The 12 labors

Friday 7 October 2011

The final labor: Cerberus

Character

Heracles: Heracles was one of the Greatest Heroes in Greek Mythology . His parents were Zeus and Alcmene. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d) It was said that as an act of hatred in which Hera had for Heracles , she drove him mad, and caused him to slaughter his wife and kids. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d) As a result, his punishment was to complete the 12 labors given to the Greek Hero by his cousin Eurystheus. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d)

Cerberus : Cerberus was famously known as the three headed dog with its back covered with snake heads and a snake like tail that guards the gateway to the underworld. (Greek Mythology Creature n.d ) It was the child of Typhon and Echinda . (Greek Mythology Creature n.d)

Eumolpus : Eumolpus was known as the priest who taught Heracles how to safely enter the other world after death. (Trckova-Flamee 2002) His parents were Poseidon and Chione. (Trckova-Flamee 2002)

Gorgon Medusa: Medusa belonged to the gorgon sisters. (Gill 2011) One of her most noticeable features included the hair filled with snakes. (Gill 2011) Legend had it that Medusa had the power to turn people into stones, if they were to look her directly in the eyes. (Gill 2011) The Greek hero Perseus was the one who eventually killed the monster. (Gill 2011)

Meleager . Meleager was the son of King Oeneus and the brother of Deianeira. (Greek Mythology n.d)

Deianeria: Deianeria was the daughter of King Oeneus and the sister of Meleager. She was also the wife of Heracles. (Grimal 1996)

Theseus : Theseus was known as the king of Athens. (Churchill 2005) Some myth states that he was the son of Aegeus and Aethra while others believed that he was the son of the sea god Poseidon and Aethra. (Churchill 2005)

Pirithous :Pirithous’ father is Ixion. (Brittanica 2011) He was famous for accompanying and helping Theseus in his journeys and adventures. (Brittanica 2011) One of their most famous journeys included descending into the underworld, which they were later held there captive. (Brittanica 2011)

Persephone . Persephone was known as the goddess of the underworld. (Lindemans 2005) Her parents were Zeus and Demeter.( Lindemans 2005) She was later kidnapped and forced to become the wife of the god of the underworld. (Lindemans 2005)

Pluto(hades) : Pluto otherwise more famously known as Hades was the god of the underworld. (The oxford companion to classical civilization n.d ) His parents were Cronus and Rhea. He was the husband of Persephone (The oxford companion to classical civilization n.d)

Ascalaphus . Ascalaphus was a spirit of the underworld, who was in charge of looking after the orchards. (Atsma 2000) Demeter later trapped him under a rock when he accused Persephone of tasting the pomegranate seed. (Atsma 2000) After being freed by Heracles he was then turned into an owl by the revengeful Persephone. (Atsma 2000)

Demeter. Demeter was famously known as the mother goddess of the earth. ( Grimal 1996) It was said that she belonged to the second divine generation of the Olympian. (Grimal 1996) Her parents were Cronus and Rhea. ( Grimal 1996)

Eurystheus: Eurystheus was the cousin of Hercacles, as well as the person responsible for assigning the 12 labors for the Greek Hero. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Although Heracles was suppose to be older than Eurystheus, because of the knowledge that the first child born would eventually rule the kingdoms in the future. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Hera decided to delay the birth of Heracles and sped up the birth of Eurystheus. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Thus making Heracles younger than Eurystheus. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d)

(Labor)

The last and final labour that Heracles had to complete was capture Cerberus, the hound of hell.(Grimal 1996) In order to achieve this task Heracles had to travel to depth of the underworld. (Grimal 1996) During this labor Heracles was aided by both Hermes and Athena. (Grimal 1996) Before descending into the depths of the underworld, the Greek hero traveled to Eleusis where he learnt how to cross safely to the other world after death from the priest Eumolpus.( Perseus project n.d) After having entered the underworld he met the shades of Medusa and Meleager, in which Heracles later promise to marry Meleager’s sister Deianeria.(Grimal 1996) While continuing with his task he met two Greek heroes who were chained in the underworld after attempting to kidnapped Peresphone.( Perseus project n.d). The heroes were Theseus and Pirithous, Heracles was only able to free Theseus.(Grimal 1996) Furthermore Heracles freed both Demeter and Ascalaphus. (Grimal 1996) Finally before encountering Cerberus , Heracles asked Hades for the permission to take Cerberus. (Perseus project n.d) Hades agreed under the condition that he overpowers the dog with his bare hands. (Grimal 1996) Heracles successfully overpowered the beast and brought it back to Eurystheus (Perseus project n.d). Lastly unlike all the of the creatures that Heracles have defeated in the 12 labors. (Perseus project n.d ) Cerberus was eventually returned back to Hades ,and continued to guard the gate to the underworld. (Perseus project n.d)

