Once upon a time, there was nothing in the Universe but dark and gloomy Chaos. And then the Earth appeared from Chaos - the goddess Gaia, mighty and beautiful. She gave life to everything that lives and grows on it. And since then everyone calls her their mother.

The Great Chaos also gave birth to the gloomy Darkness - Erebus and the black Night - Nyukta and ordered them to guard the Earth. It was dark on Earth at that time and gloomy. So it was until Erebus and Nyukta got tired of their hard, permanent work. Then they gave birth to the eternal Light - Ether and the joyful shining Day - Hemera.

And so it went from then on. Night guards peace on Earth. As soon as she lowers her black veils, everything is plunged into darkness and silence. And then a cheerful, shining Day comes to replace it, and it becomes light and joyful around.

Deep under the Earth, as deep as one can imagine, the terrible Tartarus was formed. Tartarus was as far from the Earth as the sky, only on the other side. Eternal darkness and silence reigned there...

And above, high above the Earth, stretches the infinite Sky - Uranus. God Uranus began to reign over the whole world. He took as his wife the beautiful goddess Gaia - the Earth.

Gaia and Uranus had six daughters, beautiful and wise, and six sons, mighty and formidable titans, and among them the majestic titan Ocean and the youngest, the cunning Kron.

And then six terrible giants were born to Mother Earth at once. Three giants - Cyclopes with one eye in their foreheads - could frighten anyone who just looked at them. But the other three giants looked even scarier, real monsters. Each of them had 50 heads and 100 hands. And they were so terrible in appearance, these hundred-armed hecatoncheir giants, that even the father himself, mighty Uranus, feared and hated them. So he decided to get rid of his children. He imprisoned the giants deep in the bowels of their mother Earth and did not allow them to come out into the light.

Giants rushed about in deep darkness, they wanted to break out, but did not dare to disobey the order of their father. It was also hard for their mother Earth, she suffered greatly from such an unbearable burden and pain. Then she called her children-titans and asked them to help her.

“Rise up against your cruel father,” she urged them, “if you don’t take away his power over the world now, he will destroy us all.”

But no matter how Gaia persuaded her children, they did not agree to raise a hand against their father. Only the youngest of them, the ruthless Cronus, supported his mother, and they decided that Uranus should no longer reign in the world.

And then one day Kron attacked his father, wounded him with a sickle and took away his power over the world. Drops of the blood of Uranus that fell to the ground turned into monstrous giants with snake tails instead of legs and vile, disgusting Erinyes, who instead of hair on their heads snakes writhed, and in their hands they held lit torches. These were terrible deities of death, discord, revenge and deceit.

Now the mighty implacable Kron, the god of Time, reigned in the world. He took the goddess Rhea as his wife.

But in his kingdom, too, there was no peace and harmony. The gods quarreled among themselves and deceived each other.

Gods war

For a long time, the great and powerful Kron, the god of Time, reigned in the world, and people called his kingdom the golden age. The first people were then only born on Earth, and they lived without knowing any worries. The Fertile Land itself fed them. She gave bountiful harvests. Bread grew by itself in the fields, wonderful fruits ripened in the gardens. People only had to collect them, and they worked as much as they could and wanted.

But Kron himself was not calm. A long time ago, when he was just beginning to reign, his mother, the goddess Gaia, predicted to him that he, too, would lose power. And one of his sons will take it from Kron. That's Kron and worried. After all, everyone who has power wants to reign as long as possible.

Kron also did not want to lose power over the world. And he commanded his wife, the goddess Rhea, to bring her children to him as soon as they were born. And the father ruthlessly swallowed them. Rhea's heart was torn with grief and suffering, but she could not help it. It was impossible to persuade Kron. So he swallowed already five of his children. Another child was soon to be born, and the goddess Rhea, in desperation, turned to her parents, Gaia and Uranus.

“Help me save my last baby,” she begged them with tears. - You are wise and all-powerful, tell me what to do, where to hide my dear son so that he can grow up and avenge such villainy.

The immortal gods took pity on their beloved daughter and taught her what to do. And now Rhea brings to her husband, the ruthless Kron, a long stone wrapped in swaddling clothes.

“Here is your son Zeus,” she told him sadly. - He was just born. Do with him what you want.

Kron grabbed the bundle and, without unwrapping it, swallowed it. Meanwhile, a delighted Rhea took her little son, in the black, dead night, she made her way to Dikta and hid him in an inaccessible cave on the wooded Aegean mountain.

There, on the island of Crete, he grew up surrounded by kind and cheerful Kuret demons. They played with little Zeus, brought him milk from the sacred goat Amalthea. And when he cried, the demons began to rumble their spears against the shields, danced and drowned out his cry with loud cries. They were very afraid that the cruel Kron would hear the cry of the child and realize that he had been deceived. And then no one can save Zeus.

But Zeus grew very quickly, his muscles filled with extraordinary strength, and soon the time came when he, mighty and omnipotent, decided to fight with his father and take away his power over the world. Zeus turned to the titans and invited them to fight with him against Kron.

And a great dispute broke out among the titans. Some decided to stay with Kron, others sided with Zeus. Filled with courage, they rushed into battle. But Zeus stopped them. At first, he wanted to free his brothers and sisters from the womb of his father, so that later he could fight against Kron together with them. But how do you get Kron to let his kids go? Zeus understood that by force alone he could not defeat a powerful god. You have to think of something to outsmart him.

Then the great titan Ocean came to his aid, who in this struggle was on the side of Zeus. His daughter, the wise goddess Thetis, prepared a magic potion and brought it to Zeus.

“O mighty and all-powerful Zeus,” she told him, “this miraculous nectar will help you free your brothers and sisters. Just make Kron drink it.

The cunning Zeus figured out how to do it. He sent Kron a luxurious amphora with nectar as a gift, and Kron, suspecting nothing, accepted this insidious gift. He drank the magical nectar with pleasure and immediately spewed out of himself, first a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, and then all his children. One after another, they came into the world, and his daughters, the beautiful goddesses Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and sons - Hades and Poseidon. During the time they sat in the womb of their father, they were already quite adults.

All the children of Kron united, and a long and terrible war them with their father Kron for power over all people and gods. New gods established themselves on Olympus. From here they waged their great battle.

Omnipotent and formidable were the young gods, the mighty titans supported them in this struggle. The Cyclopes forged for Zeus formidable rumbling thunders and fiery lightning. But on the other hand, there were powerful opponents. The powerful Kron was not at all going to give up his power to the young gods and also gathered formidable titans around him.

The most interesting and instructive stories, fascinating stories and adventures gave the world Greek mythology. The story takes us into fairy world where you can meet heroes and gods, scary monsters and unusual animals. The myths of Ancient Greece, written many centuries ago, are currently the greatest cultural heritage of all mankind.

What are myths

Mythology is an amazing separate world in which people opposed the deities of Olympus, fought for honor and resisted evil and destruction.

However, it is worth remembering that myths are works created exclusively by people using fantasy and fiction. These are stories about gods, heroes and deeds, unusual phenomena nature and mysterious creatures.

The origin of legends is no different from the origin of folk tales and legends. The Greeks invented and retold unusual stories that mixed truth and fiction.

It is possible that there was some truth in the stories - a life case or an example could be taken as a basis.

Source of the myths of ancient Greece

How do modern people know the myths and their plots for certain? It turns out that Greek mythology was preserved on the tablets Aegean culture. They were written in Linear B, which was deciphered only in the 20th century.

The Crete-Mycenaean period, to which this type of writing belongs, knew most of the gods: Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, and so on. However, due to the decline of civilization and the emergence of ancient Greek mythology, mythology could have its gaps: we know it only from the latest sources.

Various plots of the myths of Ancient Greece were often used by writers of that time. And before the onset of the Hellenistic era, it became popular to create their own legends based on them.

The largest and most famous sources are:

1. Homer, Iliad, Odyssey
2. Hesiod "Theogony"
3. Pseudo-Apollodorus, "Library"
4. Gigin, "Myths"
5. Ovid, "Metamorphoses"
6. Nonnus, "Acts of Dionysus"

Karl Marx believed that the mythology of Greece was a vast repository of art, and also created the ground for it, thus fulfilling a dual function.

ancient greek mythology

Myths did not appear overnight: they took shape over several centuries, passed from mouth to mouth. Thanks to the poetry of Hesiod and Homer, the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, we can get acquainted with the stories at the present time.

Each story has value, keeping in itself the atmosphere of antiquity. Specially trained people - mythographers - began to appear in Greece in the 4th century BC.

