Hercules Slaying Antaeus, Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Pictured is a sculpture of Hercules slaying Antaeus, located in the Hofburg Palace, Vienna. One of the twelve legendary labors of Hercules was to steal the apples of Hesperides. Hercules went to the garden of Hesperides for golden apples. Antaeus, a Libyan giant who supposedly had invincible strength, challenged Hercules to a wrestling match. As the hero he was, Hercules accepted. Hercules threw Antaeus down repeatedly, but it did no good. If anything, it seemed to strengthen Antaeus. Hercules eventually remembered that Gaia was Antaeus` mother, and also the earth. She was the source of his strength. Hercules developed a thought and tested his theory. He held Antaeus up, away from the ground until all his power drained away. Antaeus was dead. After killing Antaeus, Hercules went back to his original task of retrieving the golden apples for King Eurystheus.