Just getting out of bed in below freezing temperatures feels like a Herculean task – so much easier and more pleasant to snuggle under the duvet, turn up the electric blanket and watch Netflix.

Alas, there is work to be done, and one must out the bed – eventually!

From Muscle to Metaphor

Like most idioms with flair, a ‘Herculean task’ has mythic roots. The term hails from ancient Greece, courtesy of one Heracles (better known by his Roman alias, ‘Hercules’. You remember him –the demi-god who was sentenced to perform twelve near-impossible labours as penance for a fit of divine madness (thanks, Hera).

Among his labours? Slaying the nine-headed Hydra, cleaning the Augean stables (in a single day, mind you), and capturing Cerberus – the three-headed dog who guarded the underworld. Not your average Tuesday.

Over time, the name ‘Hercules’ became shorthand for superhuman strength, and by linguistic extension, ‘a Herculean task’ evolved into any task so daunting, it feels like it belongs in a Greek tragedy – or a Monday morning staff meeting.

Modern-Day Mythologies

In today’s world, the phrase is dusted off for all kinds of daunting endeavours:

• Moving house with no lifts but six flights of stairs – a Herculean task.
• Trying to work out why your sibling suddenly stopped talking to you – a Herculean task.
• Surviving load-shedding with a flat phone and no coffee? Positively Olympian.

And while the idiom retains its grandiose feel, it often arrives with a wink – a dramatic flourish for life’s more irritating (but not necessarily impossible) tasks.

Not just hard but epic

It’s tempting to think ‘Herculean’ is simply a fancier version of ‘hard,’ but not all hard tasks are Herculean. The term implies not just difficulty, but epic scope. If it doesn’t feel like it belongs in a saga sung by bards, it might just be… mildly annoying.

For me, washing the dishes that have collected overnight in the kitchen sink, is a task worth of bringing out Hercules – especially in this cold weather. (I may be exaggerating ever so slightly.

So remember, a ‘Herculean task’ is to salute the struggle, elevate the effort, and admit (with a grin or grimace) that some days, even feeding the dog before 8 a.m. feels worthy of myth.

(Research was assisted by AI)

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