Eurystheus

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Eurystheus

In Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
, Eurystheus ("wide strength") was king of Tiryns

Tiryns

Tiryns is a Mycenaean civilization archaeological site in the Greece Prefectures of Greece of Argolis in the Peloponnese peninsula, some kilometres north of Nauplion....
, one of three Mycenaean

Mycenaean Greece

Mycenaean Greece is a cultural period of ancient Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece....
strongholds in the Argolid: Sthenelus

Sthenelus (son of Andromeda and Perseus)

Sthenelus was the son of Perseus and Andromeda and a king of Mycenae. He exiled Amphitryon, for the murder of his brother Electryon. Amphitryon was also the lover of his niece, Alcmene....
was his father and the "victorious horsewoman" Nicippe

Nicippe

Nicippe is a name attributed to two women in Greek mythology.# Nicippe was one of the fifty daughters of Thespius and Megamede. She bore Heracles a son, Antimachus ....
his mother, and he was a grandson of the hero Perseus, as was his opponent Heracles

Heracles

Amphidamas

Amphidamas may refer to both historical and mythological figures in ancient Greece :...
. In the contest of wills between Hera

Hera

In the Twelve Olympians of classical Greek Mythology, Hera or Here was the wife and older sister of Zeus. Her chief function was as goddess of women and marriage....
and Zeus

Zeus

Zeus in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky father and List of thunder gods. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull , and oak....
over whose candidate would be hero, fated to defeat the remaining creatures representing an old order and bring about the reign of the Twelve Olympians

Twelve Olympians

The Twelve Olympians or younger gods, also known as the Dodekatheon , in Greek mythology, were the principal Greek Godss of the Greek pantheon , residing atop Mount Olympus, having supplanted the Titan or older gods in the greek mythogical narrative....
, Eurystheus was Hera's candidate and Heracles

Heracles

In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles meaning "glory of Hera", or "Glorious through Hera" Alcides or Alcaeus " was a hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus....
— though his name implies that at one archaic stage of myth-making he had carried "Hera's fame" — was the candidate of Zeus.

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In Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Tiryns

Tiryns is a Mycenaean civilization archaeological site in the Greece Prefectures of Greece of Argolis in the Peloponnese peninsula, some kilometres north of Nauplion....
, one of three Mycenaean

Mycenaean Greece

Sthenelus (son of Andromeda and Perseus)

Nicippe

Heracles

Amphidamas

Amphidamas may refer to both historical and mythological figures in ancient Greece :...
. In the contest of wills between Hera

Hera

In the Twelve Olympians of classical Greek Mythology, Hera or Here was the wife and older sister of Zeus. Her chief function was as goddess of women and marriage....
and Zeus

Zeus

Twelve Olympians

Heracles

In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles meaning "glory of Hera", or "Glorious through Hera" Alcides or Alcaeus " was a hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus....
by Eurystheus. The immediate necessity for the Labours of Heracles is as penance for Heracles' murder of his own family, in a fit of madness, which had been sent by Hera; however, further human rather than mythic motivation is supplied by mythographers who note that their respective families had been rivals for the throne of Mycenae

Mycenae

Mycenae , is an archaeology in Greece, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 6 km to the south; Corinth, 48 km to the north....
. Details of the individual episodes may be found in the article on the Labours of Heracles, but Hera was connected with all of the opponents Heracles had to overcome.

Heracles' human stepfather Amphitryon

Amphitryon

Amphitryon, or Amphitrion, in Greek mythology, was a son of Alcaeus , king of Tiryns in Argolis.Amphitryon was a Thebes, Greece general, who was originally from Tiryns in the eastern part of the Peloponnese....
was also a grandson of Perseus, and since Amphitryon's father (Alcaeus

Alcaeus

Alcaeus may refer to several ancient Greek figures, notably:*Alcaeus , the son of Perseus and the father of Amphitryon*Alcaeus of Mytilene, a lyric poet of the archaic period...
) was older than Eurystheus' father (Sthenelus

