(Continued from Herakles' Fourth Labour) Herakles' Fifth Labour: The Augean Stables Anyway, Herakles went off with Jason in search of the Golden Fleece, but that's another story, so I won't go into it here. We'll pick up when Herakles got back to Mycenae, and Eurystheus had presumably spent the interval thinking up the most horrible job possible while Herakles was away. You see, there was this king called Augeas, who was supposed to be a son of Helius, the Sun god (although some say he was the son of Poseidon). As such, his flocks and herds were immune to disease, and he was consequently one of the richest men on earth, because he had built up his herds of cattle and flocks of sheep to stupendous numbers - mostly they were females, but he also had three hundred white-legged black bulls, two hundred red stud bulls, and twelve silver-white bulls who were sacred to Helius. These twelve defended his herds against the wild beasts who lived in the surrounding forests. The only problem that Augeas had was that, with so many beasts, he couldn't get anyone who was prepared to clean up, and after many years, his cattle-yards, sheep-folds and stables were inundated with filth, the pastures were so deep in dung that they could not be ploughed to plant crops, and the stench, while it didn't bother the invulnerable beasts, spread a pestilence across the whole of the Peloponnese. 'Herakles, old chap!' said Eurystheus, 'Nice to see you're back again - be a good fellow and go clean up Augeas' stables would you? Take a whole day, if you like!' Yes, Eurystheus loved this idea. For once, it didn't worry him that Herakles might complete the Labour; he revelled in the thought of our hero having to carry basket after basket after basket after basket of horrible smelly manure, getting unbearably filthy and having flies buzzing around him interminably! So off Herakles went, thinking deeply, you can be sure! He spied Augeas and hailed him (from as far away as he could!) 'King Augeas, I will clear your yards and stables in one day, in return for one tenth of your cattle!'. Augeas laughed at this, and called Phyleus, his eldest son to hear what Herakles was saying. 'Swear by Zeus that you will accomplish the task before nightfall!' demanded Phyleus, and the oath which Herakles now took in his father's name was the first and last one that he ever made. In return, he asked Augeas to swear that he would keep his side of the bargain, and Phyleus witnessed both oaths. Just then Phaethon, the leader of the twelve silver-white bulls, saw Herakles in his lion skin, and thought that he was a lion come to attack the herds, so put down his huge head and charged. Herakles deftly stepped aside and seized the bull's left horn as it passed, then forced its neck downwards and floored it as if it were a kitten. Herakles had Iolaus with him and another friend called Menedemus the Elean, who always gave very good advice (Herakles obviously picked his friends wisely!). With their help, he first took down the wall of the yard in two places, then dammed the two nearby rivers, the Alpheus and the Peneius. The rivers flooded over into a channel which Herakles had prepared, and swept through the yard, then through the sheepfolds, and finally through the valley pastures. All the muck of the years was picked up and washed away, and when Herakles restored the rivers to their natural courses, everything was clean and wholesome. Herakles hadn't so much as dirtied his little finger! However, Augeas found out that Herakles had been ordered to clean the yards by Eurystheus, and refused to pay the reward he had agreed to, even denying that a bargain had ever been struck! Herakles suggested that the case be put to arbitration, and asked Phyleus to attend. When Phyleus told the judges the truth, that a bargain had been made and Augeas had reneged, Augeas jumped up in a rage and banished both Herakles and his son, Phyleus, from his kingdom, saying that Herakles had tricked him, and that the river-gods, not Herakles, had done the work! To add insult to injury, Eurystheus refused to count this Labour, because he said that Herakles had been hired by Augeas for pay. If the Ancient Greeks had swear-words I'll bet that Herakles came out with some very juicy ones! Much later Herakles deposed Augeas from the throne of Elis, and Phyleus became king in his stead. |
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