Read all the myths of ancient Greece. Various myths and legends of ancient Greece

Myth, in its essence, is one of the forms of history that satisfies the inherent need of the human race for its own identification and answers emerging questions about the origin of life, culture, relations between people and nature. Thus, Greek mythology had a rather strong influence on the development of ancient culture and, in general, on the formation. Myths and legends of Ancient Greece keep the past of mankind, being its history in all its manifestations.

Since ancient times, the Greeks formed an idea of ​​the eternal, boundless and harmoniously united Cosmos. They were based on emotional and intuitive penetration into the mystery of this boundless Chaos, the source of the life of the world, and man was perceived as part of the cosmic unity. In the early stages of history, the legends and myths of Ancient Greece reflected ideas about the surrounding reality, played the role of a guide in everyday life. This fantastic reflection of reality, being the primary source of the formation of the worldview, expressed the impotence of man in front of nature, its elemental forces. However, the ancients were not afraid to explore a world filled with fear. Myths and legends of Ancient Greece testify that the boundless thirst for knowledge of the world around us prevailed over fear of an unknown danger. Suffice it to recall the numerous exploits of mythical heroes, the fearless adventures of the Argonauts, Odysseus and his team.

Myths and legends of ancient Greece are the oldest form of understanding natural phenomena. The appearance of the rebellious and wildlife personified in the form of animated and quite real beings. Fantasy populated the world with good and evil mythical creatures. So, dryads, satyrs, centaurs settled in the picturesque groves, oreads lived in the mountains, nymphs lived in the rivers, and oceanids lived in the seas and oceans.

The myths and legends of Ancient Greece are distinguished from the legends of other peoples by a characteristic feature, which consists in the humanization of divine beings. This made them closer and more understandable to ordinary people, most of whom perceived these legends as their own. ancient history. The mysterious, beyond the understanding and influence of a simple man in the street, the forces of nature became more understandable for the imagination of a simple person.

The people of Ancient Greece became the creator of unique and colorful legends about the life of people, immortal gods and heroes. In myths, memories of a distant and little-known past and poetic fiction are harmoniously intertwined. No other human creation is distinguished by such richness and fullness of images. This explains their invincibility. The myths and legends of ancient Greece gave images that are often used by art in various ways. Inexhaustible legendary subjects were often used and are still popular among historians and philosophers, sculptors and painters, poets and writers. In myths, they draw ideas for their own works and often bring something new to them, corresponding to a certain historical period.

reflecting the moral views of a person, his aesthetic attitude to reality, helped to shed light on the political and religious institutions of that time, to understand the nature of myth-making.

Recognized as a fundamental phenomenon of world history. It served as the basis for the culture of all of Europe. Many images Greek mythology firmly fixed in the language, consciousness, artistic images, philosophy. Everyone understands and is familiar with such concepts as "Achilles' heel", "bonds of Hymen", "horn of plenty", "Augean stables", "Sword of Damocles", "Ariadne's thread", "apple of discord" and many others. But often, using these popular expressions in speech, people do not think about their true meaning and history of occurrence.

Ancient Greek mythology played an important role in the development of modern history. Her research provided important information about the life of ancient civilizations and the formation of religion.

What do the myths of ancient Greece keep in themselves, as well as the legends of this country, which are passed down from generation to generation? We can say with confidence that Hellas keeps hundreds of secrets and myths. Most of them are associated with the gods who inhabited Ancient Greece hundreds of centuries ago. The gods of ancient Greece personified certain forces of nature, stories about them fill the soul with fear and delight at the same time. Many of these myths inspire travel to the land of the gods and make you want to know as much as you can about it.

It must be said that the heroes of these stories personified not only the forces of nature, but also all the rules of morality and chastity inherent in man. Although there are examples of debauchery and cruelty. In general, we can safely say that after getting acquainted with the myths of the ancient Greeks, conclusions arise about how to live. Namely, it becomes clear what is evil, and where there is good.

