The 12 labours of Hercules – 1

Have you heard about the great hero Hercules, whom the Greeks called Heracles? He was the son of Zeus, the king of gods, and a mortal woman named Alcmene. Hera, the wife of Zeus, hated Hercules and tried to harm him. When he was just a baby, she sent two snakes to kill him in his cot. But Hercules killed the snakes instead.

Hera continued to persecute Hercules all his life. In a fit of madness caused by Hera, Hercules killed his wife and children. When he recovered, he was overcome with guilt and asked the Oracle of Delphi what he should do to gain forgiveness. The oracle told him to serve his cousin Eurystheus, king of Tiryns and Mycenae. However, Eurystheus hated Hercules and did his best to get him killed.

He set 12 difficult tasks and these are known as the 12 labours of Hercules. Watch this video for the story of the first labour.