Of all Heracles’ heroic deeds, the most important were the Twelve Labors, which the hero was forced to perform for his cousin Eurystheus, the High King of Mycenae. Hera ensured that Heracles’ life was filled with hardship and tragedy. Because he was the product of one of Zeus’ many affairs, Heracles was hated and hounded by Zeus’ jealous wife Hera. Heracles, the son of Zeus and Alcmene (a mortal woman), was a Greek hero and demigod.