References

Atsma ,A 2000, Askalaphos, Available from: < http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Askalaphos.html>. [ 22 Septmeber 2011]

Brittanica 2011, Pirithous, Available from: < http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/461611/Pirithous.>. [ 22 September 2011]

Churchill , J 2005 , Theseus , Available from: < http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/theseus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d , Eurystheus, Available from: < http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/eurystheus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Gill, N.S 2011 , Medusa- The Gorgon Medusa in Greek Mythology . Available from: < http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/monsters/g/Medusa.htm> [ 22 September 2011]

Greek Mythology n.d, Meleager, Available from: < http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Heroes/Meleager/meleager.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Greek Mythology Creature n.d, Cerberus, Available from: < http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/scaffold/gg/creature.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Grimal, P 1996, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, , Blackwell Publishing , Oxford

Lindemans, M 2005, Persephone, Available from: < http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/persephone.html> . [ 22 September 2011]

Perseus project n.d, Cerberus, Available from: < http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/cerberus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Greek Mythology n.d, Meleager, Available from: < http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Heroes/Meleager/meleager.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Trckova-Flamee, A 2002, Eumolpus, Available from: < http://www.pantheon.org/articles/e/eumolpus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

The oxford companion to classical civilization n.d, Hades, Available from: < http://public.wsu.edu/~hughesc/hades.htm >. [ 22 September 2011]

The eleventh labor: The apples of the Hesperides

Character:

Gaia : Gaia was known as the Goddess of the Earth and was usually seen as a maternal figure. (Myths encyclopedia 2011) She was the child of Chaos. (Myths encyclopedia 2011) Gaia was also responsible for giving birth to the god Uranus (Myths encyclopedia 2011)

Nymph . Nymphs were usually described as spirits of nature that were usually disguised as beautiful women. (Urban Dictionary 2011) Their habitats included forest, fields, caves, mountains , lakes and even seas. (Urban Dictionary 2011)

Cynus : Son of Apollo

Apollo : Apollo was known as the god of the sun, arts, medicine, protector of herdsmen and their flocks, prophecy. (Myths Encyclopedia n.d )The god’s parents were Zeus and Leto. (Myths Encyclopedia n.d ) Lastly he was the twin sibling of the goddess Artemis. (Myths Encyclopedia n.d)

Nereus : Nereus was known as a sea deity. (Roman Colosseum 2008) According to Apollodorus his parents were Oceanus and Terra. (Roman Colosseum 2008) He was the sea deity that gave the direction to the location of the golden apples of Hesperides to the Greek hero Heracles. (Roman Colosseum 2008)

Antaeus : Antaeus was a monstrous and cruel giant that resides in Libya. (Atsma 2000) He was known to force travellers into a game of wrestling. In which he would easily have defeated them and used their skulls as a roof of a temple that is dedicated to his father and sea god Poseidon. (Atsma 2000)

Busiris. He was known as the king of Egypt and was also known to sacrifice foreigners to the gods. (Atsma 2000)

Emathion . Emathion was known as the king of Arabia . (Greek Myth Index 2007) He was the brother of Memnon and his parents were Tithonus and Eos. (Greek Myth Index 2007)

Prometheus : Prometheus was known as creator of man kind. (Base n.d) Zeus later punished him for stealing the fire back and giving it to the men. (Base n.d) He was punished by being chained up and having an eagle feasting on his liver. (Base n.d,) Every time his liver grew back the eagle will come back and feast again. (Base n.d,)

