Who was Hercules essays

Who was Hercules essays And what great deeds made him a Hero? Hercules was one of the most famous heroes of Greek legend. His father was Zeus, king of the Gods and his mother was a princess, Alcmene. Hera, wife of Zeus was jealous of Alcmene and heated Hercules. When Hercules married Megara, a Theban princess, Hera made him become insane and he burned his house, killing his wife and children. When Hercules recovered his sanity, he sought help from the oracle at Delphi to se what he should do to earn forgiveness. He learned that he had to serve for twelve years as a slave to his weak and scrawny cousin, Eurystheus, who hated him because of his power and strength. Hercules would be given twelve labors to perform by his cousin. These would have been impossible for a man of ordinary strength, but Hercules was determined to try his hardest and to succeed. Hercules performed 12 great labors for Eurystheus. First, he killed the Nemean Lion. As Hercules wandered in the dark and gloomy forest he wondered if this was even worth it. He decided to take a rest and think about it on a rock. Just as he was getting comfortable, this hideous beast jumped out in front of him. Hercules reacted quickly and threw the huge boulder that he was resting on at the Nemean Lion. The animal dodged the boulder and came charging at Hercules. Hercules jumped up just in time and landed on the beast's back. He then tried to ride and tame the wild beast but he failed because just as fast as Hercules had landed on the beast, by thrusting his arm down its throat, with difficulty; he removed the tough skin and wore it as armor. Second labor was to kill the Hydra, a serpent with nine venomous heads. This creature was so dangerous that if it looked directly into your eyes, you would die. Hercules closed his eyes and ran at the hydra. He burned off eight of the heads, but of course it was immortal, so Hercules buried under a stone. In the third and fourth labor, ...