Hercules did not have to wait long for a new order from Eurystheus. This time he had to go to the west, where the sun chariot descends in the evening, to the Crimson Island in the middle of the ocean, where the three-headed giant Geryon grazes his herd of purple cows. The king ordered these cows to be driven to Mycenae.

And Hercules went to sunset. He passed through many countries and finally came to high mountains at the edge of the earth, and began to look for a way out to the ocean. High granite mountains stood in a continuous impassable ridge. Then Hercules loosened two huge cliffs and pushed them apart. Water gushed between them, and it was the water of the Ocean. The sea, which lay in the middle of the earth and which people call the Mediterranean, connected with the Ocean. The huge, majestic Pillars of Hercules still stand there on the shore of the strait, like two stone guards.

Hercules walked through the mountains and saw the endless expanse of the ocean. Somewhere there, in the middle of the ocean, lay the Crimson Island - the island of the three-headed Geryon. But where is the place where the sun goes beyond the boundless waters of the gray ocean?

Hercules waited until evening and saw: the ancient titan Helios the Sun descending on his fiery chariot drawn by four horses. He scorched the body of Hercules with unbearable heat. “Hey!” Hercules shouted to the Titan, “don’t you want to incinerate me with your rays! Beware, I am the son of Zeus! From my arrows even the gods lose immortality!” Hercules pulled his bow, placed an arrow on it and took aim at the solar titan. It suddenly became fresher around, Hercules lowered his bow - the heat began to rise again.

The unbearable light forced Hercules to close his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw Helios standing nearby. “I see now that you are truly the son of Zeus,” said Helios, “you have courage beyond human measure. I will help you. Get into my golden boat, and do not be afraid of my heat, you will not be burned by fire, but your skin will turn a little black.”

A huge golden boat, similar to a bowl, received the solar titan with his chariot and Hercules.

Soon an island appeared among the waves - and indeed the Crimson Island. Everything on it was painted purple-red: rocks, sand, trunks and foliage of trees...

“Here it is, the island of Erithia,” said Helios. “This is the goal of your journey. Farewell, Hercules, I must hurry. During the night I have to circle the entire earth, so that in the morning, as always, I will ascend to the east in the sky.”

Hercules went ashore, and the dark night enveloped him - Helios sailed on a golden boat on his eternal path further. And Hercules lay down on the ground, covered himself with a lion's skin and fell asleep.

He slept soundly and woke up only in the morning from hoarse barking. A huge shaggy dog ​​with fur the color of fresh blood stood above him and barked ferociously. “Take him, Orff, rip his throat out!” Hercules heard, and the dog immediately rushed at him.

The club of Hercules was always at hand - one swing, and the monstrous dog, generated by Typhon and Echidna, rolled on the ground with a broken head. But then a new enemy appeared - a huge shepherd. His hair, beard, face, clothes, like everything on this island, were fiery red. He waved his shepherd's stick and, spewing curses, attacked Hercules. This fight did not last long. The son of Zeus hit the shepherd in the chest, so much so that he lay him dead next to the dead dog.

Now Hercules could look around. He saw a herd at the edge of the forest: the cows in it were red, and the bulls were black. They were guarded by another shepherd, but with a black face, a black beard and black clothes. Hercules did not have to fight with him: at the sight of the hero, he rushed off screaming into the forest.

Only one opponent remained for Hercules - the three-headed giant Geryon. A terrible triple roar was heard from behind the forest, and the owner of the herd himself hurried to the pasture.

Hercules had never seen such a monster! Three bodies fused in it: three pairs of arms, three pairs of legs, three heads, and only one belly was common - huge, like a wine vat at folk games. Quickly moving his legs like a giant insect, he rushed towards Hercules.

Hercules raised his bow - an arrow soaked in the poison of the Lernaean Hydra whistled, pierced Geryon's middle chest, and his middle head bowed, and his two arms hung helplessly. After the first arrow, a second one flew, followed by a third. But Geryon was still alive - the blood of his huge body was slowly absorbing the poison. Like three lightning bolts, Hercules unleashed three crushing blows on the heads of Geryon, and only then did his end come.

The feat was accomplished. All that remained was to bring the herd to Mycenae. Near the dead shepherd, Hercules found a pipe, put it to his lips, began to play, and the herd obediently followed him to the ocean shore.

In the evening, when Helios sailed to the shore on a golden boat, Hercules asked him to transport him and his herd to the mainland. “How can I do this?” Helios was surprised. “What will people say when they see that the sun is coming back? Let’s do this: herd the herd onto a boat, get into it yourself and sail to the mainland. I’ll wait here, and the boat will be returned to me.” your intercessor Pallas Athena."

This is what Hercules did. He swam across the Ocean to the east, to the shore of the mainland and drove Geryon's herd through the mountains, through foreign countries - to Mycenae. A difficult path lay before him.

When Hercules was driving the herd through Italy, one of the cows fell into the sea, but did not drown, but, having swam across the stormy strait, got out to the opposite shore, the shore of the smoke-smoke island of Trinacria. The king of the island, Eric, was incredibly happy to see a cow of such an unusual red color and decided to keep it for himself. Hercules left the herd in the care of Hephaestus, whom Athena sent to help her favorite and, having moved to the island, began to demand the cow back. King Eric did not want to return the priceless cow. He offered Hercules a duel, and the reward for the winner was to be a cow. This single combat did not last long. Hercules defeated Eric, returned with the cow to the herd and drove him further.

Many more difficulties awaited Hercules on the way back: the robber Cacus, who lived on the Avetina Hill, stole part of the herd and hid it in his cave, but Hercules killed him and returned the stolen cows; here in Italy, he killed another robber named Croton and said over his body that the time would come when a great city would arise in this place, named after him.

Finally, Hercules reached the shores of the Ionian Sea. The end of the arduous journey was near; the native land of Hellas was very close. However, where the Adriatic Gulf protrudes most into the land, Hera sent a gadfly to the herd. As if the whole herd was enraged by his bites, the bulls and cows began to run, Hercules following them. The chase continued day and night. Epirus and Thrace were left behind, and the herd was lost in the endless Scythian steppe.

For a long time Hercules searched for the missing animals, but he could not even find a trace of them. One cold night, he wrapped himself in a lion's skin and fell fast asleep on the side of a rocky hill. Through his sleep he heard an insinuating voice: “Hercules... Hercules... I have your herd... If you want, I will return it to you...”

Hercules woke up and saw in the ghostly moonlight a half-maiden, half-snake: her head and body were female, and instead of legs there was a snake body.

“I know you,” Hercules told her. “You are Echidna, the daughter of Tartarus and Gaia. I see, and you know me. Of course! It was I who destroyed your children, and the Nemean Lion, and the Lernaean Hydra, and the two-headed dog Orpheus.”

“I don’t hold a grudge against you, Hercules,” answered Echidna, “it was not by your will, but by the will of fate, that my children died. But be fair, hero, because your hand, even if guided by fate, took their lives. So let in exchange for the three you killed, three alive. Become my husband for just one night! Let me give birth to three sons from you! For this, I will return your herd to you." Hercules nodded his head in agreement: “Only for one night...”

In the morning, Echidna returned the herd to Hercules safe and sound - not a single cow or bull was missing.

“What should I do with the three sons I already carry in my womb,” asked Echidna. “When they grow big,” Hercules answered, “give them my bow and belt. If one of them bends my bow and girds himself the way I do, then appoint him ruler of this entire vast country.”

Having said this, Hercules gave Echidna his bow and belt. Then he played the shepherd's pipe and went his way. Geryon's herd obediently followed him.

Echidna named the triplets born on time Agathyrs, Gelon and Scythus. Only Scythian managed to pull his father's bow and only he was able to fit the belt of Hercules. He became the ruler of the free, green Black Sea steppes, giving this land his name - Great Scythia.

Hercules returned to Mycenae. He fulfilled the tenth order of Eurystheus with dignity. But, as before, Eurystheus did not even want to look at Geryon’s cows and bulls. By his order, the entire herd was sacrificed to the goddess Hera.

Hercules performed the next feat at the whim of Eurystheus’ daughter Admeta. She wanted to receive the belt of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons, which was given to her by the god of war Ares. The ruler wore this belt as a sign of her power over all the Amazons - a warlike tribe of women who never knew defeat. On the same day, Hercules appeared before Eurystheus.

Bring me the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta! - the king commanded. - And don’t come back without him! So Hercules set off on another dangerous journey. It was in vain that his friends tried to persuade the hero not to risk his life, assuring him that it was safer to enter a cage with hungry tigers than to meet the Amazons. But the stories of experienced people never frightened Hercules. Moreover, knowing that he would be dealing with women, he did not believe that they could be as ferocious as the Nemean Lion or the Lernaean Hydra.

And then the ship arrived on the island. Imagine the surprise of Hercules' companions when they saw that the Amazons were not going to attack them at all. Moreover, the savages greeted the sailors in a friendly manner, looking with admiration at the powerful figure of the famous hero. Soon the clatter of a horse was heard, and a half-naked rider with a golden tiara on her head and a belt snaking around her waist appeared before the crowd. It was Queen Hippolyta herself. She was the first to greet the guest.

