Hercules was originally assigned 10 tasks to complete but ended up completing 12. King Eurystheus ended up adding 2 more because 2 were disqualified. The ones that were disqualified were The Hydra, because his nephew, lolaus helped him. And also The Augean Stables because Hercules asked for a payment and used rivers instead of his own hands to clean them.
TASK 1: SLAYING THE NEMEAN LION
It was a huge lion that could not be killed with any weapon
Hercules first tried shooting it with arrows, but they just bounced off. He later got him in a cave and blocked one entrance. To finish off he strangled the lion with his own hands.
TASK 2: SLAYING THE LERNAEAN HYDRA
The Hydra was a water serpent [9 heads] and for every head that was cut off , 2 more would grow in it’s place.
With his nephew lolaus, he cut off their heads and lolaus cauterized the stumps with a torch so wouldn’t grow back. After they did all of that, Hercules buried the final inmortal one, under a rock.
He took out the venom from the Hydras and put them on his arrows to make them lethal
Later this labour was disqualified because he had help.
TASK 3: CAPTURING THE CERYNEIAN HIND
It was a female deer with golden antlers and bronze hooves, scared to Artemis.
It was so scared that he could not kill it or help it. He tracked it for an entire year that it grew tired and he finally captured it alive.
He encountered Artemis while returning; after explaining his penance, she allowed him to show the deer to Eurystheus before releasing it
TASK 4: CAPTURING THE ERYMANTHIAN BOAR
It was a giant boar terrorizing Mount Erymanthus.
Hercules drove the boar into deep snow to exhaust it, then trapped it in a net. When he brought it back, Eurystheus was so terrified he famously hid in a large bronze storage jar.
TASK 5: CLEANING THE AUGEAN STABLES
Cleaning 3000 cattles that have not been cleaned in 30 years- in one day.
Hercules dug ditches and diverted the rivers Alpheus and Peneus to wash away the filth.
This was later diqualified because he used rivers and not his ow hands to clean them.
TASK 6: CAPTURING STYMPHALIAN BIRDS
Man-eating birds with metallic feathers that they could shoot like arrows.
Using bronze clappers (krotala) made by Hephaestus and given to him by Athena, he startled the birds into the air.
He later shot them with the poisoned arrows he took from the Hydras
TASK 7: CAPTURING THE CRETAN BULL
Fire breathing bull that was the father of the minotaur in the maze
Hercules wrestled the bull to the ground and brought it back to the mainland.
Eurystheus released the bull, which later wandered to Marathon and was eventually killed by the hero Theseus.
TASK 8: STEALING THE MARES OF DIOMEDES
Four wild horses belonging to King Diomedes that were trained to eat human flesh.
Hercules killed Diomedes and fed the king’s body to his own horses, which immediately tamed them.
He led the tame horses back to Eurystheus, who dedicated them to Hera.
TASK 9: OBTAIN THE BELT OF HIPPOLYTA
A magical war-belt given to the Amazon Queen by Ares.
Hippolyta initially agreed to give him the belt, but Hera disguised herself as an Amazon and spread a rumor that Hercules was kidnapping their queen.
A battle ensued; Hercules killed Hippolyta and took the belt to deliver to Eurystheus’ daughter.
TASK 10: OBTAINING THE CATTLE OF GREYON
Geryon was a monster with three human bodies; he owned a herd of red cattle guarded by a two-headed dog named Orthrus.
To reach them, Hercules traveled to the edge of the world, allegedly splitting a mountain to create the Strait of Gibraltar
He killed Geryon and the guard dog, then drove the cattle across Europe back to Greece.
TASK 11: STEALING THE GOLDEN APPLES OF HESPERIDES
Golden apples in a secret garden guarded by a hundred-headed dragon named Ladon.
Hercules held up the sky for the Titan Atlas so Atlas could fetch the apples for him.
Atlas tried to leave Hercules holding the sky forever, but Hercules tricked him into taking it back by asking to adjust his cloak.
TASK 12: CAPTURING CERBERUS
Three headed monster guarding the door of the under world the Hades agreed to let Hercules take the dog if he could subue it using only his bare hands and no weapons.
Hercules wrestled the dog into submission, carried it to Eurystheus (who again hid in his jar), and then returned the dog unharmed to the Underworld.