Hercules was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and a mortal woman named Alcmene. From an early age it was apparent that Hercules was not like other mortals; he was incredibly strong, and even strangled two snakes while he was still a baby. Hera, queen of the gods and Zeus’ wife, was very upset over her husband’s infidelity and kept her all-seeing eye on Hercules. When he grew older, she cursed him with madness and, in a rage, Hercules murdered his wife and children. Fleeing the scene of his crime, he made his way to the oracle of Delphi, trying to find a way to find forgiveness. The oracle commanded him to serve a wily king named Eurystheus, who sent Hercules on twelve seemingly impossible tasks. These tasks are now known as the Twelve Labors of Hercules.
Each item hidden in the library will be associated with the three labors listed here each day. Remember, if you find all twelve hidden items, you’ll get twelve chances to win the prize!
The Nemean Lion
The first of Hercules’ twelve tasks was to obtain the skin of the mighty Nemean Lion. This lion’s hide was impervious to spears and arrows, and he ravaged the countryside unchecked. Hercules tried to shoot the lion with his bow and arrow, but his arrows simply fell to the ground without leaving so much as a scratch. Thinking quickly, Hercules grappled the lion with his bare hands and was able to strangle it. He took the lion’s skin and made it into a cloak so that he could be as immune to spears and arrows as the once-terrible Nemean Lion.The Hydra of Lerna
Hercules’ second task would require even more ingenuity than the first. He was sent to Lerna to save the locals from the Hydra, a nine-headed serpent with poisonous breath. This time Hercules brought along some help in the form of his friend Iolaus; this turned out to be one of his wisest decisions. Hercules, assuming that his great strength would get the job done, leapt in and attacked the beast, severing many of its heads. However, for each head he cut off, two more would grow back in its place! Realizing that only through cunning would he win the battle, he had Iolaus take a torch and burn the serpent’s wounds so that new heads would be unable to grow. At last, the monster was put down and could not recover. Hercules left to tackle his next task, but not before dipping his arrows in the blood of the slain Hydra so that they would be as poisonous to his enemies as the vicious creature’s breath had been to the people of Lerna.The Ceryneian Hind
The next labor put Hercules in danger of upsetting another one of the mighty Olympian goddesses. Eurystheus sent him to catch the Hind, a special deer sacred to Artemis, goddess of the hunt and wild places and sister of Apollo. The Hind had hooves of bronze and horns of gold, and was the special pet of the goddess. Hercules pursued the Hind for more than a year, doing his best not to harm the creature for fear of Artemis’ divine retribution. The deer finally grew weary of the pursuit, and tried to make its way to a river to rest. Hercules finally reached his breaking point and fired an arrow at the beast, wounding it. Artemis appeared with her brother Apollo, intent on punishing Hercules for his crime. Hercules apologized and explained to her that he had been compelled by the oracle to follow the commands of King Eurystheus. The goddess surprised Hercules by forgiving him, and another of his labors was completed.
