Ancient Greek myths are small. History of myths of ancient Greece. Demeter myth

The most important element of Greek culture was myths, that is, legends, traditions, legends dating back to ancient times. They constitute the richest treasury of images and plots. The myths reflected the human need for creativity, for knowledge of the world around him and himself. Myths were created at a very early stage in the development of Greek society, in various regions of continental Greece, in Attica, Boeotia, Thessaly, Macedonia and other regions, on the islands of the Aegean Sea, on Crete, on the coast of Asia Minor. These regions developed their own

Local cycles of myths. Later they merged into a single common Greek system, in which the artistic talent and religious outlook of the ancient Hellenes manifested themselves.

Birth and death, the change of seasons, the ebb and flow of the sea, thunderstorms and rains, weather changes, flowering and wilting of plants, the appearance of fruits on them - these and many other phenomena of the surrounding world were attributed to the action of some fantastic, divine forces. These phenomena were often presented in the form of concrete, visible images, were personified, that is, they were identified with living beings. If a person could not explain a natural phenomenon, all the more

To overcome it, such as a drought or an epidemic, he attributed it to the action of some fantastic forces.

It seems that the Greek nature itself predetermined that special multicolor that permeates mythology: valleys and mountain ranges, sparkling blue sea with many islands, cozy bays, blinding southern sun, evergreen vegetation, warm climate. The land was inhabited by fabulous creatures: mountain nymphs lurked in the mountains - oreads, in the forests - dryads, in rivers - naiads. But the myths were not only a bold flight of human fantasy. They often reflect folk wisdom, observations of the life around, penetration into human nature. Therefore, Greek mythology has rightfully become a part of universal human culture. That is why situations and heroes of myths have entered our everyday speech in expressions and phrases that have become winged.

We use the expression "labor of Sisyphus", meaning hard work devoid of meaning. The origin of this concept is as follows. According to the myth, Sisyphus, the king and founder of Corinth, and according to another version, the father of Odysseus, was famous for his enviable cunning and for his fraud, he was punished in the underworld. He had to roll a heavy stone onto the mountain, which, having reached the top, fell down, after which everything was repeated from the beginning. We are talking about "titanic" efforts, "gigantic" proportions. In myths, titans and giants are huge giants who fought with the gods themselves.

Myths are closely related to popular cultures and beliefs. They often absorbed the common sense of the people. Thus, the ancient Hellenes had a custom of sacrifice to the gods; at the same time, a lot of good meat was lost. Then the titan Prometheus found a way to help people. Having killed the sacrificial bull, he butchered it in such a way that two unequal heaps were formed: in one there were bones and offal, and in the other - pieces of edible meat. Prometheus covered both heaps with skins and invited the supreme god Zeus to choose one of them. Zeus was flattered by a larger heap. This incident, reproduced in myth, consolidated the rule: after the ritual of sacrifice, the Greeks began to leave inedible parts to the gods, and to themselves what could go for food. In Greek mythology, various creatures operate: demons, satyrs, unbridled and playful; half-humans and chimeras, fire-breathing creatures, etc. The main characters in mythology are gods and heroes.

At the heart of the Greek religion was anthropomorphism - assimilation to man. The gods had a human appearance, they were beautiful, and most importantly, they were immortal. They are inherent in a variety of human qualities, although they are manifested with special strength, intensity: generosity, generosity, jealousy, deceit. Gods and heroes not only resembled ordinary people, but also communicated with them, mere mortals, could enter into love relationships. Some ancient Greek aristocrats counted gods in their ancestors, were proud of their divine origin.

The Greek gods were divided into several categories according to their importance. Twelve main, supreme gods lived on the snow-covered, about 3000 meters high, Mount Olympus. At the top of Olympus were the palace of Zeus and the dwellings of other gods, who were called the Olympians. The very name Olympus is close to the concept of "sky". The Greeks believed that there were three generations of gods, and, according to legend, the younger overthrew the power of the elders. Thus, in mythology, the rivalry between separate clans and tribes for supremacy was reflected.

The main supreme god, the father of all gods and people, was Zeus. He was considered the son of Cronus, the god of time, and therefore was called Cronid. Zeus rode across the sky in a golden chariot, he was portrayed sitting on a throne with an eagle and a scepter in his hands and a beam of lightning as the main attributes of power. From the heights of Olympus, he scattered his gifts to people and established order on earth, established laws.

The wife of Zeus, Hera, was the supreme Greek goddess, queen of the gods, who patronized marriage, conjugal love and childbirth. She was portrayed as a majestic woman of rare beauty. Zeus's brother Poseidon was the god of the sea, all springs and waters, as well as the bowels of the earth and their riches; At the bottom of the sea was his palace. The god of death was another brother of Zeus - Hades, who reigned deep underground. The kingdom of Hades, where the rays of the sun did not penetrate, looked gloomy, terrible and cold, and the afterlife looked like misfortune. The son of Zeus Apollo is the god of harmony and spiritual activity, the god of the arts. He received from Hermes the lyre he invented and became the patron saint of the muses, hence his nickname: Apollo Musaret, that is, the leader of the muses.

The goddesses, companions of Apollo, patrons of sciences, poetry and arts were called muses: Clio - history, Euterpe - lyric poetry, Melpomene - tragedy, Thalia - comedy, Terpsichora - dances, Calliope - epic poetry, Polyhymnia - hymns, pantomime, Urania - astronomy, Erato - love, erotic poetry.

The sister of the golden-haired Apollo was Artemis, the goddess of hunting, fertility, patroness of animals, as well as everything that lives on earth, grows in the forest and in the field. In sculptures, she was depicted with a bow and a quiver over her shoulders, hunting in the forests and fields. The goddess Athena, one of the most revered in Greece, was born by Zeus himself, appeared from his head. She was the goddess of wisdom, the main city of Greece was named in her honor and the main temple of the Parthenon was erected. Athena patronized the city-states of Greece, endowed them with wise advice, saved them in times of danger. The son of Zeus, Hermes, is a god patronizing travelers, crafts, and trade. The god of war Ares, the son of Zeus and Hera, He usually acted in the guise of a heavily armed warrior - a hoplite. This is the most unloved of the descendants of Zeus, who was not tolerated because of his belligerence and bloodthirstiness. The son of Zeus and Hera was the god of fire, as well as the art of blacksmithing, Hephaestus. He was portrayed in an apron and with a blacksmith's hammer, among sparks and smoke. Hephaestus, the only Olympian engaged in productive labor, was considered a skilled craftsman for forging.

Ares' wife, the most beautiful Aphrodite, - the goddess of love, outwardly personified the Hellenic ideal of female beauty. She awakened love in the hearts of both gods and mortals and therefore possessed an all-conquering power, reigned over the world. One of the greatest goddesses was Zeus's sister Demeter, the goddess of fertility, the patroness of agriculture: without her mighty power, nothing was born.

