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Greek Mythology: The Tale of Hercules - Safari Ltd®

Greek Mythology: The Tale of Hercules

 

Hercules Safari Ltd © Mythical Realms Collection

 

Greek mythology has been incorporated into everything from Hollywood movies to children’s television shows. To top it all off, it is a fun and interesting topic to learn about. There are so many stories, so why not share them with your children? Luckily, most of these myths have been written in terms that children can understand. Make these stories come to life with our Mythical Realms® figures! The next myth on our list of Greek mythology for kids is the story of the strong, heroic Hercules. Known also as Heracles to the Romans, this story has been told in many different ways. Our version is based off the historic version of the myth, and is best told when accompanied by Hercules, himself!

The Tale of Hercules

Once upon a time, many years ago a baby was born to a mortal woman and the king of the gods- Zeus. Hera, Zeus’s wife, was very jealous and hated the child, so she sent two poisonous snakes to where Hercules lived. Before the snakes could touch Hercules, the half-god baby grabbed hold of them in his strong little hands and defeated them. Hercules grew into a very strong, handsome man and was liked by all of the people, except Hera, goddess of heaven. Hera had planted seeds of madness in the mind of Hercules, which caused him to be very unhappy, even when he married Megara, daughter to the King of Thebes. Megara was so upset that her husband was unhappy that she went to ask the Oracle of Delphi what to do. The oracle stated that to cure Hercules of this madness, he had to complete 10 impossible services for mankind. So Hercules decided to accept this challenge and went to see Eurystheus, king of Tiryns, who would assign him these impossible tasks. Amazingly, Hercules somehow managed to complete not ten but twelve heroic services for mankind before he was freed of his madness (two of them did not count according to the king). His first task was to kill a ferocious lion that had been hurting animals and people. Hercules did this with his bare hands, and after easily completing this task he wore the lion’s pelt as a cloak to show to show the king what he had done. During the rest of the services he performed, Hercules not only showed strength but also brains. Hercules did everything from slaying three headed beasts and evil creatures to retrieving Cerberus, the guard dog from the underworld. After he had finished all of his services, the seeds of madness were gone from his brain and he lived happily ever after with his wife, Megara.

Want to make the story more hands on for your child? Make sure to check out Cerberus and our Wildlife Wonders® Lion figures, and bring them along to help tell the story of Hercules in a way that your child won’t forget!

Has your child begun to express an interest in Greek Mythology? How do you teach them the stories? Share in the comment box below!Stay tuned for more Greek Mythology Posts! Check out our blog post from last week with the story of Medusa, and stay tuned for more ancient myths about figures from our Mythical Realms Toob such as Poseidon, the God of the sea coming your way. Don’t miss out!

 

 

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