To celebrate
Olympian Week, we’re having a special scavenger hunt! Every day from
October 4th to October 7th, you’ll have an opportunity to locate items in the library related to the famous Twelve Labors of Hercules. For each item you find, you’ll earn a ticket for a chance to win an awesome
Percy Jackson and the Olympians prize. Remember, the items will change every day, so be sure to check back here every day for new clues!
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.
By the time his fourth task came, it seems that Hercules was in the mood to have some fun. Cruel King Eurystheus ordered him to capture a wild boar that was terrorizing the countryside near Mount Erymanthus. On his way to the mountain, Hercules stopped off for a party with some friendly centaurs, the half-men, half-horse creatures of legend. After leaving the centaurs, Hercules made quick work of the Erymanthian boar, but decided that he’d take it back to King Eurystheus as a kind of ancient Greek gag gift. Upon seeing the menacing boar, Eurystheus ran away and hid himself in a giant storage jar! For all his cruelty, he was a coward king.
Hercules’ fifth task was one of his least pleasant experiences. He was tasked with cleaning the stables of a neighboring king named Augeias. King Augeias owned thousands and thousands of cattle and kept them in giant stables, which he had not bothered to have cleaned for many years. As you can imagine, the stables were filthy, piled high with dirt and manure. As if this wasn’t bad enough, Hercules was ordered to clean all of the stables in one day! Fortunately, Hercules was more than simply the strongest man on earth; he was also very clever. Using his muscle and his mind, he blocked off two rivers with boulders so that their waters would flow directly through the stables, washing away the accumulated filth in a matter of minutes. No one could believe that Hercules was able to accomplish such a monumental task, and his labors continued.
The Stymphalian Birds