The rumor about your deeds, Hercules, runs ahead of you,” said the warrior. -Where are you going now? Who haven't you conquered yet?

I did not come to you to conquer, but to ask for what you possess - the famous belt of Hippolyta. This was the desire of King Eurystheus, and I must fulfill it in order to atone for my guilt before the gods.

Well,” answered Hippolyta, “it is our custom to give the guest whatever he likes!” You can consider this belt yours.

Hercules had already extended his hand to take the gift, when suddenly one of the women (and it was the goddess Hera herself, who had taken the form of an Amazon) shouted:

Don't believe him, Hippolyta! He wants to take over

with a belt, and take you to a foreign land and make you a slave.

Believing their friend, the Amazons immediately pulled out their bows and arrows. Reluctantly, Hercules took up his club and began to strike down the warlike maidens. Hippolyta was one of the first to fall. Bending down, Hercules removed the belt from the bloody body of the maiden.

Damn you, Eurystheus! - the hero whispered. -You made me fight women!

And without wasting time, he hurried to the shores of Argolis to hand over the ill-fated belt of Hippolyta to the king.

The story of the half-man, half-god Hercules is familiar in general terms to everyone. At least everyone knows that this illegitimate son of Zeus performed 12 labors. Details about the exploits are already less known. Only the most famous ones are heard, like the journey to the underworld. And, for example, how Geryon’s cows were captured is known only to true fans of ancient Greek legends.

Background

From a young age, Hercules’ jealous wife Hera disliked her, and she tried in every possible way to poison the existence of her stepson, who was predicted to eventually find himself on Olympus. One day she managed to send Hercules into a fit of madness, as a result of which the future hero killed his children and nephews. The Delphic Pythia reported that in atonement for this act, Hercules must perform ten labors in the service of his own cousin, King Eurystheus, and until the labors are completed, obey Eurystheus in everything. In fact, Hercules was forced to perform 12 labors, since two of them were not counted.

Eurystheus was interested in Hercules remaining under his command for as long as possible. He was afraid of his cousin, realizing that he could not stand the competition with him, and hoped that Hercules would die during the next task. Therefore, he gave the hero obviously impossible tasks: to defeat the Lernaean Hydra , deal with the Stymphalian birds, go to the bloodthirsty Amazons and steal the belt of their leader. However, the hero successfully completed all tasks.

The better Hercules coped with difficult and seemingly impossible tasks, the more difficult it was for Eurystheus to come up with new assignments for the hero. The tenth task was the abduction of a herd of cows from the giant Geryon. Ephrystheus did not really need these cows themselves, but he hoped that Hercules would die on a long and dangerous journey to the island where the herds grazed.

Difficult task

Geryon was the fruit of the love of the oceanid Callirhoe and Chrysaor, who was the son of Poseidon and the gorgon Medusa. From this strange union a giant was born, whose body seemed to be assembled from three human bodies. Geryon had three heads, three torsos, six arms and legs, and even wings to boot. The giant’s character was very unique: charming in his own way, he easily aroused the trust of his guests, and then brutally killed them. It is no coincidence that centuries later Dante made Geryon the guardian of the eighth circle of hell and a symbol of vile deception.

Geryon had herds of cows that grazed peacefully on the island of Erythia beyond the Western Ocean. Although these animals themselves were quite harmless, kidnapping them was a very difficult matter, since Geryon carefully guarded his herds.

Long journey

Hercules set off on a journey to the ends of the earth. He walked to where the radiant Sun God descended from his chariot at sunset. Hercules had to go through all of Africa, Libya and the possessions of the barbarians. Finally, the hero reached the ends of the earth and erected two huge stone pillars in honor of the Sun God Helios on both sides of the narrow Strait of Gibraltar. And although over time these pillars collapsed, either due to their own weight, or because of the insidious tricks of Hera, this place retained its name.

In gratitude for the honor Hercules showed him, the flattered, radiant Helios decided to give a helping hand to Hercules. He gave him the opportunity to move to an island where no mortal had ever set foot before. Helios invited the hero, who at that time had not yet earned the title of god-equal, to move to Erithia on his golden boat. He used this shuttle to travel from the western edge of the Earth to the Eastern, where Helios had a beautiful golden palace. Hercules did not refuse this offer, jumped into the boat and went to the island where the herds of the treacherous giant Geryon grazed.

Kidnapping

First, Hercules had to fight the two-headed dog Orpho. This battle was short - Hercules killed the guard of the herd with one blow. However, the matter did not end there. The giant Eurytion, the shepherd of the flock, entered the battle. The hero also dealt with it without difficulty. However, the sounds of fighting and the mooing of cows attracted the attention of the owner of the herd, and Geryon himself came out to fight Hercules.

The three-body giant chose a win-win battle tactic: hiding behind three shields, he threw three spears at the enemy at once. However, Hercules was able to defeat the owner of the herd, first hitting him with arrows and then finishing him off with a club. Pallas Athena, the warlike goddess from Olympus, helped the hero, strengthening his strength, and the blows of Hercules turned out to be fatal for the giant.

Thus, with the support of the gods, Hercules was able to complete the first stage of the operation to kidnap Geryon’s herd. He drove the bulls into the golden boat of the Sun God and transported them across the stormy ocean.

Return to Mycenae

Now Hercules only needed to drive the herd to its destination. But even here there were some adventures. While traveling through southern Italy, one of the cows escaped and swam across the sea, thus ending up in Sicily. Burenka was discovered by the ruler of these lands - King Eriks, who was a descendant of Poseidon. He appropriated the cow for himself, taking her into his own herd.

Hercules went in search of the lost cow, asking the god Hephaestus to protect the remaining animals. Finally, the cow was found, but Eriks became stubborn and did not want to give it to the hero. This was his mistake: in the duel, Hercules easily dealt with the king, and at the same time with his assistants, and, taking the found cow, continued on his way.

Already on the shores of the Ionian Sea, jealous Hera sent rabies on the entire stolen herd. Hercules had to catch the enraged cows, which made his task even more difficult. Nevertheless, the hero completed the task and drove most of the stolen herd to Eurystheus to Mycenae. The king, who sincerely hoped that this time Hercules would not cope with the task, immediately sacrificed cows to Hera, thus hoping to enlist her support in getting rid of Hercules.

Eurystheus sent Hercules further and further. When the hero returned from a campaign in the land of the Amazons, the king ordered him to go to the ends of the world, where the sun sets, to the Crimson Island in the middle of the ocean, where the three-headed giant Geryon grazed a herd of red bulls. The king ordered Hercules to drive these bulls to Mycenae. Hercules went to sunset.

10 labor of Hercules

F. F. Zelinsky

Copreus (a subject of Eurystheus, who informed the Greek hero about the new tasks of the king of Mycenae) did not keep himself waiting long.

The west is still behind you, mighty hero,” he said to Hercules, “the king wants you to bring him a herd of purple-haired bulls, herded by Geryon on the island of Erythea (that is, Chermny), where the sun sets.

Dejanira clasped her hands:

“Hercules is not ashamed to be the first,” her husband answered and unquestioningly went to the indicated goal.

And this goal was “where the sun sets.” Isthmus, Parnassus, Aetolia - these were still familiar places. From there, up the Aheloy to the stormy Dodona, where the prophetic oak of Mother Earth and Sella, the prophets of Zeus; he learned from them that the day “when the labors of Hercules end” is no longer particularly distant. Then an endless wandering along the sea, along the slopes of snow-capped mountains; then a wide, fertile plain and in it a river with a quiet flow, Eridanus. Here poplars stand on the banks of the river, their tears flow into its abyss and turn into amber...

“Go to sleep, Hercules, to the quiet noise of our branches; we will tell you a tale about the one for whom we cry.

We are the sisters of Heliad, daughters of the bright god, whose chariot rides across the heavenly stronghold. The heart of the high charioteer burns hotly; it loved many, but none more than the beautiful Clymene, the later wife of the Ethiopian king Merope, who lived where the sun sets. And in this marriage she gave birth to a child of wondrous beauty, the bright Phaeton. When he grew up, no one could look at him without loving him. The queen of love herself, Aphrodite, was powerless against his spell; She sent her servant, Hesperus, the evening star: when you come, tell King Merope that I love his son and want him to be my husband. Merope rejoiced at the words of the goddess and ordered Phaeton to prepare for the wedding; but the modest young man was afraid: should I, the son of a mortal, be the husband of a goddess? No, father, excuse me, unequal marriages are of no use to those getting married. Merope only became angry and repeated his order; then Phaeton turned to his mother. But she smiled: do not be afraid, my son, not your mortal father, but Helium himself, the champion of the heavenly firmament! What are you saying, top of the head! I can't believe it. - You will believe it. When you were born, he gave you one wish... only one. Go to him in his crimson palace, where his flaming chariot plunges into the sea; tell him your wish - and when it is fulfilled, you will be convinced that he is your father.

And he came to our palace, and we, the Heliades, saw our brother for the first time and, having seen, fell in love more than anything in the world. And he told his father his desire - alas, fatal, insane: if you have a son, give me one day, instead of you, to drive your chariot! His father tried in vain to dissuade him: the unfortunate young man stood his ground. Then he advised him with good advice about how he should follow the path, and ordered us, the Heliades, to harness the light chariot. At first, the brave young man managed to curb the ardor of the zealous horses: but when the first quarter of the sky remained behind him and noon began to approach, they became enraged and carried the chariot outside the established ruts. And the centuries-old order of nature was disrupted: the snows of the inaccessible peaks melted, the trees of the mountain groves caught fire, a resident of the far north, wrapped in seal skins, felt an unusual heat, the dense water of Sirte turned to ice. Mother Earth moaned from her prophetic depths, Zeus heard her plaintive voice. His Perun defeated Solntsev's son; the beautiful Phaeton fell charred into the quiet Eridanus. And since then we have become disgusted with the heavenly paths: having become poplars on the banks of a sleepy river, we pour tears into its waters and sing a song of lament for lost beauty, our tears, flowing into the river, become amber; and our cry, draining the soul of mortals, becomes a fairy tale.

So the Heliades sang to Hercules on the shores of quiet Eridanus. And it seemed to him that he had entered the kingdom of a fairy tale and that everything here would be different, miraculous.

Having reached the upper reaches of Eridanus, he saw a chain of impregnable mountains in front of him, both to the right and to the left. There is no way here; to reach the sea, the sea! It should be to the left, where there is a pass; So, to the sea, to the sea! But a giant, half man, half fish, emerged from the sea:

Where are you going, impudent one? There is no path for mortal feet here!

“Hercules is not ashamed to be the first,” the hero shouted and rushed at the giant, in whom he recognized the angry Triton, the servant of the sea lord.

Triton, defeated, retreated:

Go, mortal, boast that you have made these protected waters accessible - you will not go far.

Hercules walks along the seaside, sometimes flat, sometimes deep, for a day, two, many days - and still there is no place where the sun sets. And now the sea closes in front of him, the mountain on the right, the mountain on the left have moved, and above their junction, as if in mockery, the sun descends somewhere, into the mountainous country. But Hercules does not lose heart: he is inspired by the fairy tale. Somewhere here there must be the key of the closing sea; where is he? Isn't this the stone? Or this one? He tries, hesitates one after another - and suddenly there is a roar, a flame, the joint collapses, a pillar to the right, a pillar to the left, and between them the sea noisily flows somewhere into the sea of ​​seas. Here it is, the Ocean! And he made his way to it! Yes, descendants will remember the pillars of Hercules until the last generations!

Here is the Ocean; This is where the sun truly sets. But where is Erythea? The night has come; we must obey the Night. And again it’s day - morning, noon, evening. Here he is, the fiery giant, clearly descending on his flaming chariot... The heat is unbearable; Do you really want to incinerate me with your fire? Believe, I am the son of Zeus - and from my arrows even the gods lose their love of immortality! - Hercules pulled his bow, put an arrow on it, poisoned by the poison of the hydra, took aim at the god - and instantly there was freshness around him. He lowered his bow. And again the heat began to rise, the blood began to boil, the temples began to ache... Again? I am not kidding! - The bow is raised, the heat subsides; is that enough now? -- No? But if I raise my bow for the third time, I will no longer tilt it to the ground without releasing the arrow! The unbearable light forced him to close his eyes; when he opened them, Helius, having descended from the chariot, stood next to him.

You are courageous, son of Zeus, and I am ready to help you. This is really where I “enter”, into the Ocean; and you see, here a golden boat-cup is already waiting for me to transport me along the river around the world to the east, to the place of my “sunrise”. Erifea is an island in the ocean; sit with me, I'll take you.

The huge goblet boat received both Helius and his chariot and Hercules; soon the Red Island appeared among the waves... Hercules descended, thanked the bright god for his mercy... Truly Cherny: everything here is painted crimson: crimson rocks, crimson sands, crimson tree trunks, beautifully dressed in dark green foliage. While the golden boat was still visible among the waves of the Ocean, Hercules looked at the wonders of the island; when she disappeared, the dark night enveloped him: he lay down on the ground, covered himself with a lion's skin and fell asleep.

He slept soundly; I woke up only the next morning from a dull, hoarse bark. He opened his eyes - and in the light of day he saw above him the curly muzzle of a huge purple dog. "Guardian of the Herd!" - flashed through his head. This was almost his last thought: noticing that Hercules had woken up, the dog rushed at him to grab his throat. Fortunately, the faithful club of Hercules lay right there, by his right hand; a mighty swing - and the ferocious guard with a broken skull lay on the ground.

Hercules stood up; but before he had time to look back, a new enemy of enormous stature rushed from the edge of the crimson forest. The Knight immediately recognized him as a shepherd; but the shirt, hair, and beard were bright purple. Shouting something incomprehensible, he waved his staff, and this staff was a whole tree. Hercules let him approach; With one blow of his club he knocked out the giant’s staff, and with another he killed him.

Now, the knight thought, the herd can be taken away. He headed towards the edge of the forest - but there he saw next to the crimson herd another, black one, and another shepherd guarding him in a black shirt and with black hair and a beard; as he later learned from Helius, this was a shepherd tending the flocks of Hades, the king of the underground monastery. Seeing Hercules approaching, he rushed into the forest with a loud cry; and in response, a triple prolonged roar was heard from there, and a new monster rolled out from behind the trees, the like of which Hercules had never seen. The bodies of three husbands have grown together in it; only the belly was common - huge, like a wine vat at folk games. Three torsos with six arms and three heads grew upward from it, and three pairs of legs grew downward. Quickly moving those legs like a giant insect, he rushed towards Hercules.

He raised his bow - the arrow whistled and pierced Geryon (of course, it was he) through the chest of the front body. Immediately one head bent to the side, two arms hung helplessly, two legs, motionless, began to furrow the grass with their toes. But there was no time for a second shot: the monster was very close, holding a huge stone in the hands of a medium body. Hercules only managed to raise his club and drop it heavily on his middle head. Instantly she bowed down, and the stone fell from her heavy hands, and the second pair of legs drooped to the ground. There remained a third body, unarmed. Hercules himself threw away the club and grappled with him chest to chest. Geryon had a body twice the size of his opponent, but he was weighed down by both dead men, from whom he could no longer free himself; Soon he, too, gave up the ghost in the strong bonds of Hercules’ hands.

The feat was accomplished; All that remained was to lead the herd away. The black shepherd did not interfere; in the hands of the red hero he found a pipe, the familiar sounds of which easily lured the herd to the shore of the Ocean. When in the evening Helius drove the golden goblet boat to the Black Island, Hercules and his herd were already waiting for him.

Should I give you a lift again, son of Zeus? This time the business is unprofitable for me, I will have to go back, and what will the gods say if the Sun rises at the wrong time? Well, let your intercessor, Pallas, help me out; lead your flock and sit down yourself!

He took him to both pillars - and the tedious return journey began. Many times one or the other of the wayward bulls fought back, many times lawless people tried to take them away. Italy has preserved the memory of these wanderings; and the altar of Hercules in the Beef Market in Rome told people about them until later times. So in the West, the path of the pacifier of the universe was imprinted with exploits that were disastrous for evil people. But he fulfilled his duty: the whole herd was safe when, upon returning to Mycenae, he handed it over to the shepherds of Eurystheus.

The tenth labor of Hercules

This is an amazing version of the myth as retold by V.V. and L.V. Uspenskikh:

Bulls of Geryon and the cunning giant Kakos

Far from Greece, in the direction where in the evening the sun descends in a blazing circle into the green waves of the ocean, lay among the ever-murmuring waters the deserted island of Erythea. It was wild and uninhabited. Only from time to time loud, heavy footsteps could be heard on it. This huge three-headed giant, like a cloud, Geryon came here to inspect the herds of his bulls. They grazed in safety and peace in the green meadows of Erythea.

These bulls, huge as the largest elephant, fiery red, like those clouds that burn in the evenings over the sunset, lazily nibbled lush grass, peacefully wandered around the deserted island. Neither beast nor man could reach them through the stormy waters of the western sea. But fearing for his herds, Geryon still appointed another giant, Eurytion, to guard and shepherd them.

Eurytion was as large as his master Geryon, but was not three-headed. But to help the giant shepherd, the owner gave him the terrible dog Ort. This dog could swallow ten huge lions or tigers in one gulp.

So, the cowardly and greedy Eurystheus sent his mighty servant Hercules after the bulls of Geryon when the time came for him to perform his tenth labor.

The obedient Hercules walked for a long time to the west, through those countries where France and Spain now lie. He climbed over high mountains and swam across raging rivers. Finally he reached a place near which Africa is separated from Europe by a narrow and deep strait.

