Editing Labours of Hercules (section)

===Tenth: Cattle of Geryon===
[[File:Lucas Cranach d.Ä. - Herkules und die Rinder des Geryones (Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum).jpg|thumb|Heracles and the Cattle of Geryones]]
The tenth labour was to obtain the cattle of the three-bodied giant [[Geryon]]. In Apollodorus' account, Heracles had to go to the island of Erytheia in the far west. On the way he became so frustrated at the heat that he aimed an arrow at the [[Sun]]. The sun-god [[Helios]], impressed by his audacity, gave Heracles the golden cup that Helios used to sail across the sea from west to east each night. Heracles took the cup and rode it to Erytheia.<ref>Hard, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA258 p. 264]; [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]] [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:2.5.10 2.5.10].</ref>

When Heracles landed at Erytheia, he was confronted by the two-headed dog [[Orthrus]]. With one blow from his olive-wood club, Heracles killed Orthrus. [[Eurytion]] the herdsman came to assist Orthrus, but Heracles dealt with him the same way.

On hearing the commotion, Geryon sprang into action, carrying three shields and three spears, and wearing three helmets. He attacked Heracles at the River Anthemus, but was slain by one of Heracles' poisoned arrows. Heracles shot so forcefully that the arrow pierced Geryon's forehead, "and Geryon bent his neck over to one side, like a poppy that spoils its delicate shapes, shedding its petals all at once."<ref>[[Stesichorus]], fragment, translated by Denys Page.</ref>

Heracles then had to herd the cattle back to Eurystheus. In [[Roman mythology|Roman]] versions of the narrative, Heracles drove the cattle over the [[Aventine Hill]] on the future site of [[Rome]]. The giant [[Cacus]], who lived there, stole some of the cattle as Heracles slept, making the cattle walk backwards so that they left no trail, a repetition of the trick of the young [[Hermes]]. According to some versions, Heracles drove his remaining cattle past the cave, where Cacus had hidden the stolen animals, and they began calling out to each other. In other versions, Cacus' sister [[Caca (mythology)|Caca]] told Heracles where he was. Heracles then killed Cacus and set up an altar on the spot, later the site of Rome's [[Forum Boarium]] (the cattle market).

To annoy Heracles, Hera sent a [[Gadfly (mythology)|gadfly]] to bite the cattle, irritate them, and scatter them. Within a year, Heracles retrieved them. Hera then sent a flood which raised the level of a river so much that Heracles could not cross with the cattle. He piled stones into the river to make the water shallower. When he finally reached the court of Eurystheus, the cattle were sacrificed to Hera.