These include the sophist Hippias, Herodotus of Heracles, Heraclitus of Pontus and others. Dionysius of Samoia, in particular, was engaged in compiling genealogical tables and studied tragic myths.

There are many myths, but the most popular are stories related to Olympus and its inhabitants.

However, the complex hierarchy and history of the origin of the gods can confuse any reader, and therefore we propose to understand this in detail!

With the help of myths, it becomes possible to recreate the picture of the world in the view of the inhabitants of Ancient Greece: the world is inhabited by monsters and giants, among which are giants - one-eyed creatures and Titans.

Origin of the gods

Eternal, boundless Chaos enveloped the Earth. It contained the world source of life.

It was believed that it was Chaos that gave birth to everything around: the world, the immortal gods, the goddess of the Earth, Gaia, who gave life to everything growing and living, and the mighty force that animates everything - Love.

However, a birth also took place under the Earth: the gloomy Tartarus was born - an abyss of horror filled with eternal darkness.

In the process of creating the world, Chaos gave birth to the Eternal Darkness, called Erebus, and the dark Night, named Nikta. As a result of the union of Nikta and Erebus, Ether was born - the eternal Light and Hemera - the bright Day. Thanks to their appearance, the light filled the whole world, and day and night began to replace each other.

Gaia, a powerful and gracious goddess, created an immense blue sky- Uranus. Spread over the Earth, he reigned throughout the world. High mountains proudly reached out to him, and the noisy Sea spread over the whole Earth.

Goddess Gaia and her Titan children

After Mother Earth created the Sky, Mountains and Sea, Uranus decided to take Gaia as his wife. From the divine union came 6 sons and 6 daughters.

Titan Ocean and the goddess Thetis created all the rivers that rolled their waters to the sea, and the goddesses of the seas, called oceanides. Titan Gipperion and Theia gave the world Helios - the Sun, Selena - the Moon and Eos - the Dawn. Astrea and Eos gave birth to all the stars and all the winds: Boreas - the north, Eurus - the east, Notus - the south, Zephyr - the west.

The overthrow of Uranus - the beginning of a new era

The goddess Gaia - the mighty Earth - gave birth to 6 more sons: 3 cyclops - giants with one eye in the forehead, and 3 fifty-headed hundred-armed monsters called Hekantocheirs. They possessed boundless power that knew no limits.

Struck by the ugliness of his giant children, Uranus renounced them and ordered them to be imprisoned in the bowels of the Earth. Gaia, being a Mother, suffered, weighed down by a terrible burden: after all, her own children were imprisoned in her bowels. Unable to stand it, Gaia called her children-titans, persuading them to rebel against their father - Uranus.

Battle of the gods with the titans

Being great and powerful, the titans were still afraid of their father. And only Kronos, the youngest and most treacherous, accepted his mother's offer. Having outwitted Uranus, he overthrew him, seizing power.

As a punishment for the deed of Kronos, the goddess Night gave birth to death (Tanat), discord (Eris), deceit (Apata),

Kronos devouring his child

destruction (Ker), nightmare (Hypnos) and vengeance (Nemesis) and other terrible gods. All of them brought horror, discord, deceit, struggle and misfortune to the world of Kronos.

Despite his cunning, Kronos was afraid. His fear was built on personal experience: after all, the children could overthrow him, as he once overthrew Uranus - his father.

Fearing for his life, Kronos ordered his wife Rhea to bring him born children. To Rhea's horror, 5 of them were eaten: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon.

Zeus and his reign

Heeding the advice of her father Uranus and her mother Gaia, Rhea fled to the island of Crete. There, in a deep cave, she gave birth younger son Zeus.

Hiding the newborn in it, Rhea tricked the hard Kronos into swallowing a long stone wrapped in swaddling clothes instead of her son.

As time went. Kronos did not figure out his wife's deceit. Zeus grew up while in Crete. His nannies were nymphs - Adrastea and Idea, instead of mother's milk, he was fed with the milk of the divine goat Amalthea, and industrious bees carried honey to baby Zeus from Mount Dikty.

If Zeus began to cry, the young Curetes, who stood at the entrance to the cave, struck their shields with their swords. Loud sounds drowned out the crying so that Kronos would not hear it.

The myth of the birth of Zeus: feeding the milk of the divine goat Amalthea

Zeus grew up. Having defeated Kronos in battle with the help of the Titans and the Cyclopes, he became the supreme deity of the Olympian Pantheon. The lord of heavenly forces commanded thunders, lightnings, clouds and showers. He dominated the universe, giving people laws and protecting order.

Views of the Ancient Greeks

The Greeks believed that the gods of Olympus are like people, and the relationship between them is comparable to human. Their lives were also filled with quarrels and reconciliations, envy and interference, resentment and forgiveness, joy, fun and love.

In the views of the ancient Greeks, each deity had its own occupation and sphere of influence:

• Zeus - lord of the sky, father of gods and people
• Hera - the wife of Zeus, the patroness of the family
• Poseidon - the sea
• Hestia - family hearth
• Demeter - agriculture
• Apollo - light and music
• Athena - wisdom
• Hermes - trade and messenger of the gods
• Hephaestus - fire
• Aphrodite - beauty
• Ares - war
• Artemis - hunting

From the earth, people each turned to their god, according to their destiny. Temples were built everywhere to propitiate them, and gifts were offered instead of sacrifices.

AT Greek mythology not only did Chaos, the Titans and the Olympian Pantheon matter, there were other gods as well.

• Nymphs Naiads who lived in streams and rivers
• Nereids - nymphs of the seas
• Dryads and Satyrs - nymphs of the forests
• Echo - nymph of mountains
• Goddesses of fate: Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos.

The rich world of myths was given to us by ancient Greece. It's filled deep meaning and cautionary tales. Thanks to them, people can learn ancient wisdom and knowledge.

How many different legends exist at the moment, do not count. But believe me, every person should get acquainted with them after spending time with Apollo, Hephaestus, Hercules, Narcissus, Poseidon and others. Welcome to the ancient world of the ancient Greeks!

Heroes, myths and legends about them. Therefore, it is important to know their summary. Legends and myths of Ancient Greece, all Greek culture, especially late time, when both philosophy and democracy were developed, had a strong influence on the formation of the entire European civilization as a whole. Mythology has evolved over time. Tales, legends became known, because reciters wandered along the paths and roads of Hellas. They carried more or less long stories about the heroic past. Some gave only a summary.

The legends and myths of Ancient Greece gradually became familiar and beloved, and what Homer created was customary for an educated person to know by heart and be able to quote from anywhere. Greek scholars, seeking to streamline everything, began to work on the classification of myths, and turned the scattered stories into a harmonious series.

Major Greek gods

The very first myths are devoted to the struggle of various gods among themselves. Some of them did not have human features - these are the offspring of the goddess Gaia-Earth and Uranus-Heaven - twelve titans and six more monsters that terrified their father, and he plunged them into the abyss - Tartarus. But Gaia persuaded the remaining titans to overthrow her father.

This was done by the insidious Kronos - Time. But, having married his sister, he was afraid of children being born and swallowed them immediately after birth: Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera, Hades. Having given birth to the last child - Zeus, the wife deceived Kronos, and he could not swallow the baby. And Zeus was safely hidden in Crete. This is just a summary. The legends and myths of ancient Greece scary describe the events taking place.

Zeus' war for power

Zeus grew up, matured and forced Kronos to return his swallowed sisters and brothers to the white world. He called them to fight the cruel father. In addition, part of the titans, giants and cyclops took part in the struggle. The struggle has been going on for ten years. The fire raged, the seas boiled, nothing could be seen from the smoke. But the victory went to Zeus. Enemies were overthrown in Tartarus and taken into custody.

Gods on Olympus

Zeus, whom the Cyclopes forged with lightning, became the supreme god, Poseidon obeyed all the waters on earth, Hades - the underground realm of the dead. This was already the third generation of gods, from which all the other gods and heroes originated, about whom stories and legends will begin to tell.

The ancients refer to the cycle of Dionysus, and winemaking, fertility, the patron of the night mysteries, which were held in the darkest places. The mysteries were terrible and mysterious. So the struggle of the dark gods with the light ones began to take shape. There were no real wars, but they gradually began to give way to the bright sun god Phoebus with his rational principle, with his cult of reason, science and art.

And the irrational, the ecstatic, the sensuous receded. But these are two sides of the same phenomenon. And one was impossible without the other. The goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus, patronized the family.

