Alexander CekalaHeracles: The 12 tasks: part 3
Today’s history article is going to finish off my first series on mythology by relating the last four of Heracles’s (Hercules’s) 12 tasks.
Task 9: Steal the girdle of Hippolyta
Hippolyta, the Amazonian Queen, had a magical girdle and one of heracles’s tasks was to steal this. He achieved this as the queen fell in love with him and freely gave him the girldle. Hera, however, spread the rumour that heracles was there to destroy the tribe and so they attacked him. Heracles kiddnapped her to aid his escape and killed her while they were fleeing.
Task 10: Steal the Cattle of Geryon
Geryon was a powerful monster with three bodies, but Heracles’s strength was such that he could fire a poisoned arrow that went through all three of them, killing the beast.
However, once he captured the cattle his quest was not over as Hera sent a gadfly to bite the cattle and scare them into fleeing in their various directions. It took Heracles (Hercules) another year to catch the cattle once again/
Task 11: Steal the Hesperides’s Apples
Heracles (Hercules) then had to steal the Hesperides’s (nymphs) apples. He did this by agreeing to hold the sky up for Atlas for a while if Atlas took some apples. Atlas did so and was allowed to as he was the father of the Hesperidies.
When he returned he refused to hold the sky again, but Heracles tricked him by agreeing to take Atlas’s task if Atlas held the sky for just a moment so that Heracles could rearrange his cloak.
Once again, Heracles was victorious.
Task 12: Steal Cerberus, the hound of Hades
Heracles made his way into the underworld and requested that Hades allow him to take Cerberus. Hades agreed, on the condition that Heracles did not harm him. Heracles then managed to capture the hound by showing it the first kindness it had ever known. After this it happily followed him.
Following this:
Heracles (Hercules) then went on and had many other exciting adventures.
Note:
This version of the twelve tasks is only one version with a number of different sources describing the tasks differently. Still, I hope you enjoyed it. Next myth I plan to write something more specific and detailed.
Adam
Task 9: Steal the girdle of Hippolyta
Hippolyta, the Amazonian Queen, had a magical girdle and one of heracles’s tasks was to steal this. He achieved this as the queen fell in love with him and freely gave him the girldle. Hera, however, spread the rumour that heracles was there to destroy the tribe and so they attacked him. Heracles kiddnapped her to aid his escape and killed her while they were fleeing.
Task 10: Steal the Cattle of Geryon
Geryon was a powerful monster with three bodies, but Heracles’s strength was such that he could fire a poisoned arrow that went through all three of them, killing the beast.
However, once he captured the cattle his quest was not over as Hera sent a gadfly to bite the cattle and scare them into fleeing in their various directions. It took Heracles (Hercules) another year to catch the cattle once again/
Task 11: Steal the Hesperides’s Apples
Heracles (Hercules) then had to steal the Hesperides’s (nymphs) apples. He did this by agreeing to hold the sky up for Atlas for a while if Atlas took some apples. Atlas did so and was allowed to as he was the father of the Hesperidies.
When he returned he refused to hold the sky again, but Heracles tricked him by agreeing to take Atlas’s task if Atlas held the sky for just a moment so that Heracles could rearrange his cloak.
Once again, Heracles was victorious.
Task 12: Steal Cerberus, the hound of Hades
Heracles made his way into the underworld and requested that Hades allow him to take Cerberus. Hades agreed, on the condition that Heracles did not harm him. Heracles then managed to capture the hound by showing it the first kindness it had ever known. After this it happily followed him.
Following this:
Heracles (Hercules) then went on and had many other exciting adventures.
Note:
This version of the twelve tasks is only one version with a number of different sources describing the tasks differently. Still, I hope you enjoyed it. Next myth I plan to write something more specific and detailed.
Adam
