Page:The Music of the Spheres.djvu/120

 valley of Nemea; he also killed the Crab now in Cancer, and the hundred-headed Hydra whose constellation is seen in the south from March to June. Some writers see in Sagitta, the Arrow; Aquila and Cygnus, the Birds; Draco, the Dragon and other constellations, memorials of the adventures of Hercules.

This huge giant gave promise of a career while very young. When no more than eight months old, two monstrous snakes appeared and pushed their hissing heads between the bars of his cradle. Springing to his feet, he seized the reptiles by their necks, strangled them and threw them dead at the feet of his terror-stricken parents.

When Hercules grew to manhood his cousin, who ruled the Perseidæ, commanded him to perform ten difficult tasks, which were later increased to twelve. Hercules was at first unwilling to obey but the oracle at Delphi informed him that he would become an immortal hero if he performed the tasks, and afterwards be given a just reward. For a while Hercules was so despondent that he eventually became mad, but finally throwing off his depression, he accomplished all he set out to do with such cleverness and foresight and with exhibitions of such amazing strength, that not only did the gods carry him up to Mount Olympus after his death but gave him as a wife the lovely cupbearer, Hebe. His gigantic figure is now among the stars and many of the creatures in his adventures have been placed far above the earth in honored positions in the heavens. Let us now go back for a moment and review some of these awe-inspiring accomplishments of Hercules.

The lion and the hydra have already been mentioned. The