Heracles as a boy strangling a snake (marble, Roman artwork, 2nd century CE). Capitoline Museums in Rome, Italy

Hera sent two serpents to kill the infant in his cradle. The baby Hercules strangled them both with his bare hands. His twin Iphicles screamed in terror. Their father Amphitryon summoned the seer Tiresias, who prophesied the extraordinary destiny of the child.