Ares - war, Athena - wisdom, Artemis - the moon and hunting, Demeter - agriculture, Hermes - trade, Aphrodite - love and beauty.

Hephaestus - artisans. Their relationship between themselves and people are the legends of the Hellenes. They were fully studied in pre-revolutionary gymnasiums in Russia. Only now, when people are mostly concerned with earthly concerns, do they, if necessary, pay attention to their summary. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece are becoming more and more a thing of the past.

Who was patronized by the gods

They don't like people very much. Often they envied them or lusted after women, they were jealous, they were greedy for praise and honors. That is, they were very similar to mortals, if we take their description. Tales (summary), legends and myths of Ancient Greece (Kun) describe their gods in a very contradictory way. “Nothing pleases the gods so much as the collapse of human hopes,” said Euripides. And Sophocles echoed him: "The gods most willingly help a man when he goes towards his death."

All the gods obeyed Zeus, but for people he mattered as a guarantor of justice. It was when the judge judged unrighteously that a person turned to Zeus for help. In matters of war, only Mars dominated. Wise Athena patronized Attica.

To Poseidon, all the sailors, going to sea, made sacrifices. In Delphi, one could ask for mercy from Phoebus and Artemis.

Myths about heroes

One of the favorite myths was about Theseus, the son of the king of Athens, Aegeus. He was born and raised in royal family in Troezen. When he grew up and was able to get his father's sword, he went to meet him. Along the way, he destroyed the robber Procrustes, who did not allow people to pass through his territory. When he got to his father, he learned that Athens paid tribute in girls and boys to Crete. Together with another batch of slaves, under mourning sails, he went to the island to kill the monstrous Minotaur.

Princess Ariadne helped Theseus through the labyrinth in which the Minotaur was located. Theseus fought the monster and destroyed it.

The Greeks joyfully, freed forever from tribute, returned to their homeland. But they forgot to change the black sails. Aegeus, who did not take his eyes off the sea, saw that his son was dead, and out of unbearable grief threw himself into the depths of the waters over which his palace stood. The Athenians rejoiced that they were forever freed from tribute, but also wept when they learned of the tragic death of Aegeus. The myth of Theseus is long and colorful. This is his summary. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece (Kun) will give an exhaustive description of him.

Epos - the second part of the book by Nikolai Albertovich Kuhn

The legends of the Argonauts, the travels of Odysseus, the revenge of Orestes for the death of his father, and the misadventures of Oedipus in the Theban cycle make up the second half of the book that Kuhn wrote, Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece. Summary chapters above.

Returning from Troy to his native Ithaca, Odysseus spent many long years in dangerous wanderings. It was difficult for him to get home on the stormy sea.

God Poseidon could not forgive Odysseus that, saving his life and the lives of his friends, he blinded the Cyclops and sent unheard of storms. On the way, they died from the sirens, who carried away with their unearthly voices and sweet-sounding singing.

All his companions perished in their voyages across the seas. All were destroyed by an evil fate. In captivity at the nymph Calypso, Odysseus languished for many years. He begged to let him go home, but the beautiful nymph refused. Only the requests of the goddess Athena softened the heart of Zeus, he took pity on Odysseus and returned him to his family.

The legends of the Trojan cycle and the campaigns of Odysseus were created in his poems by Homer - the Iliad and the Odyssey, the myths about the campaign for the Golden Fleece to the shores of the Pontus Eusinsky are described in the poem of Apollonius of Rhodes. Sophocles wrote the tragedy "Oedipus the King", the tragedy of the Arrest - the playwright Aeschylus. They are given by a summary of "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece" (Nikolai Kun).

Myths and legends about gods, titans, numerous heroes disturb the imagination of artists of the word, brush and cinematography of our days. Standing in a museum near a picture painted on a mythological theme, or hearing the name of the beautiful Elena, it would be nice to have at least a little idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat is behind this name (a huge war), and to know the details of the plot depicted on the canvas. This can be helped by "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece." The summary of the book will reveal the meaning of what he saw and heard.

The achievements of the ancient Greeks in art, science and politics had a significant impact on the development of European states. Mythology, one of the most well-studied in the world, also played an important role in this process. For many hundreds of years, it has been for many creators. The history and myths of ancient Greece have always been closely intertwined. The realities of the archaic era are known to us precisely thanks to the legends of that period.

Greek mythology took shape at the turn of the II-I millennium BC. e. Tales of gods and heroes spread throughout Hellas thanks to the Aeds - wandering reciters, the most famous of which was Homer. Later, during the period of the Greek classics, mythological subjects were reflected in works of art great playwrights - Euripides and Aeschylus. Even later, at the beginning of our era, Greek scientists began to classify myths, to compile the genealogical trees of heroes, in other words, to study the heritage of their ancestors.

Origin of the gods

Ancient myths and legends of Greece are dedicated to gods and heroes. According to the ideas of the Hellenes, there were several generations of gods. The first couple to have anthropomorphic features were Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). They gave birth to 12 titans, as well as one-eyed cyclops and many-headed and many-armed hecatoncheir giants. The birth of monster children did not please Uranus, and he threw them into the great abyss - Tartarus. This, in turn, did not please Gaia, and she persuaded her children-titans to overthrow their father (myths about the ancient gods of Greece abound with similar motives). This was managed by the youngest of her sons - Kronos (Time). With the beginning of his reign, history repeated itself.

He, like his father, was afraid of his powerful children, and therefore, as soon as his wife (and sister) Rhea gave birth to another child, he swallowed it. This fate befell Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera and Hades. But Rhea could not part with her last son: when Zeus was born, she hid him in a cave on the island of Crete and instructed the nymphs and Kurets to raise the child, and brought her husband a stone wrapped in diapers, which he swallowed.

War with the titans

The ancient myths and legends of Greece were filled with bloody wars for power. The first of these began after the grown-up Zeus forced Kronos to regurgitate the swallowed children. Enlisting the support of his brothers and sisters and calling for help from the giants imprisoned in Tartarus, Zeus began to fight his father and other titans (some later went over to his side). The main weapons of Zeus were lightning and thunder, which were forged for him by the Cyclopes. The war lasted for a whole decade; Zeus and his allies defeated and imprisoned the enemies in Tartarus. I must say that Zeus was also destined for the fate of his father (to fall at the hands of his son), but he managed to avoid it thanks to the help of the titan Prometheus.

Myths about the ancient gods of Greece - the Olympians. Descendants of Zeus

Power over the world was shared by three titans, representing the third generation of gods. These were Zeus the Thunderer (he became the supreme god of the ancient Greeks), Poseidon (the lord of the seas) and Hades (the owner of the underworld of the dead).

They had numerous descendants. All the supreme gods, except for Hades and his family, lived on Mount Olympus (which exists in reality). In ancient Greek mythology, there were 12 main celestials. The wife of Zeus, Hera, was considered the patroness of marriage, and the goddess Hestia was considered the patroness of the hearth. Demeter was in charge of agriculture, Apollo was in charge of light and the arts, and his sister Artemis was revered as the goddess of the moon and the hunt. The daughter of Zeus, Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, was one of the most respected celestials. Sensitive to beauty, the Greeks also revered the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, and her husband Ares, the warlike god. Hephaestus, the god of fire, was praised by craftsmen (in particular, blacksmiths). The cunning Hermes also demanded respect - an intermediary between gods and people and the patron of trade and livestock.

Divine geography

The ancient myths and legends of Greece create in the minds of the modern reader a very controversial image god. On the one hand, the Olympians were considered powerful, wise and beautiful, and on the other hand, they were characterized by all the weaknesses and vices of mortal people: envy, jealousy, greed and anger.

As already mentioned, Zeus dominated the gods and people. He gave people laws and controlled their destiny. But not in all areas of Greece, the supreme Olympian was the most revered god. The Greeks lived in city-states and believed that each such city (polis) had its own divine patron. So, Athena favored Attica and its main city - Athens.

Aphrodite was praised in Cyprus, off the coast of which she was born. Poseidon kept Troy, Artemis and Apollo - Delphi. Mycenae, Argos and Samos offered sacrifices to Hera.

Other divine entities

The ancient myths and legends of Greece would not be so intense if only people and gods acted in them. But the Greeks, like other peoples at that time, were inclined to deify the forces of nature, and therefore other powerful creatures are often mentioned in myths. These are, for example, naiads (patrons of rivers and streams), dryads (patrons of groves), oreads (mountain nymphs), nereids (daughters of the sea sage Nereus), as well as various magical creatures and monsters.

