The 12 Labors of Hercules

Hercules (also known by his Greek name Heracles) was Greece's greatest hero, but he didn't earn this distinction under happy circumstances. The goddess, Hera, who was Hercules's evil stepmother, hated him because he was the son of her husband, Zeus, and a mortal woman. She was so angry at his very existence that she caused Hercules to go temporarily insane and murder his own wife and children. After committing this heinous act, Hera thought Hercules would lie down and die. But Hercules did just the opposite. He wanted to show Greece that he was sorry for his crime—a crime that was not really his fault. In order to prove that he was sorry, Hercules agreed to serve a wicked king named Eurystheus, who was just as cowardly as Hercules was brave. Hera gave Eurystheus all kinds of wicked ideas for impossible tasks for Hercules to perform. These tasks (or labors) would send Hercules all over the world to battle nightmare-like monsters. Yet Hercules, who was genuinely heartbroken over his crime, was ready to go to the ends of the earth to prove his innocence.

For his first labor Hercules was to slay the lion of Nemea, a beast whose hide was so thick that no blade could pierce it. Hercules defeated the lion by strangling it and then used its own claw to skin it. From then on Hercules wore the lion's skin as a trophy. For his second labor Hercules fought against the Hydra, a monster that sprouted two new heads each time one was cut off. Hercules solved this problem by searing the Hydra's neck stumps with a torch (and the help of his nephew, Iolaus), so no new heads could sprout. Then he severed the creature's final head. For his third labor Hercules had to hunt a stag that was sacred to the goddess Artemis. This deer had golden antlers, which made it all the more impressive when Hercules captured it. For his fourth labor Hercules had to hunt and tame another great animal — a giant boar. For his fifth labor Hercules had a messier task. He was ordered to clean the filthy stables of King Augeus, which were overrun with manure. The job was so colossal that Hercules had to use his brains instead of his brawn. He diverted the path of two nearby rivers using boulders. These waters washed the stables clean. For his sixth labor Hercules fought the Stymphalian Birds, which could shoot their feathers like arrows. Hercules used his archery skills to bring the birds down. For his seventh labor

Zachary Hamby © 2019 www.creativeenglishteacher.com Images © Disney

Hercules went to Crete to capture a gigantic bull that belonged to King Minos. For his eighth labor Hercules challenged an evil king Diomedes, who fed his enemies to his man-eating mares. Hercules killed the evil king and fed him to his own horses then returned with the mares. For his ninth labor Hercules had to journey to the land of the Amazons, fierce warrior women. His mission was to steal the girdle (or belt) from the Amazon queen, Hippolyta, which he did. For his tenth labor Hercules traveled to a faraway land where a three-headed giant named Geryon lived. His mission there was to defeat the monster and return with his cattle. Once again he was successful. For his eleventh labor Hercules had to journey to the very edge of the world, where Atlas, the titan who holds up the sky lived. His task here was to retrieve golden apples - the apples of the Hesperides. Hercules made a deal with Atlas: Hercules would hold up the sky while Atlas obtained the apples for Hercules. Atlas enjoyed a break from holding up the sky so well that he almost left Hercules holding the sky forever. Hercules had to use quick thinking to trick Atlas into resuming his post. For his final labor Hercules had to journey into the most terrifying place of all: Hades, the Underworld. Hercules had to wrestle Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Hades, and return with him to earth. Hercules did so, ending his famous twelve labors.

Discussion Questions1. What is impressive about the labors of Hercules? 2. How did the labors of Hercules make the world a safer place?3. Would you say that the labors of Hercules make him worthy to be a hero? Explain.4. If the story of Hercules was set in modern times, what would be a superhuman labor

he might be asked to perform?

Zachary Hamby © 2019 www.creativeenglishteacher.com Images © Disney

12 Labors of HerculesRead about the Twelve Labors of Hercules, then look over the twelve clues provided here. Each clue provides you with a puzzle, and each answer is one of Hercules’ labors. Solve each of the puzzles and write the answer in the appropriate space below.

Clue #1

Clue #2

Clue #3

Clue #4

Clue #5

Clue #6

Clue #7

Clue #8

Clue #9

Clue #10

Clue #11

Zachary Hamby © 2019 www.creativeenglishteacher.com Images © Disney

Clue #12

Zachary Hamby © 2019 www.creativeenglishteacher.com Images © Disney