The Birth of Hercules: The Greatest Hero in Greek Mythology - The 12 Labors of Hercules - #1

The stories of Greek mythology are full of great heroes, but none faced such difficult challenges as Hercules. His story began when Zeus, the supreme god of Olympus, fell in love again with a beautiful young mortal, Alcmene. She was married to Amphitryon, the king of Tyrens. Amphitryon had left with his army to fight in the city of Thebes, and Zeus took advantage of the The god assumed the form of Amphitryon and united with Alcmene, who suspected nothing. Upon returning home from his military campaign, Amphitryon suspected his wife's infidelity and ordered her to be burned at the stake. But Zeus emerged and salvaged Alcmene. He revealed that he was the father of one of the babies the queen was expecting, for Alcmene was also pregnant with the king's child. Amphitryon felt honored to raise the child of the god of gods and forgave his wife. Zeus had great plans for the child. A prophecy said that the first great-grandson of the hero Perseus would be king of the glorious city of Mycenae. Alcmene was the hero's granddaughter, so her child would be entitled to the crown. However, her cousin was also pregnant. The goddess Hera was furious at her husband's infidelity and forced Illythia, the goddess of childbirth, to hasten the birth of Eurystheus. Due to the premature birth of his cousin, Hercules lost his right to the crown of the glorious city of Mycenae. After a difficult labor, Hercules and his brother Iphicles were finally given birth. The baby Hercules was vigorous, and there was no doubt as to which of them was the son of the lord of the universe. Hera's jealousy became uncontrollable. Enraged, she sent two poisonous serpents to kill the babies. The serpents slithered into the cradle where Hercules and his brother were sleeping. Alcmene awoke, startled by Iphicles's cry, and found baby Hercules strangling a snake in each hand. Fearing further reprisals from the goddess, Alcmene took her son into the forest and abandoned him on a trail, hoping he would be picked up by someone. However, as fate would have it, two goddesses found the abandoned baby. They were Athena and Hera. Not knowing it was Hercules, the goddesses were impressed by the child's vigor. Athena blessed him with superior courage and cunning. Hera offered him her breast and suckled him with divine milk, food that would confer a power superior to almost all other demigods. Hercules sucked on Hera's breast with such force that, due to pain, she pushed the baby away, and a gush of divine milk tinged the heavens, giving birth to the Milky Way. Athena recognized the baby as her brother and said she would return him to his mother. Hera, realizing the mistake she had made in nursing her rival's child, became even angrier and with an enormous desire for revenge. Upon hearing of Hercules' return to his home, the seer Tiresias said, Let's celebrate the return of the child who will one day rid the world of all monsters and, by his great deeds, secure a place in Olympus alongside his father.