Sthenelus

In Greek mythology, Sthenelus was a name attributed to four different individuals.*Sthenelus of Perseus and Andromeda .*Son of Capaneus and Evadne....
), he might have received the kingdom, but Sthenelus had banished Amphitryon for accidentally killing (a familiar mytheme

Mytheme

In the study of mythology, a mytheme is the essential kernel of a myth, an irreducible, unchanging element, one that is always found shared with other, related mythemes and reassembled in various ways—"bundled" was Claude L?vi-Strauss's image— or linked in more complicated relationships, like a molecule in a compound....
) the eldest son in the family (Electryon

Electryon

In Greek mythology, Electryon was the son of Perseus and Andromeda , and king of Mycenae. He married either Anaxo, daughter of his brother Alcaeus and sister of Amphitryon, or Eurydice of Mycenae daughter of Pelops....
). When, shortly before his son Heracles was born, Zeus proclaimed the next-born descendant of Perseus should get the kingdom, Hera thwarted his ambitions by delaying Alcmene

Alcmene

In Greek mythology, Alcmene or Alcmena was the mother of Heracles....
's labour and having her candidate Eurystheus born prematurely.

Heracles' first task was to slay the Nemean Lion

Nemean Lion

The Nemean lion was a vicious monster in Greek mythology that lived in Nemea. He was eventually killed by Heracles. The lion was usually considered the offspring of Typhon and Echidna , but it was also said to have fallen from the moon, offspring of Zeus and Selene....
and bring back its skin, which Heracles decided to wear. Eurystheus was so scared by Heracles' fearsome guise that he hid in a subterranean bronze winejar

Pithos

Pithos is the ancient Greek language word for a large storage jar of a characteristic shape. Originally used by western classical archaeologists to mean the jars uncovered by excavation in Crete and Greece, it has now been taken into the American English language as a general word for a storage jar from any cultural horizon....
, and from that moment forth all labors were communicated to Heracles through a herald

Herald

A herald, or, more correctly, a herald of arms, is an Officer of Arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is often applied erroneously to all officers of arms....
, Copreus

Copreus

In Greek mythology, Copreus was King Eurystheus' herald. He announced Heracles' Twelve Labors. Copreus was said to be a son of Pelops and Hippodameia....
.

For his second labour, to slay the Lernaean Hydra

Lernaean Hydra

In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra The Hydra was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna , noisome offspring of the earth goddess, Gaia. It was said to be the sibling of the Nemean Lion, the Stymphalian birds, the Chimera ,and Cerberus....
, Heracles took with him his nephew, Iolaus

Iolaus

In Greek mythology, Iolaus or Iolaos was a Thebes, Greece divine hero, son of Heracles' brother Iphicles and Automedusa.He was famed for being Heracles' nephew and for helping with for some of his Labours of Hercules....
, as a charioteer. When Eurystheus found out that Heracles' nephew had helped him he declared that the labour had not been completed alone and as a result did not count towards the ten labours set for him.

Eurystheus' third task did not involve killing a beast, but to capture the Cerynian Hind, a golden-horned stag sacred to Artemis

Artemis

In Greek mythology, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She was the Hellenic goddess of forests and hills, child birth/virginity/fertility, the hunt and was often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows.....
. Heracles knew that he had to return the hind, as he had promised, to Artemis, so he agreed to hand it over on the condition that Eurystheus himself come out and take it from him. Eurystheus did come out, but the moment Heracles let the hind go, she sprinted back to her mistress, and Heracles departed, saying that Eurystheus had not been quick enough.

When Heracles returned with the Erymanthian Boar

Erymanthian Boar

In Greek mythology, the Erymanthian Boar is remembered in connection with Labours of Hercules, in which Heracles, the enemy of Hera, visited in turn "all the other sites of the Goddess throughout the world, to conquer every conceivable 'monster' of nature and rededicate the primordial world to its new master, his Olympian father," Zeus....
, Eurystheus was frightened and hid again in his jar and begged Heracles to get rid of the beast; Heracles obliged.