The favorite god was also the son of Zeus, Dionysus, the patron saint of viticulture and winemaking. The festivities in honor of the god Dionysus played an important role in the development of the Greek theater. In addition to the main Olympic gods, there were also numerous "second-class" gods. Among them are Eros, the son of Ares and Aphrodite, a mischievous teenager, a winged archer, the god of love; Hypnos is the god of sleep; Thanatos is the god of death; Hymenaeus: - the god of marriage; Asclepius, son of Apollo and Koronis, is the god of healing; Eris is the goddess of strife; Nika is the goddess of victory, etc.

Along with the gods, heroes, or titans, were "involved" in myths. Heroes were considered semi-divine personalities who stood between gods and people. People who actually existed, historical figures - the Athenian commander (Miltiades), statesmen were also heroes. (Solon), founders of philosophical schools, major poets, whose activities played a large role in the life of the Greeks. Their tombs were often located in the center of cities as a reminder of past exploits. There were also heroes and legendary figures, created by folk fantasy.

One of the most famous and noble heroes-martyrs in mythology was Prometheus, who rendered an invaluable service to the human race. Among the most beloved folk heroes was Hercules, endowed with tremendous strength. Literally his name means "performing feats because of the persecution of Hera." When Hera plotted to kill the baby Hercules by setting two snakes on him, Hercules strangled them. Surpassing everyone in strength, not knowing rivals in military exercises, Hercules performed 12 feats. Among them is the murder of a monstrous lion; destruction of the hydra - a monster with a snake body and nine dragon heads; extermination of the Stymphalian birds, devastating the area, chasing animals and people, tearing them apart with copper beaks, and many others. These and other episodes form a whole cycle of fascinating short stories.

Among the popular heroes of Greece, Perseus, the son of Zeus and Danai, known from many myths, also performed many feats. Like Prometheus, he is depicted in the works of world art, on the canvases of Rubens, Rembrandt and Titian. Theseus was also considered the greatest hero of Greece, who was credited with creating the ancient state system in Athens. The legendary singer Orpheus was revered as heroes; the greatest architect and architect Daedalus; the rich man Tantalus, so proud that he considered himself equal to the gods, and for this he was severely punished; Pygmalion, a sculptor who can even bring his creations to life.

Mythology played a huge role in the development of ancient Greek literature. Plots and images of myths were used in many works: in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, in the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. At the same time, cults and traditions associated with mythology served as the basis for the creation of certain genres and forms of literature, for example, lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, and ancient theater.

The myth of Pygmalion

Aphrodite is supportive of those who serve her faithfully. She brought happiness to Pygmalion, the great artist from the island of Cyprus. Pygmalion lived in solitude, avoided women, was not married. But one day he made a statue of a girl out of white ivory, unspeakably beautiful. Looking at his creation, he admired its perfection and vitality. It seemed that the girl was breathing, that she was alive. As a result, Pygmalion fell in love with his own creation. Powerless to cope with his passion, he even addressed the statue with words, but she was mute. Then, at a festival in honor of the golden Aphrodite, he sacrificed a heifer with gilded horns to her and turned with a prayer to the goddess of love to give him a wife as beautiful as his statue. After this, the flame of the altar flared up brightly. It was a sign that the goddess heard his request. When Pygmalion returned home, he saw that the beautiful statue was alive. So the goddess of love gave Pygmalion a beautiful girl as his wife. This story, originally reinterpreted, forms the basis of Bernard Shaw's famous play Pygmalion.

The myth of Adonis

The goddess of love Aphrodite fell in love with the son of the king of Cyprus - a beautiful young man Adonis, surpassing the beauty of all mortals. Forgetting everything in the world, Aphrodite spent time with Adonis in Cyprus, hunted with him in the mountains and forests of the island. She tried not to part with him, and leaving him for a while, she asked to be careful, to avoid formidable animals such as lions and wild boars. Once, when Aphrodite was not around, the dogs attacked the trail of a huge boar and rushed after him in pursuit. Adonis was already preparing to strike the beast with a spear when the boar rushed at him and inflicted a mortal wound on him.

Learning about the death of Adonis and deeply worrying about it, Aphrodite went barefoot along the mountain slopes and gorges in search of him, her tender feet left bloody footprints on the stones. Finally, she found the murdered Adonis and began to cry bitterly over him. Wishing to preserve his memory forever, the goddess commanded a beautiful anemone flower to grow from the young man's blood. And where drops of blood fell from the wounded feet of the goddess, scarlet roses appeared. They were luxurious, and their color was as bright as the blood of the goddess. Then Zeus took pity on the grief of Aphrodite. He ordered his brother Hades, the god of the underworld of the dead, to release Adonis to earth from the kingdom of shadows every six months. After spending six months in the kingdom of Hades, Adonis at the same time returns to earth to meet the bright rays of the sun and the arms of the golden Aphrodite. All nature rejoices, rejoicing in their love.

The myth of the Trojan War

Zeus and the god of the sea Poseidon argued about the love of Thetis. The goddess of justice Themis, intervening in the dispute, predicted that Thetis would have a son who would surpass her own father in strength. To save themselves from possible danger, the gods decided to marry Thetis off to a mere mortal Peleus. At the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, which took place in the cave of the centaur Chiron, all the Olympic gods gathered and generously presented the newlyweds with gifts. At the same time, the goddess of discord Eris was not invited to the feast. Stung by this disdain, she decided to punish the gods in a very sophisticated way. She threw a golden apple on the banquet table with the inscription: "The most beautiful." Since then, it has become known as the "apple of discord". Three goddesses began to argue about who it should belong to: Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, by no means devoid of female vanity. Even Zeus refused to comment on this. He sent Hermes to the vicinity of Troy, where among the shepherds was the handsome Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam. According to the prophecy, Paris, the son of Priam and Hecuba, was destined to become the culprit in the death of Troy. To avoid this fate, Priam ordered that Paris be taken to the forest thicket and left there. But Priam's son did not die, he was nursed by a bear. When Hermes approached Paris with a proposal to resolve this dispute, he was embarrassed. Each of the goddesses persuaded the young man to award an apple to her. At the same time, they promised him enviable gifts: Hera - promised power over all of Asia; Athena - military glory and victory; Aphrodite is the most beautiful of mortal women as a wife. Without hesitation, Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite. Since then, he has become a favorite of Aphrodite, and Hera and Athena, as we will see, hated Troy and the Trojans.

This beautiful woman was Elena, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. Soon Paris arrived to visit him. Menelaus welcomed him cordially, threw a feast in his honor. Seeing Elena, Paris fell in love with her. But she too was amazed by the beautiful newcomer, dressed in luxurious oriental clothes. Having left for Crete, Menelaus asked her to take care of the guest. But Paris repaid him with black ingratitude. Taking advantage of the absence of her husband, he took Elena away and at the same time seized his treasures.

Menelaus saw this not only as a personal insult, but as a blow to all of Greece. After all, Elena was her national treasure. He gathers the leaders of the Greek tribes and goes on a campaign against Ilion (the ancient name of Troy, from where the name of the poem comes from). Menelaus' brother Agamemnon, king of Argos, belonging to the Atrid family, over whom, as we will see later, a curse gravitates, is appointed commander-in-chief of the army. Among the ranks of the Achaean (Greek) warriors are Odysseus, the king of the island of Ithaca, the courageous warrior Diomedes, the brave Ajax, the owner of the magic arrows Philoctetes.

