AION - Al Dixon's website

(Continued from Herakles' Ninth Labour)

Herakles' Tenth Labour - The Cattle of Geryon

Geryon was supposed to have been the strongest man alive, and had three heads, six hands and three bodies joined together at the waist. He was the son of Chrysaor and Callirrhoë, who was a daughter of the Titan Oceanus. 

Geryon ruled Tartessus in Spain, and had a famous herd of cattle, red-coated beasts of marvellous beauty. These he had guarded by Eurytion, a son of the god Ares, and a two-headed watchdog, Orthrus, one of the progeny of Typhon and Echidne, and brother to Cerberus, who we will meet in Herakles' Twelfth Labour.

Herakles' Tenth Labour was to fetch these cattle 'without either demand or payment' from the island Erytheia where they were kept. He travelled across Europe, and when he arrived in Tartessus set up a pair of pillars, one in Europe and one in Africa, across what we now know as the Straits of Gibraltar. Some people say that he actually formed the channel connecting the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, others say that on the contrary, he narrowed the channel which already existed to stop the passage of large sea-monsters into the Mediterranean.

Anyway, whichever he was doing, he was teased by Helius (the Sun), who beamed down on him so strongly that he found it difficult to work in the excessive heat. He finally lost patience, and fired an arrow at Helius, who shouted out 'Enough of that!' in anger and alarm. Herakles apologised for his ill temper, and immediately unstrung his bow to defuse the situation. Helius likewise apologised for his annoying behaviour, and courteously offered Herakles his golden water-lily-shaped goblet in which to sail across to Erytheia. Herakles used his lion-skin as a sail and set off in the goblet, but the Titan Oceanus was also in a playful mood, and made the waves pitch Herakles' makeshift vessel in an alarming way. Again Herakles drew his bow, which frightened Oceanus into calming the sea.

When he arrived at Erytheia, he climbed Mount Abbas to the cattle pasture. Keen-eyed Orthrus spotted him, and rushed to tear him apart, barking and baring his teeth in a terrifying manner, but one swing of Herakles' wild-olive club was enough to knock him senseless. Eurytion, Geryon's herdsman, rushed to Orthrus' aid, but was quickly despatched in similar manner. Herakles then drove away the cattle, towards his goblet-ship. Nearby, however, was the herd belonging to Hades - Herakles left these alone, as he had no instructions to do otherwise, but their herdsman was a man called Menoetes, who rushed to Geryon with the news that his cattle were being abducted. On being challenged, Herakles ran quickly to one side, and shot Geryon sideways through all three bodies with one arrow. Hera hastened to Geryon's aid, but Herakles shot at her, wounding her in the right breast, and she fled. Thus Herakles won the cattle without either demand or payment, and he sailed back to Spain with them in Helius' golden goblet.

At his arrival back in Tartessus, Herakles gratefully returned Helius' goblet and started what must count as the longest cattle-drive ever, through Spain to the Pyrenees, where he had a liaison with the Bebrycan princess Pyrene, who gives this mountain range its name, then into Gaul. Here he abolished the ancient and barbarous native custom of killing strangers, and so won the hearts of the Gauls that he was able to found a large city which he called Alesia, 'Wandering', in remembrance of his travels. Long afterwards the Gauls honoured Alesia as the mother-city of their land, and they claim descent from Herakles' union with the princess Galata, who chose him as a lover and bred that warlike people.

Next Herakles passed over the Alps, where he carved a road fit for his army of followers and their baggage-train; he also broke up the robber-bands that infested the region. He then travelled down through Italy all the way to Sicily, where he realised he was going the wrong way and turned back (!). As he reached the Tiber he was welcomed by King Evander, an exile from Arcadia. He made camp here, but as he slept, a three-headed giant called Cacus stole two of his bulls and four heifers, which he dragged backwards by their tails to the cave which was his lair.

When Herakles awoke, he noticed immediately that some of the cattle were missing, and searched around for them, but could find no sign. He was about to give up, and drive the remainder on, when he heard a distant sound - one of the stolen heifers was lowing hungrily. Herakles traced the sound to Cacus' cave, but the entrance was blocked by a huge boulder, which ten yoke of oxen could hardly have moved. Nevertheless, Herakles heaved it aside, and undaunted by the flames which Cacus belched from his three mouths, he battered the giant to a pulp with his naked fists.

He built an altar to Zeus with Evander's help, and sacrificed one of the bulls in thanks for their recovery. According to the Romans, Herakles also freed King Evander from the tribute owed to the Etruscans and killed King Faunus whose custom was to sacrifice strangers at the altar of his father Hermes. He also abolished the annual sacrifice of two men to Cronus, whereby the two chosen men were thrown into the Tiber. He taught the Romans to use images woven from bulrushes instead. Herakles had many other adventures on his travels through Italy; in one instance a King called Lacinius was able to boast that he had put Herakles to flight! He did this by building a temple to Hera when he was told of Herakles' approach. By this time Herakles was so fed-up with Hera that he hurried on his way with disgust!

Herakles then planned to drive the cattle through Istria and Epirus to the Peloponnese (Southern Greece) by way of the Isthmus, but Hera sent a gadfly to stampede the cattle, driving them right across Thrace into the Scythian desert. Herakles followed them, and one night, when it was cold and stormy, he drew his lion-pelt around him and fell asleep on a rocky hillside. When he awoke he found that the mares which pulled his chariot were also missing. He searched for them far and wide, until he reached a wooded region called Hylea, where he was hailed from a cave by a strange creature, half-woman and half-serpent. She said that she had his mares, and would only return them if he agreed to lie with her. Herakles agreed, albeit reluctantly, and they spent three nights in mutual embrace, when the serpent-woman gave Herakles back his mares and told him that he was free to go. As he prepared to leave, she asked him ' What of the three sons whom I now carry in my womb? When they are grown into manhood should I settle them here where I am mistress, or should I send them to you?'

'When they grow up, watch carefully!' Herakles replied. 'And if any one of them ever bends this bow - thus, as I now bend it - and girds himself with this belt - thus, as I now gird myself - choose him as the ruler of your country,'

So saying, he gave her one of the two bows he carried, and his golden belt, from which was suspended a golden goblet, and went on his way. The serpent-woman named her triplet sons Agathrysus, Gelonus and Scythes. The first two were unequal to the tasks specified by their father, but Scythes succeeded in both, becoming father of all subsequent Scythian kings, who thereafter wore a golden goblet on their belt.

Having recovered his mares, and catching up with his strayed cattle, Herakles drove them back through Thrace and Macedon, down through Thessalia and eventually to the Isthmus. Here he and the army which once again followed him came across the giant Alcyoneus, who had twice stolen the sacred cattle of Helius. Alcyoneus hurled a rock which crushed twelve chariots and two dozen horsemen who rode in Herakles' van. He ran forward and picked up another rock, this time hurling it straight at Herakles, who hit it back, using his club as perhaps the world's first cricket or baseball bat! The rock flew back, killing the giant, and Herakles at last was able to complete his task.

NEXT: Herakles' Eleventh Labour - click here