Eurystheus- Greek FigureMortal"King of Mycenae"

Hera's Instrument

Eurystheus was a descendant of Perseus and king of Mycenae and Tiryns, but he owed his throne to Hera's scheming rather than his own merit. When Alcmene was pregnant with Heracles, Zeus boasted to the gods that a child of his blood born that day would rule over all those around him. Hera extracted an unbreakable oath binding Zeus to this promise, then hastened the birth of Eurystheus at seven months while delaying Heracles' delivery. The premature Eurystheus was thus born first and inherited the sovereignty Zeus had intended for his son.

The Twelve Labors

When Heracles, driven mad by Hera, killed his own children and sought purification, the Delphic oracle commanded him to serve Eurystheus for twelve years. The king assigned him a series of impossible tasks, from slaying the Nemean Lion to dragging Cerberus out of the underworld. Eurystheus hid in a bronze storage jar whenever Heracles returned with his trophies, so terrified was he of the beasts and monsters his servant brought back alive. He rejected two of the labors on technicalities — the Hydra because Iolaus had helped, and the Augean Stables because Heracles had demanded payment — extending the servitude to twelve tasks.

The Persecution of the Heraclidae

Eurystheus's enmity did not end with Heracles' death and apotheosis. He pursued the hero's children, the Heraclidae, across Greece, demanding that every city expel them. Only Athens under the sons of Theseus dared to shelter them. Eurystheus raised an army against Athens but was defeated. The aged Iolaus, miraculously restored to youth by Hebe and Zeus, pursued and captured the fleeing king. Alcmene, Heracles' mother, demanded Eurystheus's execution despite Athenian law against killing prisoners, and his head was given to her.