Today, the phrase herculean task refers to a
difficult chore but the term arose from the ancient stories
of Hercules.
Hercules is the Roman name for the Greek mythological hero Heracles (sometimes Herakles), who was famous for his courage and strength. Numerous plays and operas have been based on the story of his conception and birth: he was conceived when his mother, Alcmene, was seduced by Zeus, who had disguised himself as her husband, Amphitryon. Zeus's wife, Hera, was duly angered over the impending birth of Hercules. She succeeded in delaying his birth, but her attempt to kill him by sending two snakes into his crib failed--Hercules strangled both of them.
The many feats of Hercules are customarily divided into the 12 labors and other exploits. The 12 labors, which were performed for the Greek king Eurystheus as a result of Hera's enmity, were:
killing the Nemean lion, which could not be killed by metal or stone; from the lion he made the cloak and club that became his trademarks;
killing the multiheaded Hydra of Lerna, which could grow two new heads for each one it lost; the blood of the Hydra was the source of poison for Hercules' arrows, which could cause death even from a scratch;
capturing the golden-horned hind of Ceryneia, which was sacred to Artemis;
capturing the Erymanthian boar;
cleaning the stables of Augeas;
routing the Stymphalian birds, which had iron feathers and were sacred to Ares;
capturing the Cretan bull;
capturing the man-eating mares of Diomedes;
obtaining the girdle of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons;
driving the cattle of Geryon from far west to Greece;
capturing Cerberus, the watchdog of the underworld; and
obtaining the golden apples of the Heperides.
His other exploits included erecting the Pillars of Hercules (Gates of Gibraltar) with the aid of his father, Zeus, and tricking Atlas into holding the world on his shoulders again. In addition, he provided 50 sons for King Thespius by impregnating 49 of the king's 50 daughters in one night. He also inaugurated the Olympian Games, in honor of Zeus, and won every event in the first Olympics.
After his many adventures, Hercules settled down and married Deianeira. When a centaur named Nessus abducted Deianeira, Hercules shot him with one of his poisoned arrows. The dying centaur gave Deianeira a vial of his blood (now mixed with the Hydra's poison), telling her that she could use it to rekindle Hercules' love for her if it should ever fade. Later, when her jealousy was aroused, she sent her husband a garment dipped in the blood. When Hercules put it on, he felt as if his body was on fire. Realizing that death was near, he threw himself on a funeral pyre. As the pyre burned, he was carried up to Mt. Olympus, where he became a god and married HEBE, a daughter of Hera. In Greek mythology, Hercules was the only man to make the full transition from mortal to immortal.
Among Greek and Roman philosophers, particularly the Stoics, Hercules was considered a hero-saint, the epitome of one who chose virtue over pleasure and endured a hard life on earth to enjoy immortality with the gods. Euripides (Heracles), Sophocles (The Women of Trachis), and Seneca (Hercules Furens and Hercules Oetaeus) wrote plays about Hercules.