Eurystheus: Eurystheus was the cousin of Hercacles, as well as the person responsible for assigning the 12 labors for the Greek Hero. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Although Heracles was suppose to be older than Eurystheus, because of the knowledge that the first child born would eventually rule the kingdoms in the future. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Hera decided to delay the birth of Heracles and sped up the birth of Eurystheus. . (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Thus making Heracles younger than Eurystheus. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d)

Hera: Hera was known as the greatest goddess compared to the rest of the Olympian goddess. (Grimal 1996)Her parents were Cronus and Rhea. (Grimal 1996) Her husband was the mighty Zeus. (Grimal 1996 ) It was stated after having being swallowed by her father, she was then revived by the help of Metis and Zeus.( Grimal 1996)

(Labors)

The eleventh labor that Heracles has to complete was to retrieve the golden apples of Hesperides.(Griimal 1996) The apples were a wedding gift for Hera , given to her by Gaia. (Grimal 1996) In order to protect the apples Hera planted the apples on Mount atlas, which were protected by an immortal dragons and three nymphs.(Grimal 1996) During his journey to collect the golden apples, Heracles first traveled north through Macedonia where he was challenged by Cynus the son of Ares. (Grimal 1996) After defeating Cynus and upon reaching the river of Eridanus , he questioned the river nymphs (who were daughters of Zeus and themis) on the whereabouts of the country that held the golden apples . (Grimal 1996) They led him to a sea god named Nereus, in which he tied up, in order to get the location of the apples. (Grimal 1996) After receiving the location he traveled through Libya defeating Antaeus and escaping the Buiris in Egypt. (Grimal 1996) Furthermore while his journey through Asia to Arabia he slayed Emathion. (Grimal 1996) Lastly after having reached the mountain of Caucaus, he freed the chained up Prometheus and killed the eagle which was feeding on the liver of Prometheus .( Perseus Project n.d) As an act of gratitude , Prometheus told Heracles that only Atlas can retrieve the golden apples. (Perseus Project n.d) After having found Atlas in the country of Hyperboreans , he promised Atlas to help hold the sky if he would collect the Golden apples for him.(Grimal 1996) . Atlas joyfully agreed, however after gathering the apples Atlas told Heracles that he would take the apples back to Eurytheus himself. However Heracles pretended to agree on one condition that Atlas holds the sky while Heracles gets in a comfortable position. (Grimal 1996) While Atlas was holding the sky, Heracles took the apple and ran. (Grimal 1996) Lastly after arriving at Mycenan, Eurystheus realized that he could not keep the apples as they belonged to the gods, as a result the apples were returned to the goddess Athena who brought them back to the garden (Perseus Project n.d)

Referencing

Atsma , A 2000, Antaios, Available from: < http://www.theoi.com/Gigante/GiganteAntaios.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Atsma , A 2000 , Bousiris , Available from: < http://www.theoi.com/Heros/Bousiris.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Base, S n.d, The Prometheus Myth, Available from: < http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/giftfire/prometheus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d , Eurystheus, Available from: < http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/eurystheus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Greek Myth Index 2007, Emathion, Available from: http://www.mythindex.com/greek-mythology/E/Emathion.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Grimal, P 1996, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, , Blackwell Publishing , Oxford

Myths Encylopeida n.d, Apollo, Available from: < http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Am Ar/Apollo.html>. [ 22 September 2011]

Myths encyclopedia 2011, Gaia , Available from: < http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Fi-Go/Gaia.html>. [ 22 september 2011]

Perseus Project n.d, The apples of Hesperides , Available from: < http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/apples.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Roman Colosseum 2008, Myths about the Roman God Nereus, Available from : < http://www.roman colosseum.info/roman-gods/myths-about-the-roman-god-nereus.htm >. [ 22 September 2011]

Urban Dictionary 2011, Nymph, Available from: < http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nymph>. [ 22 September 2011]

The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d , Heracles, Available from: < http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~baheintz/heroes.html >. [ 22 september 2011]

The tenth labor: Geryon's cattle

Heracles: Heracles was one of the Greatest Heroes in Greek Mythology . ( Grimal 1996) His parents were Zeus and Alcmene. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d) It was said that as an act of hatred in which Hera had for Heracles , she drove him mad, and caused him to slaughter his wife and kids. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d) As a result, his punishment was to complete the 12 labors given to the Greek Hero by his cousin Eurystheus. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d)