In addition, the goat-footed satyrs who accompanied the god Dionysus lived in the forests. Many legends featured wise and warlike centaurs. The goddesses of vengeance Erinnia stood at the throne of Hades, and on Olympus the gods were entertained by muses and charites, patrons of the arts. All these entities often argued with the gods or married with them or with people. Many great heroes and gods were born as a result of such marriages.

Myths of Ancient Greece: Hercules and his exploits

As for the heroes, in every region of Greece it was also customary to honor their own. But invented in the north of Hellas, in Epirus, Hercules became one of the most beloved characters of ancient myths. Hercules is known for the fact that, while in the service of his relative, King Eurystheus, he performed 12 labors (killing the Lernean Hydra, capturing the Kerinean fallow deer and the Erymanthian boar, bringing the belt of Hippolyta, delivering the people from the Stymphalian birds, taming the mares of Diomedes, going to the Kingdom of Hades and other).

Not everyone knows that these deeds were carried out by Hercules as an atonement for guilt (in a fit of madness, he destroyed his family). After the death of Hercules, the gods accepted him into their ranks: even Hera, who throughout the life of the hero plotted against him, was forced to recognize him.

Conclusion

Ancient myths were created many centuries ago. But they are by no means primitive. The myths of Ancient Greece are the key to understanding modern European culture.

Prologue

The ruler of Olympus, the formidable and omnipotent Zeus knew that, by the will of fate, in the upcoming battle of the Olympians with mortal giants, they could only win if a hero fought on the side of the gods. And he decided that this mortal should be his son from an earthly woman. Turning his gaze to the ground, Zeus was struck by the beauty of Alcmene, the wife of Amphitrion, who ruled in Thebes.

The lovely Alcmene was a faithful and loving wife. Even Zeus himself could not expect that she would voluntarily agree to become the mother of his son. So he went to the trick.

After waiting, when Amphitryon went to war, Zeus took on his appearance and appeared before Alcmene, surrounded by soldiers. Faithful Alcmene saw her beloved husband returning from the war, and joyfully rushed to meet him.

When the due time passed, Alcmene gave birth to twin boys. One, named Alcides, was the son of Zeus, the other, Iphicles, the son of Amphitrion. The couple loved both equally, making no distinction between them.

Zeus triumphed - his son, born of Alcmene, was destined to become an unprecedented hero; he intended to make him ruler of Mycenae.

However, the wife of Zeus, Hera, was offended by her husband's betrayal with a mortal woman, she hated Alkid and decided to destroy him.

And then one day, when the happy Alcmene rejoiced, admiring her sons, a voice came from heaven:

“Alcmene, you have angered the queen of heaven and you will be severely punished for this. Your husband will die in battle, your children will die, and you yourself will go to Hades in the realm of the dead. But you can avoid this fate if you take Alcides to a deserted place and leave him there alone.

Shedding bitter tears, Alcmene fulfilled the will of Hera. However, Zeus vigilantly followed Alcides and, seeing that his son was in danger of death, sent his faithful friend, the winged Hermes, to the baby, ordering him to bring his son. When Hermes delivered the child to Zeus, he ordered to secretly attach it to the divine breast of the sleeping Hera. Alkid began to eagerly suck milk, but Hera woke up.

Realizing what had happened, she wanted to kill the hated baby. But he had already managed to get immortality along with her milk.

The legend says that when Hera tore Alcides from her breast, milk splashed from her nipple, and from its drops a star path formed in the sky, called the Milky Way.

The vindictive Hera made another attempt to destroy the son of Alcmene. One night, when the twin brothers were sleeping peacefully, Hera sent two monstrous snakes. When they crawled up to them, the bedroom was suddenly brightly lit, and the children woke up. Iphicles, seeing the reptiles, ran away in fear, and Alcides grabbed the snakes wrapped around his body with strong arms by the neck and strangled them.

Surprised by his strength and courage, Amphitrion and Alcmene decided to turn to the soothsayer Tiresias to find out what future awaited their Alcides.

The answer they received amazed and delighted them: their son would be celebrated as the most courageous of heroes; he will immortalize his name by performing twelve feats, and will defeat many different monsters; he will overcome many famous warriors, and then he will ascend to the starry dome of the sky and will be accepted on Olympus.

Upon learning that his son was destined for the future of a warrior, Amphitryon decided to send him to learn how to master all types of weapons, fight and win, hunt and drive a chariot.

Alkid studied with joy and diligence and very soon surpassed Amphitrion himself in the art of war.

But Hera set a trap for Alcides again. By that time he was already married to the beautiful Megara, daughter of King Creon, and they had three glorious son who brought a lot of joy to parents with their children's games and fun.

Hera, who saw their joy, burned with malicious jealousy. She sent madness to Alcides, in the attack of which he killed Megara and his sons, who seemed to him cyclops. Waking up and realizing what he had done, the unfortunate Alcides sobbed over the bodies of the dead and decided to drown himself in the sea, but the goddess Athena came down to him from Olympus and told him that the crime he had committed was not his fault, but the result of the insidious plan of Hera.

Purified according to ancient custom from the filth of the murder he had unwittingly committed, Alkid went to the Delphic oracle, a servant of the god Apollo. He ordered him to follow to the homeland of his ancestors, to Tiryns, and remain in the service of King Eurystheus, to be with him, at the behest of the gods, in the position of a slave. From the mouth of the Pythia, Alkid learned that he was given a new name and from now on he would be called Heracles, that he would have to make twelve commands of his master in atonement for guilt, and that only after that would he find forgiveness for the shed blood of innocent victims. So Hercules became the servant of the weak and cowardly king of Mycenae. He was afraid of him, did not let him into the city and transmitted all orders through his herald Koprey.

Feat One: Hercules and the Nemean Lion

King Eurystheus ordered Hercules to go to Nemea and kill the bloodthirsty lion that lived in the vicinity of this city. Many local residents and travelers were eaten by this lion, and not a single hero has yet been able to defeat him, since the evil beast was the offspring of the monster Typhon and the evil Echidna, who endowed him with extraordinary strength and invulnerability.

Arriving in Nemea, Hercules immediately found the cave of the Nemean lion, but the beast was not in it. Then the hero hid and waited.

And so, when it got dark, a lion appeared: he was returning from hunting, having had his fill of a herd of sheep and their shepherd. Seeing Hercules, the beast bristled, its ferocious eyes filled with anger, and the lion's roar shook the area, reaching the limits of Olympus.

But the formidable roar and saber fangs did not frighten Hercules. He raised his bow, drew back the string, and fired an arrow. However, hitting the skin of a lion, the arrow flew off to the side, without causing any harm to the giant, because his skin was enchanted, and therefore invulnerable.

When Hercules had used up all the arrows, the lion jumped at him, but was met with a blow from a club of such force that it split in two. The lion trembled, the magic skin helped him to resist. However, the beast hastened to hide in its lair. The fearless Hercules followed him and saw in pitch darkness two glowing, like burning torches, the eyes of his enemy. The fight continued with renewed vigor.

No one knows, for an hour or two, or maybe a day, two or even three, the struggle continued, but, finally, Hercules firmly grabbed the monster by the throat, squeezed it with an iron grip and held it until the lion died.

Hercules, knowing that he had to perform eleven more feats, one more dangerous than the other, decided that it would be nice to remove his wonderful skin from the lion in order to defend himself from the sword and arrows.

However, this was not easy to do: the knife with which Hercules tried to act did not cut through the skins. Then our hero realized that since the skin is invulnerable to the attacker, it means that you can’t take it with a knife and sword, and only the giant lion’s own claws can rip it open. Hercules skinned the lion with his own claws and put on the skin like a cloak. In addition, in order to save the head in the future, he removed the skull from the lion and made a helmet out of it.

Having defeated the giant Nemean lion and having accomplished his first feat, Hercules set off on his way back to Mycenae, for a new assignment from King Eurystheus.

Feat Two: Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra

The terrible Nemean lion had a monstrous sister - the Lernean Hydra, born from the same Typhon and the half-snake-half-woman Echidna. She lived in the swampy environs of the city of Lerna, exterminating everyone who wandered into her domain - both people and livestock.

This hydra had nine huge hideous dragon heads, one of which, the largest, was immortal. Moreover, in place of each cut head, two new ones could grow. For this reason, it was impossible to cope with it, and the number of victims of the gluttonous creature grew and multiplied.

The cowardly king Eurystheus knew about all this and had almost no doubt that, having entered into a fight with the Lernean monster, Hercules was doomed to death. And therefore, as soon as the rumor reached him that Hercules had defeated the Nemean lion and was standing under the walls of Mycenae, waiting for a new task, he ordered his herald Koprey to run to the hero and give him the order to immediately go to Lerna and kill the hydra.

