Ancient Greek Myths for Kids: Hercules and the just plain nasty Stymphalian Birds - The 5th Labor of Hercules Illustration

Hercules & the Stymphalian Birds

An Ancient Greek Myth for Kids
The 5th Labor of Hercules
The Stymphalian Birds

Still trying to kill him, his cousin, King Eury, gave Hercules his 5th labor - 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 and cheered!

Hercules made many new friends that day.

The 12 Labors of Hercules:

Hercules (the beginning)

The Nemean Lion

The Lernaean Hydra

The Wild Boar of Erymanthus

The Stag of Artemis

The Stymphalian Birds

The Augean Stables

The Cretan Bull

The Girdle of Hippolyta

The Cattle of Geryon

The Mares of King Diomedes

The Golden Apples of the Hesperides

The Capture of Cerberus