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The Lord was tired of thinking tasks out. He did not know whether there was something which could destroy Heracles. An idea comes to him but after proper thinking the Lord understands that Heracles manages this task as well. Finally the Lord decided to send Heracles to the very world's end, from there Heracles for sure wouldn't return. Not delaying this matter he called Heracles and ordered him to obtain apples from the Hesperides's garden. Heracles roamed about the world and finally reached the West of Africa where the giant Atlas supported the heavens upon his shoulders. Heracles offered to hold for some time Atlas's burden while Atlas should go to his daughters and take their apples. Atlas was glad to take rest for a little and soon he brought three sparkling apples. But Atlas liked to be walking without his burden so he said that he was going to bring those apples himself to the Lord. Heracles understood his intentions. He guessed that only ruse might help him to overcome the giant. He asked Atlas to support the heavens while he searched for something that could hold it for the time they both would be absent. The giant believed this trick and in hopes that soon he gets free. So he took the heavens on his shoulders and Heracles took gold apples, waved his hand to say good-bye and started his way back home.
Having performed these 12 labours Heracles was set free and cleared up from his sins. He passed the ceremony of clearance from the blood he shedded . Heracles was dreaming of a life of a free man. He came back to city he lived before and divorced with his wife thinking that this marriage was not pleasing for Gods. So he gave her in marriage with his nephew and friend that helped him so many times.
Heracles started many wars and won all of them. One day he decided to get married with a beautiful girl, daughter of a king. Many guys wooed her but the king decided that only that one could marry her who could shoot arrows better than he did. Heracles managed it; no single arrow was beside the mark. This girl was very glad to marry such a brave man but someone told to the king about Heracles's sin of infanticide. Heracles left this land being offended and angry. At the same time a son of Hermes has stolen horses and donkeys from that king. So Heracles was suspected in this stealing as if it was his revenge. Iphitus, the son of this king did not believe such a story, he liked Heracles so much that did not want to think about such possibility. He followed Heracles and told him about the suspicions. He offered Heracles to find a real thief. But in this moment Hera sent again the attack of madness to Heracles and being under this attack Heracles killed Iphitus, having thrown the latter down from the highest tower of that age. Zeus himself was angry with Heracles for his fault. Now nothing could help the hero, all gods refused to forgive Heracles this perfidious murder. Only one God - Apollo - took compassion and demanded great charge for the atonement of this sin: to be in slavery for some three years more. Without hesitating Heracles agreed. He sold himself to slavery. Merchants purchased him and brought to Asia to Omphale. According to the order of Omphale Heracles gave money he received for himself to the father of Iphitus, to lesson his loss.
Heracles at Omphala's
Thus the widow Queen became the owner of the most famous hero of Greece. There were a lot of rumours about Heracles's life in this thraldom. Some people told that he was wearing women's clothes, hackled and spun wool and did any other women's labours. Sometimes he had even to dance for the Queen while she was wearing his lion fell. But even this humiliating slavery did not prevent Heracles from others feats to support his fame. He conquered two dangerous and cruel robbers, participated in voyage against the Amazons. When he returned from this voyage he presented to the Queen a pole-axe, which he took from amazons.
After his three years of slavery with Omphale Heracles was free. He multiplied his fame as a courageous and unconquerable warrior. And first of all he took revenge on those who deceived him. The first one in this row was the king which did not pay properly Heracles for saving his daughter from the monster. He equipped a great flotilla and undertook voyage to Troy. Heracles destroyed and devastated Troy killed the king and all his sons. The daughter of this King, whom he has saved, Heracles gave to marriage with one of his warriors. On the way back home the ship faced storm, which was sent by Hera. Heracles was on the verge of death. Fortunately Zeus learnt about it and saved Heracles from death. Zeus punished Hera cruelly for all her faults. He chained Hera with gold shackles and fixed a heavy anvil on each of her legs.
