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 very important hero in Greek mythology. He was known as the greatest of all Greek heroes. Heracles was the son of the powerful god Zeus and a human woman named Alkmene. Even as a baby, Heracles was incredibly strong and brave. When he grew up, he wore a lion's skin, carried a club made of olive wood, and was a skilled archer with his bow and arrows.

Hera, the Queen of the Gods, did not like Heracles at all. This was because he was Zeus's son with a human. She created many difficult challenges for Heracles, hoping they would lead to his death. These challenges are known as The Labors of Heracles. But Heracles completed every single one successfully. Because of his bravery, Zeus made him immortal. He had many exciting adventures throughout his life. After he died, he went to live with the gods on Mount Olympus.

People all over the Greek world admired Heracles. He was especially popular among athletes. This is because he was seen as the god of gymnasiums and wrestling schools. He is even said to have started the Ancient Olympic Games. He also marked out the length of the Olympic stadium. The Romans called him Hercules. Heracles has been a popular subject in art for a very long time. He has also appeared in movies, like Walt Disney's Hercules.

Heracles' Birth and Early Life

Zeus was the most powerful of all Greek gods. He fell in love with a beautiful human woman named Alkmene. She gave birth to his son, and they named him Alkides. Later, he would be known as Heracles. Alkmene lived in the city of Thebes.

Zeus's wife, Hera, was very angry that her husband had a child with another woman. She hated Heracles and constantly looked for ways to harm him. The goddess Athena felt sorry for the baby. She cleverly tricked Hera into feeding baby Heracles. This was an important step on his path to becoming immortal. Hera's hatred for Heracles grew even stronger. She sent two dangerous snakes to attack him in his crib. But the baby Heracles, showing amazing strength, killed both snakes with his bare hands. This was his very first act of great courage and physical power.

Heracles as a Teenager

Heracles grew into a very strong teenager. He learned how to use weapons and how to drive a chariot. One day, he accidentally killed his music teacher, Linus. This happened because the teacher tried to hit him. Heracles said he was acting in self-defense, and he was set free. However, people were a bit scared of him. So, he was sent far away from the city to work on a farm. The hard work made Heracles even stronger. He grew to be seven feet tall. He was eighteen years old when he finally left the farm.

The Lion of Kithaeron

When Heracles was eighteen, he went to hunt a huge and powerful Lion that lived on Mount Kithaeron. This lion was attacking cows in a nearby land. The hunt lasted for fifty days. It ended when Heracles used a club made from olive wood to smash the lion's skull. This special club is often shown in pictures of Heracles. After defeating the lion, he wore its skin as a cloak.

On his way back to Thebes, Heracles met some messengers from King Erginus. They were going to Thebes to collect tribute (a payment). They treated Heracles with disrespect. King Erginus later started a war against Thebes. But Heracles defeated and killed Erginus. Because he saved Thebes, King Kreon gave his daughter Megara to Heracles in marriage.

Heracles' Great Sadness and His Labors

Hera could not stand how famous and loved Heracles was becoming. Her anger and hatred made her act foolishly. She tricked Heracles into believing his own sons were his enemies. Filled with terrible anger, he harmed them.

When he realized what he had done, Heracles was filled with deep sadness. He left everyone and lived alone for a while. He sought advice from the Oracle of Delphi. The priestess told him he must serve King Eurystheus, who ruled Tyrins in Mycenae. She said this service would cleanse him of his terrible actions.

Eurystheus gave Heracles ten difficult tasks. But after Heracles completed them, Eurystheus unfairly added two more. This resulted in the famous Twelve Labours of Heracles. If he succeeded, he would be forgiven for his actions and, as the myth says, become a god and live forever.

Despite the extreme difficulty, Heracles completed all these tasks. However, Eurystheus did not accept two of them. He said Heracles couldn't count cleaning the Augean stables because he was going to be paid. He also didn't count killing the Lernaean Hydra because Heracles's nephew, Iolaus, helped him.

So, Eurystheus gave Heracles two more tasks: fetching the Golden Apples of Hesperides and capturing Cerberus. Heracles completed these too, bringing the total to twelve amazing labours. The order of the labours can vary in different stories. Here is one common order:

1. Slay the Nemean Lion

Heracles defeated a giant lion that was attacking the city of Nemea. He used his bare hands. Afterward, he wore the lion's tough skin as a cloak, showing his great strength.

2. Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra

This was a fire-breathing monster with many serpent heads. If one head was cut off, two more would grow back. It lived in a swamp near Lerna. Hera sent it, hoping it would destroy Heracles's home city. With help from his nephew Iolaus, Heracles defeated the monster. He then dipped his arrows in its poisoned blood, making them deadly.

Heracles and Ceryneian Hind by Lysippos

3. Capture the Ceryneian Hind

Heracles had to capture a deer sacred to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. He had to do this without harming it. He chased the swift animal for a year, finally catching it with an arrow that pinned it without injury. When confronted by Artemis, Heracles blamed Eurystheus.

4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar

This was a terrifying wild boar causing trouble. Eurystheus ordered Heracles to catch it and bring it back alive. It was a long and patient task, but Heracles found and captured the beast.

5. Clean the Augean stables in a single day

King Augeas owned 3,000 cattle, and their stables had not been cleaned in years. Heracles faced the almost impossible task of cleaning them in one day. He did this by digging ditches and diverting the rivers Alpheios and Pineios to wash the stables clean.

6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds

These aggressive, man-eating birds were terrorizing a forest near Lake Stymphalia. Heracles used a special rattle given by Athena to scare them into flight. Then, he shot many of them with his bow and arrows.

7. Capture the Cretan Bull

This dangerous bull, father of the Minotaur, was causing destruction on Crete. It represented the anger of Poseidon. Heracles captured it and carried it on his shoulders to Eurystheus. Eurystheus later released it.

8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes

Heracles had to steal horses from King Diomedes. These horses were trained to eat human flesh. Heracles captured them and brought them to Eurystheus.

9. Obtain the belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons

Hippolyta was an Amazon queen who had a special belt from her father Ares. Heracles had to get this belt. He and his companions faced an attack from the Amazons, but Heracles succeeded in getting the belt.

10. Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon

This challenge was to capture a herd of cattle guarded by a two-headed dog named Orthrus. The cattle belonged to Geryon, a giant with three heads and six arms who lived far away. Heracles traveled through the desert, even shooting an arrow at the sun god Helios for the heat. Helios, impressed, lent him a giant cup to travel in. Heracles found and defeated Orthrus, the herdsman, and Geryon. He then herded the cattle back to Eurystheus.

Hercules stealing the golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides

11. Steal the golden apples of the Hesperides

These sacred fruits were protected by Hera and a fearsome hundred-headed dragon named Ladon. Heracles first had to find the garden. He asked Nereus for help. On his journey, he freed Prometheus from his chains. Prometheus then gave Heracles advice. Heracles convinced Atlas to get the apples while Heracles held up the heavens. Atlas tried to trick him, but Heracles cleverly got him to take the sky back. He then returned the apples.

12. Capture and bring back Cerberus

This was Heracles's final and most dangerous labour. Eurystheus, frustrated by Heracles's success, gave him a task he thought was impossible. Heracles had to go to the underworld of Hades and capture the ferocious three-headed dog Cerberus, who guarded the gates. He convinced Hades to let him take the dog if he used no weapons. Heracles succeeded and brought Cerberus back to Eurystheus, who was terrified by the hero's power.

More Adventures

After his labours, Heracles faced new challenges. Heracles and a young man named Hylas joined the crew of the Argo, a ship of heroes called the Argonauts. They only took part in a portion of the journey. In Mysia, Hylas was taken by the nymphs of a local spring. Heracles searched for a long time, but Hylas had fallen in love with the nymphs and never returned.

Heracles also helped Prometheus. Prometheus was being punished by Zeus for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mortals. An eagle tortured him daily. Heracles shot and killed the eagle, freeing the Titan from his chains and suffering. Prometheus then shared predictions about Heracles's future deeds.

Heracles's Constellation

On his way back to Mycenae after getting the Cattle of Geryon, Heracles came to Liguria in North-Western Italy. There, he fought two giants, Albion and Bergion. The giants were very strong, and Heracles was in a difficult spot. He prayed to his father Zeus for help. With Zeus's aid, Heracles won the battle. This kneeling position of Heracles, praying to his father, gave its name to the constellation known as Heracles's constellation.

