Heracles the Lion-Hearted: Homeric Hymn Reading & Classroom Activity

Heracles (Hercules)
as a constellation in the night sky

Hercules (or, in Greek, Heracles) is one of those mythological figures who never seems to fade away. Whether he’s wrestling lions, cleaning impossible stables, or starring in Disney movies, Heracles has captured imaginations for centuries. Today, let’s look at a short ancient hymn that celebrates him as the mighty son of Zeus.

This passage comes from a collection called the Homeric Hymns, written thousands of years ago in praise of the gods and heroes. It’s brief but powerful—just like Hercules himself.

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📖 Reading Passage

Homeric Hymn XV: To Heracles the Lion-Hearted

I will sing of Heracles, the son of Zeus and much the mightiest of men on earth.

Alcmene bore him in Thebes, the city of lovely dances, when the dark-clouded Son of Cronos had lain with her. 

Once, he used to wander over unmeasured tracts of land and sea at the bidding of King Eurystheus, and himself did many deeds of violence and endured many; 

But now he lives happily in the glorious home of snowy Olympus, and has neat-ankled Hebe for his wife.

Hail, lord, son of Zeus! Give me success and prosperity.

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📝 Vocabulary

• Lion-hearted – exceptionally brave, courageous

• Cronos – the Titan father of Zeus, often linked with time and power

• Alcmene – mortal mother of Heracles

• Eurystheus – the king who commanded Heracles to complete the famous Twelve Labors

• Olympus – the mountain home of the gods in Greek mythology

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❓ Five Quick Questions

1. Who are the parents of Heracles?

2. Where was Heracles born?

3. Who ordered Heracles to perform his famous labors?

4. According to the hymn, where does Heracles live now?

5. What request does the singer make at the end of the hymn?

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✨ Teacher Tip

This short hymn is a perfect bell-ringer activity! Students can practice close reading, connect Heracles to what they know from popular culture, and review key mythological figures like Zeus, Cronos, and Hebe.

If you’d like ready-to-use Greek mythology resources—including reading cards, comprehension questions, writing prompts, and classroom activities—check out my growing collection on Stones of Erasmus, including Heracles. They’re great for middle and high school ELA and Humanities classrooms, aligned to standards, and designed to make mythology come alive.

Quick Question Key: The answer key is included in the easy-to-share PDF (see link at the end of this post).

👉 Explore my mythology teaching resources here!

PDF Copy for Printing

Crazy English — Why English is so Hard to Learn

Why English Is So Hard to Learn

The following excerpt (often attributed to Richard Lederer’s Crazy English [1989]) highlights the delightful absurdities of the English language.

A Few Reasons Why English Confuses Learners

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.

2. The farm was used to produce produce.

3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4. They were too close to the door to close it.

5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10. I did not object to the object.

11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13. Don’t forget, we must polish the Polish furniture.

14. The buck does funny things when there are does present.

15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down the sewer line.

16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18. After a number of injections, my jaw got number.

19. Upon seeing a tear in the painting, I shed a tear.

20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friends?

22. We park on a driveway and drive on a parkway.

The Paradoxes of English

• There is no egg in eggplant and no ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

• English muffins weren’t invented in England, nor were French fries in France.

• Quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor a pig.

• Writers write, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham.

Plural forms also play tricks: one goose, two geese—but one moose, two moose. One index, two indices.

You can make amends, but never just one amend.

The Madness Continues

In what other language do people:

• Recite at a play and play at a recital?

• Ship goods by truck and send cargo by ship?

• Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance mean the same thing, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

English is full of contradictions: your house can burn up while it burns down; you fill in a form by filling it out; and an alarm goes off by going on.

PDF Copy for Printing

Stones of Erasmus | English Language Arts and Humanities Resources for the Middle and High School Classroom | Grades 6–12