Geryon: Geryon was known as a giant with three bodies and four wings. (Atsma 2000) He was the son of Chrysaor. (Atsma 2000) Legend had it that he resided on the island of Erytheia. (Atsma 2000)

Eurytion : Eurytion was the herdsman in charge of the giant Geryon’s cattles (Grimal 1996)

Orthrus : Orhtrus was known as a ferocious two headed and serpent tailed dog. (Atsma 2000) His siblings included Kerberos and the chimera. (Atsma 2000) Orthrus and Eurytion were responsible for looking after the cattle of Geryon. (Atsma 2000)

Helios . Helios was famously known as the god of sun. His parents were Hyperion and Theia. (Lindemans 2006) Some of his children included Aeetes, Circe and Pasiphae .( Lindemans 2006)

Oceanus : According to Hesoid Oceanus was one of the oldest titans.. (Britannica 2011 ) His parents were Uranus and Gaia. (Britannica 2011 ) He was the husband of Tethys (Britannica 20110 His children consisted of around 3000 stream spirits as well as 3000 ocean nymphs. (Britannica 2011)

Alebion . Albeion was the son of the sea god Poseidon. (Dictionary 2011) He was later killed by Heracles while trying to steal the herd from the Greek hero. (Dictionary 2011)

Dercynus . He was the brother of Alebion and the son of Poseidon.( Grimal 1996) He was also killed by Heracles while trying to steal the cattle from the Greek hero. ( Grimal 1996)

Poseidon: Poseidon was known as the god of the ocean. (The Olympians n.d ) He was the sibling of both the mighty Zeus and Hades. (The Olympians n.d ) His father was Cronus and his wife was Amphirite.. (The Olympians n.d)

Gadflies . Gadflies are known as annoying flies that not only annoy but also bites domestic animals. (Dictionary 2011)

Cacus . Cacus was known as a fire-breathing giant, which dwells within the cave of the Aventine hill. (Lindemans 1999) He was known to ravage and terrorize the countryside. (Lindemans 1999) Heracles later slaughtered him for stealing the cattle. (Lindemans 1999)

Hera: Hera was known as the greatest goddess compared to the rest of the Olympian goddess. (Grimal 1996) Her parents were Cronus and Rhea. (Grimal 1996) Her husband was the mighty Zeus. (Grimal 1996) It was stated after having being swallowed by her father, she was then revived by the help of Metis and Zeus.( Grimal 1996)

Eurystheus: Eurystheus was the cousin of Hercacles, as well as the person responsible for assigning the 12 labors to the Greek Hero. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Although Heracles was suppose to be older than Eurystheus, because of the knowledge that the first child born would eventually rule the kingdoms in the future. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Hera decided to delay the birth of Heracles and sped up the birth of Eurystheus. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Thus making Heracles younger than Eurystheus. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d)

(Labor)

The tenth labor that Heracles had to complete was to capture and bring back the cattle of Geryon. (Grimal 1996) It was said that the cattle belonged to Geryon, and was looked after by a herdsman named Eurytion with the help of his gigantic dog named Orthrus.(Grimal 1996) The first obstacle that the hero had to face, was to cross the ocean.(Grimal 1996) In order to achieve this task, Heracles asked Helios if he could borrow the cup of sun to the cross the ocean. (Grimal 1996) However the self-fish sun god refused to lend the cup to the hero. (Grimal 1996) Heracles was force with no choice but to take an alternate path, which was to journey through the Libyan desert. (Grimal 1996) However after a while Heracles could not longer stand the heat and threatened to shoot the sun with his arrows. (Grimal 1996) The Sun god had no choice but to lend Heracles the cup of the sun (Grimal 1996) During his journey to Erythia, the hero faced another minor obstacle which were the enormous waves caused by Oceanus. (Grimal 1996) This was soon dealt with, once Heracles threatened the ocean with his poisonous arrows.(Grimal 1996) Upon arriving at Erythia , Greek hero was attacked by the ferocious Orthrus , and followed by Euythion. (Leadbetter 1999) However the Greek hero was able overcome his enemies with a single swing of his club. (Leadbetter 1999) He was later faced with the challenge of defeating the monstrous Geryon , in which he did so by shooting his poisonous arrow at the beast. (Leadbetter 1999) During his journey back to the kingdom, Heracles was faced with many adventures. (Grimal 1996) One of his first adventures was slaying the monsters that resided on Libya. (Grimal 1996) Followed by an attack by the natives of Liguria, however this was overcame by asking Zeus for help, in which the god made stones rain from heaven. (Grimal 1996) However before he could leave Liguria he was attacked by Alebion and Decticynus, both of them were Poseidon’s sons. (Grimal 1996) After having defeated them both , he passed through Latium in which he had to defeat the giant Cacus ,in order to get back the portion of the cattle which was stolen by the giant. (Leadbetter 1999). When the hero was about to reach the kingdom, the mischievous Hera sent gadflies to drive the herds mad. (Grimal 1996) As result Heracles was only able to gather up some of the cattle, which he later gave to Eurystheus. (Leadbetter 1999) Lastly the cattle were then sacrificed to Hera. (Grimal 1996)