But before continuing the story of the new feat of Hercules, a few words should be said about Iolaus from the city of Tiryns, the nephew of Hercules, the son of his brother Iphicles. He loved his uncle and was his faithful companion. Upon learning that Hercules was sent to Lerna, the boy fervently begged to take him with him, offering to ride in a chariot.

Hercules and Iphicles, realizing what mortal dangers the campaign to Lerna was fraught with, resolutely refused him, but the persistent Iolaus broke the resistance of the brothers and persuaded his father to let him go, and his uncle to take him with him. Iolaus harnessed the horses to the chariot, and very soon she delivered them to the abode of the Lernean Hydra.

The swamps of Lerna were terrible. Poisonous fumes drifted over them in a bluish fog, and all approaches to the hydra's lair were strewn with the remains of its victims. There were so many of them that the monster did not have time to devour them, and the bodies spread a terrible stench.

Hercules and Iolaus crept closer to the lair with large armfuls of hay and firewood. Having dumped them in a heap, they lit a fire. Hercules heated the tips of his arrows on fire and began to send them one after another into the swamp monster.

Feeling the injections, the hydra woke up from a dream, rose from the stinking mud and turned to its offender. It was a terrible sight: nine huge vile hissing heads with long snake-like tongues sprayed poisonous saliva, swayed in the air.

Hercules ran up to the monster and cut off one of its heads, but two others immediately grew in place of the cut one. The hero cut them down as well, but instead of the two that flew off, four new ones grew, cut down these four, and in return received eight. Soon the Lernean Hydra threatened the hero with fifty heads. Hercules realized that this enemy could not be defeated by force alone. Then he ordered Iolaus to cauterize the fresh wounds of the hydra with burning firebrands, and the heads did not grow again.

Finally, the last, largest, immortal remained. He also cut her down, and she, falling to the ground, continued to emanate poisonous bile and tried to grab the hero with her terrible fangs. Hercules dug it into the ground and rolled it with a huge stone.

Having cut the body of the Lernean Hydra, the far-sighted Hercules soaked the points of his arrows with poisonous bile, after which he and Iolaus went to Tiryns.

Feat Three: Hercules and the Stymphalian Birds

When Hercules arrived from Tiryns to Mycenae and the news of his victory over the Lernean Hydra reached the ears of King Eurystheus, the latter was mortally frightened: of course, Hercules managed to defeat two hitherto invincible monsters - the Nemean lion and the Lernean hydra! As before, not allowing the victorious hero to reach him, he sent Koprey to him and ordered him to immediately set off again and exterminate the Stymphalian birds.

These monstrous birds lived on the swampy shores in the vicinity of the seaside city of Stymphal and practically turned them into a desert, destroying people and livestock. As tall as a man, with large copper beaks and claws, they swoop down from above, pecking to death and tearing their victims with their claws. In addition, in flight, they threw hard feathers from their bronze wings, which fell like arrows and destroyed all life. Not a single hero has yet managed to cope with the witching flock, and all the land in the area was littered with human bones. King Eurystheus hoped that Hercules would share the fate of these unfortunates. But the cowardly ruler did not rely on monstrous birds alone. He also counted on the cruel god of war Ares, who guarded the feathered killers.

And Hercules, obedient to his vow, heaved two tympanums on his back and boldly set off for Stimfal.

People who knew about the treachery of Eurystheus warned the brave man about the death trap set for him by the king, talked about the merciless Ares and advised him to return, but Hercules would not have been the son of the almighty Zeus if he had chickened out and refused to fight. Many volunteered to go with him, but Hercules, realizing that these brave people were doomed to death, rejected their proposals.

Arriving at the seashore, Hercules climbed a hill that towered over the swamps and began to beat the tympanum. From their deafening thunder, the birds of prey soared into the sky, and soon the sky turned black from their mourning plumage. Ares' favorites circled the ground, their shrill cries shaking the air. According to legend, that noise even reached Mycenae, and the cowardly Eurystheus rejoiced, hoping that Hercules would not return alive from Stimfal.

And the hero, sheltered from the deadly bronze feathers that fell on him with a cloak made of the skin of the Nemean lion and protected by a helmet from his skull, pulled out a bow from behind his back and began to smash the Stymphalian birds with arrows. That's when the poisonous bile of the Lernaean Hydra came in handy! The arrows poisoned by her killed the birds on the spot, and they fell to the ground, covering it with their huge carcasses. Hercules slew them with arrows, pierced them with a spear, chopped with a sword and crushed them with a club until only a small flock remained. And this flock, frightened, forever left the swampy shores of Stymphal and flew away to an island in the Euxine Sea, which, at the request of the bloodthirsty Ares, raised from the bottom of the sea Tethys.

Ares, who went berserk from the death of his favorites and inflamed with burning hatred for Hercules, grabbed his sword and stood in the way of the brave hero. But the stern, courageous look of Hercules shook Ares' confidence in his strength, he trembled and retreated, vowing, however, to support Hera in everything in her intrigues against Hercules, who exterminated the Stymphalian birds.

Hercules, as proof of his feat, put the carcass of one of the defeated birds on his back and went to Tiryns.

And on the way he was met by joyful people and thanked him for delivering their land from winged killers.

Fourth feat: Hercules and Artemis' doe

Arriving in Mycenae, Hercules did not stay there for a day. King Eurystheus hurried to get rid of him and ordered without delay to go to the mountains of Arcadia in order to catch the swift-footed doe of the goddess Artemis there. The beautiful doe, with golden horns and copper legs, at the behest of the goddess of hunting Artemis, dissatisfied with the meager sacrifices to her temple, rushed through the fields and gardens, devastating crops, destroying fruit trees and trampling pastures.

The deer was faster than arrows, faster than the wind, and to catch her seemed unthinkable. King Eurystheus expected that Hercules would not be able to do this task, and he, Eurystheus, would finally render a service to the goddess Hera and gain her favor and patronage.

But the name and glory of Hercules did not fade over the centuries because he never backed down from dangers and boldly accepted any challenge, not being afraid to anger even the gods. Without hesitation, he went to the Arcadian mountains, went through them completely, looking for the refuge of a wonderful fallow deer, and finally found it. But as soon as he had only a glimpse of the fleet-footed miracle, the doe broke off and, like the wind, flew away.

Doe rushed through the mountains and valleys, not knowing fatigue. She ran farther and farther north. Having reached the country of the Hyperboreans, the doe stopped, but did not give into the hands of the hero, but turned south.

For a whole year, Hercules pursued the deer and overtook her in Arcadia, at the blue river Ladon, behind which stood the temple of the goddess Artemis. A little more - and the deer will hide within it, and then - under the protection of Artemis - it will already be inaccessible.

Hercules was not going to use the bow, hoping to catch the fugitive with his hands, but he realized that the prey was escaping him, and therefore he pulled the bowstring, aimed at the doe and hit her with an arrow in the leg. Hercules grabbed the fugitive by the golden horns, took an arrow out of his leg, wrapped a belt around the legs of the doe, put it on his back and got ready to go back.

But then the goddess Artemis stood in his way. Appearing on the top of a high cliff, she ordered to let her pet go.

“Hercules,” she said, “you have already incurred the wrath of Hera and Ares, and now you want to experience my anger too! ..

But Hercules refused to let go of the doe and said that he was fulfilling the will of the goddess Hera, transmitted to him through the king Eurystheus, and therefore the demand was not from him, but from Eurystheus.

“But I,” he said, “delivered people from the devastating raids of this fallow deer and am very glad about it.

And, not listening to the shouts and threats of the goddess Artemis, he went with his prey to King Eurystheus.

Fifth feat: Hercules and the Erymanthian boar

The cowardly Eurystheus hoped that after fights with the Nemean lion, the Lernean hydra and the fight with the Stymphalian birds, as well as a whole year of chasing the Artemis doe, Hercules was completely exhausted and his strength was running out. And as soon as they had time to report to him that Hercules was standing in front of the gates of Mycenae, he ordered Kopreus to run to the hero and convey the order to immediately set off on a new feat: to catch and bring from Mount Erymanf a ferocious boar that rampages in the forests of Psophida, ruining villages and destroying people.

And Hercules again hurried on the road, in order, having fulfilled the command of Hera and Eurystheus, to earn forgiveness for his involuntary sin of murder. And his path again lay through Arcadia, from where he had just come.

