Hercules was the greatest of the ancient Greek heroes. He was famous for his strength, courage, and intelligence.
Hercules was a demigod. This means that he was half god, half human. His father was Zeus, king of the gods, and his mother was Alcmene. Even as a baby Hercules was very strong. But goddess Hera, Zeus' wife, wanted to kill him. She secretly put two large snakes into his crib(摇篮).However, baby Hercules killed the snakes with his hands!
Hercules' mother, tried to raise him like a normal kid. He went to school like human children. However, one day, he got mad and hit his music teacher on the head with his lyre (七弦古琴) and killed him carelessly. Hercules then went to live in the hills. When Hercules was eighteen years old, a huge lion attacked his cattle. Hercules killed the lion with his hands.
Later, Hercules married a princess named Megara. This made the goddess Hera angry. She told Hercules a lie that his family were snakes. Hercules killed the snakes only to realize they were his wife and kids. He was very sad and full of guilt(过错).
Hercules wanted to get rid of his guilt. He went to get advice from the Oracle(圣人)of Delphi. The Oracle told Hercules that he must serve a king for 10 years. If he did this, people wouldforgivehim and he wouldn't feel guilty any more. The tasks the king gave him are called the Twelve Labors of Hercules. With his strength and intelligence, Hercules finally finished the tasks.
