The 12 labors of Hercules, Heracles in Greek mythology, are a series of tasks that the hero was required to complete as penance for killing his wife and children in a fit of madness, which had been inflicted upon him by the goddess Hera. These labors were meant to be impossible, but Hercules, known for his incredible strength and bravery, managed to complete them. Here’s a summary of each labor.
One, the Nemean lion. Hercules was tasked with slaying the invulnerable lion that terrorized the region of Nemea. He strangled the lion with his bare hands and then wore its skin as armor.
Two, the Lernaean Hydra. This multi-headed serpent lived in the swamps of Lerna. Whenever one head was cut off, two more would grow back. Hercules burned the neck stumps to prevent them from regenerating and buried the immortal head under a heavy rock.
Three, the Serenian Hind. Hercules was to capture the sacred golden-horned hind of Artemis without harming it. He chased it for a year before finally catching it and bringing it back alive.
Four, the Aramanthian Boar, Hercules had to capture this giant boar alive. He chased it into deep snow and trapped it before bringing it back to Eurystheus.
Five, the Augean Stables, tasked with cleaning the stables of King Augeas, which had not been cleaned in years. He accomplished this by diverting two rivers to wash out the filth in a single day.
Six, the Stemphalian Birds. These man-eating birds had metallic beaks and were terrorizing the region. Hercules used a rattle given to him by Athena to scare them into the air and then shot them down with arrows.
Seven, the Cretan Bull. Hercules captured the bull that was wreaking havoc in Crete. He wrestled it to submission and brought it back to Eurystheus, who released it.
Eight, the Mares of Diomedes. These were man-eating horses owned by King Diomedes. Hercules tamed them by feeding them their master and then brought them back to Eurystheus.
Number nine, the Girdle of Hippolita. Hercules was sent to retrieve the belt of Hippolita, the Queen of the Amazons. Initially, she agreed to give it to him, but Hera intervened, leading to a battle where Hercules ultimately took the girdle.
Ten, the Cattle of Geryon. Hercules had to steal the cattle from Geryon, the giant with three bodies. After defeating Geryon and his two-headed dog, he brought the cattle back.
Eleven, the Apples of the Hesperides. These were golden apples guarded by a dragon and nymphs. Hercules tricked Atlas into retrieving the apples for him while he held up the sky.
Twelve, Cerberus. The final labor required Hercules to capture Cerberus, the three-headed dog guarding the underworld without using weapons. He wrestled Cerberus into submission and brought him to Eurystheus.
These labors not only showcase Hercules physical strength, but also his cunning and resourcefulness, making him one of the most celebrated heroes in Greek mythology.
ðə twelv ˈleıbərz əv ˈhɜːkliːz, ˈherəklɛz ɪn ɡriːk mɪˈθɒləʤi, ɑː ˈsɪəriz əv tɑːskz ðət ðɪ ˈhiːroʊ wəz rɪˈkwɑıət ˈtuː kəmplɪt əz ˈpenəns fɔː ˌkɪlɪŋ ˈhiz waɪf ənd ˈtʃɪldrən ɪn ə ˈfit əv ˈmædnəs, wıʧ hæd biːn ˈɪnfliktıt ˈʌpɔːn hɪm ˈbaɪ ðə ɡoddɪs ˈherə
ðiz ˈleɪbərz wɜː mɛnt tuː biː ɪmˈpɒsəbl, bʌt ˈhɜːrkjuliːz, nəʊn fɔː hɪz ɪnˈkrɛdəbəl strɛŋθ ənd ˈbreɪvəriː, ˈmænɪʤd tuː kəmˈpliːt ðɛm. hɪərz ə ˈsʌməri əv ˈiʧ ˈleɪbər.
wʌn, ðə nɪˈmiːən ˈlaɪən. ˈhɜːrkjuliːz wɒz ˈtæskt wɪð ˈsleɪɪŋ ðə ɪnˈvʌlnərəbl ˈlaɪən ðæt ˈtɛrəraɪzd ðə ˈriːʤən əv nɪˈmiːə hiː stræŋgld ðə ˈlaɪən wɪð hɪz beər hændz ænd ðɛn wɔ ɪts skɪn æz ˈɑrmə.
tuː, ðə lɝˈniːən ˈhaɪdrə. ðɪs ˈmʌltiˈhɛdɪd ˈsɜrpənt lɪvd ɪn ðə swɒmps əv ˈlɝnə. wɛnˈɛvər wʌn hɛd wɒz kʌt ɔf, tuː mɔːr wʊd grəʊ bæk. ˈhɜːrkjuliːz bɜrnd ðə nɛk stʌmps tuː prɪˈvɛnt ðɛm frəm
rɪˈʤɛnəˌreɪtɪŋ ænd ˈbɛriːd ðə ɪˈmɔrtəl ˈhɛd ˈʌndər ə ˈhɛvi rɒk.
