The 7th Labour of Hercules

The Cretan Bull

His 7th labour was to capture the Cretan bull.

The Cretan bull had walked out of the sea. The bull found himself on the island of Crete. It was a beautiful island and a beautiful bull. The island sparkled with sunshine and happy people. The bull was huge, with silvery horns, and snow white skin. They seemed to fit.

There was a tribe of people on the lovely island of Crete. These people, the Minoans, had a favorite sport enjoyed by both boys and girls - bull jumping. Shortly after it arrived, the Cretan bull had been captured to use in the games. But the bull was not happy to be captured. The bull tossed and gored and trampled anyone who tried to leap over it. One day, it escaped.

To the Minoans, bulls were sacred. It was against their religion to kill a bull. They tried to recapture it, without harming it, but they did not succeed. The bull hid during the day. At night, it ripped destruction from one end of the island to the other.

When Hercules finally found the bull, who was hiding in the forest at the far end of the island, the bull threw its head down and pawed the earth. While the bull has its head down, and was not looking, Hercules quickly grabbed the bull by its horns and threw it to the ground. It made the bull dizzy for a minute. Before the bull could recover, Hercules had him tied tightly up with rope. Hercules carried the bull back to King Eury, much to the relief of the Minoan people of ancient Crete.