The fifth labour proposed by Eurystheus was to clear out the numerous stables of Augeias. Striking a deal with Augeias, Heracles proposed a payment of a tenth of Augeias' cattle if the labour was completed successfully. Not believing the task feasible, Augeias agreed, asking his son Phyleus to witness.

Heracles rerouted two nearby rivers (Alpheis

Alfeios River

Alfei?s is a river in Peloponnese, Greece. Its source is near Megalopolis, Greece in the prefecture Arcadia. It flows along Olympia, Greece and empties into the Ionian Sea in the prefecture of Ilia, near Pyrgos ....
and Peneios

Pineios River (Peloponnese)

The Pinei?s is a river in Peloponnese, Greece. It is probably not named after the god Peneus. It flows from the mountain Erymanthus , and empties into a bay SW of Gastouni connecting the Ionian Sea....
) through the stable, clearing out the dung rapidly. When Augeias learned of Heracles' bargain for the task, he refused payment. Heracles brought the case to court, and Phyleus testified against his father. Enraged, Augeias banished both Phyleus and Heracles from the land before the court had cast their vote. However, Eurystheus refused to credit the labour to Heracles, as he had performed it for payment.

For his seventh labour Heracles captured the Cretan Bull

Cretan Bull

In Greek mythology, the Cretan Bull was either the bull that carried away Europa or the bull Pasipha? fell in love with, giving birth to the Minotaur....
. Heracles used a lasso

Lasso

A lasso, lariat, or riata is a loop of rope that is designed to be thrown around a target and tighten when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the American cowboy....
and rode it back to his cousin. Eurystheus wanted to sacrifice the bull to Hera his patron, who hated Heracles. She refused the sacrifice because it reflected glory on Heracles. The bull was released and wandered to Marathon, becoming known as the Marathonian Bull.

When Heracles brought back the man-eating Mares of Diomedes

Mares of Diomedes

The Mares of Diomedes, also called the Mares of Thrace were four man-eating horses in Greek mythology. Magnificent, wild, and uncontrollable, they belonged to the giant Diomedes King of Thrace , king of Thrace, a son of Ares and Cyrene who lived on the shores of the Black Sea....
successfully, Eurystheus dedicated the horses to Hera and allowed them to roam freely in the Argolid. Bucephalus

Bucephalus

Bucephalus or Buchephalas was Alexander the Great's horse and the most famous actual horse of Classical antiquity. Ancient accounts state that Bucephalus died after the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC, in what is now modern Pakistan, and is buried in Jalalpur Sharif outside of Jhelum , Pakistan....
, Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III of Macedon was an ancient Greeks King of Macedon . He was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and is presumed undefeated in battle....
's horse, was said to be descended from these mares.

To acquire the belt of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons

Amazons

The Amazons , ) are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatians....
was Heracles's ninth task. This task was at the request of Eurystheus' daughter, Admete

Admete

Admete is a name attributed to two individuals in Greek mythology:*Admete the Oceanid, a companion of Persephone. Hyginus in the preface to his fables calls her Admeto, and a daughter of Pontus and Thalassa....
.

To extend what may have once been ten Labours to the canonical dozen, it was said that Eurystheus didn't count the Hydra, as he was assisted, nor the Augean stables, as Heracles received payment for his work. For the eleventh labour Heracles had to steal the Apples of the Hesperides

Hesperides

In Greek mythology, the Hesperides are nymphs who tend a blissful garden in a far western corner of the world, located near the Atlas mountains in Ancient Libya, or on a distant blessed island at the edge of the encircling Oceanus....
; his final labour was to capture Cerberus

Cerberus

Cerberus is the name given to the entity which, in Greek mythology and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed dog which guards the gates of Hades, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping....
, the three-headed hound that guarded the entrance to Hades

Hades

Hades refers both to the ancient Greek underworld, the abode of Hades, and to the god of the underworld. Hades in Homer referred just to the god; the genitive case , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades"....
.

