Hercules accompanies a town's citizens, cursed by Hera because of a theft at her temple, on a perilous journey to a city offering safe haven.
Summary[]
A group of traveling villagers arrive in the deserted town of Parthus, the only thing living there is a lone dog. One of the men of the group tells the others this is what they have been searching for and declare it their new home. Inside a temple, somebody steals a golden chalice. This of course angers Hera and she causes a storm to rage over the town. Hercules meanwhile is walking along a road near that town & finds shelter. Inside the building where he's staying, he encounters a blind seer who tells Hercules the storm is bad news. The following day Hercules continues on his way, accompanied by the seer. They arrive in the town, and Hercules discovers from Broteas that the town suffered some heavy damage due to the storm. The seer tells them that the town is cursed. Hercules introduces himself to the people. Later, the villagers tell him how they had to leave their previous home, Hercules gives the people some food. At night the seer goes into the temple where the chalice was kept and has a vision of a beautiful woman being given the chalice by Zeus. He also sees Hera exact her revenge on the villagers by turning them all to dust. Hercules wakes the next day to find the villagers about to sacrifice the food he had given them to Hera.
The seer tells her about his vision and that Hera had cursed the woman into the form of a dog, and then cursed the ground the village stood on. Hercules tells the villagers to pack up and leave. The people are unsure but Hercules tells them he will lead them to Calydon, a city protected by Apollo, just beyond the Stymphalian Swamp. The people agree to go with Hercules to Calydon. As the people travel to Calydon, back at the town the ground begins to quake and the dog, sensing trouble leaves. Hera's minion the Lead Bounty Hunter springs from the ground. He casts some small skulls upon the ground and more men spring forth. They are able to track Hercules and the other by burrowing through the ground. The dog sets off to follow Hercules and the others. After a storm and when rocks begin falling from the sky the group find shelter in a cave.
The next day the people continue toward Calydon, and the seer predicts more gloom and doom. Shortly after, Hera's bounty hunters appear and they attack the villagers. Hercules fights them, after beating the last of the men, the Lead Bounty Hunter says that Hera won't stop until she gets what's hers. The Seer tells Hercules that he means the chalice that was stolen from the temple. During the night, Broteas convinces some of the people to follow him instead of Hercules. A young woman named Jana voices her doubts to Hercules, but he reassures her. She goes looking for the chalice and is caught looking through Broteas' belongings. Although it is revealed that Broteas had not stolen the chalice, he was actually responsible for its theft and had hidden it.
In the morning the people continue to Calydon, while traveling through the swamp they are attacked by a Stymphalian Bird. As Broteas attempts to flee, the dog from Parthus appears and trips him. He falls and drops his bag to reveal the chalice concealed within. He tries to explain that he stole the chalice because he wanted it to bring them happiness. Meanwhile, Jana and a young boy named Ixion have fallen into a sink-hole in the swamp. Hercules battles with the Stymphalian Bird and manages to free Jana and Ixion. The people realize that Broteas was the one who brought the curse down on them. He tells them he was going to sell the chalice so that they could have money to build their own city. The people want to sacrifice Broteas for bringing the curse upon them, but Hercules convinces them that living as an idiot would be a worse fate. Hercules takes the chalice and gives an almighty throw and Broteas runs after it. Hercules leads the rest of the people on to Calydon. When they arrive, Hercules tells them it is the end of their journey, but it is not the end of his. He leaves with the seer who tells Hercules he can sense something hairy and a tail. Hercules thinks it is another monster, but then sees the dog and tells the seer he has just found a new traveling companion and leaves the two as he travels on alone.
Disclaimer[]
- No disclaimer for this episode
Gallery[]
Background Information[]
- Hercules slaying the Stymphalian Bird was inspired by the third of the Twelve Labors. However, in the myth, he faced multiple Stymphalian Birds as opposed to just the one in this episode.
Links and References[]
Guest Stars[]
- Norman Forsey as Tiresias
- Portia Dawson as Jana
- John Sumner as Broteas
Other Cast[]
- Peter Rowley as Ephadon
- Sela Brown as Leda
- Stephen Papps as Teles
- Andrew Kovacevich as Odeon
- Maggie Tarver as Hesame
- Christopher Saunoa as Ixion
- Julian Arahanga as Lead Bounty Hunter
- Emma Turner as Leucosia
- Bruce Allpress as Old Man
- Patrick Kake as Hercules (body double)
References[]
- Stymphalian Bird
- Stymphalian Swamp
- Calydon
- Parthus
- Zeus
- Hera
- Apollo
- Mole-Man: with Exploding Body
- Stymphalian Bird Figure
[]
| << Telemovies | Season 1 | Season 2 >> | ||||||
| #01 | The Wrong Path | #06 | As Darkness Falls | #10 | Gladiator | |||
| #02 | Eye of the Beholder | #07 | Pride Comes Before a Brawl | #11 | The Vanishing Dead | |||
| #03 | The Road to Calydon | #08 | The March to Freedom | #12 | The Gauntlet | |||
| #04 | The Festival of Dionysus | #09 | The Warrior Princess | #13 | Unchained Heart | |||
| #05 | Ares | |||||||