Children's Fairy Tales Group
Living With the Gods

Hercules had accomplished all seven commandments of King Eurystheus. The eighth task, was to capture the horses of King Diomedes, a terrible wild horse, able to spurt fire-flashes from its nose and eat human flesh. And Hercules had to catch the bull Creta, which had destroyed all the pastures and slaughtered the sheep of the shepherds on the Island, and caught the red bulls belonging to the giant Geryon, a giant beast with two legs, three bodies, three heads and six arms. Hercules captured all the animals and brought them to King Eurystheus.

"Hercules, my nephew, you know that far west there is an island.There the Hesperides guarded the golden apple that was sacred to Jupiter. Nevertheless, I want a portion of the golden apple" said King Eurystheus.

Without many words Hercules immediately set out to fulfill the task. After a long journey Hercules reached the island of the Hesperides and stole some of the golden apples, and handed them over to King Eurystheus, his uncle.

King Eurystheus finally gave his last task, which was to capture Cerberus, a barking dog with three heads, who guarded the gates of the Kingdom of Death.

What Hercules did was inappropriate in stealing Cerberus from Pluto, Jupiter's brother. He therefore faces Pluto and humbly asks permission to take the Dog. Pluto knows how the hero must be forgiven.

"Alright, go there, but beware you have to face it yourself without a weapon" replied Pluto.

"Thank you, King" said Hercules.

Only with his bare hands did Hercules confront Cerberus who defended himself in vain. When he managed to capture the third base of his neck, the Westerner finally gave up. The beast then followed Hercules obediently, going to face Eurystheus.

When he saw the arrival of the dog from the Kingdom of Death, King Eurystheus cried out in fear.

"Take the beast away, Hercules! Go away, and never come back again......!"

After completing the twelve labors with great difficulty, Hercules received a pardon from the gods, then left Tiryn and began to wander the world. He did hundreds of adventures by defeating wild animals, punishing the bad guys, and helping the weak.

Eventually Hercules arrived at the court of Aetolia, and fell in love with a beautiful maiden Princess of a king named Deianira. But the Princess has been betrothed to Anchelous, a giant sorcerer who is able to transform into a snake, a bull, and even a goat-headed man.

With a sudden turn of Anchelous into a bull and attack Hercules. Hercules managed to snatch and break one of his horns. Anchelous then turned into a human again.

"Enough, you have defeated me. Take the girl," he said. Thus Hercules married Deianira, and they wandered, following his fate, throughout the region, facing every kind of adventure. Beautiful indeed, but by fate has been determined not to last long.

once, having to wade through the great river Euenas and overflow its waters, Hercules asked Nessus, a Centaurus, a half-horse, half-human creature.

"By pleasure, Hercules. I'll take your wife across, " answered Nessus, then raise Deianira on her back, and immediately escape.

Hearing the cry of his wife, Hercules immediately aimed at the poisoned arrow and hit Nessus' body.

"Deianira, I feel that death has approached me. I don't really want to insult you, but just want to show you my love" said the half-horse half-human beast in a dying state.

"To get your forgiveness I want to tell you that with my blood you can make a magic potion.If one day Hercules no longer loves you, tell him to wear the robe you dipped in the potion..... He will love you again more than ever before." having said so Nessus met his end.

A few years later, fearing that Hercules would not love her anymore, Deianira dipped a piece of the robe in a straight viscous blood potion and put it on her husband. But something terrible happened. Nessus had lied, He knew that the arrow that had killed him was a poisoned arrow, and he wanted revenge. The poison then burned Hercules' body like a flame.

In agony Hercules tried to remove the cloak, but in vain. The robe seemed to have seeped into his skin and tortured him. Unable to endure the torment, Hercules lifted up a pile of firewood and set himself on fire.

The end of Hercules' life...... However, in return for his efforts to complete the tasks given, Jupiter raised Hercules to the Peak of Mount Olympus!

END