Hera was vengeful and hated Hercules because he reminded Hera of her unfaithful husband, Zeus. As Hercules was a demi-god, he was born with superhuman strength, which was evident within the first months of his life. Hera’s VengeanceĪlcmene gave birth to Hercules and raised him with her husband, Amphitryon. Zeus’s infidelity would enrage Hera which would ultimately lead Hercules to kill his wife and children. Zeus was married to Hera, the goddess of women, when he fathered Hercules to Alcmene. His father was Zeus, and his mother was the mortal princess Alcmene. Please send us your comments.One of the most famous names in Greek mythology is Hercules. This exhibit is a subset of materials from the Perseus Project digital library and is copyrighted. To read more about these topics, see Further Resources. But Eurystheus said that this labour didn't count, because Hercules was paid for having done the work. So the boy went to the north country to live with his aunts, and Hercules headed back to Mycenae. In a rage, Augeas ordered both his own son and Hercules to leave his kingdom at once. The judge ruled that Hercules would have to be paid. The boy swore that his father had agreed to give Hercules a reward. Hercules called the son of Augeas to testify. Augeas said that if Hercules didn't like it, he could take the matter to a judge to decide. Not only that, he denied that he had even promised to pay a reward. When Augeas learned that Eurystheus was behind all this, he would not pay Hercules his reward. Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum The goddess Athena pours him a cup of wine. Mount Holyoke 1925.BS.II.3, Attic black figure skyphos, c. The rivers rushed through the stables, flushing them out, and all the mess flowed out the hole in the wall on other side of the yard. He turned the course of the rivers into the yard. Next, he dug wide trenches to two rivers which flowed nearby. Then he made another opening in the wall on the opposite side of the yard. First the hero tore a big opening in the wall of the cattle-yard where the stables were. Hercules brought Augeas's son along to watch. 440-430 B.C.Īugeas couldn't believe his ears, but promised. Munich 2412, Attic red figure stamnos, c. Hercules went to King Augeas, and without telling anything about Eurystheus, said that he would clean out the stables in one day, if Augeas would give him a tenth of his fine cattle. With permission of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 530-500 B.C.įrom Caskey & Beazley, plate IV. Schoder, S.J., courtesy of Bolchazy-Carducci PublishersĮvery night the cowherds, goatherds and shepherds drove the thousands of animals to the stables.īoston 13.195, Attic red figure lekythos, c. Some say that he was a son of one of the great gods, and others that he was a son of a mortal whosever son he was, Augeas was very rich, and he had many herds of cows, bulls, goats, sheep and horses.Īn aerial view of Olympia in Elis, where Augeas ruled his kingdom. Now King Augeas owned more cattle than anyone in Greece. Then Eurystheus made Hercules' task even harder: he had to clean up after the cattle of Augeas in a single day. Hercules knew this job would mean getting dirty and smelly, but sometimes even a hero has to do these things. Hercules' Fifth Labor: the Augean Stablesįor the fifth labor, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to clean up King Augeas' stables.
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