If we analyze the life of the gods of Greece, then we can understand what moral laws were in the country at that time, and what the locals were afraid of, and what they admired. Although, it should be noted that many of the rules have survived to this day. That is why ancient myths are so popular today. It is important to understand that the Greeks tried to show their gods as ordinary people, who also have love, and suffering, and friendly feelings, and hatred. That is why the Greeks have always tried to be like their idols. It should be noted that the culture of this country is tightly intertwined with religion. Moreover, even to this day, cultural monuments that have historical significance have been preserved. Ancient temples that keep many secrets and stories can be found almost everywhere. But it is not the statues themselves that are important, but the myths and legends that are associated with them. After all, first of all, they were aimed at instilling in people certain rules of morality and order. Therefore, if you observe them now, then life will be much easier and simpler.

From antiquity to modernity

To understand what kind of gods the Greeks worshiped, one should understand what religion is present in this country. As you know, it has changed from century to century, thereby creating the opportunity to invent new stories about unusual creatures who are endowed with omnipotent powers. Suppose, during the Pelasgian time, the Greeks worshiped only the forces of nature, respectively, and the gods had to personify the forces of nature in heaven, on earth and on water. According to the legends, the gods of ancient Greece were the descendants of the gods worshiped by the Pelasgians.

By the way, their idols were regurgitated due to various natural disasters. For example, the legend of how the Olympians fought with the titans and giants has survived to this day. This also suggests the conclusion that the creatures that the Pelasgians worshiped were not at all like people. But, just, among the Greeks, the gods have a human body. They have joys and sorrows, like an ordinary earthly inhabitant. By the way, the Olympic Games, which were so popular in the Ancient One, date back to the time of the Pelasgians. This is another confirmation that the culture and religion of the country are tightly intertwined. Moreover, even to this day, all these myths are quite relevant. After all, they describe the most important life issues, each of which has its own ending, according to which one can draw a conclusion about how to live on.

Who are Zeus and Hera?

After the events described above, creatures that resembled people began to rule the world. These humanoid inhabitants of Olympus had the names Zeus and Hera. Zeus, this is the son of Kron, he was also endowed with certain powers, like his father. And oddly enough, but even after beings like humans came to power, the former idols did not lose their power. That is why Zeus and other gods of ancient Greece obeyed the forces of nature. There is a hint here that ordinary people they must also worship the symbols of morality, just as the inhabitants of Olympus worshiped the forces of nature.

But who is Zeus? As mentioned above, Ancient Greece is described as an ordinary state ruled by a king. This king was endowed with certain powers and capabilities. That king was Zeus. It is also called the cloud collector. He personifies the order, strength and power of a real ruler. And if someone disobeys his words, then Zeus will punish with a thundercloud (Eida) and deadly lightning. He is also considered the patron saint of the family. He left instructions to all the rulers to look after the welfare of the inhabitants of those cities where they rule, to do and honor justice.

Hera is his wife. There is a belief that she has a grumpy character and she patronizes the earth's atmosphere. The rainbow (Irida) and clouds serve her. It is with her that the tradition is connected to perform various kinds of rituals with an abundant number of flowers.

It is generally accepted that Hera patronizes all faithful wives, housewives, she also gives her blessing for the birth of children in marriage and then protects them. That is, we can safely assume that Hera is the patroness hearth and comfort in the family. By the way, in order for a woman in labor to give birth with ease, she must ask for blessings from Hera and her daughter Ilithia.

Athena and Hephaestus - what is their task?

If you carefully read the myths of Ancient Greece, you can find information about the virgin goddess Pallas Athena. According to the stories, she was born from the head of Zeus. Initially, it was believed that she was able to disperse the clouds, and also patronizes the sky. In the paintings she was depicted with a sword, shield and spear. But they also believed that she guards all the fortresses and cities.

It is also believed that it is this goddess who gives people justice and fairness. She personifies government regulations and charter, protects fair public opinion and makes it possible to make a truly correct decision in important state affairs.

In addition, many writers and sages considered Athena their mentor. After all, she gave them the opportunity to think and find the truth in the most difficult situations.

It is worth noting that in Ancient Athena, the inhabitants of the city of the same name, which was named after her, were revered with special trepidation. The whole public life of citizens was saturated with the veneration of Pallas. They lived by its laws. The most beautiful statue of Pallas was installed in the temple, which was also famous for its power and splendor. This temple was located in the Acropolis.

