The hero is what the ego strives to be. Heracles’ twelve trials — the Nemean lion, Hydra, Ceryneian hind, Erymanthian boar, Angean stables, Stymphalian birds, Cretan bull, Diomedes’ man-eating mares, Hippolyte’s golden girdle of Ares, delivering cattle to Geryon the giant, golden apples guarded by a dragon, and Cerberus — represent the ego’s interactions with the unconscious in the process of individuation.
Flaying the Nemean lion represents overcoming a complex with its own essence and overcoming cruelty.
The hydra must be treated with affect and intensity: Heracles convinces his nephew Iolaus to cauterize the heads as he cut them off. However, the heads are also immortal, so Heracles immobilizes them under large boulders. Later, the venom he saves from this hydra ultimately leads to his demise. His wife, Deianeira, sends him the blood of the centaur he killed with the poison after he falls for another woman, thinking it was a love potion. He dies in his own funeral pyre — the shirt soaked in blood catches fire and he cannot escape. Thus, the hydra represents the base human nature of concupiscence.
The Ceryneian hind represents the masculine value carried by the feminine principle. The Erymanthian boar represents the primordial feminine. The Angean stables demonstrate the neglect of instinctive processes, and the Stymphalian birds represent the exorcism of evil spirits. Idle chatter replaces these exorcism bells. In today’s society, it’s the noise of social media and other mind-numbing agents: thinking demands calm.
The Cretan bull represents dangerous masculine power unleashed, while Diomedes’ man-eating mares demonstrate the devouring aspect of the unconsciousness if not careful. Taking Hippolyte, the Amazonian queen’s golden girdle of Ares is an action of redeeming the masculine principle from the matriarchal aspect, while returning cattle to Geryon represents civilizing and taming the psyche. On his way back, he must wrestle Alyconeus, who becomes invigorated after hitting the ground. On this, Edinger says:
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The golden apples demonstrate the glowing aspect of the Self, while Cerberus represents the negative and contrasts with the Paradise-like imagery.