The Twelve Labors of Hercules

by Robert Newman

  Lichas returned to Hercules, and Hercules put on the shirt first and then the cloak over it. He lit the fire on the altar and was throwing frankincense on it when he cried out in pain. The warmth of his body had brought out the poison in Nessus’ blood, and it was searing his flesh like the flames that burned on the altar before him. He tried to rip off the shirt, but it was too late; his entire body felt as if it were on fire. He leaped into a nearby stream, but instead of easing the pain, the water only made it more intense: the stream has been scalding hot ever since and is still called Thermopylae, or the Hot Passage.

  Now, though he was in agony, a great calm came over Hercules. Calling Hyllus to him, and several of his oldest companions, he led them to the peak of a nearby mountain and told them to build him a funeral pyre of oak and wild olive.

  “You cannot die, father,” said Hyllus, weeping.

  “All men must die,” said Hercules. “Even I who have been to the Underworld and returned from it. Now I can reveal to you a prophecy that was made to me many years ago by the Oracle of Zeus at Dodona. I was told that no man alive would ever kill me, but that a dead enemy would be my undoing. And so it has come to pass.”

  The pyre was now ready, and spreading his lion’s skin out on top of it, Hercules lay down on the skin with his club as a pillow.

  “Light the pyre,” he ordered, but none of those with him would do so. Finally, however, a shepherd named Philoctetes put a torch to the huge pile of branches, and in gratitude Hercules gave him his bow, quiver, and arrows.

  As the flames mounted higher and higher, Hercules looked up at the sky, and Zeus, proud of his favorite son’s courage and fortitude, threw down a thunderbolt that consumed the pyre, turning it and the mortal remains of Hercules into ashes.

  Deianeira did not outlive Hercules. For when she heard the news and realized that, indirectly, she had been responsible for his death, she killed herself.

  But though that which was mortal of Hercules was gone, that which was immortal lived on. For true to the promise he had made before Hercules was born, Zeus brought him up to Olympus, where he became one with the other gods. As a god, he was accepted even by Hera; she adopted him as her son and came to love him as much as if he had been born to her and not to Alcmene.

  Thus ends the tale of Hercules, the son of Zeus, who lived as a man, performed great feats during his days on earth, and after his death became a god.

  GLOSSARY

  Abderus (ab’-duh-rus). A skilled horse-tamer, who helped Hercules subdue the mares of Diomedes.

  Achelous (ak-eh-lo’-us). A river-god, who wrestled with Hercules for the hand of Deianeira.

  Adriatic Sea (ay-dri-at’-ik). An extension of the Mediterranean Sea, between the east coast of Italy and the west coasts of Yugoslavia and Albania.

  Aegean Sea (ee-jee’-an). An extension of the Mediterranean Sea, bounded by Asia Minor in the east and Greece in the north and west.

  Alcmene (alk-mee’-nee). Wife of King Amphitryon, and mother of Hercules by Zeus.

  Amphitryon (am-fit’-ri-on). Exiled King of Mycenae and mortal husband of Hercules’ mother.

  Antaeus (an-tee’-us). King of Libya, born of Mother Earth, who won all his wrestling contests with strangers because he gained strength every time he touched the ground.

  Apollo (a-pol’-o). God of light and healing.

  Ares (air’-eez). God of war.

  Artemis (ar’-te-mis). Virgin goddess of hunting and of wild animals.

  Athene (a-thee’-nee). Goddess of wisdom and helper of heroes.

  Atlas (at’-las). A giant forced by Zeus to support the heavens on his shoulders.

  Augeias (aw-jee’-as). King of Elis, whose filthy stables Hercules had to clean.

  Centaur (sen’-tawr). A creature that was half horse, half man.

  Cerberus (ser’-ber-us). The three-headed watchdog who guarded the entrance to the Underworld.

  Ceryneian hind (ser-i-nee’-yan). A lightning-swift deer, sacred to Artemis, caught by Hercules after a year’s chase.

  Charon (ker’-on). The ferryman who transported the dead across the river Styx into the Underworld.

  Cnossus (nos’-us). A city in ancient Crete; the capital of King Minos.

  Copreus (kop’-roos). The herald of King Eurystheus, who conveyed the High King’s commands to Hercules.

  Creon (Kree’-on). King of Thebes, the Greek city where Hercules was born.

  Deianeira (dee-uh-nigh’-ra). Daughter of King Oeneus and sister of Meleager, who became the wife of Hercules.

  Delphi (del’-figh). Site of the most famous Greek oracle, sacred to Apollo.

  Diomedes (digh-o-mee’-deez). King of the Bistonians, whose man-eating horses Hercules had to capture.

  Eleusinian Mysteries (ee-loo-sin’-i-yan). Ancient Greek religious rites that Hercules learned as a preparation for his descent into the Underworld.

  Erginus (er-jigh’-nus). A king of Orchomenus, who conquered the Greek city of Thebes to avenge the death of his father in a chariot race.

