KING AUGEAS AND THE AUGEAN STABLES IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
The quest to cleanse the Augean Stables was one of the Twelve Labours of Heracles in Greek mythology appointed to the hero by King Eurystheus after the capture of the Erymanthian Boar. The Augean Stables were so named for they belonged to Augeas, the king of Elis.
King Augeas
It is commonly said that Augeas was the son of the sun god Helios, born to either Iphiboe or Nausidame, but alternatively Augeas might have been son of Eleois, the descendant of Endymion, or Heleios, a son of Perseus.
Each of these prospective fathers of Augeas were possible contenders for having giving their name to Elis, but in any case, Augeas would inherit the throne of Elis, and become a wealthy and relatively powerful king.
Augeas would become father to at least four children, sons, Agasthenes and Phyleus, and two daughters, Agamede and Epicaste.
Each of these prospective fathers of Augeas were possible contenders for having giving their name to Elis, but in any case, Augeas would inherit the throne of Elis, and become a wealthy and relatively powerful king.
Augeas would become father to at least four children, sons, Agasthenes and Phyleus, and two daughters, Agamede and Epicaste.
The Augean Stables
The wealth and prestige of King Augeas was represented by the number of cattle he had; for it was said that Augeas owned in excess of 3000 cattle, possibly divine cattle, if they had been given to Augeas by Helios.
Each night for 30 years these 3000 cattle had been housed in an enormous cattle shed, referred to as “stables”, but for 30 years these stables had not been cleared out of the dung that had been deposited in them. With the job of cleaning the stables having been put off 30 years ago, it was now deemed an impossible job to clean them. |
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The Cleaning of the Augean Stables
Thus it was that the cleaning of the Augean Stables in one day was given to Heracles by King Eurystheus as the hero’s Fifth Labour. This labour was not designed to kill Heracles, unlike the preceding Labours, but rather to humiliate the hero, both in the action of cleaning dung, but also humiliating when Heracles would fail at the task.
So Heracles came to Elis and the royal court of Augeas, but with no wish to humiliate himself, Heracles told Augeas that he would clean the Augean Stables in one day if the king of Elis would give him a tenth of the cattle. Unaware that Heracles had been tasked by Eurystheus to complete the task, which would have negated the need to pay the hero, and also incredulous that the task could be done, Augeas agreed to Heracles’ terms.
Heracles thus set out for the Augean Stables in the company of Phyleus, the son of Augeas.
Again, Heracles had no wish to humiliate himself by carrying the dung out of the stables, so instead, Heracles knocked a hole into the side of the stables, and then set about diverting two local rivers, the Alpheus and Peneus, so that they would flow through this hole. When completed, the water of these two rivers flowed through the Augean Stables, carrying all of the accumulated dung with it.
So Heracles came to Elis and the royal court of Augeas, but with no wish to humiliate himself, Heracles told Augeas that he would clean the Augean Stables in one day if the king of Elis would give him a tenth of the cattle. Unaware that Heracles had been tasked by Eurystheus to complete the task, which would have negated the need to pay the hero, and also incredulous that the task could be done, Augeas agreed to Heracles’ terms.
Heracles thus set out for the Augean Stables in the company of Phyleus, the son of Augeas.
Again, Heracles had no wish to humiliate himself by carrying the dung out of the stables, so instead, Heracles knocked a hole into the side of the stables, and then set about diverting two local rivers, the Alpheus and Peneus, so that they would flow through this hole. When completed, the water of these two rivers flowed through the Augean Stables, carrying all of the accumulated dung with it.
Augeas Refuses to PayNow Augeas had no desire to give up a tenth of his cattle to Heracles, and when he found out that Heracles was undertaking a task for another king, Augeas refused to pay Heracles, and even claimed that he had not made a promise of payment in the first place.
Augeas even went as far as saying he would go to arbitration on this matter, confident that there was no proof against him, but then Phyleus spoke up against his father, confirming Heracles claim. Before the arbitrators could decide against him though, Augeas would banish Heracles and Phyleus from Elis. Phyleus would go to Dulichium to rule there, whilst Heracles returned to Tiryns, with task completed, even if the payment had not been forthcoming. King Eurystheus though discovered that Heracles had asked for payment for completing the task, and so the King decided that this made the Fifth Labour null and void, and Heracles would receive no credit from completing it. Thus Heracles was dispatched again, this time against the Stymphalian Birds. |
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Augeas the Argonaut
The prestige of Augeas, and indeed the skill of the king, was sufficient for Augeas to be accepted by Jason as an Argonaut in the quest for the Golden Fleece; possibly an awkward situation when Heracles was also named as an Argonaut.
Whilst it is not entirely clear when the Labour of Heracles occurred in relation to the voyage of the Argonauts, it is normally stated that the Labours preceded Jason’s quest.
Jason hoped to make use of Augeas during the negotiations with Aeetes about the removal of the Golden Fleece, for both Aeetes and Augeas were said to be sons of Helios, but in the end Aeetes didn’t recognise the shared parentage. Whilst Augeas made it to and from Colchis, Heracles would be left behind on the outward journey, as Heracles looked for his companion Hylas.
Whilst it is not entirely clear when the Labour of Heracles occurred in relation to the voyage of the Argonauts, it is normally stated that the Labours preceded Jason’s quest.
Jason hoped to make use of Augeas during the negotiations with Aeetes about the removal of the Golden Fleece, for both Aeetes and Augeas were said to be sons of Helios, but in the end Aeetes didn’t recognise the shared parentage. Whilst Augeas made it to and from Colchis, Heracles would be left behind on the outward journey, as Heracles looked for his companion Hylas.
Heracles Returns
Augeas would return to Elis but eventually so would Heracles, who now sought retribution for Augeas having reneged on their earlier deal. Thus Heracles marched on Elis at the head of an Arcadian army.
Things did not initially go smoothly for Heracles for the hero was struck down by sickness, and Augeas had himself gathered together a powerful army led by the twin Moliones, Eurytus and Cteatus, named as the strongest of their generation.
To gain time, Heracles concluded a truce with the Moliones, but the truce was short lived. Some tell of the Moliones attacking when they learnt of Heracles’ sickness, whilst others say that Heracles ambushed the Moliones when he had recovered from his illness.
In either case, the main defenders of Elis were killed by Heracles and city of Elis easily fell to the Greek hero, with Augeas put to the sword by Heracles.
Heracles would then place Phyleus, son of Augeas on to the throne of Elis, and inaugurated the Olympian Games to celebrate his victory in war.
Things did not initially go smoothly for Heracles for the hero was struck down by sickness, and Augeas had himself gathered together a powerful army led by the twin Moliones, Eurytus and Cteatus, named as the strongest of their generation.
To gain time, Heracles concluded a truce with the Moliones, but the truce was short lived. Some tell of the Moliones attacking when they learnt of Heracles’ sickness, whilst others say that Heracles ambushed the Moliones when he had recovered from his illness.
In either case, the main defenders of Elis were killed by Heracles and city of Elis easily fell to the Greek hero, with Augeas put to the sword by Heracles.
Heracles would then place Phyleus, son of Augeas on to the throne of Elis, and inaugurated the Olympian Games to celebrate his victory in war.
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