After Heracles died, Eurystheus attempted to destroy his many children (the Heracleidae

Heracleidae

In Greek mythology, the Heracleidae or Heraclids were the numerous descendants of Heracles , especially applied in a narrower sense to the descendants of Hyllus, the eldest of his four sons by Deianira ....
, led by Hyllus

Hyllus

In Greek mythology, Hyllus was the son of Heracles and Deianira, husband of Iole, nursed by Abia .Heracles, whom Zeus had originally intended to be ruler of Argos, Lacedaemon and Messenian Pylos, had been supplanted by the cunning of Hera, and his intended possessions had fallen into the hands of Eurystheus, king of Mycenae....
), who fled to Athens

Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
. He attacked the city, but was soundly defeated, and he and his sons were killed. The stories about the killer of Eurystheus and the fate of his corpse vary, but the Athenians believed the burial site of Heracles remained on their soil and served to protect the country against the descendants of Heracles, who traditionally included the Sparta

Sparta

Sparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the Eurotas River in the southern part of the Peloponnese. From circa 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars....
ns and Argives

Argos

Argos is a city in Greece in the Peloponnese near Nafplion, which was its historic harbour, named for Nauplius ....
.

After Eurystheus' death, the brothers Atreus

Atreus

In Greek mythology, Atreus was the son of Pelops and Hippodamia, a king of Mycenae, and the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Collectively, his descendants are known as Atreidai or Atreidae....
and Thyestes

Thyestes

In Greek mythology, Thyestes was the son of Pelops, King of Olympia, Greece, and Hippodamia and father of Pelopia and Aegisthus. Thyestes and his twin brother, Atreus, were exiled by their father for having murdered their half-brother, Chrysippus in their desire for the throne of Olympia, Greece....
, whom he had left in charge during his absence, took over the city, the former exiling the latter and assuming the kingship, while Tiryns

Tiryns

Tiryns is a Mycenaean civilization archaeological site in the Greece Prefectures of Greece of Argolis in the Peloponnese peninsula, some kilometres north of Nauplion....
returned to the overlordship of Argos

Argos

Argos is a city in Greece in the Peloponnese near Nafplion, which was its historic harbour, named for Nauplius ....
.

Eurystheus in Euripides

Eurystheus was a character in Heracleidae
Heracleidae (play)

Heracleidae is a play by Euripides c. 430 BC. It follows the children of Heracles , as they seek protection from Eurystheus. It is the first of two surviving plays by Euripides where the family of Heracles are suppliants ....
, a play by Euripides

Euripides

Euripides was the last of the three great tragedy of classical Athens . Ancient scholars thought that Euripides had written ninety-five plays, although four of those were probably written by Critias....
. Macaria

Macaria

In Greek mythology, Macaria was one of the Heracleidae, children of Heracles. She was in Heracleidae , a play by Euripides. She and her brothers and sisters hid from Eursytheus in Athens, Greece, ruled by King Demophon....
, one of the daughters of Heracles

Heracles

Demophon

In Greek mythology, Demophon referred to two different persons:*Demophon , a king of Athens, Greece, according to Pindar, son of Theseus and half brother of Acamas, fought in the Trojan War and was one of those to be in the Trojan Horse...
. As Eurystheus prepared to attack, an oracle

Oracle

An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophecy opinion; an infallible authority, usually Spirituality in nature....
told Demophon that he would win if and only if a noble woman

Nobility

Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary or for a lifetime. Titles of nobility exist today in many countries although it is usually associated with present or former monarchies....
was sacrificed to Persephone

Persephone

In Greek mythology, Persephone was the embodiment of the Earth's fertility at the same time that she was the Queen of the Greek Underworld, the kore , and the parthenogenesis daughter of Demeter and, in later Classical myths, a daughter of Demeter and Zeus....
. Macaria volunteered for the sacrifice and a spring was named the Macarian spring in her honor.

Sources

Kerenyi, Karl
Karl Kerényi

One of the founders of modern studies in Greek mythology, K?roly Ker?nyi was born in Temesv?r, Hungary , and then lived in Hungary....
. The Heroes of the Greeks. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1959.