Hercules crossed this strait with great difficulty. In memory of his journey, he placed a high pillar-like rock on both banks. We now call these rocks Gibraltar and Ceuta. In ancient times they were called the Pillars of Hercules. They are so far from sunny Greece that only boasters and liars in those days dared to claim that they, like Hercules, had reached their foothills. That is why even now, when they want to say that some person lies and brags a lot, they say: “Well, he reached the Pillars of Hercules.”

Having passed this gloomy place, Hercules came to the shore of the stormy western ocean. It was empty here, so empty that even the hero felt creepy. The salty wind tore the foamy crests of the waves, whistled through empty shells on the coastal sand, and ruffled the strands of algae thrown ashore by the surf. Far away, beyond the open expanse of the sea, lay the gray island of Erythea. But not a single sail was visible in the distance, not a trace of the boat on the damp sand, not even the logs thrown up by the sea to make a raft. Hercules sat down on the lion's skin, placed a heavy club and a trusty bow next to him and, wrapping his powerful arms around his knees, began to look gloomily at the foamy crests of the waves.

The day was approaching evening. And suddenly Hercules saw that Helios the Sun on his radiant chariot began to descend from the heights of heaven to the west and was approaching him every moment. Half blinded by the radiance and brilliance, Hercules became angry with the sun god. He grabbed his bow and aimed a sharp arrow at the radiant Helios.

The Sun God was surprised at such courage. But he was not angry with the son of the great Zeus. Having asked what was the matter, having learned what the hero was doing in this wild land, he even gave up his boat to Hercules for a while. On this shuttle, Helios himself crossed the ocean every night in order to rise above the eastern edge of the earth again in the morning.

The delighted Hercules boarded the boat of the Sun and, having crossed the sea, arrived on a wild island. From afar, he heard the loud mooing of purple bulls across the waves of the ocean, but as soon as he stepped ashore, the terrible dog Ort rushed at him with a hoarse bark and growl.

With one swing of his club, the hero threw away the terrible dog, with a second blow he killed the gigantic shepherd and, gathering the bulls, drove them to his boat.

Halfway to the shore, he was overtaken by the owner of the bulls, the three-headed giant Geryon. But with three arrows the hero struck the monster and, calmly transporting the bulls across the ocean, returned the boat to Helios the Sun.

Hercules now had a long journey ahead of him. Across distant lands, he drove the magical herd to his native Greece.

He walked, urging the bulls with a long and sharp pole - a goad, through the scorched plateaus, flowering valleys and lush meadows of what is now Spain and France.

Finally, the impassable Alpine mountains became a great wall on his way.

It was difficult for the mighty shepherd to lead his herd through their gorges and steep slopes. Double hooves of the nobles; animals slid along smooth rocks, drowned in the eternal snow of mountain peaks. And yet the mountains are left behind! The fertile plains of Italy are green ahead...

One evening, when a feverish dampness came from the swamps, tired Hercules drove his oxen into a narrow valley between wooded mountains, lay down on the ground, put a large flat stone under his head and fell soundly asleep. He was overcome by a deep sleep. The evil Hera must have sent to him a little sleepy Morpheus, a god with long, heavy eyelashes, wearing a cap of sleeping poppy petals.

Hercules fell asleep and did not hear anything. He did not hear how someone’s heavy steps crackled in the dense beech forest, how someone huge, breathing noisily, walked across the clearing, how Geryon’s bulls mooed plaintively - first close, then further and further...

He woke up only in the morning and saw with anger that the valley was empty. The crumpled grass glistened with dew, and the only surviving calf with a star in its forehead mooed sadly.

Beside himself with rage, the hero rushed in pursuit. Like an enraged boar, he rushed across the Italian hills and groves in search of tracks, but on the rocky soil they were difficult to detect. Everything seemed deserted around.

Finally, already at the end of the day, Hercules approached a stone mountain standing alone in the forest. Having reached its foot, the hero suddenly stopped. He heard clearly: a dull mooing was coming from the depths of the mountain.

Surprised and alarmed, Hercules walked around the piled rocks several times. In one place he saw the entrance to a cave overgrown with bushes and littered with fragments of cliffs. The entire space in front of the cave was trampled with many bull tracks. Peering into the ground trampled by hooves, Hercules saw that the tracks did not lead into the cave, but from it, into the valley. How could this happen? After all, the mooing came from the cave...

Hercules was not only brave and strong. He was quick-witted and cunning. He quickly realized what was going on. Probably, a cunning thief tied the entire herd with their tails together and took the bulls away with him, dragging them by their tails, backwards. That's why the tracks turned out to be backwards. In anger, Hercules began to throw the heavy stones of the rubble to the sides. And as soon as the first stones were scattered with a roar throughout the surrounding forest, a loud stomping and crashing sound came from behind the trees. This evil kidnapper, the ferocious giant Kakos, hurried to protect his prey. He rushed at the daring Hercules, raising his club above the top of the forest, spewing fire and clouds of sulfur smoke, roaring in a voice like thunder.

But it was all in vain. Throwing a sharp block at the giant’s temple, the hero threw him dead to the ground. Then he drove the bulls out of the cave, gathered and counted his herd, and drove them to Greece.

There the beautiful herd was presented to Eurystheus. Eurystheus slaughtered the magic bulls and sacrificed them to the jealous goddess Hera. He really wanted to keep them for himself, but was afraid: Geryon’s bulls were too beautiful for a mortal.

One day, the evil Hera sent a terrible illness to Hercules. The great hero lost his mind, madness took possession of him. In a fit of rage, Hercules killed all his children and the children of his brother Iphicles. When the fit passed, deep sorrow took possession of Hercules. Cleansed from the filth of the involuntary murder he committed, Hercules left Thebes and went to the sacred Delphi to ask the god Apollo what he should do. Apollo ordered Hercules to go to the homeland of his ancestors in Tiryns and serve Eurystheus for twelve years. Through the mouth of the Pythia, the son of Latona predicted to Hercules that he would receive immortality if he performed twelve great labors at the command of Eurystheus. Hercules settled in Tiryns and became the servant of the weak, cowardly Eurystheus...

First Labor: Nemean Lion

Hercules did not have to wait long for the first order of King Eurystheus. He instructed Hercules to kill the Nemean lion. This lion, born of Typhon and Echidna, was of monstrous size. He lived near the city of Nemea and devastated all the surrounding areas. Hercules boldly set out on a dangerous feat. Arriving in Nemea, he immediately went to the mountains to find the lion's lair. It was already midday when the hero reached the slopes of the mountains. There was not a single living soul to be seen anywhere: neither shepherds nor farmers. All living things fled from these places in fear of the terrible lion. For a long time Hercules searched for the lion's lair along the wooded slopes of the mountains and in the gorges; finally, when the sun began to lean towards the west, Hercules found a lair in a gloomy gorge; it was located in a huge cave that had two exits. Hercules blocked one of the exits with huge stones and began to wait for the lion, hiding behind the stones. Just in the evening, when dusk was already approaching, a monstrous lion with a long shaggy mane appeared. Hercules pulled the string of his bow and shot three arrows one after another at the lion, but the arrows bounced off his skin - it was hard as steel. The lion roared menacingly, his roar rolled like thunder across the mountains. Looking around in all directions, the lion stood in the gorge and looked with his eyes burning with rage for the one who dared to shoot arrows at him. But then he saw Hercules and rushed with a huge leap at the hero. The club of Hercules flashed like lightning and fell like a thunderbolt on the lion’s head. The lion fell to the ground, stunned by a terrible blow; Hercules rushed at the lion, grabbed him with his powerful arms and strangled him. Having lifted the dead lion onto his mighty shoulders, Hercules returned to Nemea, made a sacrifice to Zeus and established the Nemean Games in memory of his first feat. When Hercules brought the lion he had killed to Mycenae, Eurystheus turned pale with fear as he looked at the monstrous lion. The king of Mycenae realized what superhuman strength Hercules possessed. He forbade him even to approach the gates of Mycenae; when Hercules brought evidence of his exploits, Eurystheus looked at them with horror from the high Mycenaean walls.

