Heracles 5th Labor - The Augeian Stables
In Helis (Ήλις) at the
west cost of Peloponnese, there was a kingdom of the famous and very reach king
Augeas. It was said that Augeas was the son of Helios (Sun) and that his eyes
where shining as the rays of the morning sun.
Augeias possessed vast herds of cattle which had deposited their manure in
such quantity over the years that a thick aroma hung over the entire Peloponnese.
- In the kingdom of Augeas you will march and there you will find your
fifth task, said Eurystheas.
- What would I
do there? Is there any horrible beast or serpent threatening the land that I
should kill? asked Heracles.
- No, no beast
or serpent is threatening the land and you will not fight or kill where you
will go. King Augeas wants you to clean his stables in a single day. Fail to do
that and you will stay there in his palace to serve and clean his stables for
the rest of your life.
Heracles had
the impression that the Augean stables will be as the ones he already knew. But
when he looked at them he was dazzled from the size and the filthiness of the
place. The stable was huge and not in a years time was possible to clean up all
that manure.
The hero
realized that this task was not a matter of strength but brains. After taking a
good look of the whole area he noticed that the stable was between two great
rivers, Alpheios and Peneios, and a bright idea came into his mind, and when
king Augean asked him if he could accomplished this labor within a day,
Hercules agreed and without revealing the command of Eurystheus, said that he
would carry out the dung in one day, if Augeas would give him the tenth part of
the cattle.
Augeas was
incredulous, but promised. Having taken Augeas' son Phyleus to witness, Heracles
was about to do the impossible on the next day.
Early in the
morning our hero set his plan in motion. Heracles made a breach in the
foundations of the cattle-yard, and then diverting the courses of the two
rivers, he turned them into the stable-yard and within few hours he got the job
done without getting dirty and in less than a days time.
Heracles was
very proud of his accomplishment, but when Agues learned that this had been
accomplished at the command of Eurystheus, he refused to pay the reward to Heracles
and when arbitrators were called Phyleus bore witness against his father and
Augeas was forced to pay but ordered both Phyleus and Heracles to leave Helis.
But because he
had demanded payment of Augeas, Eurytheus also refused to count this as a
Labor.
Georgios