The 5th Labour of Hercules

His 5th labour was to kill the Stymphalian birds.

The Stymphalian birds were just plain nasty. The people in the area spent their days and nights hiding from these scary birds. The Stymphalian birds had pointed beaks and ripping claws and their feathers were made of razor sharp bronze. They were the stuff of nightmares!

What the Stymphalian birds loved to do more than anything was to fly high in the sky looking for anyone or anything they could attack. They especially loved to drop their sharp feathers on children and animals. You can see why everyone kept their children inside, and sheltered their animals as best they could.

Hercules made a large shield of sturdy bronze, to protect his body from the feathers. He used poisoned arrows to shoot all the Stymphalian birds as they flew by overhead. When the last bird fell, the people hiding inside their huts and homes rushed outside.

Hercules made many new friends that day.