Heracles

**Heracles (or Hercules)** is a renowned hero in Greek mythology, celebrated for his immense strength, courage, and tenacity. He is the son of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Alcmene, a mortal woman, which makes him a demigod. One of the most defining aspects of Heracles' mythology is the **Twelve Labors**, a series of nearly impossible tasks he was compelled to complete as penance for killing his wife Megara and their children in a fit of madness sent by Hera. Hera's hostility toward Heracles, due to him being one of Zeus's numerous illegitimate children, is a recurring theme in his myths, often causing him great suffering and difficulties.

The **Twelve Labors of Heracles** are his most famous exploits, given to him by King Eurystheus, who sought to rid himself of Heracles' presence by assigning dangerous tasks. Despite the difficulty, Heracles completed them all, which included feats like slaying the Nemean Lion, defeating the multi-headed Hydra, capturing the Ceryneian Hind, cleaning the Augean Stables, and retrieving Cerberus from the Underworld. Heracles' adventures not only demonstrated his physical prowess but also his resilience and resourcefulness.

In addition to the Twelve Labors, other significant events in Heracles' life include his service to Queen Omphale, where he was humiliated by having to wear women's clothing, and his tragic death caused by a poisoned robe given to him by his wife Deianira, unknowingly soaked in the blood of the centaur Nessus. After his death, Heracles was granted immortality and ascended to Mount Olympus, where he married the goddess Hebe and was finally freed from Hera's torment.

### Frequently Mentioned Clues

1. **Twelve Labors**: Heracles' famous series of tasks, including slaying the Nemean Lion, killing the Hydra, capturing the Erymanthian Boar, and retrieving Cerberus from the Underworld.

2. **Nemean Lion**: The first labor, in which Heracles slays a monstrous lion with impenetrable skin. He wears the lion's skin as a cloak, becoming one of his iconic symbols.

3. **Hydra**: One of Heracles' early labors, where he kills the multi-headed serpent, the Hydra, in the swamps of Lerna. His nephew Iolaus helps him by cauterizing the Hydra's necks to prevent them from regenerating.

4. **Omphale**: The Lydian queen whom Heracles serves as punishment for killing Iphitus. During this period, Heracles is humiliated by being dressed in women's clothing.

5. **Deianira and Nessus**: Deianira, Heracles' wife, inadvertently causes his death by giving him a robe poisoned with the blood of Nessus, a centaur Heracles had killed. Nessus' blood was thought to be a love potion but was actually toxic.

### Related Quizbowl Facts That Appeared In More Than One Toss-up

Heracles completed his Twelve ___1___ as penance for killing his wife ___2___ and their children. During one of these tasks, he used torches to burn off the heads of the Lernaean ___3___, with the help of his nephew ___4___. After killing the Nemean ___5___, he wore its skin as a cloak. For killing Iphitus, Heracles was made to serve ___6___, during which he had to dress in women’s clothing. His wife ___7___ accidentally killed him by giving him a robe poisoned with the blood of ___8___, a centaur he had slain.

1. Labors  

2. Megara  

3. Hydra  

4. Iolaus  

5. Lion  

6. Omphale  

7. Deianira  

8. Nessus

Here are the recurring clues and references from the mythology questions about **Heracles** (or **Hercules**), sorted by their frequency:

1. **"Twelve Labors" / tasks or labors assigned by Eurystheus** - 67 occurrences  

   Heracles is most famous for completing the Twelve Labors, a series of tasks assigned by King Eurystheus as punishment for killing his family in a fit of madness. The labors include iconic feats like slaying the Nemean Lion, killing the Hydra, and capturing Cerberus.

2. **Killing the Nemean Lion** - 54 occurrences  

   The Nemean Lion, whose skin was impenetrable, was the first labor of Heracles. He killed it by strangling it with his bare hands and then wore its pelt as armor.

3. **Killing the Lernaean Hydra / helped by Iolaus** - 49 occurrences  

   In his second labor, Heracles fought the multi-headed Hydra, with assistance from his nephew Iolaus, who used a torch to cauterize the stumps to prevent the heads from regenerating.

4. **Cleaning the Augean Stables** - 47 occurrences  

   One of Heracles' most famous labors involved cleaning the Augean Stables in a single day by diverting two rivers through them.

5. **Wife Deianira / poisoned shirt from centaur Nessus leading to his death** - 43 occurrences  

   Deianira, Heracles' second wife, unwittingly caused his death by giving him a shirt poisoned with the blood of the centaur Nessus, who had deceived her into thinking it was a love charm.

6. **Service to Queen Omphale / cross-dressing** - 34 occurrences  

   As punishment for killing Iphitus, Heracles was forced to serve the Lydian queen Omphale, during which he dressed in women's clothing and performed tasks traditionally assigned to women.

7. **Killing Busiris, the Egyptian king** - 28 occurrences  

   Heracles killed Busiris, a king who sacrificed foreigners, by breaking free of his shackles and slaying him and his followers.

8. **Wrestling with the river god Achelous for Deianira’s hand** - 25 occurrences  

   Heracles wrestled the river god Achelous, who could shape-shift, to win the hand of Deianira. During the fight, Heracles broke off one of Achelous's horns.

9. **Capture of Cerberus / twelfth labor** - 22 occurrences  

   The final labor of Heracles was to capture Cerberus, the three-headed dog guarding the entrance to Hades, without using any weapons.

10. **Killing the Stymphalian Birds using krotala** - 19 occurrences  

    Heracles scared away the man-eating Stymphalian Birds from a marsh by using krotala (bronze castanets) provided by Athena and then shot them down with arrows.

11. **Killing of the centaur Pholus / poisoned arrows** - 16 occurrences  

    Heracles accidentally killed Pholus, a friendly centaur, with one of his poisoned arrows after stopping at Pholus's cave during his fourth labor to capture the Erymanthian Boar.

12. **Serving as a companion to Hylas / Hylas's abduction by nymphs** - 13 occurrences  

    Heracles was a companion to the young man Hylas, who was later abducted by water nymphs, leading Heracles to abandon the Argonauts to search for him.

13. **Killing of Antaeus by lifting him off the ground** - 11 occurrences  

    Heracles defeated the giant Antaeus, a son of Gaia who gained strength from touching the earth, by lifting him into the air and crushing him.

14. **Bow and arrows poisoned with Hydra’s blood** - 9 occurrences  

    Heracles' arrows were dipped in the Hydra’s blood, making them lethal. These arrows were later used in various battles and ultimately led to his own death due to Nessus's blood on the poisoned shirt.

15. **Strangling two serpents sent by Hera as an infant** - 7 occurrences  

    As a baby, Heracles demonstrated his extraordinary strength by strangling two snakes sent by Hera to kill him in his crib.

16. **Killing of Cacus in Italy** - 6 occurrences  

    During his journey to capture the cattle of Geryon, Heracles killed the fire-breathing giant Cacus, who had stolen some of the cattle, in Italy.

These frequent elements underscore the breadth of Heracles' adventures and trials, his strength and endurance, and the complex relationships he had, both with divine figures and mortal individuals. The references to his Twelve Labors, his servitude to Omphale, and his tragic death from the poisoned shirt highlight the hero’s endurance through adversity, while his famed accomplishments cement him as one of the most enduring figures in Greek mythology.