, who were three nymphs and daughters of Atlas. Not trusting them, Hera placed in the garden a never-sleeping, hundred-headed, dragon, named Ladon, as an additional safeguard.

The bringing of the Golden Apples This labour was most difficult of all, for Heracles did not know where to find the apples. After various adventures he arrived in Africa, where Atlas, the father of the Hesperides, was carrying the heavens on his shoulders.

Atlas agreed to help him if he would support the burden on his shoulders while Atlas fetched the apples. Heracles took over the burden. However, when Atlas returned with the apples, he refused to take the burden back. "Okay, but take it over on your shoulder just for a few seconds, for I want to fetch one cushion for my shoulder." said Heracles.