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1. The NEMEAN LION • Child of TYPHOEUS – ravaging country around NEMEA, northwest of Mycenae. Early Versions – H. cut club and clubbed the lion. Later versions – started out with bow & arrow and realized it had impenetrable skin – trapped lion in layer and wrestled it to death, had too use one of its’ own claws to get the hide. Ever after wore skin with head like helmet. Brought dead lion back to EURYSTEUS, but king refused to let him into city, skulked in corner of palace got big bronze jar to hide in .
2. LERNAEAN HYDRA • Enormous serpent the HYDRA (“water serpent”) with many heads. Lived near swamps of LERNA. Even breath death. IOLAÜS – H’s nephew accompanied him. H. shot burning arrows to drive monster out of it’s lair and then moved in w/short curved sword. Hydra wrapped coils around one leg and giant crab attacked the other. Every time H. cut off one head, two others grew in its place, central head was immortal. Smashed crab. I. set fire to nearby forest and brought H. firebrands to burn off each new head as it sprouted and cauterize the stump. Cut off immortal head and buried it under a heavy rock. Ripped open body and dipped his arrows in the black liquid – so poisonous that even a trace would kill the strongest man.
3. CERYNEIAN DEER/HIND • :Next task – to bring a magic deer living in CERYNEIA (remote mountain in northern PELOPONNESUS. Female but w/golden antlers and brazen hoofs, belonged to ARTEMIS. Tracked it for a full year, in ARCADIA wounded it and captured it. While carrying it back (alive) met Artemis and Apollo – criticised him for wounding and stealing Artemis’ sacred deer. H. apologized and explained and they allowed him to borrow the deer to show it to COPREUS – after which he let it go.
4. ERYMANTHIAN BOAR: To capture it alive. • Side-Deed: PHOLUS: Centaur who lived in remote cave. Offered H. cooked meat (P. only ate it raw). H. asked for wine – big keg in back – but P. said it belonged to all the centaurs – he shouldn’t open it. H. assured him that there would be no prob. But when opened strong scent alerted rest of centaurs – Got nasty. H. threw torched and fired arrows to drive them off. The one wise Centaur CHIRON got wounded w/poisoned arrow. Immortal – killing venom continually in bloodstream – Prometeus traded his mortality for C.’s immortality apparently early on Prom. Not immortal. P. then accidentally stuck himself with one of the poisoned arrows and died. • H. Then drove out boar from brush with voice, ran it down and carried it back. EURYSTHEUS scared in bronze jar.
5. AUGEAN STABLES: • AUGEAS, son of HELIUS king of ELIS (northwest Peloponnesus), many herds, but never cleaned stables. Several feet deep in dung. E. ordered H. to clean the stables. (w/out revealing that he was in service of E.) H. bargained w/A. that if he cleaned all of stables in one day, he would receive 1/10 of the cattle. Diverted nearby ALPHEUS and PENEUS rivers through the stables. But . learned of H.’s obligation to E. and refused to pay –later H. returned and killed him.
6. STYMPHALIAN BIRDS. • Arcadia, lake STYMPHALIS, flocks of death dealing bird, arrow firing wings, armor piercing beaks, Bronze castanets to drive them out. Then shot them down with arrows.
7. CRETAN BULL • Ordered to capture Bull. (PASIPHÄE one). Sailed to Crete, Minos politely refused to help, but said H. could have it if he could capture it. H. grabbed bull by the horns, tossed in the sea and then rode it to the Peloponnesus.
8. HORSES OF DIOMEDES. • Thrace. Diomedes = son of Ares, king of savage tribe in Thrace. Horses ate human flesh. • Side-Deed: ALCESTIS: Asclepius killed by ZEUS, in revenge Apollo killed Cyclopes, Zeus’s armorers, forced by Zeus to serve king ADMETUS, treated Apollo so well that he gave him gift – did not have to die if he could find someone else to die in his place – only wife ALCESTIS willing. H. stops in the court + notices everyone in mourning, doesn’t know why – just say that a ‘neighbor’ has died. H. gets drunk, sings + lectures a servant for his attitude. Only find out later the cause. Says that he will go get her back. Goes to place where body is, meets Death (Thanatos) and wrestles him to get A. back. • In Thrace, captured horses and fed them their master. Anger of locals – besieged him and young lover ABDERUS. Left A. w/horses while he drove back attack and returned to find tahey ahd eaten A. Buried remains.
9. GIRDLE of HIPPOLYTA • :Amazons. E. ordered H. to bring girdle of Hippolyta, Amazon Queen for his daughter. Sexual innuendos. H. set out to river THERMODON on s. shour of black Sea. Reached harbour in land of Amazons. • Hipp. LIKED him, agreed to let him have belt. Hera did not like this – disguised as Amazon & ran through city proclaiming that H. was being abduced. Attack on ship. H. strangled HI.