Second Labor: Lernaean Hydra

After the first feat, Eurystheus sent Hercules to kill the Lernaean hydra. It was a monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon. Like the Nemean lion, the hydra was generated by Typhon and Echidna. The hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna and, crawling out of its lair, destroyed entire herds and devastated the entire surrounding area. The fight with the nine-headed hydra was dangerous because one of its heads was immortal. Hercules set off on the journey to Lerna with Iphicles’ son Iolaus. Arriving at a swamp near the city of Lerna, Hercules left Iolaus with his chariot in a nearby grove, and he himself went to look for the hydra. He found her in a cave surrounded by a swamp. Having heated his arrows red-hot, Hercules began to shoot them one after another into the hydra. The arrows of Hercules enraged the Hydra. She crawled out, wriggling a body covered with shiny scales, from the darkness of the cave, rose menacingly on her huge tail and was about to rush at the hero, but the son of Zeus stepped on her torso with his foot and pressed her to the ground. The hydra wrapped its tail around the legs of Hercules and tried to knock him down. Like an unshakable rock, the hero stood and, with swings of a heavy club, knocked off the heads of the hydra one after another. The club whistled in the air like a whirlwind; The hydra's heads flew off, but the hydra was still alive. Then Hercules noticed that in the hydra, in place of each knocked-down head, two new ones grew. Help for the hydra also appeared. A monstrous cancer crawled out of the swamp and dug its pincers into Hercules’ leg. Then the hero called his friend Iolaus for help. Iolaus killed the monstrous cancer, set fire to part of the nearby grove and, with burning tree trunks, burned the hydra's necks, from which Hercules knocked off the heads with his club. The hydra has stopped growing new heads. She resisted the son of Zeus weaker and weaker. Finally, the immortal head flew off the hydra. The monstrous hydra was defeated and fell dead to the ground. The victor Hercules buried her immortal head deeply and piled a huge rock on it so that it could not come out into the light again. Then the great hero cut open the body of the hydra and plunged his arrows into its poisonous bile. Since then, the wounds from Hercules' arrows have become incurable. Hercules returned to Tiryns with great triumph. But there a new assignment from Eurystheus was waiting for him.

Third labor: Stymphalian birds

Eurystheus instructed Hercules to kill the Stymphalian birds. These birds almost turned the entire environs of the Arcadian city of Stymphalus into a desert. They attacked both animals and people and tore them apart with their copper claws and beaks. But the worst thing was that the feathers of these birds were made of solid bronze, and the birds, having taken off, could drop them, like arrows, on anyone who decided to attack them. It was difficult for Hercules to fulfill this order of Eurystheus. The warrior Pallas Athena came to his aid. She gave Hercules two copper tympani, they were forged by the god Hephaestus, and ordered Hercules to stand on a high hill near the forest where the Stymphalian birds nested, and strike the tympani; when the birds fly up, shoot them with a bow. This is what Hercules did. Having ascended the hill, he struck the timbrels, and such a deafening ringing arose that the birds in a huge flock took off above the forest and began to circle above him in horror. They rained down their feathers, sharp as arrows, onto the ground, but the feathers did not hit Hercules standing on the hill. The hero grabbed his bow and began to strike the birds with deadly arrows. In fear, the Stymphalian birds soared into the clouds and disappeared from the eyes of Hercules. The birds flew far beyond the borders of Greece, to the shores of the Euxine Pontus, and never returned to the vicinity of Stymphalos. So Hercules fulfilled this order of Eurystheus and returned to Tiryns, but he immediately had to go to an even more difficult feat.

Fourth labor: Kerynean hind

Eurystheus knew that a wonderful Kerynean doe lived in Arcadia, sent by the goddess Artemis to punish people. This doe devastated the fields. Eurystheus sent Hercules to catch her and ordered him to deliver the doe alive to Mycenae. This doe was extremely beautiful, her horns were golden and her legs were copper. Like the wind, she rushed through the mountains and valleys of Arcadia, never knowing fatigue. For a whole year, Hercules pursued the Cerynean doe. She rushed through the mountains, across the plains, jumped over chasms, swam across rivers. The doe ran further and further north. The hero did not lag behind her, he pursued her without losing sight of her. Finally, Hercules, in pursuit of the pad, reached the far north - the country of the Hyperboreans and the sources of Istra. Here the doe stopped. The hero wanted to grab her, but she escaped and, like an arrow, rushed back to the south. The chase began again. Hercules only managed to overtake a doe in Arcadia. Even after such a long chase, she did not lose strength. Desperate to catch the doe, Hercules resorted to his never-missing arrows. He wounded the golden-horned doe in the leg with an arrow, and only then did he manage to catch her. Hercules put the wonderful doe on his shoulders and was about to carry it to Mycenae, when an angry Artemis appeared before him and said: “Didn’t you know, Hercules, that this doe is mine?” Why did you insult me ​​by wounding my beloved doe? Don't you know that I don't forgive insults? Or do you think that you are more powerful than the Olympian gods? Hercules bowed with reverence before the beautiful goddess and answered: “Oh, great daughter of Latona, do not blame me!” I have never insulted the immortal gods living on bright Olympus; I have always honored the inhabitants of heaven with rich sacrifices and never considered myself equal to them, although I myself am the son of the thunderer Zeus. I did not pursue your doe of my own free will, but at the command of Eurystheus. The gods themselves commanded me to serve him, and I do not dare disobey Eurystheus! Artemis forgave Hercules for his guilt. The great son of the thunderer Zeus brought the Cerynean doe alive to Mycenae and gave it to Eurystheus.

Fifth feat: Erymanthian boar and the battle with the centaurs

After hunting the copper-legged fallow deer, which lasted a whole year, Hercules did not rest for long. Eurystheus again gave him an assignment: Hercules had to kill the Erymanthian boar. This boar, possessing monstrous strength, lived on Mount Erymanthes and devastated the surroundings of the city of Psofis. He gave no mercy to people and killed them with his huge fangs. Hercules went to Mount Erymanthus. On the way he visited the wise centaur Fol. He accepted the great son of Zeus with honor and arranged a feast for him. During the feast, the centaur opened a large vessel of wine to treat the hero better. The fragrance of wonderful wine spread far away. Other centaurs also heard this fragrance. They were terribly angry with Pholus because he opened the vessel. Wine belonged not only to Fol, but was the property of all centaurs. The centaurs rushed to the dwelling of Pholus and surprised him and Hercules as the two of them were happily feasting, adorning their heads with ivy wreaths. Hercules was not afraid of the centaurs. He quickly jumped up from his bed and began throwing huge smoking brands at the attackers. The centaurs fled, and Hercules wounded them with his poisonous arrows. The hero pursued them all the way to Malea. There the centaurs took refuge with Hercules' friend, Chiron, the wisest of the centaurs. Following them, Hercules burst into the cave. In anger, he pulled his bow, an arrow flashed in the air and pierced the knee of one of the centaurs. Hercules did not defeat the enemy, but his friend Chiron. Great sorrow gripped the hero when he saw who he had wounded. Hercules hurries to wash and bandage his friend’s wound, but nothing can help. Hercules knew that a wound from an arrow poisoned with hydra bile was incurable. Chiron also knew that he was facing a painful death. In order not to suffer from the wound, he subsequently voluntarily descended into the dark kingdom of Hades. In deep sadness, Hercules left Chiron and soon reached Mount Erymantha. There, in a dense forest, he found a formidable boar and drove it out of the thicket with a cry. Hercules chased the boar for a long time, and finally drove it into deep snow on the top of a mountain. The boar got stuck in the snow, and Hercules, rushing at him, tied him up and carried him alive to Mycenae. When Eurystheus saw the monstrous boar, he hid in a large bronze vessel out of fear.

Sixth labor: Animal Farm of King Augius

Soon Eurystheus gave a new assignment to Hercules. He had to clear the entire farmyard of Augeas, king of Elis, son of the radiant Helios, from manure. The sun god gave his son innumerable wealth. Augeas' herds were especially numerous. Among his herds were three hundred bulls with legs as white as snow, two hundred bulls were red like Sidonian purple, twelve bulls dedicated to the god Helios were white like swans, and one bull, distinguished by its extraordinary beauty, shone like a star. Hercules invited Augeas to cleanse his entire huge cattle yard in one day if he agreed to give him a tenth of his herds. Augeas agreed. It seemed impossible to him to complete such work in one day. Hercules broke the wall surrounding the barnyard on two opposite sides and diverted the water of two rivers, Alpheus and Peneus, into it. The water of these rivers in one day carried away all the manure from the barnyard, and Hercules again built the walls. When the hero came to Augeas to demand a reward, the proud king did not give him the promised tenth of the herds, and Hercules had to return to Tiryns with nothing. The great hero took terrible revenge on the king of Elis. A few years later, having already been freed from service with Eurystheus, Hercules invaded Elis with a large army, defeated Augeas in a bloody battle and killed him with his deadly arrow. After the victory, Hercules gathered an army and all the rich booty near the city of Pisa, made sacrifices to the Olympic gods and established the Olympic Games, which have since been celebrated by all Greeks every four years on the sacred plain, planted by Hercules himself with olive trees dedicated to the goddess Athena-Pallas. The Olympic Games are the most important of the pan-Greek festivals, during which universal peace was declared throughout Greece. A few months before the games, ambassadors were sent throughout Greece and the Greek colonies inviting people to the games in Olympia. The games were held every four years. Competitions took place there in running, wrestling, fist fighting, discus and javelin throwing, as well as chariot racing. The winners of the games received an olive wreath as a reward and enjoyed great honor. The Greeks kept their chronology by the Olympic Games, counting those that took place first in 776 BC. e. The Olympic Games existed until 393 AD. e., when they were banned by Emperor Theodosius as incompatible with Christianity. Thirty years later, Emperor Theodosius II burned the Temple of Zeus at Olympia and all the luxurious buildings that adorned the place where the Olympic Games took place. They turned into ruins and were gradually covered by the sand of the Alpheus River. Only excavations carried out at the site of Olympia in the 19th century. n. e., mainly from 1875 to 1881, gave us the opportunity to get an accurate idea of ​​the former Olympia and the Olympic Games. Hercules took revenge on all of Augeas’s allies. The king of Pylos, Neleus, paid especially. Hercules, coming with an army to Pylos, took the city and killed Neleus and his eleven sons. Neleus’s son Periclymenus, who was given the gift of turning into a lion, snake and bee by the ruler of the sea, Poseidon, did not escape either. Hercules killed him when, having turned into a bee, Periclymenes sat on one of the horses harnessed to Hercules' chariot. Only Neleus' son Nestor survived. Nestor subsequently became famous among the Greeks for his exploits and great wisdom.

