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The mythological story depicted in the painting is the following.
For murdering his friend Iphitus in a fit of madness Hercules was sold as a slave to Omphale, queen of Lydia, for three years (Apollodorus 2.6:3). But she soon alleviated his lot by making him her lover. While in her service he grew effeminate, wearing women's clothes and adornments, and spinning yarn.
In the cultural context of the court of Rudolf II, the meaning of this mythological subject is twofold: firstly, it alludes to the power of love exerted by a woman over a man according to a rather popular theme in Northern Europe; secondly, it symbolizes the alchemical fusion of the two genders, in accordance with the rather esoteric interests of the Emperor.
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