Hercules and the Arcadian Stag: Finding Great Patience and Gratitude

In this installment of ‘Our Herculean Tasks: Finding Wisdom in the 12 Labors,’ we look at Hercules’s third task. 

"Hercules and the Arcadian Stag," early 17th century by Antonio Susini, bronze after a model by Giovanni da Balogna. Gift of Mrs. Ralph Harman Booth, Detroit Institute of Arts. Public Domain

In the previous article of this series, Hercules completed a daunting second task: He slayed a nine-headed water monster called the Hydra. Now, King Eurystheus mandates that he complete a third labor: to capture the Ceryneian Hind, also known as the Arcadian Stag. 

How might we view our own Herculean tasks in light of the insight and wisdom Hercules gains from his third labor?