Full Description
Hercules battled gods, men and monsters in a lifetime of violence and destruction. Today, Hercules is best known for his 'twelve labours', a series of near-impossible tasks assigned to him as punishment for the killing of his wife and children. During those tasks, he slew the multi-headed hydra, wrestled with Cerberus, hound of the underworld, and stole the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Yet even when his labours were done, his adventures continued. Hercules led armies, sacked cities, fought against the gods, and then joined forces with the gods in the great war known as 'The Gigantomachy'. This book tells the complete story of this legendary warrior, including information on the classical sources, his deification and cult, and his continuing popularity as a character in film, television and comic books.
Contents
Introduction /What's in a Name /Classical Sources /Chapter I: Price of Thebes /The Birth of Heracles /The Wrath of Hera /Exile /The Minyan Horse /Divine Madness /Chapter II: The Twelve Labors /The Nemean Lion /The Lernaean Hydra /The Ceryneian Hind /The Erymanthian Boar /The Augean Stables /The Stymphalian Birds /The Cretan Bull /The Mares of Diomedes /The Girdle of Hippolyta /The Cattle of Geryon /The Apples of the Hesperides / The Hound of Hades / Chapter III: The Living Legend /Revenge on Augeas /God vs. God /Gigantomachy /Winning Deianeira /The Shirt of Nessus /Apotheosis