Seventh labor: Cretan bull

To fulfill Eurystheus' seventh order, Hercules had to leave Greece and go to the island of Crete. Eurystheus instructed him to bring a Cretan bull to Mycenae. This bull was sent to the king of Crete Minos, son of Europa, by the shaker of the earth Poseidon; Minos had to sacrifice a bull to Poseidon. But Minos felt sorry for sacrificing such a beautiful bull - he left it in his herd, and sacrificed one of his bulls to Poseidon. Poseidon was angry with Minos and sent the bull that came out of the sea into a frenzy. The bull rushed all over the island and destroyed everything in its path. The great hero Hercules caught the bull and tamed it. He sat on the broad back of a bull and swam on it across the sea from Crete to the Peloponnese. Hercules brought the bull to Mycenae, but Eurystheus was afraid to leave Poseidon's bull in his herd and let him go free. Sensing freedom again, the mad bull rushed across the entire Peloponnese to the north and finally ran to Attica to the Marathon field. There he was killed by the great Athenian hero Theseus.

Eighth labor: Horses of Diomedes

After taming the Cretan bull, Hercules, on behalf of Eurystheus, had to go to Thrace to the king of the Bystons, Diomedes. This king had horses of marvelous beauty and strength. They were chained with iron chains in the stalls, since no fetters could hold them. King Diomedes fed these horses with human meat. He threw to them all the foreigners who, driven by the storm, came to his city to be devoured. It was to this Thracian king that Hercules appeared with his companions. He took possession of Diomedes' horses and took them to his ship. On the shore, Hercules was overtaken by Diomedes himself with his warlike bistons. Having entrusted the guard of the horses to his beloved Abdera, the son of Hermes, Hercules entered into battle with Diomedes. Hercules had few companions, but Diomedes was still defeated and fell in battle. Hercules returned to the ship. How great was his despair when he saw that wild horses had torn to pieces his favorite Abdera. Hercules gave a magnificent funeral to his favorite, built a high hill on his grave, and next to the grave he founded a city and named it Abdera in honor of his favorite. Hercules brought the horses of Diomedes to Eurystheus, and he ordered them to be released. The wild horses fled to the mountains of Lykeion, covered with dense forest, and were torn to pieces by wild animals there.

Hercules at Admetus

Based mainly on Euripides' tragedy "Alcestis"
When Hercules sailed on a ship across the sea to the shores of Thrace for the horses of King Diomedes, he decided to visit his friend, King Admetus, since the path lay past the city of Fer, where Admetus ruled.
Hercules chose a difficult time for Admet. Great grief reigned in the house of King Fer. His wife Alcestis was supposed to die. Once upon a time, the goddesses of fate, the great Moirai, at the request of Apollo, determined that Admetus could get rid of death if, in the last hour of his life, someone agreed to voluntarily descend in his place to the dark kingdom of Hades. When the hour of death came, Admetus asked his elderly parents that one of them would agree to die in his place, but the parents refused. None of the inhabitants of Fer agreed to die voluntarily for King Admet. Then the young, beautiful Alcestis decided to sacrifice her life for her beloved husband. On the day when Admetus was supposed to die, his wife prepared for death. She washed the body and put on funeral clothes and jewelry. Approaching the hearth, Alcestis turned to the goddess Hestia, who gives happiness in the house, with a fervent prayer:
- Oh, great goddess! For the last time I kneel here before you. I pray to you, protect my orphans, because today I must descend into the kingdom of dark Hades. Oh, don’t let them die like I am dying, untimely! May their life be happy and rich here in their homeland.
Then Alcestis went around all the altars of the gods and decorated them with myrtle.
Finally, she went to her chambers and fell in tears on her bed. Her children came to her - a son and a daughter. They wept bitterly on their mother's chest. Alcestis's maids also cried. In despair, Admet hugged his young wife and begged her not to leave him. Alcestis is already ready for death; Tanat, the god of death, hated by gods and people, is already approaching the palace of King Fer with silent steps to cut off a strand of hair from Alcestis’s head with a sword. The golden-haired Apollo himself asked him to delay the hour of death of the wife of his favorite Admetus, but Tanat was inexorable. Alcestis feels the approach of death. She exclaims in horror:
- Oh, Charon’s two-oared boat is already approaching me, and the carrier of the souls of the dead, driving the boat, shouts menacingly to me: “Why are you delaying? Hurry, hurry! Time is running out! Don’t delay us. Everything is ready! Hurry!” Oh, let me go! My legs are getting weaker. Death is approaching. Black night covers my eyes! Oh children, children! Your mother is no longer alive! Live happily! Admet, your life was dearer to me than my own life. Let it be better for you, and not for me, to shine. Admet, you love our children no less than me. Oh, don’t take a stepmother into their house so that she doesn’t offend them!
The unfortunate Admetus suffers.
- You take all the joy of life with you, Alcestis! - he exclaims, - all my life now I will grieve for you. Oh gods, gods, what a wife you are taking away from me!
Alcestis says barely audibly:
- Goodbye! My eyes have already closed forever. Goodbye children! Now I am nothing. Farewell, Admet!
- Oh, look at least once again! Don't leave your children! Oh, let me die too! - Admet exclaimed with tears.
Alcestis's eyes closed, her body grew cold, she died. Admet weeps inconsolably over the deceased and bitterly complains about her fate. He orders a magnificent funeral to be prepared for his wife. For eight months he orders everyone in the city to mourn Alcestis, the best of women. The whole city is full of sorrow, since everyone loved the good queen.
They were already preparing to carry the body of Alcestis to her tomb, when Hercules came to the city of Thera. He goes to Admetus's palace and meets his friend at the palace gates. Admet greeted the great son of the aegis-power Zeus with honor. Not wanting to sadden the guest, Admet tries to hide his grief from him. But Hercules immediately noticed that his friend was deeply saddened, and asked about the reason for his grief. Admet gives an unclear answer to Hercules, and he decides that Admet’s distant relative died, whom the king sheltered after the death of his father. Admetus orders his servants to take Hercules to the guest room and arrange a rich feast for him, and to lock the doors to the women’s quarters so that the groans of sorrow do not reach Hercules’ ears. Unaware of the misfortune that befell his friend, Hercules happily feasts in the palace of Admetus. He drinks cup after cup. It is difficult for the servants to serve the cheerful guest - after all, they know that their beloved mistress is no longer alive. No matter how hard they try, by order of Admetus, to hide their grief, Hercules nevertheless notices tears in their eyes and sadness on their faces. He invites one of the servants to feast with him, says that the wine will give him oblivion and smooth out the wrinkles of sadness on his brow, but the servant refuses. Then Hercules realizes that a grave grief has befallen the house of Admetus. He starts asking the servant what happened to his friend, and finally the servant tells him:
- Oh, stranger, the wife of Admetus descended today to the kingdom of Hades.
Hercules was saddened. It pained him that he had feasted in a wreath of ivy and sung in the house of a friend who had suffered such great grief. Hercules decided to thank the noble Admetus for the fact that, despite the grief that befell him, he still received him so hospitably. The great hero quickly decided to take away his prey - Alcestis - from the gloomy god of death Tanat.
Having learned from the servant where the tomb of Alcestis is located, he hurries there as soon as possible. Hiding behind the tomb, Hercules waits for Tanat to fly in to drink at the grave of sacrificial blood. Then the flapping of Tanat’s black wings was heard, and a breath of grave cold blew in; the gloomy god of death flew to the tomb and greedily pressed his lips to the sacrificial blood. Hercules jumped out of the ambush and rushed at Tanat. He grabbed the god of death with his mighty arms, and a terrible struggle began between them. Straining all his strength, Hercules fights with the god of death. Tanat squeezed the chest of Hercules with his bony hands, he breathes on him with his chilling breath, and from his wings the cold of death blows on the hero. Nevertheless, the mighty son of the thunderer Zeus defeated Tanat. He tied up Tanat and demanded that the god of death bring Alcestis back to life as a ransom for freedom. Thanat gave Hercules the life of Admetus's wife, and the great hero led her back to her husband's palace.
Admetus, returning to the palace after his wife’s funeral, bitterly mourned his irreplaceable loss. It was hard for him to stay in the empty palace. Where should he go? He envies the dead. He hates life. He calls death. All his happiness was stolen by Tanat and taken to the kingdom of Hades. What could be harder for him than the loss of his beloved wife! Admet regrets that she did not allow Alcestis to die with her, then their death would have united them. Hades would have received two souls faithful to each other instead of one. Together these souls would cross the Acheron. Suddenly Hercules appeared before the mournful Admetus. He leads a woman covered with a veil by the hand. Hercules asks Admetus to leave this woman, who he got after a difficult struggle, in the palace until his return from Thrace. Admet refuses; he asks Hercules to take the woman to someone else. It’s hard for Admet to see another woman in his palace when he lost the one he loved so much. Hercules insists and even wants Admetus to bring the woman into the palace himself. He does not allow Admetus' servants to touch her. Finally, Admetus, unable to refuse his friend, takes the woman by the hand to lead her into his palace. Hercules tells him:
- You took it, Admet! So protect her! Now you can say that the son of Zeus is a true friend. Look at the woman! Doesn't she look like your wife Alcestis? Stop being sad! Be happy with life again!
- Oh, great gods! - Admetus exclaimed, lifting the woman’s veil, “my wife Alcestis!” Oh no, it's just her shadow! She stands silently, she didn’t say a word!
- No, it’s not a shadow! - Hercules answered, - this is Alcestis. I obtained it in a difficult struggle with the lord of souls, Thanat. She will remain silent until she frees herself from the power of the underground gods, bringing them atonement sacrifices; she will remain silent until night gives way to day three times; only then will she speak. Now farewell, Admet! Be happy and always observe the great custom of hospitality, sanctified by my father himself - Zeus!
- Oh, great son of Zeus, you gave me the joy of life again! - Admet exclaimed, - how can I thank you? Stay as my guest. I will command that your victory be celebrated in all my domains, I will command that great sacrifices be made to the gods. Stay with me!
Hercules did not stay with Admetus; a feat awaited him; he had to fulfill the order of Eurystheus and get him the horses of King Diomedes.

