Hercules grew up in the forests of Cithaeron and became a mighty young man. He was a full head taller than everyone else, and his strength far exceeded that of a man. At first glance, one could recognize him as the son of Zeus, especially by his eyes, which shone with some extraordinary, divine light. No one was equal to Hercules in dexterity in military exercises, and he wielded a bow and spear so skillfully that he never missed. While still a young man, Hercules killed the formidable lion of Cithaeron, who lived on the tops of the mountains. Young Hercules attacked him, killed him and skinned him. He put this skin on himself, threw it like a cloak over his powerful shoulders, tied it with his paws on his chest, and the skin from the lion’s head served as his helmet. Hercules made himself a huge club from an ash tree that was as hard as iron and uprooted from the Nemean Grove. Hermes gave Hercules a sword, Apollo gave him a bow and arrows, Hephaestus made him a golden armor, and Athena herself wove clothes for him.
Having matured, Hercules defeated King Orchomen Ergin, to whom Thebes paid a large tribute annually. He killed Ergin during the battle, and imposed a tribute on the Minyan Orkhomenes, which was twice as much as what Thebes paid. For this feat, the king of Thebes, Creon, gave Hercules his daughter Megara as his wife, and the gods sent him three beautiful sons.
Hercules lived happily in the seven-gate Thebes. But the great goddess Hera still burned with hatred for the son of Zeus. She sent a terrible illness to Hercules. The great hero lost his mind, madness took possession of him. In a fit of rage, Hercules killed all his children and the children of his brother Iphicles. When the fit passed, deep sorrow took possession of Hercules. Having been cleansed of the filth of the involuntary murder he had committed, Hercules left Thebes and went to the sacred Delphi to ask the god Apollo what he should do. Apollo ordered Hercules to go to the homeland of his ancestors in Tiryns and serve Eurystheus for twelve years. Through the mouth of the Pythia, the son of Latona predicted to Hercules that he would receive immortality if he performed twelve great labors at the command of Eurystheus.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru