§4.10.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἡ μὲν Ἥρα δύο δράκοντας ἀπέστειλε τοὺς ἀναλώσοντας τὸ βρέφος, ὁ δὲ παῖς οὐ καταπλαγεὶς ἑκατέρᾳ τῶν χειρῶν τὸν αὐχένα σφίγξας ἀπέπνιξε τοὺς δράκοντας.
After these things, Hera sent two serpents to destroy the infant, but the child, not being terrified, squeezed their necks with each of his hands and strangled the serpents.
διόπερ Ἀργεῖοι πυθόμενοι τὸ γεγονὸς Ἡρακλέα προσηγόρευσαν, ὅτι δι’ Ἥραν ἔσχε κλέος, Ἀλκαῖον πρότερον καλούμενον.
For this reason, when the Argives learned of what had happened, they named him Heracles, because through Hera he obtained glory, though he had formerly been called Alcaeus.
τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἄλλοις οἱ γονεῖς τοὔνομα περιτιθέασι, τούτῳ δὲ μόνῳ ἡ ἀρετὴ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἔθετο.
Now, to other men their parents give their names, but to him alone his virtue bestowed his appellation.
§4.10.2μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ὁ μὲν Ἀμφιτρύων φυγαδευθεὶς ἐκ Τίρυνθος μετῴκησεν εἰς Θήβας· ὁ δʼ Ἡρακλῆς τραφεὶς καὶ παιδευθεὶς καὶ μάλιστʼ ἐν τοῖς γυμνασίοις διαπονηθεὶς ἐγένετο ῥώμῃ τε σώματος πολὺ προέχων τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων καὶ ψυχῆς λαμπρότητι περιβόητος, ὅς γε τὴν ἡλικίαν ἔφηβος ὤν πρῶτον μὲν ἠλευθέρωσε τὰς Θήβας, ἀποδιδοὺς ὡς πατρίδι τὰς προσηκούσας χάριτας.
After these things, Amphitryon, having been banished from Tiryns, migrated to Thebes; and Heracles, having been reared and educated, and especially having trained hard in the gymnasia, became far superior to all others in strength of body and renowned for the brilliance of his soul, seeing that when he was a youth in age, he first of all liberated Thebes, rendering to it, as to his native city, the gratitude that was its due.
§4.10.3ὑποτεταγμένων γὰρ τῶν Θηβαίων Ἐργίνῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Μινυῶν, καὶ κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν ὡρισμένους φόρους τελούντων, οὐ καταπλαγεὶς τὴν τῶν δεδουλωμένων ὑπεροχὴν ἐτόλμησε πρᾶξιν ἐπιτελέσαι περιβόητον· τοὺς γὰρ παραγενομένους τῶν Μινυῶν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀπαίτησιν τῶν δασμῶν καὶ μεθʼ ὕβρεως εἰσπραττομένους ἀκρωτηριάσας ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως.
For since the Thebans had been subjected to Erginus, the king of the Minyans, and paid prescribed tributes year by year, not being terrified by the superiority of those who had enslaved them, he dared to perform a celebrated deed; for when some of the Minyans arrived to demand the tribute and were exacting it with insolence, he mutilated them and cast them out of the city.
§4.10.4Ἐργίνου δʼ ἐξαιτοῦντος τὸν αἴτιον, Κρέων βασιλεύων τῶν Θηβαίων, καταπλαγεὶς τὸ βάρος τῆς ἐξουσίας, ἕτοιμος ἦν ἐκδιδόναι τὸν αἴτιον τῶν ἐγκλημάτων.
And when Erginus demanded the one who was responsible, Creon, who was king of the Thebans, being terrified by the weight of his power, was ready to hand over the person accused of the offenses.