On the way, Hercules visited his old friend, the centaur Fall. This centaur was gentle in disposition and kind in heart, so he greeted his friend cordially and unsealed a barrel of glorious wine in honor of the guest.

When the fragrance of fine wine reached the other centaurs (and it must be said that the wine was common property), they rushed to the dwelling of Fola. Seeing in whose honor the keg was opened, they vied with each other to scold Fol, reproaching him for giving divine wine to the contemptible slave. When they armed themselves with stones and tree trunks, Hercules gave them a fitting rebuff and partly killed them, and put the survivors to flight. In this battle, the friends of Hercules Foul and Chiron accidentally died, in whose dwelling the centaurs pursued by the hero took refuge.

Disappointed, Hercules continued on his way to Erimanf and, having entered the mountain, began to look for a terrible boar. Soon he discovered him in the forest thicket. The beast was huge, its tusks reached human height. Artemis managed to warn the Erymanthian boar of the danger, and he was on the alert. Seeing Hercules, he immediately uprooted a huge oak tree and tried to knock the hero down with it. But Hercules dodged and himself wanted to kill the boar with the trunk of this tree, but in time he remembered the order of Eurystheus to bring him the beast alive. Throwing stones at the boar, Hercules began to drive him upstairs, to where deep snow lay. When the beast got stuck in them and was unable to move, the hero overtook him and stunned him with a blow to the head. After that, Hercules put a huge carcass on his back and carried it to Mycenae. Upon learning that Hercules not only remained safe and sound, but was still dragging a monstrous boar on his back, King Eurystheus was so horrified that he immediately hid in a bronze vessel buried in the ground - a pithos.

"Kill him now!" he shouted from there to Hercules. - Or let go on all four sides. I do not need it. Fulfill the order! Or have you forgotten that you are my slave and I am your master?!

And Hercules replied:

- I agreed to be your slave in order to wash off the spilled blood of my relatives and friends from my conscience! And know, Eurystheus: I do all this not for you, but for people! And this boar is also in their honor.

The boar was beaten, skinned, impaled on a spit and fired under it. Only the aroma of fried meat calmed the wild fear of King Eurystheus, and he agreed to get out of the pithos. However, infinitely angry, he ordered Hercules to immediately go to Elis, to King Avgiy, the son of the sun god Helios.

Feat Six: Hercules and the Augean Stables

King Augius, the son of the radiant Helios, owned a huge herd of wonderful bulls: some of them were white-footed, others white, like swans (they were dedicated to the sun god), and red like purple. The most beautiful of the bulls of Augeia - Phaethon - shone like a star.

For a hundred years the stables of Augius had not been cleaned; for a hundred years manure had accumulated there. The king many times gave the order to his slaves to clean the stables, but they could not cope, and Avgiy killed them every time for this. Many slaves died without being able to clean the stables, and now Hercules was sent to Avgiy.

Eurystheus rejoiced, arguing as follows: it is one thing to fight monsters, and another thing to clear manure from manure in a year that cannot be cleared even in a lifetime. The cowardly and treacherous king hoped that Hercules would not cope and Avgiy would kill him.

Upon learning that Hercules arrived only for a year, Avgiy burst out laughing:

“It won’t take you a year, ten years to clear my stables, and perhaps your whole life. However, although your end is clear to me, you must get to work. And if you fail to do it within the allotted time, you will be immediately killed.

But the hero did not flinch, knowing that a person is strong not only with the strength of the body, but also with the strength of the mind.

- No, Avgiy, - he answered, - I have no time to stretch this work for a year, I have a lot of work ahead of me. I'll clean the stables for you in one day.

- Yes, you're crazy! Augius laughed. - It is unthinkable to clean up in a day what they have not been able to clean out for decades. For such a feat, I would give you three hundred of my best bulls! Yes, just do not see them as your own ears!

But Hercules nevertheless insisted on his own and took a word from Avgiy that he would fulfill his promise: he would give him three hundred of the best bulls if the stables were cleaned in one day. After that, Hercules proceeded to perform the sixth feat.

First, with a powerful club, he broke through the walls of the stables from opposite ends. Then he dug deep ditches to the nearest rivers - Alpheus and Peneus. When everything was ready, Hercules directed the rivers along a new channel, and the river water rushed in a powerful stream to a gap in the wall of the stables and carried centuries-old deposits of manure and other sewage through another gap. Not a day had passed before the Augean stables were cleaned and washed. After that, Hercules closed up the gaps in the walls, dug up the dug ditches and returned the rivers to their former channels, so that there were no traces left.

Augeas marveled a lot at the result of Heracles' work, realizing that he had lost the argument. But he was not going to give the promised bulls to Hercules, and he considered it possible to break the word given to the slave. So he said to Hercules and advised him to get out as well as he could.

“Okay,” Hercules replied, “but remember: soon I will be a free man again and will definitely return here to punish you for breaking your oath.”

Hercules kept his promise and took revenge on the king of Elis. A few years later he returned with an army, defeated the army of Augeas and killed him with a deadly arrow. Hercules personally planted olives on the plain and dedicated them to the goddess Athena. And then he made sacrifices to the Olympic gods and established the Olympic Games, which were held on the sacred plain.

Labor seventh: Hercules and the Cretan bull

Having cleaned the stables of King Avgii, Hercules received a new task: to catch and deliver alive to Mycenae the Poseidon bull that had been rampaging in Crete.

This bull was sent to the king of Crete Minos by the sea lord Poseidon, so that he would sacrifice the animal to him. But Minos kept the bull for himself, and sacrificed one of his bulls. Enraged, Poseidon sent rabies on the bull, and now the bull was rushing around the island, exterminating people and cattle, trampling fields with heavy hooves, breaking garden trees with strong sides, destroying houses and outbuildings, and bringing a lot of other troubles. The inhabitants of the island, including the king himself, were afraid to go beyond their homes. Seeing the terrible monster, everyone fled in fear.

Knowing that the bull must be brought to Mycenae alive, Hercules wove a large and strong network from a thin copper thread. Blocking the way of the bull, he began to tease him, shout and throw stones at him.

The bull roared, his eyes filled with blood, and, putting out terrible horns, he rushed at Hercules. However, the bull fell into the spread net and became entangled in it, and the mighty Hercules grabbed him by the horns and bent the bull's head to the ground. The terrible Poseidon bull was tamed.

The inhabitants of Crete came out to Hercules, warmly thanking him for deliverance and praising his courage and strength. King Minos also came out to him with gratitude, freed from forced seclusion in his palace. And Hercules, having said goodbye to the islanders, sat on the back of a tamed bull and sailed on it on his way back from Crete to the Peloponnese. Stepping on the ground, he threw a lasso on his horns and led him to Mycenae.

When King Eurystheus was informed that Hercules had returned, brought the monstrous Cretan bull on a leash and locked him in the royal stables, the cowardly ruler again hid in a bronze pithos and ordered the terrible bull to be released. The bull sensed the will, rushed north, ran to Attica and began to devastate the fields in the vicinity of Marathon. He was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.

Feat Eight: Hercules and Diomedes' Horses

After Hercules miraculously defeated the Nemean lion, coped with the Lernean hydra, caught the Artemis doe, defeated the Erymanthian boar, exterminated the Stymphalian birds, cleaned out the Augean stables and tamed the Poseidon bull, King Eurystheus thought hard. He gave Hercules such tasks that no mortal could do; Hercules entered into a duel with such monsters, which it was not possible to defeat. Nevertheless, the hero with honor came out of all the tests, showing miracles of courage and ingenuity. What new task could Eurystheus give him, so that it turned out to be beyond the strength of the hero? Having failed to come up with anything, he turned to his patroness Hera with a request to invent a new test for Hercules.

Hera remembered that in distant Thrace one of the sons of Ares, Diomedes, lives and rules the Bistonian people, and that Diomedes has unprecedented horses in strong copper-walled stables, all completely black, swift as the wind, and gluttonous as cannibals. They ate human flesh, and Diomedes fed them foreigners who got into his country. It seemed that even Hercules could not overcome these monstrous horses. Eurystheus hoped that Hercules would not be able to accomplish this feat and would die without getting rid of his guilt for the shed blood of innocent victims.

Hercules listened with dignity to the new order of Eurystheus, asked the king for a ship to place a herd in it, and sailed from Argolis.

On the way, the ship of Hercules caught a terrible storm, and he had to land on the shores of Thessaly in order to wait out the bad weather. There, in Ferah, he reigned good friend- Admet, and Hercules decided to visit him.

In those days, Admet experienced great grief. Shortly before the arrival of Hercules, Hades, the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, set out to take him to him. The messenger Thanatos, the god of death, sent from him, conveyed to Admet the will of Hades: “Admet, get ready! I will pick you up! However, I can let you live a little longer if one of the people agrees to descend into my kingdom instead of you. Admet understood that no one would agree to go instead of him to the kingdom of the dead. However, there was one person who loved Admet so much that without hesitation he agreed to give his life for him - his kind and beautiful wife Alcestis! Without saying a word to anyone, she persuaded Thanatos to take her instead of Admet, and the god of death drew his formidable sword, cut off a lock of hair to the lovely Alcestis, after which she died, thereby extending the life of Admet. And so he lost his beloved wife and now was in mourning.

However, seeing a friend on the threshold, Admet did not show Hercules his grief, but kissed the dear guest and ordered a feast to be held in his honor. But the insightful Hercules noticed that the owner of the house was very sad and could hardly hold back his tears. Secretly from him, Hercules interrogated the servants and found out the cause of his friend's grief.

“Dear Admet,” he thought, “you hide your suffering, not wanting to upset your friend. So know this: I will return your Alcestis to you!

Hercules knew that on the first night after the death of a person, Thanatos should come for his shadow and that no one should be near the deceased. Therefore, when everyone fell asleep, our hero crept into the chambers of Alcestis and took refuge there, lying in wait for the god of death. At night, barely hearing the rustle of the black wings of Thanatos, Hercules jumped out of his hiding place and grabbed him with strong hands. Their duel continued all night, and at dawn Hercules knocked the winged god to the ground and tied him tightly. After that, threatening to break the sword of Thanatos, Hercules made God swear that he would return Alcestis to the kingdom of the living and leave Admet alive. Thanatos was forced to take an oath and fulfill it.

So Hercules defeated the god of death Thanatos. After waiting for the storm to subside on the sea, he sailed from the Thessalian coast and continued on his way to the country of the bloodthirsty Diomedes.

By the time Hercules set foot on the land of the Bistonians, King Diomedes had already been warned by the god Ares about the arrival of the hero. Therefore, as soon as he went ashore, a hundred Diomede warriors attacked him. Hercules fought with them for a long time until he killed them all, and then he went to the Diomedes stables, tightly entangled his terrible horses with chains, wrapped their faces securely and drove them to his ship. At this time, Diomedes attacked Hercules with a team of warriors, but after three days of battle, the Bistonians were defeated. The god Ares was terribly angry with Hercules, but did not dare to measure his strength with him and retreated.

After that, the ship of Hercules lay down on the return course and after the allotted time arrived in Mycenae. Hercules drove the bloodthirsty Diomedes horses into the Eurystheus stables and went to the king for a new task.

And Eurystheus, terrified to death, again hid in his bronze vessel and ordered to immediately open the gates of the stables and let the horses out. His order was carried out, and when the freed horses rushed to the dense forests of Olympus, Zeus sent wolves to them, who pulled them all to the bone.

Hercules, on the other hand, received a new task from Eurystheus: to go and get Hippolyta's belt for him.

Labor Ninth: Hercules and Hippolyta's Belt

The brave warrior Hippolyta and her beautiful sister Antiope were the daughters of the god Ares and jointly ruled the country of the Amazon warriors on the far Euxine coast. Hippolyta had a magic belt, a symbol of royal power, and Eurystheus ordered Hercules to get it and bring it to Mycenae.

The famous heroes Theseus, Peleus and Telamon, having heard that Hercules would have to fight the brave Amazons, wished to go with him to support him in the battle. Hercules did not refuse help - the friends met in the city of Argos and sailed on a ship to the farthest shores of the Euxine Pontus.

Many days passed before their ship reached the wide sandy shores of the land of the Amazons. As soon as they went ashore, the heroes found themselves surrounded by beautiful female warriors who confidently handled bows and spears. Hippolyta commanded them. She was quite surprised by the unexpected visit of four glorious warriors.

Who are you and what do you need? she asked them. Did you come with peace or with war?

Hercules bowed to the beautiful queen and answered:

“My name is Hercules, and these are Theseus, Peleus and Telamon. I was sent here by order of King Eurystheus of Mycenae to deliver your wonderful belt to him. I am forced to ask you for it by the will of the goddess Hera, whose priestess is the daughter of Eurystheus. Will you give it up willingly, or will I have to take it by force?

Queen Hippolyta had no desire to fight the beautiful foreigners, so she replied that she would give them the belt voluntarily. But the vengeful Hera, eavesdropping on their conversation, was furious at Hippolyta's compliance. She turned into an Amazon, approached the queen and began to embarrass and intimidate her, claiming that Hercules was a deceiver and did not come for a belt, but to kidnap Hippolyta. Hera's eloquence confused Hippolyta and angered the Amazons. Having lost their mind, the warriors attacked the heroes, a battle ensued. But how could they resist Hercules and his friends?! Soon, the warlike Amazons were defeated, and the beautiful Antiope and the leader of the Amazon troops, Melanippe, were captured.

Hippolyta, who adored Melanippe, trembled when she saw her beloved captive, and gave Hercules her belt, asking for freedom for Melanippe. Hercules released this captive, and Antiope went to Theseus, who took her away with him.

Feat tenth: Hercules and Gerion's herd

Hercules accomplished his tenth feat at the very edge of the earth: he drove a herd of cows belonging to the giant Gerion to Mycenae.

Gerion was the son of the giant Chrysaor and the oceanid Kalliroi. He lived on the island of Eritheia, on the western edge of the earth. The gods gave him a herd of fiery red cows, which Hercules had to steal on the orders of Eurystheus.

On the seashore, Hercules cut down a large tree, made a raft out of it and sailed on it to the coast of Africa. There he went through the whole desert of Libya and

reached the end of the world, where the strait between Europe and Africa is located. Here Hercules decided to make a stop and, in memory of the exploits and hardships that fell to his lot, erected two giant stone pillars on both sides of the strait. They still rise there and are called the Pillars of Hercules.

After resting, Hercules began to think about how to get to Eritheia. There were no trees nearby, there was nothing to build a raft from. Helios was already descending to the waters of the ocean, and his rays blinded and scorched Hercules. He, in anger, directed his deadly bow at the god, but Helios, struck by such courage of a mortal, stopped him and said:

“Lower your bow, Hercules. I am Helios, the god of the sun, which warms the earth and all life on it. I know you need to get to Eritheia. Take my round boat, forged from gold and silver by the god Hephaestus, and sail on it to the island. But know: to defeat Gerion will not be easy; he has three torsos, fused at the waist, three heads and three pairs of arms and legs. When fighting, he shoots three arrows at once and throws three spears.

But the son of Zeus was not afraid of meeting with such an opponent. He thanked Helios, sat down in a round boat and sailed to Eritheia.

Having reached the island of the terrible Geryon and going ashore, Hercules began to look out for the owner of these places, but first he met the huge shepherd Eurytion. His two-headed dog Orff rushed at the hero with a bark, but fell from the blow of a heavy club.

Hercules also coped with the giant shepherd and drove the cows to the shore. Geryon heard the lowing of the cows and went to the herd. The battle with the multi-armed giant was very difficult, but Hercules defeated him and loaded the cows onto the boat. Having crossed from the island, he returned the boat to Helios, and placed the herd of Gerion on the ship.

Having reached the coast of Europe, Hercules drove the cows to Mycenae. He went through the Pyrenees, all of Gaul, and then Italy. In Italy, one cow strayed from the herd and sailed to the island of Sicily, where Poseidon's son Erike herded her into his barnyard. To return the fugitive, Hercules crossed to Sicily.

There he killed Eriks, returned with the cow to the herd and drove the animals on.

On the shore ionian sea Hera sent rabies on the cows, and they fled into different sides. Again Hercules had to look for them. Finally, he drove the herd to Mycenae, where Eurystheus sacrificed cows to the goddess Hera.

Labor Eleventh: Hercules and Hades Kerberos

Hercules had to complete two feats, and King Eurystheus was beside himself with despair and fear, wondering what other monster to send Hercules to so that he finally found his death? How to lime the hated hero and thereby please the goddess Hera? Eurystheus was never able to come up with anything and, in desperation, turned to his patroness with a request to find such a test for Hercules that would be overwhelming and fatal for him.

“Do not despair, Eurystheus,” Hera answered, “I did not make you king so that you would tremble before your slave. And I will not allow Hercules to continue to win victories. We will send it to a place of no return. Tell him to go down to Hades and bring the watchdog Cerberus from there! He won't be able to come back alive!