Heracles and the City of Troy

Before the famous Homer's Trojan War, Heracles led an expedition to Troy and attacked the city. Earlier, the sea god Poseidon had sent a sea monster to attack Troy. King Laomedon promised to sacrifice his daughter Hesione to Poseidon to calm him. Heracles arrived and agreed to kill the monster if Laomedon would give him special horses. Laomedon agreed, and Heracles killed the monster. However, Laomedon broke his promise. Because of this, Heracles and his followers later attacked Troy and defeated it. They killed most of Laomedon's sons, except for Podarces, who was renamed Priam.

Colony in Sardinia

After completing his Labours, the gods told Heracles that he should create a colony in Sardinia. He was to make his sons, whom he had with the daughters of Thespius, the leaders of this new settlement. When his sons grew up, he sent them with Iolaus to the island.

Other Notable Deeds

• Heracles defeated the Bebryces and gave their land to Prince Lycus.
• He helped the Oitaeans get rid of locusts.
• Heracles defeated the Egyptian King Busiris and his followers.
• He founded the city Tarentum (modern Taranto in Italy).
• When Hippocoon took over as King of Sparta, Heracles helped Tyndareus get his rightful throne back.
• Heracles defeated Cycnus, the son of Ares.
• He defeated the Giants Alcyoneus and Porphyrion.
• Heracles defeated Antaeus, a giant who was invincible while touching the earth by lifting him into the air.
• Heracles fought and defeated Cacus.
• Heracles encountered Scylla during a journey to Sicily and defeated her.

Heracles's Death

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

This sad story is told in ancient plays and poems. Heracles married Deianira after defeating the river god Achelous. As they traveled, a centaur named Nessus offered to help Deianira cross a fast river. However, Nessus tried to carry her away against her will. Angry, Heracles shot him with an arrow dipped in the poisonous blood of the Lernaean Hydra.

As Nessus lay dying, he plotted revenge. He told Deianira to collect his blood-soaked tunic. He falsely claimed it would make Heracles love her forever. Nessus knew his blood was tainted with the Hydra's poison.

Years later, Deianira heard rumors that Heracles no longer loved her as much as he used to. Remembering Nessus's words, she gave Heracles the bloodstained tunic. Lichas, the herald, delivered the shirt to Heracles. When Heracles put it on, the Hydra's poison burned his skin, causing terrible pain. Before he died, Heracles threw Lichas into the sea, thinking he had poisoned him.

Heracles then pulled up trees and built a funeral pyre on Mount Oeta. Poeas, father of Philoctetes, lit the pyre. As his body burned, only his immortal side remained. Through Zeus's power, Heracles rose to Mount Olympus as a god.

No one but Heracles's friend Philoctetes (or Poeas in some stories) would light his funeral pyre. For this act, Philoctetes received Heracles's bow and arrows. These weapons were later needed by the Greeks to win the Trojan War.

Partners and Children

Heracles had several partners and many children throughout his life.

• Megara: His first wife. They had sons including Therimachus, Creontiades, and Deicoon.
• Omphale: The Lydian queen he served. They had sons like Agelaus and Tyrsenus.
• Deianira: His third wife. Their children included Hyllus, Ctesippus, and Macaria.
• Hebe: His final wife, a goddess. They had two divine sons, Alexiares and Anicetus.
• Daughters of Thespius: Heracles had many children with the daughters of King Thespius. Many kings of ancient Greece traced their family lines to these sons.
• The Scythian dracaena: They had sons named Agathyrsus, Gelonus, and Scythes.
• Auge: Mother of Telephus, who became king of Mysia.
• Astyoche: Mother of Tlepolemus, a Greek commander in the Trojan War.

Genealogy

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, around 600 BCE.

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  Side of a terracotta kantharos (drinking cup) shaped like the head of Heracles, from about 470 BC.

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  Temple to Heracles in Agrigento, Sicily, Italy.

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  A depiction of the Zoroastrian god Bahram as Hercules, carved in 153 BCE at Kermanshah, Iran.

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  The protector Vajrapani of the Buddha is sometimes seen as another form of Heracles (Gandhara, 1st century CE).

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  Herakles wearing his lion skin and holding a thunderbolt (vajra), with Buddhist monks, from the art of Gandhara, British Museum.

See also

In Spanish: Heracles para niños