ὁ δʼ Ἡρακλῆς πείσας τοὺς ἡλικιώτας ἐλευθεροῦν τὴν πατρίδα, κατέσπασεν ἐκ τῶν ναῶν τὰς προσηλωμένας πανοπλίας, ἃς οἱ πρόγονοι σκῦλα τοῖς θεοῖς ἦσαν ἀνατεθεικότες· οὐ γὰρ ἦν εὑρεῖν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἰδιωτικὸν ὅπλον διὰ τὸ τοὺς Μινύας παρωπλικέναι τὴν πόλιν, ἵνα μηδεμίαν λαμβάνωσιν οἱ κατὰ τὰς Θήβας ἀποστάσεως ἔννοιαν.
But Heracles, having persuaded his age-mates to liberate their fatherland, took down from the temples the fixed suits of armor which their ancestors had dedicated to the gods as spoils of war; for it was not possible to find any private weapon throughout the city because the Minyans had disarmed the city, in order that those in Thebes might not form any thought of rebellion.
§4.10.5ὁ δʼ Ἡρακλῆς πυθόμενος Ἐργῖνον τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Μινυῶν προσάγειν τῇ πόλει μετὰ στρατιωτῶν, ἀπαντήσας αὐτῷ κατά τινα στενοχωρίαν, καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς τῶν πολεμίων δυνάμεως ἄχρηστον ποιήσας, αὐτόν τε τὸν Ἐργῖνον ἀνεῖλε καὶ τοὺς μετʼ αὐτοῦ σχεδὸν ἅπαντας ἀπέκτεινεν.
And Heracles, having learned that Erginus the king of the Minyans was marching against the city with soldiers, met him at a certain narrow place, and having rendered the size of the enemy's force useless, he both slew Erginus himself and killed almost all those who were with him.
ἄφνω δὲ προσπεσὼν τῇ πόλει τῶν Ὀρχομενίων καὶ παρεισπεσὼν ἐντὸς τῶν πυλῶν τά τε βασίλεια τῶν Μινυῶν ἐνέπρησε καὶ τὴν πόλιν κατέσκαψε.
Then, falling suddenly upon the city of the Orchomenians and slipping inside the gates, he both burned the palace of the Minyans and razed the city to the ground.
§4.10.6περιβοήτου δὲ τῆς πράξεως γενομένης καθʼ ὅλην τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ πάντων θαυμαζόντων τὸ παράδοξον, ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς Κρέων θαυμάσας τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ νεανίσκου τήν τε θυγατέρα Μεγάραν συνῴκισεν αὐτῷ καὶ καθάπερ υἱῷ γνησίῳ τὰ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἐπέτρεψεν, Εὐρυσθεὺς δʼ ὁ τὴν βασιλείαν ἔχων τῆς Ἀργείας ὑποπτεύσας τὴν Ἡρακλέους αὔξησιν μετεπέμπετό τε αὐτὸν καὶ προσέταττε τελεῖν ἄθλους.
When this deed became renowned throughout all Greece and everyone marveled at the unexpectedness of it, King Creon, having marveled at the virtue of the young man, both gave him his daughter Megara in marriage and entrusted the affairs of the city to him just as to a legitimate son; but Eurystheus, who held the kingship of Argolis, having suspected the growing power of Heracles, summoned him and ordered him to perform labors.
§4.10.7οὐχ ὑπακούοντος δὲ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους, Ζεὺς μὲν ἀπέστειλε διακελευόμενος ὑπουργεῖν Εὐρυσθεῖ, Ἡρακλῆς δὲ παρελθὼν εἰς Δελφοὺς καὶ περὶ τούτων ἐπερωτήσας τὸν θεόν, ἔλαβε χρησμὸν τὸν δηλοῦντα διότι τοῖς θεοῖς δέδοκται δώδεκα ἄθλους τελέσαι προστάττοντος Εὐρυσθέως, καὶ τοῦτο πράξαντα τεύξεσθαι τῆς ἀθανασίας.
And when Heracles did not obey, Zeus indeed sent a message commanding him to serve Eurystheus; and Heracles, having gone to Delphi and inquired of the god concerning these matters, received an oracle showing that it had been decreed by the gods to perform twelve labors at the command of Eurystheus, and that having done this, he would obtain immortality.