The most courageous was the young Achilles, king of the Myrmidon tribe. At birth, he was assigned a long and happy life if he did not take part in the war, and a short, brilliant life if he began to fight. Hoping to outwit fate, Thetis ransomed Achilles in the waters of the underground river Styx, making his body invulnerable. Unprotected was only his heel, for which she held the baby (hence the expression "Achilles heel"). Mother tried to hide Achilles, to prevent him from taking part in the campaign. She hid him, wearing women's clothes, but Achilles gave himself away. He became part of the Greek army, which, according to legend, numbered more than a hundred thousand people and more than a thousand ships. The army sailed from the harbor of Avdid and landed near Troy. The demand for Elena's surrender in exchange for lifting the siege was rejected. The war dragged on. The most important events took place in the last, tenth year.

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice

Orpheus, the great singer, the son of the river god Eagra and the muse of the chants of Calliope, lived in Thrace. His wife was a gentle and beautiful nymph Eurydice. The beautiful singing of Orpheus, his playing on the cithara not only captivated people, but also fascinated plants and animals. Orpheus and Eurydice were happy until a terrible disaster struck them. Once, when Eurydice and her friends, the nymphs, were picking flowers in a green valley, a snake hiding in the thick grass was lying in wait for them and stung Orpheus's wife in the leg. The poison quickly spread and ended her life. Hearing the mournful cry of Eurydice's friends, Orpheus hurried to the valley and, seeing the cold body of Eurydice, his dearly beloved wife, fell into despair and groaned bitterly. Nature felt deep compassion for him in his grief. Then Orpheus decided to go to the kingdom of the dead to see Eurydice there. To do this, he descends to the sacred river Styx, where the souls of the dead have accumulated, which the carrier Charon sends on a boat to the possession of Hades. At first, Charon refused Orpheus's request to transport him. But then Orpheus played on his golden cithara and charmed the gloomy Charon with wonderful music. And he transported him to the throne of the god of death, Hades. In the midst of the cold and silence of the underworld, Orpheus's passionate song sounded about his grief, about the torment of a broken love for Eurydice. Everyone who was around was struck by the beauty of the music and the strength of his feelings: Hades, and his wife Persephone, and Tantalus, who forgot about the hunger that tormented him, and Sisyphus, who stopped his hard and fruitless work. Then Orpheus stated his request to Hades to return his wife Eurydice to earth. Hades agreed to fulfill it, but at the same time stated his condition: Orpheus must follow the god Hermes, and Eurydice will follow him. During the journey through the underworld, Orpheus should not look back: otherwise, Eurydice will leave him forever. When the shadow of Eurydice appeared, Orpheus wanted to hug her, but Hermes told him not to do this, since there is only a shadow in front of him, and there is a long and difficult path ahead.

Having quickly passed the kingdom of Hades, the travelers reached the Styx River, where Charon ferried them on his boat to a path leading steeply up to the surface of the earth. The path was cluttered with stones, darkness reigned around, and the figure of Hermes loomed in front and barely dawned on the light, which indicated the proximity of the exit. At this moment, Orpheus was seized by a deep anxiety for Eurydice: is she keeping up with him, is she lagging behind, is she not lost in the gloom. Listening, he could not hear any sound behind him, which exacerbated the uneasy feeling. Finally, unable to bear it and breaking the ban, he turned around: almost next to him he saw the shadow of Eurydice, stretched out his hands to her, but at the same moment the shadow melted into the darkness. So he had to relive the death of Eurydice a second time. And this time through their own fault.

From early childhood. They are studied at school, some read them to their children.

Moreover, in all languages ​​of the world there are many phraseological units and idioms borrowed from the ancient Greek language, one way or another referring us to the myths of Ancient Greece.

And in Greece itself, almost every toponym - sea, river, mountains - comes from myths, as, for example, the Ionian Sea is associated with the seduced Io, the Athenian king Aegeus drowned in grief in the Aegean Sea, without waiting for his son Theseus.

In Russia, the most widely known is the arrangement of ancient Greek legends and myths performed by Nikolai Albertovich Kuhn.

At first glance, the myths of Ancient Greece are amusing tales of bygone times. But not everything is so simple. They reflect the beliefs of the ancient people, religion, the way of life of the ancient Greeks, the relationship of man with the gods.

First of all, creating these myths, people tried to explain the origin of the world, where the earth, sky, sun, stars came from. It was quite natural for that period to humanize these fundamental concepts in order to give them a familiar look, but endowing them with supernatural powers.

Each abstract phenomenon has its own deity. This is how the gods and titans appeared.

Origin of the world

As in many world religions, in the myths of Ancient Greece, the world came from eternal, boundless Chaos.

Chaos was endless and was the lifeblood of the world. From Chaos came the goddess Gaia - Earth, was born Love - Eros. Chaos also gave birth to the Eternal Darkness and the dark Night, from them came the Eternal Light and the bright Day.

So life was born. From Gaia came Uranus - Heaven, he took Gaia to wife and from them came the twelve mighty titans. From their union came all the gods, including the terrible ones, who brought fear, craftiness, discord, wars into this world.

The most famous and revered gods in myths were, of course, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades - the children of the titans Cronus and Rhea. They personified the elements that frightened and worshiped the ancient Greeks most of all - Zeus was the god of thunder and lightning, Poseidon was the god of the seas, Hades was the god of the underworld.

Other gods - Hephaestus, and others were descendants of Zeus and other creatures.

Olympus

Most of them lived with Zeus the Almighty on Mount Olympus, in a sacred place where joy, peace and tranquility reign, where the gods always celebrate, taste ambrosia and nectar, and rejoice.

There is no way for mortals to go there, but there are exceptions. The favorites of the gods, for example, Ganymede, the son of the king, was invited to Olympus, Hercules after death ascended to the sacred mountain and feasted there with the gods.

Olympus in this is somewhat similar to the Scandinavian Valhalla, where the One-All-Father feasts with the great warriors.

Man and the ancient Greek gods

But in ancient Greek myths, the origin and existence of the universe fades into the background.

The main thing in them is still the relationship between gods and people. The gods are described in myths as omnipotent beings capable of both great miracles, endless mercy, and terrible cruelty.

Despite the greatness, the gods have human traits, they are capable of love, hatred, jealousy, envy, anger, vanity. They are often weak and obsessed with human passions.

And most of the myths and legends just tell about this, for example, the legend about the girl Arachne, who claimed that she could hide better than Athena herself, the goddess of wisdom, and challenged her to a duel and lost. For this she was turned into a spider by the goddess forever.

Or the myth of the long-suffering Io, whom Zeus turned into a snow-white cow to hide from his wife's revenge. But Hera recognized her and sent a monstrous gadfly after her, which stung her every minute.