References

Atsma, A 2000, Geryon, Available from: < http://www.theoi.com/Gigante/GiganteGeryon.html>. [ 22 September 2011]

Atsma, A 2000, Kyon Orthros, Available from : < http://www.theoi.com/Ther/KuonOrthros.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Britannica 2011, Oceanus, Available from : < http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/424596/Oceanus >. [ 22 September 2011]

Dictionary 2011, Alebion, Available from: < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Alebion >. [ 22 September 2011]

Dictionary 2011, gadfly, Available from : < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gadfly >. [ 22 September 2011]

Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d , Eurystheus, Available from: < http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/eurystheus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Grimal, P 1996, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, , Blackwell Publishing , Oxford

Leadbetter , R 1999, Cattle of Geryon, Available from: < http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cattle_of_geryon.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Lindemans , M 1999, Cacus, Available from: < http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cacus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Lindemans, M 2006, Helios, Available from: < http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/helios.html> . [ 22 September 2011]

The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d , Heracles, Available from: < http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~baheintz/heroes.html >. [ 22 september 2011]

The Olympians n.d, Poseidon, Available from: < http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/scaffold/gg/olympian.html#Poseidon >. [ 22 September 2011]

The ninth labor: The belt of Hippolyte

Heracles: Heracles was one of the Greatest Heroes in Greek Mythology. (Grimal 1996) His parents were Zeus and Alcmene. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d) It was said that as an act of hatred in which Hera had for Heracles , she drove him mad, and caused him to slaughter his wife and kids. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d) As a result, his punishment was to complete the 12 labors given to the Greek Hero by his cousin Eurystheus. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d)

Hippolyta : Hippolyta was known as a courageous queen of Amazon. (Lee 2002) The Amazons were known as fierce warriors that consisted of women. (Lee 2002)They were also known to be the descended of Ares. (Lee 2002)

Ares ; Ares was most famously known as the god of war. His parents were the mighty god Zeus and the goddess Hera. (Grimal 1996) Unlike his parents he belonged to the second generation of Olympian deities. (Grimal 1996) Lastly he belonged to one of the twelve great gods. (Grimal 1996)

Melanippe: Melanippe was known as a nymph.(Atsma 2000) Her father was Chiron.( Atsma 2000) Myth has it that she was transformed into a mare after having revealed secrets about the gods. (Atsma 2000)

Eurystheus: Eurystheus was the cousin of Hercacles, as well as the person responsible for assigning the 12 labors for the Greek Hero. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Although Heracles was suppose to be older than Eurystheus, because of the knowledge that the first child born would eventually rule the kingdoms in the future. . (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Hera decided to delay the birth of Heracles and sped up the birth of Eurystheus. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d) Thus making Heracles younger than Eurystheus. (Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d)

(Labor)

