Heracles, Labors of. In a fit of madness caused by Hera, his implacable enemy, Heracles (Hercules) murdered his children and, according to some accounts, his wife, Megara. Horrified by this act, he went into exile and consulted the Delphic oracle to learn how he could expiate his crime. The oracle instructed him to serve King Eurystheus for twelve years. It also said that if he succeeded in performing the labors set for him by the king, he would become immortal.
     Eurystheus occupied the throne of Tiryns, which was rightfully Heracles’ but for Hera’s trickery in delaying his birth, and this exacerbated Heracles’ burden. In some versions of the myth, the king is portrayed as a coward who issued orders to Heracles through a messenger and hid whenever the hero brought back gruesome evidence of the success of his labors.
     The number was set at twelve as early as the fifth century BCE. The labors were to (i) kill the Nemean Lion and bring back its pelt; (2) slay the Lernean ydra; (3) capture the Erymanthian Boar; (4) abduct the sacred Ceryneian Hind (or Arcadian Stag); (5) kill the Stymphalian Birds; (6) clean the Stables of Augeas; (7) capture the Cretan Bull; (8) bring back the Mares of Diomedes; (9) obtain the Girdle of the Amazon queen Hippolyta; (10) retrieve the Cattle of Geryon; (11) pick the golden Apples of the Hesperides; and (12) fetch Cerberus from the Underworld. There is some disagreement about the order in which the labors were performed, but this is the most commonly accepted sequence.
     Besides the twelve labors (Greek, athloi) some of Heracles’ wanderings involved parerga (sidelines, sing. parergon), in which he performed other deeds or feats of strength. Some of these parerga, such as his establishment of the Pillars of Heracles, his battle with Cacus, and his defeat of Antaeus, are often included in cycles that describe or depict the labors themselves.


Listings for Heracles' Labors are arranged under the following headings:
Heracles Labors, General List
The Nemean Lion
The Lernean Hydra
The Erymanthian Boar
The Ceryneian Hind
The Stymphalian Birds
The Stables of Augeas
Heracles and Antaeus
The Cretan Bull
The Mares of Diomedes
The Girdle of Hippolyta
The Cattle of Geryon
The Apples of the Hesperides
Cerberus

For Heracles entries generally:
Heracles