It was only when she reached Egypt that Zeus restored her appearance. In this myth, the weak character traits of the gods are eloquently shown. Zeus acts as a voluptuary who is ready to deceive his wife, seduce human girls, but at the same time cannot help them, and Hera is shown as a jealous and vengeful woman. And these are not all examples.

Heroes

Along with the myths about the gods, there are also legends about the great heroes of Greece, such as Hercules, who performed twelve deeds, Orpheus, who descended into the underworld for his beloved, conquered, defeated and saved Andromeda from the sea monster.

What unites them all is that they performed incredible feats, possessed powerful strength and ingenuity, and defeated monsters.

These myths show us not unique creatures, but an extraordinary mortal man capable of great deeds. It is also important that almost all of them were demigods, children of gods and mortals or gods and nymphs, like Orpheus.

Here it is important to observe how an awareness of his strength, his capabilities, his exclusivity comes to a person, although it manifests itself under certain life circumstances and so far only among people of unusual origin.

The myths and legends of Ancient Greece are a huge layer of history that an educated person needs to know.

They have a close connection with history, art, and also reflect the development of human consciousness, the emergence of culture and philosophy. And this is of great importance for many sciences.

In the general religious understanding of the ancient Hellenes, there was a variety of cult ideas. All this is confirmed by numerous archaeological excavations and artifacts. It has been proven in which locality one or another god was extolled. For example, Apollo - in Delphi and on Delos, the capital of Greece, the god of healing Asclepius (son of Apollo) is named after Athena - in Epidaurus, Poseidon was respected by the Ionians in the Peloponnese, and so on.

Opened in honor of this shrine of the Greeks: Delphic, Dodonian and Delian. Almost all of them are covered with some kind of mystery, it is deciphered in myths and legends. We will describe the most interesting myths of Ancient Greece (short) below.

The cult of Apollo in Greece and Rome

He was called "four-handed" and "four-eared". Apollo had about a hundred sons. He himself was either five or seven. There are countless monuments in honor of the saint, huge churches named after him too - are located in Greece, Italy, Turkey. And this is all about HIM: about Apollo - the mythical hero and god of Hellas.

The ancient gods did not have surnames, but Apollo has several of them: Delphic, Rhodes, Belvedere, Pythian. This happened in the territories where his cult grew most.

Two millennia have passed since the inception of the cult, and today they believe in the tale of this handsome man. How did he enter into "naive mythology" and why was he invented in the hearts and souls of Greeks and residents of other countries?

Veneration of the son of Zeus originated in Asia Minor two thousand years BC. Initially, the myths portrayed Apollo not as a man, but as a zoomorphic creature (influenced by pre-religious totemism) - a ram. The Dorian version of the origin is also possible. But, as before, an important center of the cult is the Sanctuary in Delphi. In it, the soothsayer uttered all sorts of predictions, according to her instruction, twelve mythical exploits of Apollo's brother, Hercules, took place. From the Hellenic colonies in Italy, the cult of the Greek god took root in Rome.

Apollo myths

God is not alone. Archaeological sources provide information on various sources of its origin. Who were the Apollo: the son of the keeper of Athens, Koribant, Zeus the third and several other fathers. Mythology attributes to Apollo thirty heroes he killed (Achilles), dragons (including Python), cyclops. They said about him that he could destroy, but he could also help and predict the future.

Mythology spread about Apollo even before his birth, when the supreme goddess Hera learned that from her husband Zeus Leto (Latona) should give birth to a boy (Apollo). With the help of a dragon, she drove the mother-to-be to a deserted island. Apollo and his sister Artemis were born there. They grew up on this island (Delos), where he vowed to destroy the dragon for persecuting his mother.

As described from the ancient myth, the quickly matured Apollo took a bow and arrow in his hands and flew away to where Python lived. The beast crawled out of the terrible gorge and attacked the young man.

He looked like an octopus with a large scaly body. Even the rocks were moving away from him. The disturbed monster attacked the young man. But the arrows did their job.

Python died, Apollo buried him, and the real Temple of Apollo was built here. In his room there was a real priestess-prophetess from the peasant women. She pronounced divinations allegedly through the mouth of Apollo. Questions were written on tablets and passed on to the temple. They were not fictional, but from real earthly people from different centuries of the existence of this temple. They were found by archaeologists. How the priestess commented on the questions, no one knows.

Narcissus is a mythical hero and a real flower

To paraphrase the ancient sage, we can say: if you have extra money, then do not buy bread in excess of what you can eat; buy a daffodil flower - bread for the body, and he - for the soul.

So the mythical story about the narcissistic young man Narcissus from Ancient Greece grew into the name of a beautiful spring flower.

The Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, took cruel revenge on those who rejected her gifts, who did not submit to her authority. Mythology knows several such victims. Among those is the young man Narcissus. Proud, he could not love anyone, only himself.

Anger found on the goddess. One spring, while hunting, Narcissus approached a stream - he simply charmed him with the purity of the water, its mirroring. But the stream was really special, perhaps also bewitched by Aphrodite. The goddess did not forgive anyone if they did not pay attention to her.

No one drank water from the stream, not even a branch or flower petals could fall into it. So Narcissus was staring at himself. Bent over to kiss my reflection. But there is only cold water.

He forgot about hunting and the desire to drink water. Everyone admires, forgot about food, sleep. And suddenly I woke up: "Did I really love myself so much, but we can't be together?" So he began to suffer that his strength left him. Feels that he will go to the kingdom of darkness. But the young man already believes that death will end his torment of love. He is crying.

Narcissus's head sank to the ground. He died. The nymphs were crying in the forest. They dug a grave, followed the body, but it was not. On the grass, where the head of the young man fell, a flower grew. They named him Narcissus.

And the nymph Echo remained forever to suffer in that forest. And she did not respond to anyone else.

Poseidon - Lord of the Seas

Zeus sits in all divine majesty on Mount Olympus, and his brother Poseidon went into the depths of the sea and from there seethed the water, causing trouble on the sailors. If he wants to do this, he takes in his hand his main weapon - a club with a trident.

He has a better palace than his brother on land. And he reigns there with his charming wife Amphitrite, the daughter of the sea god. Together with Poseidon, she rushes through the waters in a chariot harnessed by horses or zoomorphic creatures - tritons.

Poseidon looked after his wife from the waters on the coast of the island of Naxos. But she ran away from him to the handsome Atlas. Could not find the fugitive Poseidon himself. Dolphins helped him and took her to the palace at the bottom of the sea. For this, the sea lord gave the dolphins a constellation in the sky.

Perseus: almost like a good person

Perseus is perhaps one of the few sons of Zeus who did not have negative character traits. As a lover of getting drunk Hercules with his fits of inexplicable anger or Achilles, who did not take into account the interests of others and admired only his own "I".

Perseus was as handsome as a god, brave and dexterous. I have always tried to achieve success. Perseus mythology is as follows. His grandfather, one of the earthly kings, dreamed in a dream that his grandson would bring death to him. Therefore, he hid his daughter in a dungeon behind stones, bronze and castles - away from the men. But all the obstacles for Zeus, who liked Danae, were overwhelming. He penetrated to her through the roof in the form of rain. And a son was born, named Perseus. But the malevolent grandfather nailed the mother and child into the box and sent them to swim in the box on the sea.

