Heracles, son of Zeus, was a hero famous for his physical strength and for performing the Twelve Labors. He was easily recognized by his lion skin, club, and bow.
Hippolyta was an Amazon queen and the owner of a famous mythical girdle. She fought Heracles when the hero was sent to her kingdom to steal the girdle for his ninth labor.
Iphicles, son of Alcmene and Amphitryon, was the half-brother of Heracles and a minor hero himself. His son Iolaus became Heracles’ faithful companion.
The Shield of Heracles is a brief epic poem incorrectly attributed to Hesiod, probably composed around the early sixth century BCE. It tells of the battle between the hero Heracles and the warrior Cycnus, but it is most famous—as the title suggests—for its long and detailed description of Heracles’ shield.
Ladon was a formidable serpent or dragon, tasked with guarding the golden apples hidden in the Garden of the Hesperides. When Heracles came to steal the apples for his eleventh labor, he first had to find a way around the imposing Ladon.
Antaeus, son of Poseidon, was a famously strong wrestler from Libya who was slain by the hero Heracles. Antaeus could not be defeated as long as he was touching the earth, so Heracles hoisted him off the ground to kill him.
The Heracles is a tragedy by Euripides, usually dated to around 415 BCE. In the play, Heracles returns home after completing his Twelve Labors, just in time to save his family from a violent usurper. But he is driven mad by the gods and ends up killing the wife and children he has just saved.
Eurystheus, son of Sthenelus and Nicippe, was the king of Mycenae for whom Heracles was forced to complete the Twelve Labors. Supported by Hera, Eurystheus remained Heracles’ enemy throughout his life, and even after Heracles died he continued to pursue his children.
The Nemean Lion was a ferocious beast whose hide was invulnerable to weapons. It terrorized Nemea until Heracles finally killed it with his bare hands as the first of his Twelve Labors.
The Hydra, a child of the Greek monsters Typhoeus and Echidna, was a creature with multiple serpent heads. It lived in the swamps of Lerna in Greece, where it terrorized the region’s inhabitants until it was slain by the mighty Heracles.
