The seventh labour: The Cretan Bull
When Herakles told Eurytheus that he had chased the birds away, Eurytheus could hardly believe his ears. However, his next task was ready for Herakles, and it was to subdue the Cretan bull, the very father of the Minotaur. The bull breathed fire, and was very strong.

To capture the creature, Herakles once again wore the skin of the Nemean tiger. When the bull saw the tiger's skin, the bull rushed towards Herakles, who agilely managed to grab hold of the bull's horns and vault himself onto the bull's back. With Herakles on his back, the bull tried to get him off, but to no avail. Herakles managed to drive the bull into the sea, and finally the sea water put out its fire. Herakles had beaten the bull, and he easily brought it back to Eurytheus.

Eventually, Eurytheus tried to sacrifice the bull to Hera, but Hera would not accept a sacrifice that had been obtained by the womanising son of Zeus. The bull was finally sent to the plains of Cretan, broken and defeated.

The eighth labour: Diomedes' Mares
After the bull, Eurytheus sent Herakles on the quest for horses. It was the mares of King Diomedes, who ate human flesh. On many occasions, the king had invited guests to his dinner table, and while they were off their guard he would knock them unconscious and feed them to his mares.

Herakles went to the kingdom where Diomedes ruled, and was invited to dinner like many other victims. He, however, managed to overpower the king's men when they tried to attack him. After that, Herakles took Diomedes and knocked him unconscious. He then took the king and fed him to his own mares. While the mares were full after their meal, he chained them to the chariot and returned to Mycenae with the mares.

The ninth labour: The belt of Hippolyte
Eurytheus had run out of monsters for Herakles to kill and capture. He therefore came up with a task unlike any other. Herakles was to get the belt of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons. The Amazons were a group of female warriors who lived away from men. The belt was a gift from the god of war, Ares, and it was a symbol of power. Indeed, this task proved a challenge for Herakles, as he knew it would not be easy to get past the strong armies of the Amazons, lest they attack him. Furthermore, it was hard to get to the faraway land of the Amazons.

Eventually, Herakles gathered a number of people and together they sailed out to where the Amazons were found. Much to their surprise, the Amazons greeted them with hospitality rather than hostility. They entertained their visitors from afar, and the queen even agreed to lend Herakles her belt.

However, Hera would not let things pass so quickly. She came in the disguise of an Amazon, and convinced the warriors that Herakles was here to steal the queen. Enraged by the vile intentions of Herakles, the Amazons were soon up in arms against Herakles. Herakles, left with no other choice, killed Hippolyte and took her belt. Then, he gathered his party and they left the island for Mycenae.

Next: The last three labours >>