Children's Fairy Tales Group
Hercules' Struggle

After killing and skinning the lion, Hercules brought his skin to King Eurystheus.

"Now go up against the Hydra of Lerna, a monstrous seven-headed beast. His poisonous breaths had killed many people. Kill the beast!". said King Eurystheus as he received the lion's skin. He gave a second task to Hercules.

So Go Hercules accompanied by Lolaus, his close friend.When they reached the lake of Lerna, Hercules kissed and felt the atmosphere of death, and the silence was gripping. Hydra is invisible. Hercules threw a stone into the lake and lit a torch while shouting he managed to tease the beast. Suddenly the lake churned around and Hydra poked out rapidly as its mouth spouted poison towards Hercules and Lolaus. Hercules slashed his sword at the head of the Hydra, but from each slashed head immediately grew two more heads.

"Lolaus! Take the torch, after I cut off one of his heads immediately burn the wound!" shout Hercules.

"Yes." answered Lolaus, trembling with fear. He quickly carried out what he was told, matched his torch to Hydra's severed neck, and the beast's head grew no more. Hydra is finally dead.

Before returning to Tiryn, Hercules dipped the tips of his arrows into the blood of the beast, and thus he poisoned all his arrows.

King Eurystheus did not expect Hercules to return safely. As soon as Hercules arrived he had already prepared his next task. He was ordered to capture the wild boar Erymanthus, a very large animal that often kidnapped people and then killed them.

When facing the beast, Hercules felt no fear. When the beast attacked, it quickly jumped away. Suddenly the boar fled, Hercules immediately ambushed and caught him. The beast was taken to King Eurystheus, who, fearing him, fled and hid himself in a large barrel.

The next order that Hercules must carry out is to capture Ceryneia who was sacred to Diana. Ceryneia is a doe with golden horns and silver hooves that can run at speeds like the wind.

The fifth commandment to be carried out by Hercules was to drive out and kill the giant birds. The birds had copper beaks, wings, and feathers, the feathers sharp as arrows. The birds took control of Lake Tymphalus and committed murder against humans.

Hercules felt no trepidation or hesitation. He ransacked and made the birds out of their nests. Hercules managed to kill a large number of birds with his arrows that had been poisoned with Hydra blood. the other birds fled because of the whistle Hercules received from the goddess Minerva as a gift.

The next task, the sixth commandment for Hercules, was to seize the belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons who had a female army. Hippolyta's belt is very impressive, woven of gold and studded stabbing. Hercules and some of his companions upon arriving at the Amazon palace went straight to Queen Hippolyta, and with great subtlety and courtesy Hercules requested that the belt be presented to him.

As soon as the beautiful Queen Hippolyta's Majesty agreed to give her the belt. But when the belt was about to be given to Hercules, the goddess Juno appeared disguised as one of the Amazons' female soldiers, shouting that Hercules was about to rob the Queen. Hearing that, the Amazons female soldiers came and attacked Hercules and his comrades. In the battle one of Hercules' arrows struck and killed Hippolyta. Hercules was surprised. Hugging the body of Hippolyta who had become a corpse he cried regretting the incident.

Eurystheus was overjoyed to have the belt of Hippolyta. He then gave the next commandment, the seventh task that Hercules had to perform, which in one day should be able to clean the stable of King Augeas. The king had thousands of cows grazing in various Padang.

Every day the animals return to their enormous enclosures, and for 30 years they have not been cleaned. In the cages have accumulated an unspeakable amount of dirt, and inhabited an assortment of disgusting caterpillars and flies. From the cage spread an unbearable stench. Cleaning it in one day was impossible, but Hercules accepted it.

Near the cage flowed two large rivers. From the surrounding hills he built a dam to divert the flow of the river through the cages, thus the stream washed away all the dirt in it. Seeing this, Eurystheus felt despair and began to think that he would never succeed in freeing himself from the shadow of Hercules.

END