Greek PantheonJourney
The Twelve Labors
The voyage of Heracles
Heracles's legendary twelve labors, assigned as penance for killing his family in a madness sent by Hera. These tasks took him across the known world and into the realm of the gods.
The route
The map illustrates the story's route. Pins are not evidence of an exact historical itinerary; some places are disputed or mythical.
Nemea
Labor 1: The Nemean Lion. A monstrous lion with impenetrable golden fur terrorized the valley of Nemea. Heracles strangled it and wore its pelt as armor.
Tracking the lion, Weapons prove useless, Strangling the beast, Skinning it with its own claws, Wearing the lion's pelt
Nemean Lion
Stop by stop
Nemea
Labor 1: The Nemean Lion. A monstrous lion with impenetrable golden fur terrorized the valley of Nemea. Heracles strangled it and wore its pelt as armor.
Events: Tracking the lion; Weapons prove useless; Strangling the beast; Skinning it with its own claws; Wearing the lion's pelt
Lerna
Labor 2: The Lernaean Hydra. A many-headed serpent that grew two heads for every one cut off. With his nephew Iolaus, Heracles burned each neck stump to prevent regrowth.
Events: Battle with the Hydra; Iolaus cauterizes the neck stumps; Burial of the immortal head; Dipping arrows in Hydra's blood
Ceryneia
Labor 3: The Ceryneian Hind. A sacred deer with golden antlers and bronze hooves, sacred to Artemis. Heracles chased it for a full year before capturing it alive.
Events: Year-long chase; Capture at the river Ladon; Encounter with Artemis; Safe delivery to Eurystheus
Mount Erymanthus
Labor 4: The Erymanthian Boar. A giant boar that ravaged the countryside. Heracles drove it into deep snow and captured it alive in a net.
Events: Visit to the centaur Pholus; Battle with centaurs; Death of Chiron; Capture of the boar in snow
Elis (Augean Stables)
Labor 5: The Augean Stables. King Augeas's stables held thousands of cattle and hadn't been cleaned in 30 years. Heracles diverted two rivers to wash them clean in a single day.
Events: Bargaining with Augeas; Diversion of the Alpheus and Peneus rivers; Cleaning in one day; Augeas refuses payment
Lake Stymphalus
Labor 6: The Stymphalian Birds. Man-eating birds with bronze beaks and metallic feathers they could launch like arrows. Heracles used a rattle from Athena to flush them out.
Events: Receiving the rattle from Athena; Frightening the birds into flight; Shooting them with arrows
Crete
Labor 7: The Cretan Bull. The bull that fathered the Minotaur. Heracles wrestled it into submission and brought it back to Eurystheus alive.
Events: Wrestling the bull; Swimming back to the mainland; Release of the bull at Marathon
Thrace
Labor 8: The Mares of Diomedes. King Diomedes fed his horses human flesh. Heracles fed Diomedes to his own horses, which then became tame.
Events: Confrontation with Diomedes; Feeding Diomedes to the mares; Taming the horses; Founding of the city of Abdera
Themiscyra
Labor 9: The Belt of Hippolyta. Queen Hippolyta offered her belt willingly, but Hera spread rumors that caused the Amazons to attack.
Events: Meeting Queen Hippolyta; Hera's deception; Battle with the Amazons; Death of Hippolyta; Obtaining the belt
Erytheia
Labor 10: The Cattle of Geryon. A three-bodied giant who lived on the island of Erytheia at the edge of the world. Heracles killed him and drove his cattle back to Greece.
Events: Setting up the Pillars of Hercules; Borrowing the Cup of the Sun; Killing Geryon and his herdsman; Long journey home with the cattle
Garden of the Hesperides
Labor 11: The Apples of the Hesperides. Golden apples guarded by a dragon and the nymphs at the edge of the world. Heracles held up the sky while Atlas fetched them.
Events: Freeing Prometheus for information; Holding up the sky for Atlas; Tricking Atlas into taking it back; Obtaining the golden apples
The Underworld
Labor 12: Cerberus. The three-headed hound that guarded the gates of the Underworld. Heracles wrestled it with his bare hands and brought it to Eurystheus.
Events: Initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries; Descent through Cape Tainaron; Freeing Theseus from the Chair of Forgetfulness; Wrestling Cerberus; Presenting him to Eurystheus; Returning Cerberus to Hades
About this journey
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Routes follow the named source; other tellings order or place the stops differently.