Greek mythology’s mightiest hero faces the world’s most fearsome beasts, monsters, and demons Hercules, the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, was the greatest of the Greek heroes and the strongest man on earth. Three times as big as his fully mortal twin, and imbued with extraordinary courage and ingenuity, Hercules began his remarkable feats while still in the cradle. Zeus’s wife, the goddess Hera, jealously schemed to kill Hercules, but the resourceful half-man, half-god escaped her traps and accomplished seemingly impossible tasks. Renowned mythologist Bernard Evslin recounts the famous twelve labors of Hercules, as the warrior tries to break Hera’s curse by facing down the Nemean Lion, killing the many-headed Hydra, outwitting the giant Anteus, and more.