Heracles facts for kids

Heracles and Omphale, Roman fresco, Pompeian Fourth Style (45–79 AD), Naples National Archaeological Museum, Italy

Heracles (Latin: Hercules) was a divine hero in Greek mythology. He was the greatest of the Greek heroes. He was the son of the god Zeus and the mortal woman Alkmene. Heracles was strong and courageous—even as a baby. When he was a young man, he dressed in a lion's skin, carried a club of olive wood, and was an expert with the bow and arrow.

Hera, the Queen of the Gods, hated Heracles because he was the son of her husband and a mortal. She designed some difficult tasks for Heracles to do and hoped they would kill him. These tasks are called The Labors of Heracles. He finished them all with success and Zeus gave him immortality. He had many adventures. When he died, he went to live with the gods on Mount Olympus.

Heracles was worshipped throughout the Greek world. He was popular among athletes because he was the god of gymnasiums and wrestling schools. He started the Ancient Olympic Games and marked out the length of the Olympic stadium. The Romans called him Hercules. He was the subject of much ancient and modern art, and even of movies like Walt Disney's Hercules.

Birth and childhood

Zeus was the greatest of all Greek gods. He fell in love with a beautiful mortal woman named Alkmene. She gave birth to his son and named him Alkides. He would one day be called Heracles. Alkmene lived in Thebes.

Zeus' wife Hera was angry with her husband because he had become the father of a child outside their marriage. She hated Heracles and looked for ways to hurt him. The goddess Athena felt sorry for the baby. She tricked Hera into breast feeding him. This was one step on the road to immortality. Hera hated Heracles more than ever. She sent two snakes to [[Killing|kill] him, but the baby Heracles killed the snakes with his hands. This was his first great act of courage and physical strength.

Teenager

Heracles became a strong teenager. He learned to use weapons and to drive a chariot. One day he killed his music teacher Linus because the man had tried to whip him. Heracles was charged with murder, but said he had acted in self defense. He was freed. People feared him though, so he was sent far out of town to work on a farm. Heracles became stronger with the hard work. He was seven feet tall. He was eighteen when he left the farm.

Lion of Kithaeron

Heracles was eighteen when he hunted the large and powerful Lion of Kithaeron. This lion was killing cows in a land near Thebes. The hunt lasted fifty days and ended when Heracles smashed the lion's skull with a club of olive wood. This club is seen in pictures of Heracles. He dressed in the lion's skin.

Heracles was going back to Thebes when he met the heralds of King Erginus. They were on their way to Thebes to collect tribute. They treated Heracles with contempt. Erginus made war on Thebes, but was defeated and killed by Heraces. For saving Thebes, King Kreon gave his daughter Megara in marriage to Heracles.

Madness, murder, and The Labors of Heracles

Hera could not rest easily because Heracles was becoming more and more famous. He was loved by everyone. Her anger and hatred made her look foolish. She tricked Heracles into thinking his sons were his enemies and, insane with anger, he murdered them.

When he came to his senses, he was overcome with grief. He ran from other people and lived for a time in exile. He looked for advice from the Oracle of Delphi. The priestess sent him to serve King Eurystheus, King of Tyrins in Mycenae. In this way, she said, he would be washed clean of his crimes.

Eurystheus was a dull and bad man. Heracles hated him. Eurystheus set some tasks for Heracles to do. These tasks came to be called "The Labors of Heracles". It was said that Hera designed them. She hoped the tasks would kill him. Zeus would grant Heracles immortality with the successful completion of the Labors.

Images for kids

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  Greek mythology influenced the Etruscans. This vase at Caere shows King Eurytus of Oechalia and Heracles in a symposium. Krater of corinthian columns called 'Krater of Eurytion', c. 600 BCE

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  Side of terracotta kantharos in the form of the head of Heracles, attributed to the Syriskos Painter, c. 470 BC

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  Heracles and Ceryneian Hind by Lysippos

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  Heracles and Omphale, Roman fresco, Pompeian Fourth Style (45–79 CE), Naples National Archaeological Museum, Italy

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  Death of Hercules (painting by Francisco de Zurbarán, 1634, Museo del Prado)

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  Temple to Heracles in Agrigento, Sicily, Italy

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  Hellenistic-era depiction of the Zoroastrian divinity Bahram as Hercules carved in 153 BCE at Kermanshah, Iran.

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  The protector Vajrapani of the Buddha is another incarnation of Heracles (Gandhara, 1st century CE).

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  Herakles under his lion skin and holding thunder (vajra), with Buddhist monks, art of Gandhara, British Museum

See also

In Spanish: Heracles para niños