Ninth labor: Hippolyta's Belt

The ninth labor of Hercules was his trip to the land of the Amazons under the belt of Queen Hippolyta. This belt was given to Hippolyta by the god of war Ares, and she wore it as a sign of her power over all the Amazons. The daughter of Eurystheus Admet, a priestess of the goddess Hera, definitely wanted to have this belt. To fulfill her wish, Eurystheus sent Hercules for the belt. Gathering a small detachment of heroes, the great son of Zeus set off on a long journey on only one ship. Although the detachment of Hercules was small, there were many glorious heroes in this detachment, including the great hero of Attica, Theseus.
The heroes had a long journey ahead of them. They had to reach the farthest shores of the Euxine Pontus, since there was the country of the Amazons with the capital Themiscyra. Along the way, Hercules landed with his companions on the island of Paros, where the sons of Minos ruled. On this island the sons of Minos killed two companions of Hercules. Hercules, angry at this, immediately began a war with the sons of Minos. He killed many of the inhabitants of Paros, but drove others into the city and kept them under siege until the besieged sent envoys to Hercules and asked him to take two of them instead of the killed companions. Then Hercules lifted the siege and took the grandchildren of Minos, Alcaeus and Sthenelus instead of those killed.
From Paros, Hercules arrived in Mysia to King Lycus, who received him with great hospitality. The king of the Bebriks unexpectedly attacked Lik. Hercules defeated the king of the Bebriks with his detachment and destroyed his capital, and gave the entire land of the Bebriks to Lika. King Lycus named this country Hercules in honor of Hercules. After this feat, Hercules went further, and finally arrived at the city of the Amazons, Themiscyra.
The fame of the exploits of the son of Zeus has long reached the land of the Amazons. Therefore, when Hercules’ ship landed at Themiscyra, the Amazons and the queen came out to meet the hero. They looked with surprise at the great son of Zeus, who stood out like an immortal god among his heroic companions. Queen Hippolyta asked the great hero Hercules:
- Glorious son of Zeus, tell me what brought you to our city? Are you bringing us peace or war?
This is how Hercules answered the queen:
- Queen, it was not of my own free will that I came here with an army, having made a long journey across a stormy sea; Eurystheus, the ruler of Mycenae, sent me. His daughter Admeta wants to have your belt, a gift from the god Ares. Eurystheus instructed me to get your belt.
Hippolyta was unable to refuse Hercules anything. She was ready to voluntarily give him the belt, but the great Hera, wanting to destroy Hercules, whom she hated, took the form of an Amazon, intervened in the crowd and began to convince the warriors to attack the army of Hercules.
“Hercules is telling a lie,” Hera said to the Amazons, “he came to you with insidious intent: the hero wants to kidnap your queen Hippolyta and take her as a slave to his home.”
The Amazons believed Hera. They grabbed their weapons and attacked the army of Hercules. Aella, fast as the wind, rushed ahead of the Amazon army. She was the first to attack Hercules, like a stormy whirlwind. The great hero repelled her onslaught and put her to flight. Aella thought to escape from the hero by quick flight. All her speed did not help her; Hercules overtook her and struck her with his sparkling sword. Protoya also fell in battle. She killed seven heroes from among the companions of Hercules with her own hand, but she did not escape the arrow of the great son of Zeus. Then seven Amazons attacked Hercules at once; they were companions of Artemis herself: no one was equal to them in the art of wielding a spear. Covering themselves with shields, they launched their spears at Hercules. but the spears flew past this time. The hero struck them all down with his club; one after another they burst onto the ground, sparkling with their weapons. The Amazon Melanippe, who led the army into battle, was captured by Hercules, and Antiope was captured with her. The formidable warriors were defeated, their army fled, many of them fell at the hands of the heroes pursuing them. The Amazons made peace with Hercules. Hippolyta bought the freedom of the mighty Melanippe at the price of her belt. The heroes took Antiope with them. Hercules gave it as a reward to Theseus for his great courage.
This is how Hercules obtained Hippolyta’s belt.

Hercules saves Hesione, daughter of Laomedon

On the way back to Tiryns from the land of the Amazons, Hercules arrived on ships with his army to Troy. A difficult sight appeared before the eyes of the heroes when they landed on the shore near Troy. They saw the beautiful daughter of King Laomedon of Troy, Hesione, chained to a rock near the seashore. She was doomed, like Andromeda, to be torn to pieces by a monster emerging from the sea. This monster was sent by Poseidon as punishment to Laomedon for refusing to pay him and Apollo a fee for the construction of the walls of Troy. The proud king, whom, according to the verdict of Zeus, both gods had to serve, even threatened to cut off their ears if they demanded payment. Then, the angry Apollo sent a terrible pestilence to all the possessions of Laomedon, and Poseidon sent a monster that devastated the surroundings of Troy, sparing no one. Only by sacrificing the life of his daughter could Laomedon save his country from a terrible disaster. Against his will, he had to chain his daughter Hesione to a rock by the sea.
Seeing the unfortunate girl, Hercules volunteered to save her, and for saving Hesione he demanded from Laomedon as a reward those horses that the thunderer Zeus had given to the king of Troy as a ransom for his son Ganymede. He was once kidnapped by the eagle of Zeus and carried to Olympus. Laomedont agreed to Hercules' demands. The great hero ordered the Trojans to build a rampart on the seashore and hid behind it. As soon as Hercules hid behind the rampart, a monster swam out of the sea and, opening its huge mouth, rushed at Hesione. With a loud cry, Hercules ran out from behind the rampart, rushed at the monster and plunged his double-edged sword deep into its chest. Hercules saved Hesione.
When the son of Zeus demanded the promised reward from Laomedon, the king felt sorry to part with the wondrous horses; he did not give them to Hercules and even drove him out of Troy with threats. Hercules left the possessions of Laomedont, hiding his anger deep in his heart. Now he could not take revenge on the king who had deceived him, since his army was too small and the hero could not hope to soon capture impregnable Troy. The great son of Zeus could not stay near Troy for a long time - he had to rush to Mycenae with Hippolyta’s belt.

