Heracles

Born under a curse

Heracles was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, a mortal princess, and from the moment of his birth he was hated by Hera. When he was a baby she sent two serpents into his cradle, and the infant calmly strangled them, one in each hand. He grew into a man of incredible strength and appetite, trained by the finest teachers in archery, wrestling and music, although he killed his music teacher Linus with a lyre in a fit of anger.

The Twelve Labours

Hera later drove Heracles mad, and in his frenzy he killed his own wife and children. To atone, the oracle at Delphi ordered him to serve his cousin, King Eurystheus of Tiryns, who set him ten labours, later increased to twelve. He killed the Nemean lion and wore its impenetrable skin, slew the many-headed Hydra, captured the Ceryneian hind, the Erymanthian boar and the Cretan bull, cleaned the stables of Augeas in a single day by diverting two rivers, drove off the Stymphalian birds, tamed the man-eating mares of Diomedes, took the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta, stole the cattle of the giant Geryon, fetched the golden apples of the Hesperides and finally dragged Cerberus up from the underworld.

Death and immortality

His end came through his wife Deianira, who was tricked by the dying centaur Nessus into giving Heracles a robe soaked in poisoned blood, believing it was a love charm. In agony, Heracles built his own funeral pyre on Mount Oeta. As the flames rose, his mortal part burned away and his immortal part was carried to Olympus, where he was reconciled with Hera and married her daughter Hebe, goddess of youth.