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Heracles
Greek mythology · hero · strength, endurance
The greatest of Greek heroes, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Driven to madness by Hera, he atoned through twelve impossible labors, and after death was raised to Olympus as a god.
Stories
The Labors of Heracles
Driven mad by Hera, Heracles kills his own family. In atonement he must serve King Eurystheus and perform twelve labors, the Nemean lion, the Hydra, the Cerberus descent, trials that win him immortality.
The Apples of the Hesperides
For the eleventh labor Heracles must fetch golden apples no mortal may pick. He frees Prometheus from his eagle for directions, then holds up the sky while Atlas fetches the fruit; when the Titan is slow to take the burden back, Heracles tricks him into it and walks away.