The Labors of Hercules Through the Ages

Why 12 Labors?

Not all the canonical labors [see below] of Hercules are attested from as early a period as the Archaic Age -- the period of epic poets Homer and Hesiod. None of the extant literary sources from the Classical period lists all 12. 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. [See Theoi Greek Mythology's 1935 Loeb edition passage on Hercules' Labors.]

This article provides an overview of the sources we have for the 12 Labors, including the name of the lost poem thought to have recorded a complete list as early as 600 B.C.

The Labors in the Greek Archaic Age

In the Archaic Age, the poet Homer, generally considered the author of the Iliad and Odyssey, recognizes a connection between Hercules and Eurystheus and is aware of the specific labor Hercules undertook to fetch Hades' hound, Cerberus. The other main Archaic Age epic poet, Hesiod, names three of Hercules' labors.

The Labors in the Classical Period

Pindar and the Greek tragedians mention the labors of Hercules, but they don't provide a list. The carvings on the Temple of Zeus at Olympia come from this period.

The Labors in the Roman Era

It was in this period that Diodorus Siculus refers to the labors of Hercules as a means to Hercules' apotheosis.

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. 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.