The captives still managed to escape on one of the islands, where the waves washed the box to the shore, the fishermen arrived in time and rescued the mother and son. But a man reigned on the island, no better than Father Danae. He began to molest the woman. And so the years passed, now Perseus could stand up for his mother.

The king decided to get rid of the young man, but so as not to incur the wrath of the god Zeus. He cheated by accusing Perseus of undivine origin. To do this, it was necessary to perform a heroic act, for example, to kill the malevolent Medusa Gorgon and drag her head to the king's palace.

It really was not only a sea, but also a flying monster that turned into stone those who looked at her. The gods were indispensable here. The son of Zeus was helped. He was presented with a magic sword and a mirror shield. In search of the bogeyman, Perseus went through many countries and through many obstacles set up by opponents. The nymphs also presented him with things useful on the road.

Finally, he reached an abandoned country where the sisters of the same Gorgon lived. Only they could lead the young man to her. The sisters had one eye and one tooth in three. While the younger gorgon was leading with an eye, the others could not do anything. Further across the sky, he flew to the monster. And on the move came across a sleeping jellyfish. Until she woke up, the young man chopped off her head and put it in a bag. And took a course across the sky to his island. So he proved his destiny to the king and, taking his mother, returned to Argos.

Hercules is getting married

Many accomplished feats, slave labor from Queen Omphale took away the strength of Hercules. He wanted a quiet life by the hearth. “It's not difficult to build a house, but you need a loving wife. So we need to find her, ”the hero was making plans.

Once I remembered a boar hunt near Calydon with a local prince and a meeting with his sister Deianira. And he went to South Aetolia to woo. At this time, Deianira was already being given in marriage, and many suitors gathered.

There was also a river god - a monster that the world had never seen. Deianira's father said that he would give his daughter to the one who conquers God. Only Hercules remained of the suitors, since the others, seeing a rival, changed their minds to marry.

Hercules grabbed his opponent with his hands, but he stood like a rock. And so several times. The result for Hercules was almost ready, as the god turned into a snake. The son of Zeus strangled two snakes while still in the cradle, and he coped here too. But the old man became a bull. The hero broke one horn, and he surrendered. The bride became the wife of Hercules.

These are the myths of Ancient Greece.

The myths about the gods and their struggle with giants and titans are set forth mainly on the basis of 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" (Transformation).

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

The mighty, blessed Earth gave birth to the boundless blue Sky - Uranus, and the Sky stretched over the Earth. The high Mountains, born of the Earth, proudly ascended to him, and the eternally rustling Sea spread wide.

Heaven, Mountains and Sea were born by Mother Earth, and they have no father.

Uranus - Heaven - reigned in the world. He took a blessed land for himself. Uranus and Gaia had six sons and six daughters - powerful, formidable titans. Their son, the titan Ocean, flowing around the whole earth like a boundless river, and the goddess Thetis gave birth to all the rivers that roll their waves to the sea, and the sea goddesses - oceanids. Titan Hiperion and Theia gave the world children: the Sun - Helios, the Moon - Selena and the ruddy Dawn - rosy-toed Eos (Aurora). From Astrea and Eos came all the stars that burn in the dark night sky, and all the winds: the stormy north wind Boreas, the east Evrus, the humid south Not and the gentle west wind Zephyr, carrying heavy rain clouds.

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

Uranus hated his giant children, he imprisoned them in the depths of the Earth goddess in deep darkness 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 bowels. She summoned her children, the titans, and persuaded them to rebel against the father of Uranus, but they were afraid to raise their hands on their father. Only the youngest of them, the insidious Cronus, cunningly overthrew his father and took power from him.

The Goddess of the Night gave birth to a whole host of terrible substances as punishment for Cronus: Thanata - death, Eridu - discord, Apatu - deception, Ker - destruction, Hypnos - a dream with a swarm of dark, 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 Cronus 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 - "Iliad" and "Odyssey", glorifying the tribal aristocracy and the Basileus leading it as the best people, standing much higher than 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.

Krohn 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 to the same fate to which he had doomed his father Uranus. He was afraid of his children. And Cronus commanded his wife Rhea to bring him the children who were born and mercilessly swallowed them. Rhea was horrified, seeing the fate of her children. Already five were swallowed by Cronus: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Aida (Hades) and Poseidon.

Rhea did not want to lose her last child either. 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 her cruel father, and gave him a long stone wrapped in swaddling clothes to swallow instead of his son. Cronus did not suspect that he was deceived by his wife.

And Zeus, meanwhile, was growing up in Crete. The nymphs Adrastea and Idea cherished little Zeus, they fed him with the milk of the divine goat Amalfea. Bees carried honey to little Zeus from the slopes of the high mountain of Dikta. At the entrance to the cave, young kuretas hit their shields with swords whenever little Zeus cried so that Cronus would not hear him cry and Zeus would not suffer the fate of his brothers and sisters.

The beautiful and mighty god Zeus grew up and matured. He rebelled against his father and forced him to bring back the children he had absorbed into the world. One after another, from the mouth of Cronus, he cast out his children-gods, beautiful and bright. They began a struggle with Cronus and the Titans for power over the world.

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

Zeus threw fiery lightning and deafening thunders one after another. The fire engulfed the entire earth, the seas boiled, smoke and stench covered everything with a thick veil.

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

But the struggle did not end there. Gaia-Earth was angry with the Olympian Zeus for treating her defeated titan children so harshly. She married the gloomy Tartarus and gave birth to the terrible hundred-headed monster Typhon. Huge, with a hundred dragon heads, Typhon rose from the bowels of the earth. With a wild howl he shook the air. The barking of dogs, human voices, the roar of an angry bull, the roar of a lion were heard in this howl. A stormy flame swirled around Typhon, and the earth trembled under his heavy steps. The gods shuddered with horror But Zeus the Thunderer boldly rushed at him, and the battle broke out. Lightning flashed again in the hands of Zeus, thunder was heard. The earth and the firmament shook to the ground. The earth flared up with a bright flame again, as during the fight against the titans. The seas were seething with Typhon's approach. Hundreds of fiery arrows-lightning of the thunderer Zeus fell; it seemed that from their fire the very air was burning and dark thunderclouds were burning. Zeus incinerated Typhon with all of his hundred heads. Typhon collapsed to the ground; such heat emanated from his body that everything around him melted. Zeus raised the body of Typhon and threw it into the gloomy Tartarus, which gave birth to him. But in Tartarus, Typhon also threatens the gods and all living things. He causes storms and eruptions; he gave birth to the Echidna, half-woman, half-snake, the terrible two-headed dog Orff, the hellish dog Cerberus, the Lernean hydra and the Chimera; Typhon often shakes the ground.

Prologue

The ruler of Olympus, the formidable and almighty Zeus, knew that, by the will of fate, in the upcoming battle of the Olympians with mortal giants, they could only win if the 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 Amphitryon, who ruled in Thebes.