  Erymanthian boar (er-i-man’-thi-yan). A fierce beast that Hercules captured with the help of Artemis.

  Eurystheus (you-ris’-thoos). High King of Mycenae and kinsman of Hercules, for whom he had to perform twelve labors.

  Eurytion (you-rit’-i-on). The herdsman of King Geryon.

  Geryon (jee-ree’-on). King of Tartessus, in Spain, whose famous cattle Hercules had to capture.

  Hades (hay’-deez). King of the Underworld.

  Hera (hee’-ra). The queen of heaven and wife of Zeus.

  Hercules (her’-cue-leez). A Greek hero of tremendous strength, who performed twelve great labors and after his death became a god.

  Hermes (her’-meez). Greek god. Messenger for the other gods.

  Hesperides (hes-per’-i-deez). Daughters of Atlas, in whose garden grew the golden apples Hercules had to retrieve.

  Hippolyte (hip-ol’-i-tee). Queen of the Amazons, whose golden belt Hercules had to retrieve.

  Hyperboreans (high-per-bo’-ri-yans). The people who live at the back of the North Wind.

  Iphicles (if’-i-kleez). The twin brother of Hercules.

  Laomedon (lay-om’-e-don). King of Troy, whose daughter was rescued from a sea-monster by Hercules.

  Megara (meg’-a-ra). The fiancée of Hercules.

  Meleager (mel-ee-ay’-jer). Brother of Deianeira and a former shipmate of Hercules, whom he met again in the Underworld.

  Minos (migh’-nos). King of Crete, whose realm Hercules freed of a destructive bull.

  Mycenae (migh-seé-nee). An ancient Greek city in the Peloponnese, ruled by the High King.

  Nemean lion (nee’-me-yan). A destructive beast killed by Hercules.

  Nessus (nes’-us). A Centaur, half horse, half man, who gave Deianeira the poison that caused the death of Hercules.

  Oeneus (ee’-noos). King of Calydon, and the father of Deianeira.

  Olympus (o-lim’-pus). A mountain in Greece and the home of the gods.

  Omphale (um-fa’-lee). Queen of Lydia whom Hercules served as a slave for one year after he had finished his twelve labors.

  Orchomenus (or-komm’-eh-nus). A Greek city which received annual tribute from the city of Thebes until conquered by Hercules.

  Peloponnese (pel’-o-puh-nees’). The southern peninsula of Greece, attached to the mainland by the Isthmus of Corinth.

  Persephone (per-sef’-on-nee). Queen of the Underworld.

  Perseus (per’-soos). A heroic ancestor of Hercules, famed for killing the Gorgon Medusa, whose head had turned all who looked on it to stone.

  Pillars of Hercules. Two large columns built by Hercules—one in Europe and the other in Africa—where the waters of the Mediterranean Sea mingle with those of the Atlantic Ocean.

  Poseidon (Po-sigh’-don). God of the sea.

  Stymphalian birds (stim-fay’-li-yan). Man-eating birds that Hercules had to drive away as one of his labors.

  Tartarus (tar’-ta-rus). The Underworld.

  Teiresias
(tigh-ree’-si-as). The most famous soothsayer in Greece when Hercules was a child.

  Thebes (theebz). An ancient Greek city, where Hercules was born, and also the city he founded in Egypt.

  Thermopylae (ther-mop’-i-lee). The stream made permanently hot when Hercules jumped in to escape the burning poison of his garment. A narrow pass nearby was the site of a famous Greek battle with the Persians.

  Thespius (thes’-pi-us). The king whose cattle were killed by the Nemean lion and who helped purify Hercules after his madness.

  Triple Goddess. The Great Mother Goddess of the Mediterranean basin, who was known by many names. The island of Samothrace was sacred to her.

  Zeus (zoos). Supreme ruler of the gods.

  About the Author

  Born in New York City, Robert Newman (1909–1988) was among the pioneers of early radio and was chief writer for the Inner Sanctum Mysteries and Murder at Midnight—forerunners of The Twilight Zone that remain cult favorites to this day. In 1944 Newman was put in charge of the radio campaign to reelect Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was also one of the founding members of the Radio Writers Guild, which became the Writers Guild of America.

  In 1973 Newman began writing books for children, most notably the Andrew Tillet, Sara Wiggins & Inspector Wyatt mysteries. The series takes place in Victorian London and follows the adventures of two teenage amateur detectives who begin as Baker Street Irregulars. Newman has also written books of fantasy, among them Merlin’s Mistake and The Testing of Tertius. His books based on myths and folklore include Grettir the Strong, and he has published two adult novels.

  Newman was married to the writer Dorothy Crayder. Their daughter, Hila Feil, has also published novels for children and young adults. Newman lived his last days in Stonington, Connecticut.

  All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 1972 by Robert Newman

  Cover design by Jason Gabbert

  ISBN: 978-1-4976-8386-0

  This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

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  ROBERT NEWMAN

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