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* The Stymphalian birds |
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* The Cerynian Hind |
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* The Cernyian Hind |
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* The Stymphalian Birds |
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The Oracle told him that as a penance he would have to perform a series of ten tasks set by the man he hated the most, King Eurystheus. There was an enmity between Eurystheus and Heracles as by right Heracles should've been king but Eurystheus's birth was induced early by Hera and Heracles' delayed so that Heracles would not be king. |
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The Oracle told him that as a penance he would have to perform a series of ten tasks set by the man he hated the most, King Eurystheus. There was an enmity between Eurystheus and Heracles as by right Heracles should've been king but Eurystheus's birth was induced early by Hera and Heracles' delayed so that Heracles would not be king. This came to be when Zeus, having impregnated Alcmene proclaimed that the next son born of the house of Perseus would become king; Hera, hearing this caused Eurystheus to be born two months early as he was of the house of Perseus (though evidently not in character!), while Heracles was three months overdue. When he found out what had been done Zeus was furious, however, his rash proclamation still stood. |
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The fifth task set to Heracles was to clean the Augean stables in a single day. This reasoning behind this labour was twofold, firstly, all the previous labours only exalted Heracles in eyes of the people so this one would surely degrade him; secondly, the stables of Augeas housed the single greatest number of cattle in the country and having never been cleaned this task was surely impossible. |
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The fifth task set to Heracles was to clean the Augean stables in a single day. The reasoning behind this labour was twofold, firstly, all the previous labours only exalted Heracles in eyes of the people so this one would surely degrade him; secondly, the stables of Augeas housed the single greatest number of cattle in the country and having never been cleaned this task was surely impossible. |
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For his sixth task Heracles had to drive away the Stymphalian Birds, fearsome creatures with bronze beaks that terrorised the lake that they had come to inhabit some years previously. |
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For his sixth task Heracles had to drive away the Stymphalian Birds, fearsome creatures with bronze beaks that terrorised the lake that they had come to inhabit some years previously. Some accounts say that they had razor sharp feathers that could be fired at attackers. |
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Although he only had to perform ten labours, Eurystheus didn't count the Hydra as he was assisted, or the Augean stables as he recieved payment for his work. For the eleventh labour Heracles had to steal the Apples of the Hesperides, a wedding gift from Hera to Zeus, guarded by the dragon Ladon who never slept and the Hesperides, nymphs who were the daughters of Atlas. |
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Although he only had to perform ten labours, Eurystheus didn't count the Hydra as he was assisted, or the Augean stables as he recieved payment for his work. For the eleventh labour Heracles had to steal the Apples of the Hesperides, a wedding gift from Hera to Zeus, guarded by the dragon Ladon who never slept and the Hesperides, nymphs who were the daughters of Atlas. |
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Heracles had many other adventures after his labours, eventually culminating in his death (inadvertently) at the hands of his own wife who doubted his love for her. |
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Heracles had many other adventures after his labours, eventually culminating in his death (inadvertently) at the hands of his own wife who doubted his love for her. Heracles had a great many children from various women, collectively referred to as the Heraclidae?, and many of the kings of ancient Greece traced their lines to one or another of these, notably the kings of Sparta?. |
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