The Hatred Heracles Faced

Hera, Zeus’s wife, hated Heracles and sent snakes to kill him. Heracles strangled both of the snakes.

Heracles Grows Up

Heracles grew up to be a very strong man. Heracles meets his wife and has many children.

The Labours of Heracles

Hera hated that Heracles was so happy and cast a spell on him, which resulted in him killing his children. Heracles’ wife sends Heracles away. Heracles meets with the priestess who tells him to serve his enemy King Eurystheus. King Eurystheus hated Heracles too and made him complete twelve deadly tasks. These tasks were:

To kill a huge lion
To kill the many headed Hydra
To capture the golden horned deer
To capture a savage boar
To clean the filthy stables of King Augeas
To kill a flock of man eating birds
To capture the fire breathing bull of Crete
To steal Diomedes horses
To fetch the golden girdle from the queen of the Amazon warrior women
To seize the monster Geryons cattle
To collect three golden apples
To fetch the three headed guard dog from the underworld

Heracles survived all of the labours and King Eurystheus pardoned him. Heracles become stronger, happier and was never bothered by Hera again.

Strengths

— Offers the story of Heracles to children in comic book format, therefore it is visually appealing

— Adds a humorous feel to the story of Heracles

— Discusses the twelve labours (tasks) of Heracles in a child friendly manner

— Protects children from the evils of adultery by not mentioning how Heracles was conceived

— Protects children from the death of Heracles as he lives happily ever after

— Discusses that Heracles is also called Hercules

— Follows major plot points consistent with Greek and Roman versions, although omitting minor points to allow the young reader to stay engaged

— Bright, colourful illustrations provided by the author

— A list of other works by the author is provided

— Offers narration of the story as well as text in the comic strip

Weaknesses

— No information is provided as to the authors credibility

— Is inconsistent as the title is changed (labours to tasks) to ensure children are able to understand though the names of characters are left which are often hard to pronounce

— The story ends without Heracles becoming immortal

— Inconsistent as Heracles is often illustrated wearing the lion cloak and at other times is not

— Layout of the comic strips is often hard to follow

Links to Other Resources

Provided below are references that relate to the Marcia Williams depiction of the story of Heracles.

— Amery, Heather (1999) The many tasks of Heracles. In Greek myths for young children. London: Usborne Publishing.

— Balit, Christina and Riordan, James (1997) The twelve labours of Heracles. Sydney: Harper Collins Publishers.

— Miles, Kate ed. (2004) Heracles’s labours. In 1000 facts on myths and legends. Essex: Bardfield Press.

— Parker, Vic (2000) Heracles, hero of heroes. In Traditional tales from ancient Greece. United Kingdom: Belitha Press.