The Cattle of Geryon
Heracles travels to the far west and defeats the three-bodied Geryon in order to seize his famous cattle.
The Story
The Labour involving the cattle of Geryon carried Heracles to the far western edge of the mythological world.
Geryon was an extraordinary being, usually described as possessing three bodies.
He owned a magnificent herd of cattle.
The herd was guarded by Eurytion and by Orthrus, the two-headed dog associated with the monstrous family of Typhon and Echidna.
Heracles first defeated the guards.
He then confronted Geryon himself.
Using his bow, Heracles killed the three-bodied ruler and took possession of the herd.
But bringing the cattle home became an adventure in itself.
The journey carried Heracles across distant lands and generated many local myths concerning places supposedly visited by the hero.
One famous tradition connects the journey with the Pillars of Heracles at the western entrance to the Mediterranean.
By this stage the Labours were no longer simply tasks around Greece.
Heracles had become a hero whose journeys mapped the edges of the known and imagined world.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
The cattle of Geryon greatly expands the geographical scale of the Heracles cycle. His adventures begin to connect distant regions to a shared heroic mythology.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient sources preserve many local traditions concerning Heracles' return journey with the cattle. Geryon's appearance and the exact geography of his island or western homeland also vary.