Hercules the great hero and son of the great god Zeus, was the most famous of all the Greek mythological heroes. Hercules was known for his strength, courage, and adventurous personality. Hercules like most heroes had a god as a father and had a mortal mother named Alcmene. Hercules like most heroes was no ordinary mortal and a good example was his superhuman strength. Hercules was the strongest of all the heroes and obviously possessed superhuman strength. Hercules was an excellent marksman and also a champion fighter who once fought the great god Zeus to a draw! It is said that Hercules caused the sea god Poseidon to surrender in battle and wounded Ares, the god of war in another battle. Hercules could throw boulders like cobblestones and move mountains that hindered his livestock. The possessor of superhuman strength also relieved the Titan Atlas of the burden of supporting the heavens. Like his strength, Hercules' courage proved tremendous in times of need. Since Hercules was doomed to many hardships and accomplished almost impossible tasks, it can be said with certainty that he is one of the bravest heroes. When Hercules was a child, the goddess Hera was very jealous of Hercules. Hera was jealous because Zeus cheated on her many times with mortal women to pass on his great genes to his offspring and the more offspring Zeus had, the better it would be for Greece. Hercules was born because Zeus was having an affair with another woman named Alcmene or Hercules' mother. So Hera sent two snakes into Hercules' room when he was a child to kill him, but Hercules grabbed the snakes by the head and killed them. In his labors he also defeated the Hydra, the Nemean Lion and the man who killed the Stymphalian birds. In all those labors Hercules showed enormous courage, because most mortals could not even get close to these creatures otherwise they would be killed. Fortunately for Hercules, his adventurous personality helped him in the many adventures he faced. Hercules was adventurous mostly because of what he had been condemned to. Hercules was driven mad by the goddess Hera and, in a frenzy, killed his own sons. To atone for his crime he was sentenced to perform a series of tasks or labors for his cousin Eurytheus, king of Mycenae.