Heracles Main Ancient Agora Museum Athens
Heracles, Latin Hercules, most popular Greek. Heros, son of Zeus and Alkmene, wife of Amphitryon. His twin brother, the son of the amphitryon, was Iphicles.
Hera, out of jealousy, delayed the birth of the Heracles and accelerated that of the Eurystheus, so that Heracles came around the reign intended by Zeus. When Hera tried to have the infant Heracles killed by two snakes, he strangled her.
The victorious fight against Erginos freed his hometown of Thebes from the tribal payment, after which King Kreon of Thebes gave him his daughter Megara as his wife. Herakles killed Megara and the children she had given birth to (Euripides tragedy "Heracles"). For this reason, or through Hera's cunning at the birth of Heracles, he had to carry out twelve heavy and dangerous tasks (Greek: Dodecathless) in the service of the Eurorheus, for which he was promised immortality.
1. And he slew the invulnerable lion of Nemea in the Argolis. Since then, he's been wearing his fur.
2. he killed the Hydra, a water snake at a spring near Lerna in Argos, usually depicted with nine heads. Since the heads cut off by Heracles grew twice, he burned out the stumps of her neck with the help of the Iolaos.
3. he caught the fast stag with the golden antlers on Keryneia Hill.
4. And he slew the man-eating birds of the swamp of Stymphalos in Arcadia, which with their feathers killed men and animals.
5. And when he caught the Erymanthian boar by chasing him into a snowfield, and brought into the life of Eurystheus, who brought him into the land of Eurystheus was then hidden in a pithos (large, bulbous storage vessel made of burnt clay, metal, wood).
6. And he cleansed the stables of Augia's king in one day, leading the rivers Alpheios and Peneios through them, even today an eye barn for unstoppable condition, corrupt conditions.
7. And he tamed the fire-blowing bull of Knossos in Crete, which Pasiphae loved, and brought him alive to Eurystheus. The Cretan bull then came to Marathon, where Theseus defeated and sacrificed him as the marathon bull.
8. And he tamed the man-eating horses of Diomedes, whom he took away from the Thracian king Rhesos which he had killed.
9. And he won the belt of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons, daughter of Ares, mother of Hippolyte. Hippolyte was killed in this venture.
10. And he stole the oxen of Geryoneus, a three-headed, unkilled giant, the son of Chrysaor (Brother Pegasos) and Callirrhoe. On the way to Geryoneus he built the columns of Heracles, in antiquity the promontory Abila (today Ceuta) on the African and Calpe (Gibraltar) on the European side of the Strait of Gibraltar.
11. With the help of the Titan Atlas, he took the golden apples of the Hesperides out of the garden of the gods. For this purpose he swapped roles with Atlas and carried the celestial vault. He, freed from the enormous burden, no longer wanted to fulfil his task. The clever Heracles asked to be allowed to put another cushion on his shoulders and outwitted the good-natured, simple-minded Atlas.
12. And he went up into the Hades, and overcame the keeper of the gate at the entrance to the underworld, the many-headed dog of hell Kerberos, encircled by snakes. He let the incoming dead in, but he didn't allow anyone to return. Heracles temporarily brought him to the surface, Orpheus soothed him with his singing.
Heracles had countless adventures to endure, including he killed the eagle, who devoured the liver of Titan Prometheus during the day, which constantly followed him at night, he wrested Admeto's wife Alkestis from death (Euripides tragedy "Alkestis"), freed Hesione, killed Kyknos, fought with the Centaurs and took part in the giant fight.
With an arrow poisoned by the bile of the Hydra, he killed the Centaurs of Nessos. The dying mythical creature whispered to Heracles jealous wife Deianeira that she could insure herself of his eternal love by lifting his blood-soaked robe as a magic means of love after his death. Heracles put on this robe soaked with Nessos poisoned blood and was tormented by terrible pain. In order to escape this unbearable suffering, Heracles and his friend Philoktetes burned on a pyre on Mount Oite. To thank him for this, he received Heracles? bow and arrow, with which he killed Paris in the war around Troy.
Herakleshaupt exhibit of the Ancient Agora Museum in Athens under the inventory no. S1295, end of the 6th century.