Hercules facts

Hercules Comic Cover
Hercules comic book cover (c.1958)

Hercules is a hero in Roman mythology. He is a mortal son of Alcmene and Zeus. Hercules is known for his great strength. In Greek mythology he is named Herakles, but he has some different stories.

The twelve tasks

In one of the more well known stories of Hercules, he had to complete twelve tasks. These tasks were:

  • Kill the Nemean Lion and bring back its fur.
  • Kill the Lernaean Hydra.
  • Capture the Ceryneian Hind.
  • Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
  • Clean the Augean stables in a single day.
  • Kill the Stymphalian Birds.
  • Capture the Cretan Bull.
  • Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
  • Get the Girdle of Hippolyte.
  • Get the Cows of Geryon.
  • Steal the Apples of the Hesperides.
  • Capture Cerberus, the guardian dog of The Underworld and bring him back.

Other versions

Hercules is also a character in Marvel Comics. He was an ally of the mighty Thor. He is the leader and a founding member of the super team the Champions. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962.

Hercules also appears in the 1997 Disney movie of the same name, in which he is voiced by Tate Donovan.

Images

  • Heracles and the Erymantian boar

    Hercules capturing the Erymanthian Boar, by J.M. Félix Magdalena (b. 1941)

  • Greek - Aged Herakles - Walters 54764

    This Roman statuette is a copy after a Greek original that depicts the hero at an advanced age. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

  • Herakles snake Musei Capitolini MC247

    Baby Hercules strangling a snake sent to kill him in his cradle (Roman marble, 2nd century CE).

  • Histoires de Troyes - Nemeian Lion

    Hercules and the Nemean lion in the 15th-century Histoires de Troyes

  • Hercules Hatra Iraq Parthian period 1st 2nd century CE

    Hercules (Hatra, Iraq, Parthian period, 1st-2nd century CE)

  • Muze 001

    Hercules bronze statuette, 2nd century CE (museum of Alanya, Turkey)

  • Missorium Herakles lion Cdm Paris 56-345 n3

    Hercules and the Nemean Lion (detail), silver plate, 6th century (Cabinet des Médailles, Paris)

  • Henry IV en Herculeus terrassant l Hydre de Lerne cad La ligue Catholique Atelier Toussaint Dubreuil circa 1600

    Henry IV of France, as Hercules vanquishing the Lernaean Hydra (i.e. the Catholic League), by Toussaint Dubreuil, c. 1600. Louvre Museum

  • Æ Triens 2710028

    Juno, with Hercules fighting a Centaur on reverse (Roman, 215–15 BCE)

  • Denarius Publius Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus 1 Obverse

    Club over his shoulder on a Roman denarius (ca. 100 BCE)

  • MAXIMINUS II-RIC VI 77-251201

    Maximinus II and Hercules with club and lionskin (Roman, 313 CE)

  • 5 French francs Hercule de Dupré 1996 F346-2 obverse

    Commemorative 5-franc piece (1996), Hercules in center

  • Caracalla Denarius Hercules RIC192

    Hercules, as seen on a Denarius of the Roman Emperor Caracalla. Dated 212 AD.

  • PillarsHerculesPeutingeriana

    Pillars of Hercules, representing the Strait of Gibraltar (19th-century conjecture of the Tabula Peutingeriana)

  • Maczuga Herkulesa (background Castle Pieskowa Skała)

    The Cudgel of Hercules, a tall limestone rock formation, with Pieskowa Skała Castle in the background


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Hercules Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.