Eurystheus Reflects on the First Labor
Hello, readers!
It's a new month, and you all know what that means--
it's time for another story about that wonderfully brawny hero,
Heracles! Last month, we learned all about Hera and
Heracles. A small
recap: they hate each other. If you remember, Hera induced a fit
of
madness in Heracles which caused him to kill his own wife and
children. After Heracles returned to a normal state of mind, he
was in
agony about what he'd done. Heracles immediately sought out the
oracle
of Apollo to find out what he could do to atone for his actions.
The
oracle told him to serve a twelve-year sentence working for King
Eurystheus of Mycenae.
The story I'm excited to share with everyone this month is legendary. Does the Nemean Lion ring a bell with all of you? Well, if not, settle in, because it's a great story. I wanted to hear the story of Heracles and the lion from someone who really knew what happened. Who better to talk to than King Eurystheus himself?! He told me all about it last week, so please, read on!
MOT: Good morning, Eurystheus! Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me.
Eurystheus: I'm glad to do it.
MOT: Great. Before we get too far into any details, can you tell me about your relationship with Heracles?
Eurystheus: Honestly, before he came to serve his sentence for me, we didn't really have a relationship. I've always felt rather neutral towards Heracles. However, Hera and I have been lifelong friends, and you obviously know that Hera hates Heracles. Because of that, I don't mind harming Heracles if it makes Hera happy.
MOT: I see. So if it wasn't for Hera, you really wouldn't care about Heracles one way or the other?
Eurystheus: Exactly.
MOT: OK. It was decided that Heracles was to perform twelve difficult labors during his twelve years' punishment period working for you. Who chose what the labors would be?
Eurystheus: The power to choose the labors was given to me. Looking back on it, I almost wish that role hadn't been assigned to me. Now that I'm older, I'm comfortable admitting that I have a bit of a temper, and I tend to have too much pride sometimes as well. Hera asked me to assign labors that should be next to impossible for Heracles to complete. So, to please her, I did just that. Or so I thought. I chose things that would have killed other men. But of course, Heracles always managed to find a way to succeed. Over time, it became more and more infuriating to me that he never seemed to struggle. In short, I grew jealous of him, and almost vindictive, too. It's like all of Hera's feelings towards Heracles were becoming my own feelings as the twelve years went on.
MOT: I imagine that must have been frustrating for you, because otherwise, you're a pretty mellow guy, right?
Eurystheus: Generally speaking, yes.
MOT: Alright, so we know that as time went on, you tried to give Heracles greater challenges. But let's go back to the very first labor. What task did you set
for Heracles?
Eurystheus: I told him to bring me back the hide from an enormous, supposedly indestructible lion that used to roam the hills of Nemea. No one could ever defeat that lion. It seemed like the perfect task, because it should have been impossible. Hera was absolutely thrilled when she heard about the task.
MOT: Oh, I'm sure. And how did Heracles react to this task?
Eurystheus: He seemed determined and confident.
MOT: That certainly seems to fit with Heracles's personality. Tell me about how Heracles tried to complete this very difficult task.
Eurystheus: He went to Nemea to hunt for the beast. He spent some time tracking the lion, and finally found him. He first tried to use arrows to kill the lion. I knew, of course, that a simple arrow wouldn't be enough to defeat the lion. Heracles had to learn that himself, though. When Heracles discovered the arrows were useless, he tried to beat the lion to death using a club. That method didn't work either.
MOT: So the arrows and the club were ineffective. How did Heracles manage to defeat the lion?
Eurystheus: The lion seemed unbothered by Heracles, so he just lumbered off into his den. The den had two entrances, and Heracles took a risk by deciding to block one of the entrances off. After he had done so, he approached the lion from the open entrance. He trapped the lion against the blocked side of the den and strangled the beast to death! I wouldn't have believed that any man could kill that lion through pure strength.
MOT: From what you've told me of this lion, that does seem quite astonishing. But killing the lion was not the whole task. Heracles was supposed to bring the lion's hide back to you, right?
Eurystheus: Yes, that's correct. And that part of the task gave him a bit of trouble.
MOT: How so?
Eurystheus: Even in death, that lion found a way to remain nearly indestructible. Heracles tried to skin the lion with every sharp object he could find, but nothing seemed to work. He finally came up with a really smart idea, and used the lion's own claw to remove the hide.
