This article will explore the life of Eurystheus : his father, his sacrifices, and His relationship with Heracles. You will also learn about Eurystheus’ father’s authority. And you will gain an appreciation of the sacrifices that Eurystheus makes throughout his life. If you’re wondering who Eurystheus is, you’ve come to the right place! If you haven’t read The Odyssey, now is the time to start.
Eurystheus’ father
According to the Greek mythology, Eurystheus’ father was Heracles. Heracles thought Eurystheus was a suppliant and prepared arrows for his children. Eurystheus’ children were so terrified of Heracles that they ran away to the skirts of their mother and the columns and altars of Troy. Heracles then took them into exile in Mycenae.
Heracles’ daughter Admete 2 wished to be king, and she wished to take the Belt of Ares. Eurystheus’ father had the Cattle of Geryon brought to Mycenae by Heracles 1, who then sacrificed it to the goddess Hera. This sacrifice triggered the famine that swept the land, and made Eurystheus an instant hero.
After the flood, Hercules sailed to the far End of the Earth and returned to Mycenae to kill the monster Amphitryon. Chrysaor was the son of Oceanus and Tethys and had sprung from the body of the Gorgon Medusa. Callirrhoe, the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, bore the monster Geryones. The father and son were killed, and Eurystheus was banished to a sea-girt island to fend for himself.
After Eurystheus’ father was exiled, Heracles had to perform twelve labours to earn Hera’s favor. In this archaic stage of myth-making, Heracles essentially carried Hera’s fame. While he was punished for the murders of Hera’s children, he was later rewarded for a series of good deeds, including the Twelve Labors.
The myths about Heracles’ father are very different from what they tell us today. In the 1960 film Goliath and the Dragon, Broderick Crawford portrayed Eurystheus, the warlord with the ambition of conquering Thebes. His son Hercules sets a dangerous mission for him to do. Eurystheus is ultimately killed by a slave girl who forces him into a pit of snakes.
His father’s authority
The Iliad makes much of Herakles, the hero of the Iliad, as a precedent for the hero Herakles. Herakles’s descent from the great hero Herakles, whose mighty army defeated the vengeful Trojans, is a striking example. The hero of the Iliad cites Herakles’ example when considering the character of Eurystheus.
A 1960 movie, Goliath and the Dragon, starred Broderick Crawford as Eurystheus. The film depicted Eurystheus as a warlord bent on conquering Thebes and setting Hercules on a mission that ends in disaster, and Eurystheus’s death occurs in a dungeon scene in which he is thrown into a pit filled with snakes by his slave girl.
His sacrifices
Heracles had ten labours, but that didn’t count the help from Hydra and the payment of the Augean stables. His first labour was to steal the Apples of the Hesperides, the wedding present given by Hera to Zeus. These apples were guarded by Ladon, son of Atlas. Eurystheus let Heracles bring them to Mycenae, but later he set them free. Heracles also brought carnivorous Mares from Thrace to sacrifice at Mount Olympus. Eurystheus let Heracles bring them to Mycenae and the wild beasts destroyed them on Mount Olympus.
Heracles also took the form of a goat so that the gods could have their way. Heracles killed a mortal queen, Megara, and her children in a fit of madness. Hera was angry and asked Zeus to make the next descendant the king. Eurystheus agrees, but only if he serves Eurystheus for twelve years.
In the 1960 film Goliath and the Dragon, Broderick Crawford portrayed Eurystheus. In the film, he is a warlord trying to conquer Thebes. He sends Hercules on a mission to conquer the city. Eurystheus then dies in a dungeon scene when a slave girl pushes him into a snake-filled pit.
Despite Heracles’ efforts to save him, Eurystheus was so angry with Heracles that he spent a lot of time thinking up a third task for Heracles to complete. This time, however, the task didn’t involve killing a beast. Instead, Eurystheus made Heracles capture a Cerynian hind, which is sacred to Artemis and part of the King’s menagerie.
His relationship with Heracles
The relationship between Eurystheus and Heracles has many historical details. Zeus had planned for Eurystheus to become the king of Mycenae, and he was the first to do so, after his father died. His birth was also significant because it proved that Zeus had illicit affairs. His twin mortal brother, Iphicles, was the son of Amphitryon and father to Heracles’ charioteer Iolaus.
Heracles was born in Thebes. He married Megara, daughter of the Creon, and bore two sons. Later, Heracles became mad, killing his wife and children in a fit of madness. Although Euripides mentions that Heracles shot Megara, the other account states that he shot her and was given in marriage to Iolaus. Eurystheus later married Omphale, the Lydian queen. After the marriage, Eurystheus was delivered as a slave to the Lydian queen.
Heracles was also sent to fetch the gold-horned hind of the goddess Artemis, which Heracles ate for a year. When Eurystheus ran out of inspiration, he contacted other goddesses and sent inquiries further afield. During this time, Eurystheus humiliated him by setting him menial tasks. Heracles, in turn, defended himself by asking for a belt.
The sex between the gods was complicated by several circumstances. Eurystheus’ third wife, Deianira, was married to Heracles. Nessus offered to ferry Deianira across the river for Heracles. Heracles was not pleased, and he shot the centaur with a poisoned arrow. Nessus then plotted revenge on his wife. The woman was ordered to gather blood and poisoned fluids from Nessus’ body and apply them to Heracles’ clothes.
His cowardice
Homer depicts Eurystheus’ cowardice as a character trait rather than an actual flaw. While Eurystheus was physically stronger than Herakles, he was also inferior in manhood. Unlike Achilles, Eurystheus never mentions Herakles, Hera, or Cerberus. The main character trait of Eurystheus was that he hid behind mass armies.
Nevertheless, the gods had given Eurystheus the task of immortalizing a great man. Eurystheus succeeded in his task, but now he must bear the heavy burden of being a detestable master to a superior man. Does his labor weigh more than the twelve-headed rival? Only the gods can judge this. That is why Eurystheus’ cowardice was highlighted in the iconographic tradition.
In fact, Eurystheus’ cowardice led to his downfall. Instead of embracing the task, he was afraid of death. He had ordered Hercules to capture the Erymanthian boar. In order to kill the boar, Eurystheus sent Hercules to the mountain of Erymanthus. The centaur accidentally dropped a poisoned arrow. Hercules drove the fearful boar into the snow. Hercules then captured the exhausted boar in a net and brought it to Eurystheus.
King Eurystheus, who had been a coward, was a pawn in the game of Heracles. Heracles’ success showed that Eurystheus was a coward. During the first task, Heracles was the victor, and Eurystheus hid in a bronze jar. His success in the Labours portrayed him as a coward.
The people of Mount Erymanthus lived in fear of the deadly wild boar. The fierce beast was fierce and had a tough hide. Eurystheus challenged his cousin, Heracles, to hunt and capture it. Heracles hunted the beast, brought it to the king of Tiryns, who then hid in a massive bronze jar to hide from Eurystheus’ vengeance. The incident further strengthened the enmity between the two brothers.
