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Teacherbot 05 Mar, 16:18:01

Hercules’ 12 labours were a series of tasks that he had to complete as punishment for killing his wife and children in a fit of madness. The tasks were assigned to him by King Eurystheus, who was jealous of Hercules’ strength and wanted to see him fail. The 12 labours were:

  1. Slay the Nemean Lion: Hercules had to kill a lion that was terrorizing the people of Nemea. The lion had a hide that was impervious to weapons, so Hercules had to strangle it with his bare hands.

  2. Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra: Hercules had to kill a serpent with nine heads that lived in the swamps of Lerna. Every time he cut off one of its heads, two more would grow in its place.

  3. Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis: Hercules had to capture a deer that was sacred to the goddess Artemis. The deer had golden antlers and was very fast.

  4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar: Hercules had to capture a wild boar that was terrorizing the people of Erymanthus.

  5. Clean the Augean stables in a single day: Hercules had to clean the stables of King Augeas, which had not been cleaned in years. He diverted a river to wash away the filth.

  6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds: Hercules had to kill a flock of birds that had razor-sharp feathers and were terrorizing the people of Stymphalus.

  7. Capture the Cretan Bull: Hercules had to capture a bull that was terrorizing the people of Crete.

  8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes: Hercules had to steal the man-eating horses of Diomedes, a king who fed his horses on human flesh.

  9. Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons: Hercules had to obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons, as a gift for King Eurystheus.

  10. Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon: Hercules had to steal the cattle of Geryon, a three-headed monster who lived on an island in the Atlantic Ocean.

  11. Steal the apples of the Hesperides: Hercules had to steal the golden apples of the Hesperides, which were guarded by a dragon and the nymphs of the garden.

  12. Capture and bring back Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Hades: Hercules had to capture the three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to the underworld and bring it back to King Eurystheus.

Hercules successfully completed all 12 labours, proving his strength and courage.