MOT: What happened after that?
Eurystheus: Heracles returned to Mycenae, wearing the lion's hide!
MOT: And how did you react when you saw that Heracles completed the task?
Eurystheus: I was shocked, angry, and even a little scared at the obvious power Heracles had.
MOT: Why do you think you felt afraid of Heracles?
Eurystheus: That lion was supposed to be impossible to defeat! And yet here comes Heracles, not only having completed the task, but actually wearing the lion's hide! So yes, I was scared. And I think you would have been, too. The whole thing really proved to me how strong Heracles truly was. Not to mention, I was sure Hera was going to be very upset about the whole situation.
MOT: Oh yes, I'm sure Hera wasn't happy with his success.
Eurystheus: That's an understatement. But, more than anything, she mourned the death of the lion. She was sure that this was finally something Heracles wouldn't be able to succeed at. She was so saddened by his death that she commemorated him by laying him to rest in the stars. The big, bad Nemean Lion is now a fairly docile and happy constellation. Most people call him Leo these days.
MOT: That's fascinating! Thanks so much for sharing this with me today, Eurystheus. It's been an honor to speak with you.
Eurystheus: Thank you! It's been a fun walk down memory lane.
It was so great talking with Eurystheus; he really is a very kind man. And now, thanks to him, you all know about the first labor Heracles had to complete! Next month, we'll get to hear all about another one of the twelve labors of Heracles. Stay tuned- it's sure to be another exciting tale!
The story I'm excited to share with everyone this month is legendary. Does the Nemean Lion ring a bell with all of you? Well, if not, settle in, because it's a great story. I wanted to hear the story of Heracles and the lion from someone who really knew what happened. Who better to talk to than King Eurystheus himself?! He told me all about it last week, so please, read on!
MOT: Good morning, Eurystheus! Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me.
Eurystheus: I'm glad to do it.
MOT: Great. Before we get too far into any details, can you tell me about your relationship with Heracles?
Eurystheus: Honestly, before he came to serve his sentence for me, we didn't really have a relationship. I've always felt rather neutral towards Heracles. However, Hera and I have been lifelong friends, and you obviously know that Hera hates Heracles. Because of that, I don't mind harming Heracles if it makes Hera happy.
MOT: I see. So if it wasn't for Hera, you really wouldn't care about Heracles one way or the other?
Eurystheus: Exactly.
MOT: OK. It was decided that Heracles was to perform twelve difficult labors during his twelve years' punishment period working for you. Who chose what the labors would be?
Eurystheus: The power to choose the labors was given to me. Looking back on it, I almost wish that role hadn't been assigned to me. Now that I'm older, I'm comfortable admitting that I have a bit of a temper, and I tend to have too much pride sometimes as well. Hera asked me to assign labors that should be next to impossible for Heracles to complete. So, to please her, I did just that. Or so I thought. I chose things that would have killed other men. But of course, Heracles always managed to find a way to succeed. Over time, it became more and more infuriating to me that he never seemed to struggle. In short, I grew jealous of him, and almost vindictive, too. It's like all of Hera's feelings towards Heracles were becoming my own feelings as the twelve years went on.
MOT: I imagine that must have been frustrating for you, because otherwise, you're a pretty mellow guy, right?
Eurystheus: Generally speaking, yes.
MOT: Alright, so we know that as time went on, you tried to give Heracles greater challenges. But let's go back to the very first labor. What task did you set
for Heracles?
Eurystheus: I told him to bring me back the hide from an enormous, supposedly indestructible lion that used to roam the hills of Nemea. No one could ever defeat that lion. It seemed like the perfect task, because it should have been impossible. Hera was absolutely thrilled when she heard about the task.
MOT: Oh, I'm sure. And how did Heracles react to this task?
Eurystheus: He seemed determined and confident.
MOT: That certainly seems to fit with Heracles's personality. Tell me about how Heracles tried to complete this very difficult task.
Eurystheus: He went to Nemea to hunt for the beast. He spent some time tracking the lion, and finally found him. He first tried to use arrows to kill the lion. I knew, of course, that a simple arrow wouldn't be enough to defeat the lion. Heracles had to learn that himself, though. When Heracles discovered the arrows were useless, he tried to beat the lion to death using a club. That method didn't work either.
MOT: So the arrows and the club were ineffective. How did Heracles manage to defeat the lion?
