With the image of Hercules, many of us met in childhood. We watched how this mythical character, on the pages of books or on TV, gets into unusual adventures, risks his life, saves people, fights terrible monsters and always comes out victorious from these fights.
In order to understand what the expression "Hercules' feat" ("Hercules' feat") means, you need to plunge into the story of Hercules himself. Who was he and why did he perform all these feats, on whose behalf, was it voluntary or performed under duress, what gift was the hero awarded after accomplishing great deeds?
The Divine Plan of Zeus
The story of Hercules is rooted in ancient Roman religion, while in ancient Greece Hercules was called Heracles. The very first source in which the name of the hero is mentioned is the ancient Greek poem "Iliad". In it, the author Homer talks about a boy who was born to an unusual couple - Amphitrion (marriedTheban queen) and Zeus - the supreme Olympic god, married to the goddess Hera. Homer tells that Zeus seduced Afitrion intentionally, he needed a mortal heir on earth, one who could defeat the giants. As a result of this sinful relationship, as Zeus wanted, the queen was born half god, half man.
The Sin of Hercules
According to mythology, the divine child has been known since its birth. The first feat of Hercules took place in infancy: he strangled the snake that the jealous Hera sent to kill the baby she hated.
But the very expression "Hercules feat" refers to the twelve orders that the hero carried out during his service for King Eurystheus, who headed the ancient state of Tiryns.
Fulfillment of orders and service to the king were not patriotic, but forced, and were a punishment from the Olympic gods for the murder of a demigod's wife and three children. The goddess Hera provoked sin, she struck Hercules with madness, during which the son of Zeus killed his entire family. Then the Olympian gods ordered Hercules to perform 12 labors while serving with Eurystheus, then his sin would be forgiven.
The Labors of Hercules
The list of Labors of Hercules includes:
- victory over a huge lion in the city of Nemea;
- killing the hydra (half snake, half dragon with 12 heads);
- battle with the bloodthirsty Stemphalian birds, whom the goddess Athena helped to defeat;
- capturethe Kerinean fallow deer, who, on the orders of Artemis, ate the entire crop in the fields of Arcadia;
- cleaning a huge pile of manure from the numerous bulls of Avgeus, which the hero did in one day, washing away the manure with the rivers Alfea and Penea;
- capturing a bloodthirsty bull from Mount Erifman and others.
Total 12 greatest feats performed by Hercules. Thanks to him, mankind was freed from terrible troubles and terrible monsters.
The expression "The Labor of Hercules"
In the entire ancient world, except for the son of Zeus, no one could accomplish at least one Herculean feat. The meaning of the phraseological unit can be briefly characterized based on the context of the myths about the demigod.
The feat of Hercules is overcoming a very difficult obstacle, solving a case that requires superhuman efforts.