Eurystheus was unspeakably delighted and, having thanked Hera, ordered to convey to Hercules his will: to bring him the Hades dog alive!

Kerberos had three heads, snakes wriggled around his neck, and at the end of his tail was a dragon's head with a huge mouth. Having received the task, Hercules went to look for the entrance to the underworld of Hades and soon found a deep cave leading there. On the way to the kingdom dead hero I had to overcome many obstacles posed by evil spirits and various monsters. At the very gates of the kingdom of Hades, Hercules saw his friend Theseus, who accompanied him on a campaign for the belt of Hippolyta. Theseus and Pirithous were punished for trying to kidnap Hades' wife Persephone and sat chained to a stone bench. Hercules freed them and showed them the way to earth.

After that, Hercules went to the throne of Hades and told him that he had come for Cerberus.

"Don't stop me," he said, "I'll take him anyway!"

“Take it,” said Hades, “but only without weapons, with bare hands.”

Hercules threw down all his weapons and, jumping up to the monstrous Cerberus, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and lifted him into the air. The snakes hissed, writhing at the dog's neck, all three heads scary dog spun from side to side, trying to bite him, but Hercules tightly squeezed his throat, and the half-strangled Kerberos could not resist.

Hercules put the guard of the dead on his back and set off on his way back. While the hero carried his terrible burden, poisonous saliva dripped from the mouths of Cerberus, and poisonous sweat dripped from his body. They say that where this saliva fell, poisonous plants grew - hemlock, belladonna and many others.

And King Eurystheus, having heard the terrible news that Hercules was bringing the monstrous guardian of the kingdom of Hades to his palace, again hid in a bronze pithos. He humbly begged Hercules to return his terrible dog to Hades.

Hercules laughed at the cowardice of the king, returned to the entrance to the kingdom of the dead, left Kerberos there and went to Eurystheus for the last task.

Feat 12: Heracles and the Apples of Hesperides

The last of the twelve labors of Hercules was the most difficult.

To accomplish it, the hero had to go through many trials and accomplish many valiant deeds, win many military victories, proving to the gods and mortals that he, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, is not only strong in body, mind and spirit, but also has a good heart.

This time he was instructed to bring three golden apples growing in the garden of the Hesperides, daughters of the titan Atlas.

“I don’t know where this garden is, and I don’t want to know!” said the heartless Eurystheus. “But you must deliver golden apples from it!” If you bring it, I'll let you go free, but if you don't bring it, you'll perish!

Calmly listening to the order of the cowardly Eurystheus, Hercules began to think about how to find this garden.

The goddess Athena told him that the location of the magical garden is known only to the sea god Nereus. However, the old man voluntarily did not reveal that secret to anyone. It was only possible to force him to tell where the garden was.

Thanking Athena, Hercules went to the seashore and, hiding, began to wait for Nereus. It took a long time to wait, but finally the old man Nereus appeared from the sea and went ashore to bask in the sun.

As soon as he lay down on the sand, Hercules jumped on his back and tied him tightly. Trying to escape, Nereus changed his appearance, turning into a dog, then a ram, then a bull, then a horse, but he failed to lead Hercules. For the sake of gaining freedom, he had to indicate the place where the garden with golden apples is located.

It turned out that the garden is located on the very edge of the earth, where Atlas holds the sky on his mighty shoulders, and the garden of the Hesperides and the guard-monster Ladon with a single, but very keen eye, guard.

Hercules knew about Prometheus (the father of the human race, the son of the titan Napet), who, sacrificing himself, stole fire from the Olympian gods and gave it to people.

As punishment for this and for the challenge thrown to the gods, Zeus chained Prometheus to Elbrus, sentenced to eternal suffering. For many thousands of years he endured great torment. Every day, Zeus's favorite, an eagle, flew to him and pecked at his liver. However, Prometheus steadfastly endured the torment and did not ask for mercy. Hercules revered the hero and had long wanted to free him.

Having learned from Nereus that Elbrus is in Colchis, Hercules resolutely walked in that direction.

The hero had to go through many countries and seas in order to get to Elbrus, he had to endure many trials. One day, the giant Antaeus, the son of the goddess of the earth, Gaia, stood in his way.

Antaeus loved to measure strength with travelers, invariably defeated them and mercilessly killed them. No one knew that mother earth herself nourishes his strength, helping to cope with any opponent, and therefore Antaeus remained invincible.

Having met Hercules, he invited him to a duel and said that the vanquished - death! Two strong men met in a stubborn fight. It was not possible to defeat Antaeus, but soon Hercules noticed that as soon as he lifts the enemy above the ground, he noticeably weakens, and once on the ground, he regains strength. Then Hercules grabbed Antaeus tighter, lifted him into the air and held until he finally completely exhausted and gave up.

So, overcoming obstacles, Hercules reached Colchis and soon saw Elbrus, and on it - Prometheus chained in chains.

Seeing an unfamiliar warrior, Prometheus was surprised and asked who he was and why he had come.

“My name is Hercules, I am the son of a mortal woman, and in gratitude from all mortals to whom you have obtained warmth and light, I will free you. I fear neither Zeus nor the wrath of the Olympians!

Just at that time, the rustle of mighty wings and a piercing scream were heard: a huge red-eyed eagle flew from Olympus, preparing to plunge an iron beak into Prometheus's liver.

Not afraid of the envoy of Zeus, Hercules pulled the string of his bow and fired a deadly arrow towards the eagle. The eagle struck by her uttered a piercing cry and fell like a stone into the sea.

Then Hercules rested his foot on the rock, pulled the chain with which Prometheus was bound, and broke it, after which he pulled out a metal crutch from the hero’s chest and freed him.

At that moment, a terrible hurricane rose, the sky turned black, huge waves crashed against the rocks, and hailstones the size of a chicken egg fell from the sky. Then Olympus was angry and Zeus raged. The almighty lord of the gods wanted to immediately exterminate Hercules, but the wise Athena intervened, reminding him that Hercules should participate on the side of the Olympians in their battle with the giants and that their success in this battle depended on it. Zeus had to subdue his anger, but in order not to violate his will, Prometheus must still be chained to a stone. Athena advised Zeus to order Hephaestus to forge a ring from the link of his chain and set a stone into it. The goddess said that she would give this ring to Prometheus, he would remain chained to the stone. Zeus did just that. They say that since then the custom has gone to wear rings with gems set in them.

And Prometheus told Hercules how to get to the garden of the Hesperides as soon as possible, and went to rest on a secluded island, where the god Uranus lived apart.

Having overcome a considerable distance, Hercules found himself in front of Atlant. He stood with his feet in the sea and propped up the vault of heaven with his mighty shoulders, and behind him a wonderful garden was visible, where golden apples shone in golden foliage, exuding a delicate aroma.

Hercules gave Atlanta his name, explained the purpose of his appearance here and asked to bring him three apples. Atlas replied that he would gladly fulfill his request if the guest would briefly replace him and hold the sky. Hercules agreed. This burden was heavy! The strong bones of Hercules crackled, the muscles tensed and swelled, sweat streamed down his mighty body in streams, but the son of Zeus held the firmament. Atlas went into the garden, picked apples and, returning to Hercules, offered him to hold the vault of heaven while you take the apples to Eurystheus.

But Hercules figured out his trick. When the insidious Atlas was about to leave, Hercules told him:

“I agree to hold the firmament, but my shoulders hurt. Let me put on this lion's skin to ease the pain. Hold a little vault...

The foolish Atlas again shouldered the firmament, and the quick-witted Hercules raised his bow and quiver of arrows, took the club and golden apples of the Hesperides and walked away, saying that he did not intend to stay there forever.

Epilogue

So the valiant Hercules accomplished his last, twelfth feat, and King Eurystheus had no choice but to announce in front of all the people that Hercules had coped with all twelve feats, and therefore is now free.

But the misadventures of Hercules did not end there. The goddess Hera pursued him for a long time. By her evil will, our hero killed his friend Ifit, for which he was sold into slavery for three years to the evil and absurd queen Omphale. During this time, he suffered incalculable suffering and bullying, lost his loving wife Dejanira, who decided (at the suggestion of Hera) that Hercules had stopped loving her, and pierced herself with an arrow. Hercules had to fight and defeat many monsters and gods. He fought with the god Apollo, defeated the river god Achelous in battle, killed the centaur Nessus, punished King Laomendont, helped his father Zeus in the battle with the giants...