STORY BY PAUL STORRIE PENCILS BY STEVE KURTH NKS BY BARBARA SCHULZ COLORING BY HER DESIGN LETTERING BY BILL HAUSER HE CHARACTER HERCULES MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN BASED ON AN ACTUAL PERSON REGARDLESS THE STORIES OF HIS GREAT FEATS OF STRENGTH COURAGE AND RESOURCEFULNESS ARE AMONG THE MOST FAMOUS GREEK LEGENDS THE GREEKS CALLED THEIR GREATEST HERO HERAKLES BUT THE ROMANS KNEW HIM AS HERCULES THIS LATTER TITLE HAS COME DOWN THROUGH THE AGES AS THE MOST POPULAR NAME FOR THIS LARGER THAN LIFE FIGURE TO CREATE THE STORY OF HERCULES TWELVE LABORS AUTHOR PAUL STORRIE RELIED HEAVILY ON BOTH THOMAS BULFINCH S THE AGE OF FABLE FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1859 AND EDITH HAMILTON S MYTHOLOGY FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1942 BOTH OF THESE DREW THEIR MATERIAL FROM THE WORK OF ANCIENT POETS SUCH AS OVID AND VIRGIL ARTIST STEVE KURTH USED NUMEROUS HISTORICAL AND TRADITIONAL SOURCES TO GIVE THE ART AN AUTHENTIC FEEL FROM THE CLASSICAL GREEK ARCHITECTURE TO THE CLOTHING WEAPONS AND ARMOR WORN BY THE CHARACTERS Copyright 2007 by Lerner Publishing Group Inc Graphic UniverseTM is a trademark of Lerner Publishing Group Inc All rights reserved International copyright secured No part of this book may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group Inc except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review Graphic Universe TM A division of Lerner Publishing Group Inc 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis MN 55401 USA For reading levels and more information look up this title at www lernerbooks com Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Storrie Paul D Hercules the Twelve Labors by Paul Storries illustrations by Steve Kurth p cm Graphic myths and legends ISBN 978 0 8225 3084 8 lib bdg alk paper ISBN 978 0 8225 7244 5 eBook 1 Heracles Greek mythology Juvenile literature L Kurth Steve II Title III Series Graphic myths and legends Minneapolis Minn BL820 H5586 2007 398 2°093802 dcz2 2005023617 Manufactured in the United States of America 9 VI 7 1 14
TABLE OF CONTENTS THE LEGEND BEGINS 6 FANTASTIC CREATURES 8 GREAT CHALLENGES 18 EXTRAORDINARY PRIZES 25 ABOVE AND BELOW 37 GLOSSARY 46 FURTHER READING AND WEBSITES 47 NDEX 48 ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ARTIST 48
LONG AGO IN THE FAR OFF LAND OF GREECE THERE LIVED A HERO NAMED HERCULES THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MAN AS STRONG BEFORE OR SINCE HIS MOTHER WAS ALCMENA A MORTAL BUT HIS FATHER WAS ZEUS THE KING OF THE GODS THE GODDESS HERA WAS JEALOUS THAT ZEUS HER HUSBAND LOVED A MORTAL WOMAN BECAUSE OF THAT SHE HATED
HERCULES WAS RAISED IN THE CITY OF THEBES ALONG WITH HIS HALF BROTHER IPHICLES ONE NIGHT HERA SENT TWO SERPENTS TO SLAY THE SLEEPING HERCULES NOT CARING THAT HIS BROTHER WAS IN DANGER TOO EACH NIGHT ALCMENA WOULD PUT HER SONS TO BED IN A GREAT BRONZE SHIELD THAT SERVED AS THEIR CRIB BLIT ZEUS WATCHED OVER HIS SON AND SENT A BRIGHT LIGHT TO WAKE HIM EVEN AS A CHILD HE WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO SAVE HIS BROTHER AND HIMSELF SON OF ZEUS YOU MUST GO TO YOUR COUSIN KING EURYSTHEUS OF MYCENAE AND PUT YOURSELF IN HIS SERVICE THIS IS THE WILL OF THE GODS WHEN HE WAS A GROWN MAN HE WENT TO THE ORACLE AT DELPHI WHO GAVE MESSAGES FROM THE GODS TO LEARN WHAT HE SHOULD DO WITH HIS GREAT GIFT OF STRENGTH THOUGH HERCULES COULD NOT SEE HER IT WAS THE GODDESS HERA WHO SPOKE THROUGH THE ORACLE THAT
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