For the ninth labor Eurystheus ‘s daughter requested him to tell the Greek Hero Heracles to bring her the belt of Hippolyte. (Perseus Project n.d) It was said that the belt was given to Hippolyte by the Greek god called Ares. (Grimal 1996) During his journey to kingdom of the Amazon he was accompanied by a number of volunteers. ( Grimal 1996). Upon arriving he was greeted by the queen of the Amazon, Hippolyte herself. (Perseus Project n.d) Heracles requested for her belt and as a result she promised to give it to him. (Perseus Project n.d) However the cunning Hera did not wish for Heracles to succeed so easily, she decided to blend in as an amazon warrior and started spreading rumors that Heracles was going to carry their queen away. (Perseus Project n.d) In order to protect their queen the Amazon warriors charged toward Heracles, thinking that they had betrayed him, he killed Hippolyta and defended himself against the aggressive warriors. (Perseus Project n.d) After they have scattered he head back to Mycenae and presented the belt of Hippolyte to Eurystheus, which was then given to his daughter.(Perseus Project n.d) Lastly other myths has it that Hippolyta refused to give the belt to Heracles. (Grimal 1996) She only gave the belt to Heracles when she was promised Melanippe freedom , which was one of her friend that have been captured during the battle(Grimal 1996)

Reference

Atsma, A 2000, Melanippe, Available from: < http://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/NympheMelanippe.html>. [ 22 September 2011]

Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d , Eurystheus, Available from: < http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/eurystheus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Grimal, P 1996, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, , Blackwell Publishing , Oxford

Lee ,M 2002, Hippolyta, Available from: < http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hippolyta.html >. [ 21 September 2011]

Perseus Project n.d, Hippolyte’s Belt Heracles Fights the Amazon, Available from: < http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/amazon.html >. { 22 September 2011]

The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d , Heracles, Available from: < http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~baheintz/heroes.html >. [ 22 september 2011]

The eighth labor: The mares of Diomedes

Character

Heracles: Heracles was one of the Greatest Heroes in Greek Mythology. (Grimal 1996) His parents were Zeus and Alcmene. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d) It was said that as an act of hatred in which Hera had for Heracles , she drove him mad, and caused him to slaughter his wife and kids. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d) As a result, his punishment was to complete the 12 labors given to the Greek Hero by his cousin Eurystheus. (The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d)

Diomedes : Diomedes was a giant as well as the King of Thrace. (Atsma 2000) He belonged in the Bistonian tribe. (Atsma 2000) Lastly he was the son of the god Ares. (Atsma 2000)

The mares : The mares were known as man eating horses.( Mares of Diomedes n.d, ) They were often describe as wild and uncontrollable. (Mares of Diomedes n.d, )They belonged to King Diomedes. (Mares of Diomedes n.d,)

(Labor)

The eighth labor, which the hero Heracles had to complete, was to bring the four mares that belonged to Diomedes back to Eurystheus. (Grimal 1996) However the catch was that the four mares were flesh-eating animals and their names were Podargus, Lampoon, Xanthus and finally Deinus. (Grimal 1996) After having brought back the four mares back to Eurystheus , he decided to set them free.( Perseus Project n.d) The mares eventually wandered back to Mount Olmpos and were eaten by the wild beast which dwells there. (Perseus Project n.d)

Referencing

Atsma ,A 2000, Diomedes, Available from: < http://www.theoi.com/Heros/DiomedesThrakios.html >. [ 21 September 2011]

Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d , Eurystheus, Available from: < http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/eurystheus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Grimal, P 1996, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, , Blackwell Publishing , Oxford

Mares of Diomedes n.d, Mares of Diomedes, Available from: < http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/MaresOfDiomedes.html>. [ 21 September 2011]

Perseus Project n.d, The man eating horses of Diomedes, Available from: < http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/horses.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d , Heracles, Available from: < http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~baheintz/heroes.html >. [ 22 september 2011]

The seventh labor: The Cretan Bull

Character

Minos . Minos was known as not only a great king of a powerful nation but also as a warrior. (Watson n.d) Legend had it that he was the son of Zeus and Europa. (Watson n.d,) He was the husband of Parisphae and the father of Androgeus, Ariadne and Phaedra. (Watson n.d)

Poseidon : Poseidon was known as the god of the ocean. (The Olympians n.d )He was the sibling of both the mighty Zeus and Hades. (The Olympians n.d ) His father was Cronus and his wife was Amphirite.. (The Olympians n.d)

Hera: Hera was known as the greatest goddess compared to the rest of the Olympian goddess. (Grimal 1996 )Her parents were Cronus and Rhea. (Grimal 1996) Her husband was the mighty Zeus. (Grimal 1996) It was stated after having being swallowed by her father, she was then revived by the help of Metis and Zeus.( Grimal 1996)

Cretan Bull . The Cretan bull was an animal sent by Poseidon to the land of Crete. (Atsma 2000) This animal was known to be good looking, and as a result the wife of Minos lusted for it. (Atsma 2000) After coupling with it, she later gave birth to the infamous monster known as the minotaur. (Atsma 2000)

(Labor)

The seventh labor in which Heracles has to complete was to capture the Cretan bull. (Leadbetter 2005) The Cretan bull was said to reside on the island of Crete. (Leadbetter 2005) It was given to Minos by Poseidon, however when king Mino sacrificed a less valuable animal to the sea god , Poseidon was furious and decided to punish king Minos by making the bull untamable.( Leadbetter 2005) After having arrived on the island of Crete , Heracles was granted permission by king Minos to capture the savage bull. (Leadbetter 2005) As it had been causing havoc throughout the island. (Leadbetter 2005). Heracles was able to accomplish this labor with ease by chasing after the bull (Leadbetter 2005) Once the bull got tired, Heracles threw a lasso over it and gently rode it back to the palace of Eurystheus. (Leadbetter 2005). However when Eurystheus tried to sacrifice the bull to the goddess Hera, she would not accept it as she disliked the concept of Heracle’s success.(Grimal 1996) As a result the Cretan bull was eventually released into the wild once again. (Leadbetter 2005)

Referencing:

Atsma, A 2000, Tauros Kretaios, Available from: < http://www.theoi.com/Ther/TaurosKretaios.html>. [ 21 September 2011]

Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology n.d , Eurystheus, Available from: < http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/eurystheus.html >. [ 22 September 2011]

Grimal, P 1996, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, , Blackwell Publishing , Oxford

Leadbetter, R 2005, Cretan Bull, Available from: < http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cretan_bull.html>. [ September 21 2011]

The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d , Heracles, Available from: < http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~baheintz/heroes.html >. [ 22 september 2011]

The Olympians n.d, Poseidon, Available from: < http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/scaffold/gg/olympian.html#Poseidon >. [ 22 September 2011]

Watson, L n.d, The legend of King Minos, Available from: < http://www.makrigialos.com/default.php?param=minos >. [ 22 September 2011]

Thursday 6 October 2011

The sixth labor: The Stymphalian birds

Characters

Athena : Athena was known as the goddess of wisdom, war, arts,justice and lastly skills. (Tuccinardi 1999) Her father was the mighty Zeus. (George 1998) It was stated also that Athena was born from the head of her father and was the only goddess that did not come from another woman. (George 1998)

Stymphalian birds : The Stymphalian birds were known to reside near lake Stymphalus. (Leadbetter 1999) Myth had it that their feathers were made out of metals and are extremely sharp. (Leadbetter 1999) Lastly they were a burden to the inhabitants in Arcadia because they destroyed not only the crops but as well as the fruit trees. (Leadbetter 1999)

(Labor)

The sixth labor that Heracles has to complete was to get rid of the Stymphalian birds.(Grimal 1996) The reason was because the birds became a burden as they not only ravaged the crops but also ate up most of the fruits. (Grimal 1996) During this labor Heracles was aided by the goddess Athena, as she provided him with a pair of bronze Krotala which were made by the Hephaistos. (Perseus project n.d) These were noise making instruments that were eventually used to scare the birds out of their haven, and killed by Heracles with ease.(Grimal 1996) Other Myths have portrayed the Stymphalian birds as large birds that devour human flesh.(Grimal 1996)

Referencing

George, R 1998, The goddess Athena,Available from: < http://www.goddess-athena.org/Encyclopedia/Athena/index.htm

>. [ 22 September 2011]

Grimal, P 1996, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, , Blackwell Publishing , Oxford

Leadbetter,R 1999,The Stymphalian Birds, Available from: < http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/stymphalian_birds.html> . [ 21 September 2011]

Perseus project n.d, The Stymphalian Birds, Available from: <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/birds.html [ 22 September 2011]

The Greek Gods of Mythology n.d , Heracles, Available from: < http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~baheintz/heroes.html >. [ 22 september 2011]

Tuccinardi ,R 1999 , Athena, Available from: < http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/athena.html>. [ 22 September 2011]