θriː, ðə ˈsɪrɪniən ˈhaɪnd. ˈhɜːrkjuliːz wɒz tuː ˈkæptʃər ðə ˈsɛkrəd ˈgoʊldən-ˈhɔrnd haɪnd əv ˈɑrtəmɪs wɪˈðaʊt ˈhɑrmɪŋ ɪt. hiː ʧeɪst ɪt fɔːr ə jɪər bɪˈfɔr ˈfaɪnəli ˈkæʧɪŋ ɪt ænd ˈbrɪŋɪŋ ɪt bæk
əˈlaɪv.
fɔr ðə ˌærəˈmænˌθiːən bɔr, ˈhɜːrkjuliːz hæd tuː ˈkæptʃər ðɪs ˈʤaɪənt bɔr əˈlaɪv. hiː ˈʧeɪst ɪt ˈɪntuː
diːp snoʊ ænd træpt ɪt bɪˈfɔːr ˈbrɪŋɪŋ ɪt bæk tuː jʊˈrɪsθiːəs.
faɪv, ðə ɔːˈʤiːən ˈsteɪbəlz, ˈtæskt wɪð ˈklɪnɪŋ ðə ˈsteɪbəlz əv kɪŋ ˌɔːˈdʒiːəs, wɪʧ hæd nɒt bɪn ˈklind ɪn jɪərz. hiː əˈkɒmplɪʃt ðɪs baɪ dɪˈvɜrtɪŋ tuː ‘rıvərz tu: ˈwɒʃ aʊt ðə fɪlθ ɪn ə ˈsɪŋgl deɪ.
sɪks, ðə ˈstɛmfæliən ˈbɜrdz. ðiz mæn-ˈitɪŋ ˈbɜrdz hæd məˈtælɪk biːks ænd wɜ:r ˈtɛrəraɪzɪŋ ðə ˈriːdʒən. ˈhɜːrkjuliːz juːzd ə ˈrætl ˈgɪvən tuː hɪm baɪ əˈθiːnə tuː skɛr ðɛm ˈɪntuː ðiː ɛr ænd ðɛn ʃɒt ðɛm daʊn wɪð ˈærəʊz.
ˈsɛvən, ðə ˈkriːtən bʊl. ˈhɜːrkjuliːz ˈkæptʃərd ðə bʊl ðæt wɒz ˈriːkɪŋ ˈhævək ɪn kriːt. hiː ˈrɛsld ɪt tuː səbˈmɪʃən ænd brɔːt ɪt bæk tu ˈjʊrɪˈstiːəs, huː rɪˈliːst ɪt.
ˈeɪt, ðə mɛrz ʌv daɪˈɒmɪˌdiːz. ðiz wər mæn-ˈiːtɪŋ ˈhɔrˌsɪz oʊnd baɪ kɪŋ daɪˈɒmɪˌdiːz. ˈhɜːrkjuliːz teɪmd ðɛm baɪ ˈfiːdɪŋ ðɛm ðɛr ˈmæstər ænd ðɛn brɔːt ðɛm bæk tu ˈjʊrɪˈstiːəs.
ˈnʌmbər naɪn, ðə ˈgɜrdəl ʌv hɪˈpɒlɪˌtə. ˈhɜːrkjuliːz wɒz sɛnt tuː rɪˈtriːv ðə bɛlt ʌv hɪˈpɒlɪˌtə, ðə kwin ʌv ðiː ˈæməzɑːnz. ɪˈnɪʃəliː, ʃiː əˈgrid tuː gɪv ɪt tuː hɪm, bʌt ˈhɛrə ˌɪntərˈvinid, ˈlɛdɪŋ tuː ə ˈbætl wɛr ˈhɜːrkjuliːz ˈʌltɪmɪtli tʊk ðə ˈgɜrdəl.
tɛn, ðə ˈkætl ʌv gɛrɪˈɒn. ˈhɜːrkjuliːz hæd tuː stiːl ðə ˈkætl frʌm ˌdʒɛrɪˈɒn, ðə ˈdʒaɪənt wɪð ˈθriː ˈbɒdis. ˈæftər dɪˈfʊtɪŋ ˌgɛrɪˈɒn ænd hɪz tuː-ˈhɛdəd dɔːg, hiː brɔːt ðə ˈkætl bæk.
ɪˈlɛvən, ðə æpəlz ʌv ðə hɛˈspɛrɪˌdiːz. ðiz wər ˈgoʊldən ˈæpəlz ˈgɑrdɪd baɪ ə ˈdrægən ænd nɪmfs. ˈhɜːrkjuliːz trɪkt ˈætləs ˈɪntuː rɪˈtriːvɪŋ ðə ˈæpəlz fɔːr hɪm waɪl hiː hɛld ʌp ðə skaɪ.
ˈtwɛlv, ˈsɜːrbərəs. ðə ˈfaɪnəl ˈleɪbər rɪˈkwaɪrd ˈhɜːrkjuliːz tuː ˈkæptʃər ˈsɜːrbərəs, ðə θriː-ˈhɛdəd dɔːg ˈgɑrdɪŋ ðə ˈʌndərˌwɜrld wɪˈðaʊt ˈjuzɪŋ ˈwɛpənz. hiː ˈrɛsld ˈsɜːrbərəs ˈɪntuː səbˈmɪʃən ænd brɔːt hɪm tu ˈjʊrɪˈstiːəs.
ðiz ˈleɪbərz nɒt ˈoʊnli ˈʃoʊˌkeɪs ˈhɜːrkjuliːz ˈfɪzɪkəl strɛŋθ, bʌt ˈɔlsoʊ hɪz ˈkʌnɪŋ ænd rɪˈsɔːsflnəs ˈmeɪkɪŋ hɪm wʌn wv ðiː məʊst ˈsɛləbreɪtɪd ˈhɪərəʊz ɪn ɡriːk mɪˈθɒlədʒi.