The adorable 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. Therefore, he went for a trick.

After waiting for Amphitryon to go to war, Zeus took his form and appeared before Alcmene, surrounded by soldiers. Faithful Alcmena saw her beloved husband returning from the war, and happily 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 Amphitryon. The couple loved both equally, without making a distinction between them.

Zeus was triumphant - 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 Alcides and decided to destroy him.

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

- Alcmene, you angered the queen of heaven and you will be severely punished for this. Your husband will perish in the battle, your children will perish, 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 desolate place and leave him there alone.

Shedding bitter tears, Alcmene fulfilled Hera's will. However, Zeus vigilantly watched 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 a son. When Hermes delivered the child to Zeus, he ordered to secretly attach it to the divine breast of the sleeping Hera. Alcides began to greedily suck milk, but Hera woke up.

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

Legend has it that when Hera tore Alcides from her breast, milk spurted out of her nipple, and from its drops in the sky a star track was formed, 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 suddenly lit up brightly, and the children woke up. Iphicles, seeing the reptile, fled in fear, and Alcides grabbed the snakes that twisted around his body by the necks with strong arms and strangled them.

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

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

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

Alcides studied with joy and zeal and very soon surpassed Amphitryon 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 a lot of 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 a fit 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 Hera's insidious plan.

Having cleansed himself according to ancient custom from the filth of the murder he had involuntarily committed, Alcides went to the Delphic oracle, the 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 lips of the Pythia, Alcides learned that he had been given a new name and from now on he would be called Hercules, that he had to perform the twelve commands of his master in atonement for his guilt, and that only after that he would receive forgiveness for the shed blood of innocent victims. So Hercules became a 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 messenger Koprey.

The first feat: 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 managed to defeat him, since the evil beast was the product 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 lurked and waited.

And so, when it got dark, a lion appeared: he was returning from a hunt, fed up with a flock of sheep and their shepherd. Seeing Hercules, the beast bristled, its fierce eyes filled with anger, and a lion's roar shook the area, reaching the limits of Olympus.

But the formidable roar and saber-like fangs did not frighten Hercules. He raised his bow, drew the string, and fired an arrow. However, hitting the lion's skin, the arrow flew to the side, without causing any harm to the giant, for his skin was bewitched, and therefore invulnerable.

When Hercules 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 hide helped him to resist. However, the beast hastened to hide in its lair. Fearless Hercules followed him and saw in the pitch darkness two eyes of his enemy glowing like burning torches. The fight continued with renewed vigor.

No one knows whether the struggle lasted for an hour or two, or maybe a day, two or even three, 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 deeds, one more dangerous than the other, decided that it would be nice to remove his wonderful skin from the lion in order to protect himself from the sword and arrows.

However, this turned out to be not easy: 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 cannot 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 protect his head in the future, he removed the skull from the lion and made a helmet out of it.

After defeating the giant Nemean lion and completing his first feat, Hercules set off on the return journey to Mycenae, for a new order from King Eurystheus.

The second feat: Hercules and the Lernaean hydra

The terrible Nemean lion had a monstrous sister - the Lernaean hydra, born of 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 possessions - 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 off 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 the battle with the Lernean monster, Hercules was doomed to death. 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 assignment, he ordered his messenger Koprey to run to the hero and convey to him the order to immediately go to Lerna and kill the hydra.

But before continuing the story about 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 is fraught with, resolutely refused him, but persistent Iolaus broke the resistance of his 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 brought them to the abode of the Lernaean hydra.

The swamps of Lerna were terrible. Poisonous vapors spread over them in a gray mist, 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 den with large armfuls of hay and firewood. Dumping them in a heap, they lit a fire. Hercules heated the tips of his arrows on the fire and began to send them one after the other into the swamp monster.

Feeling the pricks, the hydra woke up from sleep, rose from the fiery stinking slurry and turned to her offender. She was an eerie sight: nine huge disgusting hissing heads with long snake-like tongues sprayed poisonous saliva, swaying in the air.

Hercules jumped 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, but instead of the two who had flown off, four new ones grew, cut down these four, and in return received eight. Soon the Lernaean hydra threatened the hero with fifty heads. Hercules realized that this enemy could not be overcome by force alone. Then he ordered Iolaus to cauterize the fresh wounds of the hydra with burning embers, and the heads did not grow again.

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

Having cut the body of the Lernaean 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: still, Hercules managed to defeat two hitherto invincible monsters - the Nemean lion and the Lernaean 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 Stymphala and practically turned them into the desert, destroying people and livestock. The height of a man, with large copper beaks and claws, they swooped 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 living things. Not a single hero has yet managed to cope with the witch's flock, and the whole land in the area was strewn 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 the vow, put two tympans on his back and boldly set off for Stymphal.

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 omnipotent Zeus if he had cowardly and refused to fight. Many volunteered to go with him, but Hercules, realizing that these brave people were doomed to perish, rejected their offers.

Arriving at the seashore, Hercules climbed a hill that rose above the marshes, and began to beat the tympans. From their deafening thunder, birds of prey soared up, and soon the sky turned black from their mourning plumage. Ares' favorites circled above the ground, and the air shook from their shrill screams. According to legend, that noise reached even Mycenae, and the cowardly Eurystheus rejoiced, hoping that Hercules would not return alive from Stymphalus.

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

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

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

And on the way he was met by joyful people and thanked for ridding their land of winged killers.

Fourth feat: Hercules and Artemis doe

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

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

But the name and glory of Hercules have not faded over the centuries because he never retreated in the face of dangers and boldly accepted any challenge, not being afraid to anger even the gods. Without hesitation, he went to the Arcadian mountains, walked them completely, looking for the shelter of a wonderful doe, and finally found him. But as soon as he had only a glimpse of the swift-footed miracle, the doe darted from its place and, like the wind, was swept away.

The doe ran 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 fall into the hands of the hero, but turned south.

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

Hercules was not going to use the bow, hoping to catch the runaway with his hands, but realized that the prey was slipping away from him, and therefore pulled the bowstring, aimed at the deer and struck her with an arrow in the leg. Hercules grabbed the runaway by the golden horns, took the arrow out of his leg, wrapped the doe's legs with a belt, put it on his back and got ready for the return journey.

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

- Hercules, - she said, - you have already incurred the wrath of Hera and Ares, and now you also want to test my anger! ..

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 King Eurystheus, and therefore the demand was not from him, but from Eurystheus.

“I,” he said, “saved people from the devastating raids of this doe, and I am very happy about that.

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

Feat Five: Hercules and the Erymanthian Boar

The cowardly Eurystheus hoped that after fights with the Nemean lion, the Lernaean 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 Koprey to run to the hero and convey the order to immediately set off for a new feat: to catch and bring from Mount Erimanth the fierce boar, which rages in the forests of Psofida, devastating villages and destroying people.

And Hercules again hurried on his way to, 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 meek in temper and kind-hearted, so he met his friend cordially and opened a keg of glorious wine in honor of the guest.

