He has to steal the belt of the Queen of the Amazons, then steal the cattle of the monster Geryon. As a bonus, he gets two extra tasks, to steal the golden apples of the Hesperides, and finally to fetch Cerberus, guardian of the gates to the underworld.
Hercules
Capturing a boar and taking it back to the king, who promptly hid in a bronze jar. Cleaning the Augean Stables in a single day. Killing poisonous birds with his arrows. Capturing the Cretan Bull. Stealing horses that liked to eat people.
1. Kill the Nemean Lion, by stunning it with his club then strangling it with his bare hands. 2. Kill the Lernean Hydra, by cutting off its heads and searing the wounds, then removing its remaining immortal head. 3. Capture the Ceryneian Hind.
The son of Zeus when he raped Alcmene, Hera delayed his birth to trap Heracles into being forced to undertake his 12 labours, then tried to kill the infant by putting serpents into his cradle.
While other uncouth figures fought with their clubs, animal skins appealed to a different group, as John Godward’s beauties draped their bodies on them.
That well-muscled man brandishing a large olive-wood club and wearing a lion-skin can only be the ultimate high-testosterone uncouth hero, Hercules.
How a maidservant brings a protracted labour to a successful conclusion, the origin of the Milky Way, and an infant who strangles serpents for fun.
How a centaur tried to abduct Hercules’ new bride, and the delayed revenge which led to the death of Hercules.
This wonderful late oil sketch by Rubens shows a man walking his dog on a Mediterranean beach. It tells a fascinating story of an ancient industry, and the dress of the most wealthy and privileged few.
A puzzling painting of a lone woman, wrestling with inner turmoil; a trap laid by a dying Centaur; a king with a thing for Hercules, and his promotion to being a saint.
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