If we talk about the myths that are associated with this goddess, then we must say that there were many of them. For example, one of them is connected with the story of a dispute that arose between Athena and Poseidon. Its essence was to decide which of them would rule Attica. As you know, Pallas emerged victorious from this dispute, and as a result gave an olive tree as a gift to the inhabitants of this area.

The inhabitants were immensely grateful to her, and in order to thank their patroness, they arranged a lot of holidays. The main ones were considered - Great and Small Panafineev. At the same time, the small ones celebrated annually, but the great ones only once every 4 years.

According to Wikipedia, ancient Greece was famous for its many interesting beliefs and legends. For example, stories about Hephaestus are still passed down from generation to generation.

It is known that Hephaestus was close to Athena. He patronized heavenly and earthly fire. It was believed that his greatest influence was on the islands of Sicily and Lemnos, because it was there that the most powerful volcanoes were located.

In addition, Hephaestus also helped the development of culture. He taught people a certain art of living.

Here we must remember Prometheus, who had similar qualities.

It was to these three gods that the competition was dedicated - running with a torch. In addition to all this, Hephaestus, like Athena, was the patron of the hearth and comfort.

Apollo and Artemis - what is known about them?

As mentioned above, Greece is a country in which culture and religion are tightly intertwined, which is why so many statues of ancient gods have been preserved, photos of which can be easily found on the Internet. One of the most popular statues is the statue of Apollo. He is rightfully considered the most beautiful and strong god. According to history, he was the son of Zeus and Latona. The latter, in turn, was the patroness of the dark night. If you believe the myths, then Apollo spends the winter in the country of some Hyperboreans, but in the spring he returns to Hellas. It is he who pours into nature new life, and inspires a person with a desire to sing and have fun at the arrival of the new year. It is worth noting that Apollo was also considered the god of singing.

But that's not all, Apollo was endowed with a power that allowed him, with the help of one sunbeam, to save a person from foul language and bad conspiracies. This idea is seen in the myth where Apollo kills scary snake Python.

There are still many legends about Artemis, who was considered the sister of Apollo. Artemis is the virgin goddess of the hunt, fertility and girlish innocence. According to legend, they, along with their brother, killed all the sons of Niobe with the help of arrows, which over time became too proud.

If we talk about the main tasks of Apollo, then they are certainly related to art. It contributes to the development of the talent to sing in people. He also patronizes theater and music in general.

It is important to note that holidays are held in honor of him every year. The main ones are:

• Carney;
• Iacinthia.

The first was held to honor Apollo, the patron saint of war. It is celebrated in August. During this period, the Greeks held various kinds of competition fights. But Iakinfii was celebrated in July. This went on for almost 9 days.

Such an event had sad meaning. People honored the memory of the beautiful young man Iakinthia, who personified flowers. According to the myth

Apollo killed him by accident while throwing his discs. And this young man was his favorite. But after death young man resurrected and taken to live on Olympus, therefore, after the sad processions, fun events began, during which all the young men and girls decorated themselves with flowers and had fun.

It is known that the capital of Ancient Greece has not changed to this day - this is Athens. This is a city that is easy to find on the world map. A map of Greece, like its flag G readily available in or in any atlas of the world.

If we talk about the flag, then its design is quite primitive - stripes of white and blue color with a cross that is placed at the pole. White represents the hope with which the Greeks live. Hope that they will be self-reliant and independent, as well as free and strong. But blue means the boundless sky. The nine stripes symbolize the nine regions of this beautiful country.

The myths and legends of ancient Greece hide many stories, each of which describes the life of the gods of Olympus. But be that as it may, these stories are tightly intertwined with the real life of the people. That is why the Greeks have always loved and revered their idols. Moreover, they were perceived as living beings that have excessive strength and protection of nature.

Oddly enough, but it is nature that is the main thing for this people. They loved their homeland immensely and tried to protect it with all their might. This list also includes the rules of life according to which this people existed. These are moral rules, as well as a number of mandatory action, among which is the veneration of nature, as well as all sorts of rituals and events that they carried out.