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

The distressed Hercules continued on his way to Erimanth and, having entered the mountain, began to look for the terrible boar. He soon found it in the woods. The beast was huge, its tusks were as large as human. Artemis managed to warn the Erymanthian boar of the danger, and he was on his guard. Seeing Hercules, he immediately uprooted a huge oak tree and tried to knock down the hero with it. But Hercules dodged and himself wanted to kill the boar with the trunk of this tree, but in time he remembered Eurystheus's order to bring him the beast alive. Throwing stones at the boar, Hercules began to drive him up, to where the 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. 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 - pithos.

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

And Hercules answered:

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

They killed the wild boar, skinned it, planted it on a spit and lit a fire under it. Only the aroma of roasted meat soothed 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 the king Augeas, the son of the sun god Helios.

Feat six: Hercules and the Augean stables

King Augeas, 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 Avgia - Phaethon - shone like a star.

A hundred years in the stables of Avgius were not cleaned, for a hundred years manure was accumulated there. The king many times gave orders to his slaves to clean out the stables, but they could not cope, and Augeas each time killed them for this. Many slaves died, never having managed to cleanse the stables, and now Hercules was sent to Augeas.

Eurystheus rejoiced, reasoning like this: it is one thing to fight monsters, and another to clear dung from that in a year that cannot be cleaned in a lifetime. The cowardly and treacherous king hoped that Hercules would not cope and Augeas would kill him.

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

“It’s not so much for you in a year — in ten years, not to clear my stables, and perhaps in your entire life. However, although your end is clear to me, you must get to work. And if you do not do it within the allotted time, you will be killed immediately.

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

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

- You're a madman! - Augeas laughed. - It is unthinkable to clean out in a day that which could not be cleaned in decades. For such a feat, I would give you three hundred of my best bulls! But you just can't see them as your ears!

But Hercules nevertheless insisted on his own and took a word from Avgius that he would fulfill his promise: he would give him three hundred of the best bulls if the stables were cleaned out in one day. After that, Hercules began 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 Penei. When everything was ready, Hercules directed the rivers along a new channel, and the river water rushed with a powerful stream to the breach in the wall of the stables and carried through the other breach the age-old deposits of manure and other sewage. And in less than a day, the Augean stables were cleaned and washed. After that, Hercules repaired the gaps in the walls, buried the dug ditches and returned the rivers to their former channels, so that there were no traces left.

Augeas wondered much at the result of Hercules' work, realizing that he had lost the dispute. 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 of the way, pick up, hello.

- Okay, - Hercules answered, - but remember: soon I will be a free man again and will definitely come back here to punish you for perjury.

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 Augus and killed him with a deadly arrow. Hercules planted the plain with olives with his own hand and dedicated them to the goddess Athena. And then he made sacrifices to the Olympic gods and established the Olympic Games, held on the sacred plain.

Seventh feat: Hercules and the Cretan bull

Having cleaned out the stables of King Augeus, Hercules received a new task: to catch and deliver to Mycenae alive the Poseidon's bull, who rampaged 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. The enraged Poseidon sent rabies to the bull, and now the bull rushed around the island, exterminating people and livestock, 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 outside their homes. Seeing a terrible monster, everyone scattered in fear.

Knowing that the bull must be brought to Mycenae alive, Hercules weaved a large and strong net from a thin copper thread. Having blocked the path of the bull, he began to tease him, shout and throw stones at him.

The bull roared, his eyes were bloodshot, and, putting out terrible horns, he rushed to Hercules. However, the bull fell into a spread network and got entangled in it, and the mighty Hercules grabbed him by the horns and bent the bull's head to the ground. The formidable Poseidon bull was tamed.

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

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

Eight feat: Hercules and Diomede's horses

After Hercules miraculously defeated the Nemean lion, coped with the Lernaean hydra, caught the Artemis doe, defeated the Erymanthian boar, exterminated the Stymphalian birds, cleaned the Augean stables and tamed the Poseidon bull, King Eurystheus thought hard. He gave Hercules such tasks that no mortal can accomplish; Hercules entered into a duel with such monsters, which it was not possible to defeat. Nevertheless, the hero emerged from all trials with honor, showing miracles of courage and ingenuity. What new task could Eurystheus give him so that the hero could not afford it? 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, lived and ruled over the Bistonian people, and that Diomedes had unprecedented horses in strong copper-walled stables, all black, swift-footed like the wind, and voracious like cannibals. They ate human flesh, and Diomedes fed them to foreigners who entered his country. It seemed that even Hercules could not defeat 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 the herd in it, and sailed from Argolis.

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

In those days, Admet was in great grief. Shortly before the arrival of Hercules, the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, Hades, intended to take him to him. The messenger sent from him, Thanatos, the god of death, conveyed to Admet the will of Hades: “Admet, get ready! I will pick you up! However, I can allow you to 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 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 Alkestida! Without saying a word to anyone, she persuaded Thanatos to take her instead of Admet, and the death god drew his formidable sword, cut off a lock of hair for the lovely Alkestide, after which she died, thereby prolonging the life of Admet. And so he had lost his beloved wife and was now in mourning.

However, seeing a friend on the doorstep, Admet did not show Hercules his grief, but kissed the dear guest and ordered a feast to be arranged in his honor. But the shrewd 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: I will return your Alkestida to you! "

Hercules knew that on the first night after the death of a person, Thanatos should come for his shadow and that there should be no one near the deceased. Therefore, when everyone fell asleep, our hero crept into the chambers of Alkestida and hid there, trapping 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. All night long their duel continued, and at dawn Hercules knocked the winged god down and tied him tightly. After that, threatening to break the sword of Thanatos, Hercules made God swear that he would return Alkestida 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 at sea, he sailed from the Thessalian shores 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 hero's arrival. Therefore, as soon as he went ashore, a hundred Diomedean warriors rushed at him. Hercules fought with them for a long time, until he killed them all, and then went to Diomedes' stables, tightly entangled his terrible horses in chains, reliably wrapped their muzzles around them and drove them to his ship. At this time, Diomedes with a team of warriors attacked Hercules, but after three days of battle, the Bistones were defeated. 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 laid down on a return course and after the allotted time arrived in Mycenae. Hercules drove the bloodthirsty Diomed horses into the Eurystheus stables and went to the king for a new assignment.

And the terrified Eurystheus again hid in his bronze vessel and ordered to open the gates of the stables and release the horses at once. His order was carried out, and when the freed horses rushed to the dense forests of Olympus, Zeus sent wolves on them, which lifted them all to a man.

Hercules received a new task from Eurystheus: to go and get Hippolyta's belt for him.

Feat Nine: Hercules and Hippolyta's Belt

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

The famous heroes Theseus, Peleus and Telamon, having heard that Hercules had 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.

It took many days before their ship reached the broad sandy shores of the Amazon country. As soon as they got ashore, the heroes found themselves surrounded by beautiful female warriors, confidently handling 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 this is Theseus, Peleus and Telamon. I was sent here at the behest of King Eurystheus of Mycenae to deliver your wonderful belt to him. I am forced to ask you for him by the will of the goddess Hera, whose priestess is the daughter of Eurystheus. Will you give it up of your own free will or will I have to take it by force?

