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assuming the appearance of Amphitryon, he seduced her. As a result, Alcmene brought into the world two boys, Heracles, the son of Zeus, and Iphicles, the son of Amphitryon one night younger than Heracles.

Hercules is often depicted carrying a knotted club, a quiver full of arrows, and wearing a lion’s pelt with sometimes also a lion’s head helmet. He is usually bearded and has very large eyes.

WHY 12 LABOURS?

In a fit of madness, induced by Hera, he killed his own children by Megara and two of Iphicles. In his grief he sentenced himself to exile. He then consulted the oracle of Delphi as to where he should settle. The Pythia first called him Heracles (glory of Hera)-- his name had been Alcides,--and ordered him to serve Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae for twelve years, after which he should become immortal.

Eurystheus, who had become King in his stead and was his enemy, ordered him to carry out ten tasks.

Heracles carried them all out, but according to Eurystheus two of the tasks had been failed because Heracles had been helped, and allocated two more,which Heracles also completed, making 12.

Hercules at the Andalucian Parliament, Sevilla

ERASMUS+ KA2 Searching for the Labours of Hercules2014-1-TR01-KA201-012990

Spain– INTRODUCTION : THE LABOURS OF HERCULES

HERACLES (Ἡρακλῆς in ancient Greek), and in Latin Hercules, was the most celebrated of all the heroes of antiquity. The traditions about him are the most widely spread; for we find them not only in all the Mediterranean countries, but his deeds were known in the most distant countries of the ancient world.

Every nation of antiquity as well as of modern times had or has some traditions of heroes of superhuman strength and power. While in the earliest Greek legends Heracles is a purely human hero, as the conqueror of men and cities, he afterwards appears as the subduer of monstrous animals, and is connected in a variety of ways with astronomical phaenomena.

Heracles was the son of Zeus by Alcmene of Thebes in Boeotia, and the favourite of his father. While Amphitryon, her husband, was absent from Thebes, Zeus one night, to which he gave the duration of three other nights, visited Alcmene, and

Zeus temple at Olimpia. Reconstruction of Metopes by students of IES Jándula