Hercules: The Twelve Labors and the Hero's Journey, Schemes and Mind Maps of Medicine

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An Introduction to:

Greek Mythology

Year 6 into 7

Hercules: Vocabulary

You may have heard the story of Hercules before, but you probably haven’t read this version.

Please look through this list of words and definitions to help you with your understanding.

You can read the meanings before, during and even after your reading of the story.

They are written in the order that they appear in the story – the words are bold in the story.

WORD DEFINITION

Oracle An important person with authority to give advice or prophecies.

Atonement The action of making amends for doing wrong.

Invincible Too powerful to be defeated.

Unfathomable Impossible to overcome.

Devoured To eat quickly/greedily.

Impervious Not able to be affected.

Cauterize To burn flesh to stop bleeding or infection.

Ravaged Severely damaged.

Livestock Farm animals.

Trenches Deep ditches dug into the ground.

Foes Enemies.

Carnivorous To eat the flesh of animals.

Impenetrable Impossible to pass or enter.

Rampage To move in a violent/uncontrollable way.

Exploits Bold and daring actions.

Complied To obey or agree.

Descended To move in a downwards direction.

Toil Hard work.

Divine Pantheon The holy temple for the Gods.

Primordial Existing since the beginning of time.

Thrive To grow or develop well.

Hercules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIIjhAuC76g Hercules, son of Zeus and champion of humankind, gazed in horror as he realized he had just committed the most unspeakable crime imaginable. The goddess Hera, who hated Hercules for being born of her husband’s adultery, had stricken him with a temporary curse of madness. And his own family were the casualties when he murdered them all while he was mad. Consumed by grief, Hercules sought out the Oracle of Delphi, who told him the path to atonement lay with his cousin, King Eurystheus of Tiryns, a favourite of Hera’s. Eurystheus hoped to humiliate Hercules with ten impossible tasks that pitted him against invincible monsters and unfathomable forces. Instead, the king set the stage for an epic series of adventures that would come to be known as the Labours of Hercules. The first labour was to slay the Nemean Lion, who kidnapped women and devoured warriors. Its golden fur was impervious to arrows, but Hercules cornered the lion in its dark cave, stunned it with a club, and strangled it with his bare hands. He found no tool sharp enough to skin the beast, until the goddess Athena suggested using one of its own claws. Hercules returned to Tiryns wearing the lion’s hide, frightening King Eurystheus so much that he hid in a wine jar. From then on, Hercules was ordered to present his trophies at a safe distance. The second target was the Lernaean Hydra, a giant serpent with many heads. Hercules fought fiercely, but every time he cut one head off, two more grew in its place. The battle was hopeless until his nephew Lolaus thought to cauterize the necks with fire, keeping the heads from regrowing. The dead serpent’s remains became the Hydra constellation. Instead of slaying a beast, Hercules next had to catch one, alive. The Ceryneian Hind was a female deer so fast it could outrun an arrow. Hercules tracked it for a year, finally trapping it in the northern land of Hyperborea. The animal turned out to be sacred to Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and Hercules swore to return it. When Eurystheus saw the hind, he demanded to keep it instead, but as soon as Hercules let go, the animal ran to its mistress. Thus, Hercules completed his task without breaking his promise. The fourth mission was to capture the Erymanthian boar, which had ravaged many fields. Advised by the wise centaur Chiron, Hercules trapped it by chasing it into thick snow. For the fifth task, there were no animals, just their leftovers. The stables where King Augeas kept his hundreds of divine cattle had not been maintained in ages. Hercules promised to clean them in one day if he could keep one-tenth of the livestock. Augeas expected the hero to fail. Instead, Hercules dug massive trenches , rerouting two nearby rivers to flow through the stables until they were spotless. Next came three more beastly foes , each requiring a clever strategy to defeat. The carnivorous Stymphalian birds nested in an impenetrable swamp, but Hercules used Athena’s special rattle to frighten them into the air, at which point he shot them down. No mortal could stand before the Cretan bull’s mad rampage , but a chokehold from behind did the trick. And the mad King Diomedes, who had trained his horses to devour his guests, got a taste of his own medicine when Hercules wrestled him into his own stables. The ensuing feast calmed the beasts enough for Hercules to bind their mouths.

Hercules’ 12 Labours

In order to gain forgiveness for his sins, Hercules had to complete 12 labours. Re-read the story to complete this grid showing WHO Hercules defeated and HOW he did it. LABOUR WHO WAS DEFEATED? HOW DID HERCULES DO IT? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hercules Multiple Choice Knowledge Quiz: (reread the story for answers!)

1. What was Eurystheus’s relationship to Hercules?

A. Brother B. Father in law

C. Cousin D. Son

2. Why didn’t Hercules give the Ceryneian Hind to Eurystheus?

A. He’d sworn to return it to Artemis. B. He wanted to keep it himself.

C. Eurysthesus was scared of it. D. It disappeared

3. What special item did Hercules need to defeat the Stymphalian birds?

A. Nemean Lion’s hide B. Athena’s rattle

C. Hippolyta’s belt D. Pandora’s box

4. Which god helped Hercules reach Geryon’s island?

A. Poseidon B. Helios

C. Hermes D. Zeus

5. Which of the following labors was deemed invalid by Eurystheus?

A. The Ceryneian Hind B. The Hydra

C. Cerberus D. None of these

Effects of language:

Write the correct language feature next to each quotation.

Choose from: simile, alliteration and effective adjectives.

Eurystheus hoped to humiliate Hercules A herd of magical red cattle With teeth as sharp as blades

Explain how the writer uses language for effect in the quotations – the first one is a model to help:

Eurystheus hoped to humiliate Hercules The writer uses alliteration to emphasise how much Eurystheus wants to embarrass Hercules. The fact that he “hoped” to “humiliate” him shows that Eurystheus was not a good friend or cousin and wanted the worst outcome for Hercules. This might make readers even more determined to support Hercules’ battles and feel happy when he finally overcomes all the labours. Eurystheus’ plan to humiliate Hercules backfires because Hercules ends as a hero. A herd of magical red cattle With teeth as sharp as blades

Optional Extra tasks:

If you would like to hear more Myths, here are more videos from the TEDed collection:

Prometheus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_u91SjrEOE

Cupid and Psyche: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjj_-CPxjCM&t=2s Orpheus and Eurydice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhaepLsP5eg&t=7s Icarus and Daedalus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s2QPQnuaGk Arachne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvUHcsZOhJ8&t=37s You may also feel inspired to do some creative writing: Based on Hercules: