THE NEMEAN LION
Hercules armed himself with a bow, arrows, and club, and seeked out the lion's lair. He first used his bow and arrows. Each arrow struck the beast, but the lion's hide was so tough that no arrow could penetrate it. The arrows were reflected off onto the ground.
Hercules was infuriated and with a great roar he rushed at the lion brandishing his enormous club. The lion decided to retreat and fled into its lair.
Hercules blocked one entrance of the lair with a huge boulder and entered through the other. Cornered, the lion roared and, bristling its mane, leaped at Hercules but his shield blocked the assault. Hercules then raised his club and brought it down hard on the beast's skull. The blow was so violent that the club broke in two and the lion was stunned.
While the lion staggered, Hercules threw down his weapons and placed the beast into a powerful hold with his arms, whose strength was such that the lion suffocated. Hercules then skinned the lion and made its fleece his breastplate.
HIPPOLYTA'S BELT
Hercules sailed ships, soldiers and crew over several days and nights to the land of the Amazons, mythical warrior women who lived in the distant Caucasus Mountains, on the shores of the Black Sea.
The Amazons were a people of women only and they only united with men, whom they then later killed, to preserve the female offspring of their unions. These female children, became future warriors who could easily wield the bow and sword.
Hippolyta initially received Hercules and his men with great kindness and offered Hercules her belt as a token of her love. But Hera, disguised as an Amazon, spread the news that Hercules had come to abduct Queen Hipplyta. The Amazons were enraged and waged a vicious battle with Hercules' soldiers.
Many of the fierce Amazon women perished in the battle and Hippolyta herself was killed by Hercules, who seized her precious belt and sailed home. Upon arrival, Hercules gave the belt to Admeta.
THE CRETAN BULL
Poseidon caused a bull of such beauty and majesty to rise from the waves that Minos found he could not bring himself to sacrifice it.
Betraying his promise to Poseidon, he captured the bull and hid it among his own herds. Outraged by this disloyalty, Poseidon drove the bull mad, which then became the terror of the land. Breathing flames from its nostrils, the Cretan Bull destroyed the crops and burned the fields of the inhabitants.
When Hercules arrived in Crete, he found the bull, charged at it, seized it by the horns, and upended it. The bull resisted, but Hercules emerged victorious from this terrific battle. He then netted Cretan Bull and carried it across the sea to the the throne of King Eurystheus, who was struck with disbelief.
THE GOLDEN APPLES OF THE HESPERIDES
Daughters of Atlas the giant, the Hesperides lived in a glorious garden whose wondrous trees were laden with golden fruit.
Hercules began his journey onward, but he did not know where to find the mysterious garden. He wandered for a long time and finally arrived at the banks of the Eridanus River. There, beautiful nymphs advised him to seek out Nereus. After a search, Hercules found Nereus asleep on the shore. Hercules chained Nereus before he awoke and ordered him to reveal the Hesperides' garden secret location.
To frighten Hercules into releasing him, Nereus transformed himself into a lion, a serpent and then a burning flame. But Hercules resisted, and Nereus finally agreed to entrust him with the secret of the Hesperides.
Hercules then set out for the far reaches of the western world and finally reached the wondrous garden.
He first saw Atlas, who perpetually held up the Vault of Heaven with his head and hands. Hercules asked him how to obtain the golden apples. The giant offered to go and pick them for Hercules but on two conditions.
The first condition was that Hercules rid him of the dragon Ladon, a monster with a hundred heads who protected the Garden of the Hesperides. The second was that the hero relieve him of his burden of holding up the Vault of Heaven while he went to pick the apples. Hercules agreed.
With a single arrow, Hercules pierced each of the hundred heads of the dragon, which then died. Then, he shouldered the celestial vault upon his powerful shoulders. When Atlas returned carrying the precious apples, he declared that he would personally deliver them to Eurystheus.
Hercules was in agreement, but he first asked Atlas to briefly hold the celestial vault while he rested a moment. When Atlas raised celestial vault, Hercules seized the golden apples and fled home with his plunder to King Eurystheus.
THE STYMPHALIAN BIRDS
The birds attacked the inhabitants, using their steel-tipped feathers as arrows and feasting on the flesh of their victims. Their beaks, talons, and wings were made of bronze. Not content with just devouring men and livestock, the voracious birds ravaged pastures and defiled crops.
Hercules was thankful when Athena appeared to him and provided him with a pair of cymbals, made of the same metal as the birds' beaks, legs, and wings, and forged by Hephaestus, the god of fire.
Hercules positioned himself on a nearby cliff and made a deafening noise with the cymbals, and thus flushed out the panicking birds. They fled at full speed, allowing Hercules to shoot them one by one with his arrows. Some birds returned to fight, but they too went down as Hercules dodged their feather arrows.
CEREBRUS
Hermes and Athena escorted Hercules to the realm of the dead and the River Styx. Hercules crossed great rivers of flame with Charon, the ferryman, guiding the boat. They arrived at the foot of Hades' throne. Hades allowed Hercules to bring Cerberus into the light of day only if he could subdue the beast without the aid of any weapon.
Cerberus was a monstrous dog with three heads and a dragon's tail. Its thunderous roar terrified all who approached it. Unarmed and wearing only in the skin of the Nemean lion, Hercules presented himself before Cerberus. He seized the dog by the neck, where the three heads met. As Cerberus fought back, Hercules squeezed the neck so hard that the dog, feeling itself suffocating, decided relinquish and to follow.
Hercules chained the animal and, pulling it out of the chasm, brought it to King Eurystheus. Terrified, Eurystheus immediately ordered Cerberus brought back to the Underworld.
THE LEARAEAN HYDRA
Hercules set out on his quest to battle the Hydra accompanied by Ialaus who drove the chariot they travelled together in. They soon found themselves at the edge of the swamp. Hercules fired a volley of arrows into the reeds and the furious Hydra appeared.
Hercules tried to smash the hideous nine heads with his club, but for every head he defeated, two more heads grew in its place. Hercules then called upon Ialaus for help who set fire to the nearby forest and armed with torches, he began to burn each reborn head.
Soon, only one head remained which was immortal. Hercules severed the head and buried it beneath a rock. The Hydra was defeated. Hercules cut open the Hydra's body and collected its venom. He dipped his arrows in it, poisoning them.
Hercules returned to the court of King Eurystheus, who refused to count this feat among his Labors, claiming that he had received outside help.