The most important of the gods was considered and is considered Zeus the Thunderer. He has the greatest power, and thanks to him the whole subsequent world of the Greeks developed. In addition, Zeus was not just a god, he was closely associated with higher powers nature and endowed with absolute power over the world of gods and people.

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 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, the daughter of King Creon, and they had three glorious sons, who brought much joy to their parents with their children's games and amusements.

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 atrocity 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, Alcides 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 how deadly dangers fraught with a trip to Lerna, they 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 predator birds soared up, 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's 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 doe was faster than the arrows, faster than the wind, and catching her seemed impossible. 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 his bow, hoping to catch the fugitive with his hands, but he realized that the prey was escaping from 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 a ferocious boar from Mount Erymanthus, which rampages in the forests of Psophida, devastating 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 Augeus, 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 Avgii 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 Olympic Games held on the sacred plain.

Labor seventh: Hercules and the Cretan bull

Having cleaned out 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 rushed 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 was worried great sorrow. 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 prolonging 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 western edge 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 big 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 shores of the Ionian Sea, Hera sent rabies on the cows, and they fled in different directions. 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 unbearable 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 I got up terrible hurricane, the sky turned black, huge waves crashed against the rocks, and hailstones the size of egg rained down from heaven. 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 endured incalculable suffering and abuse, lost loving wife Dejanira, who decided (at the suggestion of Hera) that Hercules had fallen out of love with 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...

Nikolai Kun

Legends and myths of Ancient Greece

Part one. gods and heroes

Myths about the gods and their struggle with giants and titans are set out mainly in Hesiod's poem "Theogony" (The Origin of the Gods). Some legends are also borrowed from the poems of Homer "Iliad" and "Odyssey" and the poem of the Roman poet Ovid "Metamorphoses" (Transformations).

In the beginning, there was only eternal, boundless, dark Chaos. In it was the source of the life of the world. Everything arose from the boundless Chaos - the whole world and the immortal gods. From Chaos came the goddess Earth - Gaia. It spread wide, mighty, giving life to everything that lives and grows on it. Far under the Earth, as far as the vast, bright sky is from us, in the immeasurable depth, the gloomy Tartarus was born - a terrible abyss, full of eternal darkness. From Chaos, the source of life, a mighty force was born, all animating Love - Eros. The world began to form. Boundless Chaos gave birth to the Eternal Darkness - Erebus and the dark Night - Nyukta. And from Night and Darkness came the eternal Light - Ether and the joyful bright Day - Hemera. Light spread over the world, and night and day began to replace each other.

The mighty, fertile Earth gave birth to the boundless blue Sky - Uranus, and the Sky spread over the Earth. The high Mountains, born of the Earth, proudly rose to him, and the eternally noisy Sea spread wide.

Mother Earth gave birth to Heaven, Mountains and the Sea, and they have no father.

Uranus - Sky - reigned in the world. He took the blessed Earth as his wife. Six sons and six daughters - mighty, formidable titans - were Uranus and Gaia. Their son, the titan Ocean, flowing around like a boundless river, the whole earth, and the goddess Thetis gave birth to all the rivers that roll their waves to the sea, and sea ​​goddesses- oceanid. Titan Gipperion and Theia gave children to the world: the Sun - Helios, the Moon - Selena and the ruddy Dawn - pink-fingered Eos (Aurora). From Astrea and Eos came all the stars that burn in the dark night sky, and all the winds: stormy North wind Boreas, eastern Eurus, humid southern Not and western gentle wind A marshmallow bringing clouds of heavy rain.

In addition to the titans, the mighty Earth gave birth to three giants - Cyclopes with one eye in the forehead - and three huge, like mountains, fifty-headed giants - hundred-armed (hekatoncheirs), so named because each of them had one hundred hands. Nothing can stand against their terrible strength, their elemental strength knows no limit.

Uranus hated his giant children, he imprisoned them in deep darkness in the bowels of the goddess Earth and did not allow them to come out into the light. Their mother Earth suffered. She was crushed by this terrible burden, enclosed in her depths. She called her children, the titans, and urged them to rebel against their father Uranus, but they were afraid to raise their hands against their father. Only the youngest of them, the treacherous Kronos, overthrew his father by cunning and took power away from him.

