What Are the 12 Labors of Hercules?

The Labors of Hercules

Labor 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

• What Are the 12 Labors of Hercules?
• Why Did Hercules Have to Perform the 12 Labors?
• Quiz on the 12 Labors of Hercules

The Canonical Labors of Hercules

There are many basic stories of Hercules (Greek: Heracles/Herakles) and many versions. One of the most common variations on the story of Hercules' 12 Labors is that Hercules undertook them to atone for the crime of murder. Within that variation the order of the labors changes. Normally, canonical refers to what is accepted by most authorities, but in the case of the labors of Hercules, it's better than that. Those we consider the 12 canonical Labors of Hercules were carved into stone -- literally -- between 470 and 456 B.C. on the Doric metopes of Temple of Zeus at Olympia.

The 12 Labors Through Greek History

Not all the canonical labors are attested as early as the Archaic Age. None of the extant literary sources from the Classical period lists all 12, although the carvings on the metopes of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia show them. It isn't until later, in the Roman period, that we find the complete list. In his Bibliotheca, the historian Diodorus Siculus (fl. 49 B.C.) provides the earliest preserved literary account containing all 12 of the labors of Hercules.

• Classical Period
• The Labors in the Greek Archaic Age
• Roman Era

Apollodorus' Version of the 12 Labors of Hercules

Apollodorus: Hercules Labor 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
Index of Names and Places

12 Labors and Pictures

1. Nemean Lion - Labor One | Labor 1 Picture

2. Lernean Hydra - Labor Two | Labor 2 Picture

3. Cerynitian Hind - Labor Three | Labor 3 Picture

4. Erymanthian Boar - Labor Four | Labor 4 Picture

5. Stables of Augeas - Labor Five | Labor 5 Picture

6. Stymphalian Birds - Labor Six | Labor 6 Picture

7. Cretan Bulls - Labor Seven | Labor 7 Picture

8. Mares of Diomedes - Labor Eight | Labor 8 Picture

9. Belt of Hippolyte - Labor Nine | Labor 9 Picture

10. Cattle of Geryon - Labor Ten | Labor 10 Picture

11. Apples of Hesperides - Labor Eleven | Labor 11 Picture

12. Hound of Hades - Labor Twelve | Labor 12 Picture