Queen Hippolyta did not feel any desire to fight the beautiful strangers, so she replied that she would give them the belt voluntarily. But the vengeful Hera, overhearing their conversation, flew into a rage at Hippolyta's compliance. She turned into an Amazon, approached the queen and began to embarrass and frighten 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 minds, the warriors pounced on 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 army, Melanippe, were captured.

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

Feat ten: Hercules and Herion's flock

Hercules performed his tenth feat at the very end of the earth: he drove a herd of cows that belonged to the giant Geryon to Mycenae.

Geryon was the son of the giant Chrysaor and the oceanis Calliroi. 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 shores of Africa. There he went through the whole desert of Libya and

reached the end of the world, where there is a strait between Europe and Africa. Here Hercules decided to make a stop and, in memory of the exploits and ordeals that befell him, 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 Erifeia. There were no trees nearby, and there was nothing to build a raft from. Helios was already descending to the waters of the ocean, and its rays blinded and scorched Hercules. He, in anger, directed his deadly bow at God, but Helios, struck by such a mortal's courage, 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 Erithea. Take my round canoe, forged of gold and silver by the god Hephaestus, and sail on it to the island. But know: it will not be easy to defeat Geryon; he has three torsos, fused at the waist, three heads and three pairs of arms and legs. Fighting, he shoots three arrows at once and throws three spears.

But the son of Zeus was not afraid of meeting such an enemy. He thanked Helios, got into a round canoe and sailed to Erifeia.

Having reached the island of the terrible Geryon and gone 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, barked at the hero, but fell from the blow of a heavy club.

Hercules coped with the giant shepherd and drove the cows to the shore. Geryon heard the mooing of the cows and went to the herd. The battle with the multi-armed giant was very difficult, but Hercules overpowered him and loaded the cows onto the canal. Having crossed from the island, he returned the canoe to Helios, and placed Geryon's flock on the ship.

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

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

On the shores of the Ionian Sea, Hera sent rabies on the cows, and they fled in different directions. Again Hercules had to find them. Finally, he drove the herd to Mycenae, where Eurystheus sacrificed the cows to the goddess Hera.

Feat Eleven: Hercules and Hades Kerber

Hercules had two deeds left to accomplish, and King Eurystheus was beside himself with despair and fear, thinking to what other monster to send Hercules so that he finally finds his death? How to lime the hated hero and thereby please the goddess Hera? Eurystheus did not manage to come up with anything and in despair 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 didn’t make you a king so that you would tremble before your slave. And I will not allow Hercules to continue winning victories. We will send it to a no return location. Tell him to go down to Hades and bring the watchdog Cerberus from there! He won't be able to return alive!

Eurystheus was overjoyed and, thanking Hera, ordered to convey to Hercules his will: to bring Hades's dog to him alive!

Kerber had three heads, snakes wriggled around his neck, and at the end of his tail was the head of a dragon 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 of the dead, the hero 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, accompanying him on a campaign behind 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 approached the throne of Hades and told him that he had come for Cerberus.

“Don’t hinder me,” he said. “I’ll take him away anyway!”

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

Hercules threw all his weapons and, jumping to the monstrous Cerberus, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and lifted him into the air. Snakes hissed, wriggling at the dog on the back of the neck, all three heads of the terrible dog were spinning from side to side, trying to bite him, but Hercules tightly squeezed his throat, and the half-choked Kerber could not resist.

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

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

Hercules laughed at the king's cowardice, returned to the entrance to the kingdom of the dead, threw Kerberus there and went to Eurystheus for the last task.

Feat twelve: Hercules and the Hesperides' apples

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

To accomplish it, the hero had to go through many trials and perform many valiant deeds, gain many victories in battle, 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 kind 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 the golden apples from it! If you bring it, I’ll set you free, but if you don’t bring it, you will perish!

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

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

Thanking Athena, Hercules went to the seashore and, hiding, waited for Nereus. They had to wait a long time, but at last the old man Nereus emerged 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 guises, turning into a dog, then a ram, then a bull, then a horse, but he did not succeed in deceiving 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 at the very end of the earth, where Atlas holds the firmament on his mighty shoulders, and the garden of the Hesperides and the guardian-monster Ladon with a single but very keen eye are guarding.

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 to the gods, Zeus chained Prometheus to Elbrus, sentencing him to eternal suffering. For many thousands of years he endured great torments. Every day, Zeus' favorite, an eagle, flew to him and pecked at his liver. However, Prometheus bravely endured the torment and did not ask for mercy. Hercules venerated the hero and had long wanted to free him.

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

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

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

Having met Hercules, he invited him to a duel and said that the vanquished - death! The two strongmen met in a stubborn fight. It was not possible to defeat Antaeus, but soon Hercules noticed that as soon as he lifted the enemy off the ground, he noticeably weakened, and once on the ground, he regained strength. Then Hercules grabbed Antaeus stronger, lifted him into the air and held him until he finally completely exhausted himself and gave up.

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

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 obtained warmth and light, I will free you. I am not afraid of either Zeus or the wrath of the Olympians!

Just at this 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 the Promethean liver.

Unafraid of the messenger of Zeus, Hercules pulled the string of his bow and shot a deadly arrow towards the eagle. The eagle struck by it uttered a piercing cry and fell like a stone into the sea.

Then Hercules rested his foot on the rock, pulled on the chain with which Prometheus was shackled, 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 arose, the sky turned black, huge waves beat against the rocks, and hailstones the size of a hen's egg fell from the heavens. Olympus was angry and Zeus was raging. The almighty lord of the gods wanted to immediately exterminate Hercules, but the wise Athena intervened, reminding him that Hercules must participate on the side of the Olympians in their battle with the giants and that their success in this battle depends on it. Zeus had to humble his anger, but so that his will would not be violated, 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 in 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 path, Hercules found himself in front of Atlanta. He stood with his feet in the sea and propped up the vault of heaven with his mighty shoulders, and behind him was a wonderful garden, where golden apples glittered in golden foliage, exuding a delicate aroma.

Hercules told Atlanta his name, explained the purpose of his appearance here and asked to bring him three apples. Atlas replied that he would willingly fulfill his request if the guest changed him for a while and held the sky. Hercules agreed. This burden was heavy! Hercules' strong bones cracked, muscles tensed and swelled, sweat streamed down his mighty body, but the son of Zeus kept the firmament. Atlas went into the garden, picked the apples and, returning to Hercules, invited him to hold the firmament 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 soothe the pain. Hold on a little vault ...

The foolish Atlas again threw the firmament on his shoulders, and the clever Hercules raised his bow and quiver with arrows, took the club and the 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 declare to all the people that Hercules 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 ill will, our hero killed his friend Iphit, for which he was sold into slavery for three years to the evil and contentious queen Omphale. During this time, he endured innumerable suffering and bullying, lost his loving wife Deianira, 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 Aheloy in battle, killed the centaur Ness, punished King Laomendont, helped his father Zeus in the battle with the giants ...