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.
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 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.
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.
The Stymphalian Birds were dangerous creatures who plagued the woods around Lake Stymphalus. Heracles chased them away—or, in some traditions, wiped them out entirely—as one of his Twelve Labors.
The Erymanthian Boar was a ferocious beast, known for terrorizing those who lived near its mountainous lair. In the end, it was captured alive by Heracles, who had been sent to fight the creature for his fourth labor.
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.
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.
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.
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.