The Goddess Night gave birth to a whole host of terrible substances as punishment for Kron: Tanata - death, Eridu - discord, Apatu - deceit, Ker - destruction, Hypnos - a dream with a swarm of gloomy, heavy visions, Nemesis who knows no mercy - revenge for crimes - and many others. Horror, strife, deceit, struggle and misfortune brought these gods into the world, where Kron reigned on the throne of his father.

The picture of the life of the gods on Olympus is given according to the works of Homer - the Iliad and the Odyssey, glorifying the tribal aristocracy and the basileus leading it as the best people standing far above the rest of the population. The gods of Olympus differ from aristocrats and basileus only in that they are immortal, powerful and can work miracles.

Birth of Zeus

Kron was not sure that power would forever remain in his hands. He was afraid that the children would rise up against him and find him the same fate that he condemned his father Uranus to. He was afraid of his children. And Kron ordered his wife Rhea to bring him newborn children and mercilessly swallowed them. Rhea was horrified when she saw the fate of her children. Cron has already swallowed five: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades (Hades) and Poseidon.

Rhea did not want to lose her last child. On the advice of her parents, Uranus-Heaven and Gaia-Earth, she retired to the island of Crete, and there, in a deep cave, her youngest son Zeus was born. In this cave, Rhea hid her son from a cruel father, and gave him a long stone wrapped in swaddling clothes to swallow instead of his son. Kron did not suspect that he was deceived by his wife.

Meanwhile, Zeus grew up in Crete. The nymphs Adrastea and Idea cherished the little Zeus, they fed him with the milk of the divine goat Amalthea. Bees carried honey to little Zeus from the slopes of the high mountain Dikty. At the entrance to the cave, young Kuretes struck shields with swords whenever little Zeus cried, so that Kron would not hear his cry and Zeus would not suffer the fate of his brothers and sisters.

Zeus overthrows Kron. The struggle of the Olympian gods with the titans

Grew up and matured beautiful and mighty god Zeus. He rebelled against his father and forced him to bring back the children he had devoured into the world. One by one, the monster from the mouth of Kron spewed his children-gods, beautiful and bright. They began to fight with Kron and the titans for power over the world.

This struggle was terrible and stubborn. The children of Kron established themselves on the high Olympus. Some of the titans also took their side, and the first were the titan Ocean and his daughter Styx and their children Zeal, Power and Victory. This struggle was dangerous for the Olympian gods. Mighty and formidable were their opponents the titans. But Zeus came to the aid of the Cyclopes. They forged thunder and lightning for him, Zeus threw them into the titans. The struggle had been going on for ten years, but the victory did not lean to either side. Finally, Zeus decided to free the hundred-armed hecatoncheir giants from the bowels of the earth; he called them for help. Terrible, huge as mountains, they came out of the bowels of the earth and rushed into battle. They tore off entire rocks from the mountains and threw them at the titans. Hundreds of rocks flew towards the titans when they approached Olympus. The earth groaned, a roar filled the air, everything shook around. Even Tartarus shuddered from this struggle.

Zeus threw one fiery lightning after another and deafening roaring thunders. Fire engulfed the whole earth, the seas boiled, smoke and stench shrouded everything in a thick veil.

Finally, the mighty titans faltered. Their strength was broken, they were defeated. The Olympians bound them and cast them into the gloomy Tartarus, into eternal darkness. At the indestructible copper gates of Tartarus, hundred-armed hecatoncheirs stood guard, and they guard so that the mighty titans do not break free again from Tartarus. The power of the titans in the world has passed.

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 a family tree 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 swaddling clothes, 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 the help of 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). AT 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 a very contradictory image of God in the mind of the modern reader. 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 labors

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 (the murder of the Lernean Hydra, the capture of the Kerinean fallow deer and the Erymanthian boar, the bringing of the belt of Hippolyta, the deliverance of the people from the Stymphalian birds, the taming of the mares of Diomedes, a trip 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.