Tenth labor: Cows of Geryon

Soon after returning from a campaign in the land of the Amazons, Hercules set out on a new feat. Eurystheus instructed him to drive the cows of the great Geryon, the son of Chrysaor and the oceanid Callirhoe, to Mycenae. The path to Geryon was long. Hercules needed to reach the westernmost edge of the earth, those places where the radiant sun god Helios descends from the sky at sunset. Hercules went on a long journey alone. He passed through Africa, through the barren deserts of Libya, through the countries of savage barbarians and finally reached the ends of the earth. Here he erected two giant stone pillars on both sides of a narrow sea strait as an eternal monument to his feat.
After this, Hercules had to wander a lot more until he reached the shores of the gray Ocean. The hero sat down in thought on the shore near the ever-noisy waters of the Ocean. How could he reach the island of Erythea, where Geryon grazed his flocks? The day was already approaching evening. Here the chariot of Helios appeared, descending to the waters of the Ocean. The bright rays of Helios blinded Hercules, and he was engulfed in unbearable, scorching heat. Hercules jumped up in anger and grabbed his formidable bow, but the bright Helios did not get angry, he smiled welcomingly at the hero, he liked the extraordinary courage of the great son of Zeus. Helios himself invited Hercules to cross to Erythea in a golden canoe, in which the sun god sailed every evening with his horses and chariot from the western to the eastern edge of the earth to his golden palace. The delighted hero boldly jumped into the golden boat and quickly reached the shores of Erythea.
As soon as he landed on the island, the formidable two-headed dog Orfo sensed it and barked at the hero. Hercules killed him with one blow of his heavy club. Ortho was not the only one who guarded Geryon's herds. Hercules also had to fight with the shepherd of Geryon, the giant Eurytion. The son of Zeus quickly dealt with the giant and drove the cows of Geryon to the seashore, where the golden boat of Helios stood. Geryon heard the lowing of his cows and went to the herd. Seeing that his dog Ortho and the giant Eurytion had been killed, he chased the herd thief and overtook him on the seashore. Geryon was a monstrous giant: he had three torsos, three heads, six arms and six legs. He covered himself with three shields during the battle, and he threw three huge spears at once at the enemy. Hercules had to fight such and such a giant, but the great warrior Pallas Athena helped him. As soon as Hercules saw him, he immediately fired his deadly arrow at the giant. An arrow pierced the eye of one of Geryon's heads. After the first arrow, a second one flew, followed by a third. Hercules waved his all-crushing club menacingly, like lightning, struck the hero Geryon with it, and the three-body giant fell to the ground as a lifeless corpse. Hercules transported Geryon's cows from Erythea in the golden shuttle of Helios across the stormy Ocean and returned the shuttle to Helios. Half of the feat was over.
Much work still lay ahead. It was necessary to drive the bulls to Mycenae. Hercules drove cows across all of Spain, through the Pyrenees Mountains, through Gaul and the Alps, through Italy. In the south of Italy, near the city of Regium, one of the cows escaped from the herd and swam across the strait to Sicily. There King Eryx, son of Poseidon, saw her and took the cow into his herd. Hercules looked for a cow for a long time. Finally, he asked the god Hephaestus to guard the herd, and he himself crossed to Sicily and there he found his cow in the herd of King Eryx. The king did not want to return her to Hercules; Relying on his strength, he challenged Hercules to single combat. The winner was to be rewarded with a cow. Eryx was unable to cope with such an opponent as Hercules. The son of Zeus squeezed the king in his mighty embrace and strangled him. Hercules returned with the cow to his herd and drove it further. On the shores of the Ionian Sea, the goddess Hera sent rabies through the entire herd. Mad cows ran in all directions. Only with great difficulty did Hercules catch most of the cows already in Thrace and finally drive them to Eurystheus in Mycenae. Eurystheus sacrificed them to the great goddess Hera.
Pillars of Hercules, or Pillars of Hercules. The Greeks believed that Hercules placed the rocks along the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar.

The eleventh feat. The abduction of Cerberus.

There were no more monsters left on earth. Hercules destroyed everyone. But underground, guarding the domain of Hades, lived the monstrous three-headed dog Cerberus. Eurystheus ordered him to be delivered to the walls of Mycenae.

Hercules had to descend into the kingdom from where there is no return. Everything about him was terrifying. Cerberus himself was so powerful and terrible that his very appearance chilled the blood in his veins. In addition to three disgusting heads, the dog had a tail in the form of a huge snake with an open mouth. Snakes also wriggled around his neck. And such a dog had to not only be defeated, but also brought out alive from the underworld. Only the rulers of the kingdom of the dead Hades and Persephone could give consent to this.

Hercules had to appear before their eyes. For Hades they were black, like coal formed at the site of burning the remains of the dead, for Persephone they were light blue, like cornflowers in arable land. But in both of them one could read genuine surprise: what does this impudent man want here, who violated the laws of nature and descended alive into their dark world?

Bowing respectfully, Hercules said:

Do not be angry, mighty lords, if my request seems impertinent to you! The will of Eurystheus, hostile to my desire, dominates me. It was he who instructed me to deliver to him your faithful and valiant guard Cerberus.

Hades's face fell with displeasure.

Not only did you come here alive, but you intended to show the living someone whom only the dead can see.

Forgive my curiosity,” Persephone intervened. “But I would like to know how you think about your feat.” After all, Cerberus has never been given to anyone.

“I don’t know,” Hercules admitted honestly. “But let me fight him.”

Ha! Ha! - Hades laughed so loudly that the vaults of the underworld shook. - Try it! But just fight on equal terms, without using weapons.

On the way to the gates of Hades, one of the shadows approached Hercules and made a request.

“Great hero,” said the shadow, “you are destined to see the sun.” Would you agree to fulfill my duty? I still have a sister, Deianira, whom I did not have time to marry.

“Tell me your name and where you’re from,” Hercules responded.

“I am from Calydon,” answered the shadow. “There they called me Meleager.” Hercules, bowing low to the shadow, said:

I heard about you as a boy and always regretted that I could not meet you. Stay calm. I myself will take your sister as my wife.

Cerberus, as befits a dog, was in his place at the gates of Hades, barking at souls who were trying to approach Styx in order to get out into the world. If earlier, when Hercules entered the gate, the dog did not pay attention to the hero, now he attacked him with an angry growl, trying to gnaw the hero's throat. Hercules grabbed two of Cerberus' necks with both hands, and struck the third head with a powerful blow with his forehead. Cerberus wrapped his tail around the hero's legs and torso, tearing the body with his teeth. But Hercules’ fingers continued to squeeze, and soon the half-strangled dog went limp and wheezed.

Without allowing Cerberus to come to his senses, Hercules dragged him to the exit. When it began to get light, the dog came to life and, throwing up his head, howled terribly at the unfamiliar sun. Never before has the earth heard such heartbreaking sounds. Poisonous foam fell from the gaping jaws. Wherever even one drop fell, poisonous plants grew.

Here are the walls of Mycenae. The city seemed empty, dead, since everyone had already heard from afar that Hercules was returning victorious. Eurystheus, looking at Cerberus through the crack of the gate, yelled:

Let him go! Let go!

Hercules did not hesitate. He released the chain on which he was leading Cerberus, and the faithful dog Hades rushed to his master with huge leaps...

The twelfth feat. Golden apples of the Hesperides.

On the western tip of the earth, near the Ocean, where day met Night, lived the beautiful-voiced nymphs of the Hesperides. Their divine singing was heard only by Atlas, who held the vault of heaven on his shoulders, and by the souls of the dead, sadly descending into the underworld. The nymphs were walking in a wonderful garden where a tree grew, bending its heavy branches to the ground. Golden fruits sparkled and hid in their greenery. They gave everyone who touched them immortality and eternal youth.

Eurystheus ordered these fruits to be brought, and not in order to become equal to the gods. He hoped that Hercules would not fulfill this order.

Throwing a lion's skin on his back, throwing a bow over his shoulder, taking a club, the hero walked briskly towards the Garden of the Hesperides. He is already accustomed to the fact that the impossible is achieved from him.

Hercules walked for a long time until he reached the place where heaven and earth converged on Atlanta, like on a giant support. He looked in horror at the titan holding an incredible weight.

“I am Hercules,” the hero responded. “I was ordered to bring three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides.” I heard that you can pick these apples alone.

Joy flashed in Atlas's eyes. He was up to something bad.

“I can’t reach the tree,” said Atlas. “And, as you can see, my hands are full.” Now, if you hold my burden, I will willingly fulfill your request.

“I agree,” Hercules answered and stood next to the titan, who was many heads taller than him.

Atlas sank, and a monstrous weight fell on Hercules’ shoulders. Sweat covered my forehead and entire body. The legs sank up to the ankles into the ground trampled by Atlas. The time it took the giant to get the apples seemed like an eternity to the hero. But Atlas was in no hurry to take back his burden.

If you want, I’ll take the precious apples to Mycenae myself,” he suggested to Hercules.

The simple-minded hero almost agreed, fearing to offend the titan who had rendered him a favor by refusing, but Athena intervened in time - she taught him to respond with cunning to cunning. Pretending to be delighted by Atlas's offer, Hercules immediately agreed, but asked the Titan to hold the arch while he made a lining for his shoulders.

As soon as Atlas, deceived by the feigned joy of Hercules, shouldered the usual burden on his weary shoulders, the hero immediately raised his club and bow and, not paying attention to the indignant cries of Atlas, set off on the way back.

Eurystheus did not take the apples of the Hesperides, obtained by Hercules with such difficulty. After all, he didn’t need apples, but the death of the hero. Hercules gave the apples to Athena, who returned them to the Hesperides.

This ended the service of Hercules to Eurystheus, and he was able to return to Thebes, where new exploits and new troubles awaited him.