Another trip of Heracles was against the King Augeas, which did not pay Heracles for the clearance of his Stables. Heracles conquered Augeas's forces, killed the king and put his son on the throne. On the way back Heracles visited a city to ask the Deianeira's hand in marriage, the Oeonus King's daughter. Nearly at the same time another hero came to this city to do the same. This hero was a wonder himself: his hairs were adorned by cane; body was covered by green clothes. He could turn into the bul, snake or a man with the head of a bull. Deianeira liked more Heracles. That is why she was glad when Heracles decided to fight for her with that monster. In this struggle the monster was overcome. It did not help him even his ability to turn into the snake: Heracles learned killing snaked from his childhood. Then this monster turned into the bull but Heracles conquered him here as well, having broken one of his horns. Thus our famous hero received beautiful Deianeira as a wife. She loved Heracles very much. They lived together several years, gave birth to their son.
One day Heracles and his wife decided to visit their neighbor, a king with whom they were great friends. They came up to the river. A centaur used to bring them to another bank on hic back. Heracles offered giant to bring Deianeira to another bank on centaur's back and was going to swim the river across himself. Suddenly Heracles heard a loud shout; He looked at centaur and saw that the latter was running away with Deianeira. Without hesitating Heracles sent his poisoned arrow t the giant. It was a great shot, the centaur was destroyed. When centaur felt that he was dying, he decided to revenge. He said to Deianeira that his blood was magic: he advised Deianeira to take some of his blood and keep it as a magic potion for the case if Heracles stopped loving her. Deianeira did not see anything wrong with it, so she took centaur's blood. She has absolutely forgotten that this blood already mixed up with the poison from arrows! Or long this blood was kept in a hiding-place, because Deianeira and Heracles lived in love.
In some time Heracles remembered that he has been insulted by another King. That very King which refused to give his daughter to marriage with Heracles having said that Heracles did not deserved. Moreover that king blamed Heracles for stealing his horses. So Heracles gathered an army and went to punish this King. Heracles's vengeance was dreadful: Heracles devastated the city, killed the King and his daughter, he was earlier going to marry with, he sent to serve his wife. So Heracles forwarded his booty home and meanwhile decided to thank Zeus for protecting him in all his undertakings. Heracles climbed a high mountain and performed sacrificing. The only his fault now was that he did not tell to anyone why he stayed for long somewhere, did not come back home with the others. Deianeira missed him very much. She could not understand where he stopped and why he did not return for so long. Moreover she learned that the latest his voyage Heracles undertook because of the girl, which was now in her service. The jealousy and fear to lose Heracles's love took her over. Deianeira imbued clothes with the blood of the centaur and sent it t Heracles, willing by this to revive his love to her.
But soon she learned which misfortune was brought by this magic potion. Her son came and told that as soon as Heracles put on these clothes his body was taken with an awful pain over. An unconquerable hero, which no one and nothing could frighten, fell a victim of the involuntary crime of his own loving wife.
The poison from centaur's blood penetrated the Heracles' body and brought him unbearable suffering. He could not stop moaning and crying, he tore his clothes off, tearing out pieces of his own body. Having learned what she has done, Deianeira sent her son back to the father to tell him that it was not her fault, that this crime happened because of her strong love to him. In despair she took a sword and pierced chest with it.
When Heracles was told about all this he understood that the end of his life is approaching. He ordered to bring him to the high mountain and made a pile there. He stepped in it and asked his friends to set it on fire, but no one dared to do it. Only after long insisting persuasions one of Heracles's young friends stand out and agreed to do it. With heavy heart he set it on the fire. For it Heracles gave him his famous bow and arrows, which have never been beside the mark. The pile was growing and soon swallowed up the hero. Soon a spring appeared from the earth and extinguished the fire. All suburbs sank in the darkness and a thunder covered the earth. The hero, the biggest and the strongest of ever lived on the Earth, rose to the heavens as a sparkling cloud. He rose to the mountain Olympus, where Zeus and all other immortal gods was waiting for him. Here he made friends with Hera, whose pursuits helped Heracles to get eternal fame. His wife on the heavens was Hebe, goddess of youth. Here Heracles tried for the first time a drink that keeps perpetual youth and gives immortality.
Since that he lives a blessed life among gods and people living on the Earth render homage him as a deity. Poplar, olive, weeping willow and all places where hot springs outcrop are dedicated to Heracles.
12 feats: The first feat / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11
Apollon / Daedalus / Minos / Zeus
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