Eurystheus: The lion seemed unbothered by Heracles, so he just lumbered off into his den. The den had two entrances, and Heracles took a risk by deciding to block one of the entrances off. After he had done so, he approached the lion from the open entrance. He trapped the lion against the blocked side of the den and strangled the beast to death! I wouldn't have believed that any man could kill that lion through pure strength.
MOT: From what you've told me of this lion, that does seem quite astonishing. But killing the lion was not the whole task. Heracles was supposed to bring the lion's hide back to you, right?
Eurystheus: Yes, that's correct. And that part of the task gave him a bit of trouble.
MOT: How so?
Eurystheus: Even in death, that lion found a way to remain nearly indestructible. Heracles tried to skin the lion with every sharp object he could find, but nothing seemed to work. He finally came up with a really smart idea, and used the lion's own claw to remove the hide.
MOT: What happened after that?
Eurystheus: Heracles returned to Mycenae, wearing the lion's hide!
MOT: And how did you react when you saw that Heracles completed the task?
Eurystheus: I was shocked, angry, and even a little scared at the obvious power Heracles had.
MOT: Why do you think you felt afraid of Heracles?
Eurystheus: That lion was supposed to be impossible to defeat! And yet here comes Heracles, not only having completed the task, but actually wearing the lion's hide! So yes, I was scared. And I think you would have been, too. The whole thing really proved to me how strong Heracles truly was. Not to mention, I was sure Hera was going to be very upset about the whole situation.
MOT: Oh yes, I'm sure Hera wasn't happy with his success.
Eurystheus: That's an understatement. But, more than anything, she mourned the death of the lion. She was sure that this was finally something Heracles wouldn't be able to succeed at. She was so saddened by his death that she commemorated him by laying him to rest in the stars. The big, bad Nemean Lion is now a fairly docile and happy constellation. Most people call him Leo these days.
MOT: That's fascinating! Thanks so much for sharing this with me today, Eurystheus. It's been an honor to speak with you.
Eurystheus: Thank you! It's been a fun walk down memory lane.
It was so great talking with Eurystheus; he really is a very kind man. And now, thanks to him, you all know about the first labor Heracles had to complete! Next month, we'll get to hear all about another one of the twelve labors of Heracles. Stay tuned- it's sure to be another exciting tale!
Author's
Note: The story I tell of the first labor according to
Eurystheus is pretty accurate, based on most versions of the labors
that I've read. An
interesting element to the relationship between Heracles and Eurystheus
relates back to Hera. As I told in my previous story, Hera was so
angry
about Alcmene's pregnancy that she tried to find a way to delay, or
even completely prevent, Heracles's birth. She is also said to
have
caused an early birth in Nicippe, and the son she gave birth to became
King of the House of Perseus. Heracles was supposed to be the
king,
but the other baby inherited the position through his early
birth.
That baby happened to have been Eurystheus. Thus, the
relationship
between Heracles and Eurystheus began long before the twelve labors
punishment arose. Another point of interest in this story is the
origin of the Nemean Lion. Most sources agree that the Nemean
Lion was
the offspring of Typhon and Echidna, the notorious parents of several
mythological monsters. The interesting thing that
I've
read in many places is that it was actually Hera who raised the lion
and put him in Nemea. This would account for her sadness over his
death, and her decision to memorialize the lion as a constellation.
Sources:
"Nemean lion." Wikipedia 2008. 20 Oct 2008. Web Source: Wikipedia- Nemean Lion.
"The Nemean Lion." The Perseus Project. 2008. 25 Sep 2008. Web Source: Perseus Project- Lion.
Image Information:
1) "Heracles strangling the Nemean lion." Peter Paul Rubens ca. 1639. Weblink: Codart.
2) "Leo the Constellation." Weblink: History of Astrology blog.
Go back to the Coverpage!
Sources:
"Nemean lion." Wikipedia 2008. 20 Oct 2008. Web Source: Wikipedia- Nemean Lion.
"The Nemean Lion." The Perseus Project. 2008. 25 Sep 2008. Web Source: Perseus Project- Lion.
Image Information:
1) "Heracles strangling the Nemean lion." Peter Paul Rubens ca. 1639. Weblink: Codart.
2) "Leo the Constellation." Weblink: History of Astrology blog.
Go back to the Coverpage!