Augeas Explained

In Greek mythology, Augeas (or Augeias,, Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Αὐγείας), whose name means "bright", was king of Elis and father of Epicaste. Some[1] say that Augeas was one of the Argonauts. He is known for his stables, which housed the single greatest number of cattle in the country and had never been cleaned, until the time of the great hero Heracles.

Family

Augeas's lineage varies in the sources: he was said to be either the son of Helios[2] either by Nausidame[3] or Iphiboe,[4] or of Eleios,[5] or of Poseidon, or of Phorbas and Hyrmine.[6] In the latter account, Augeas was probably the brother of Actor,[7] Tiphys[8] and Diogeneia.[9] His children were Epicaste, Phyleus, Agamede,[10] Agasthenes,[11] and Eurytus.[12]

Relation! rowspan="2"
NamesSources
HomerTheocritusApolloniusDiodorusStraboApollodorusOrphic ArgoPausaniasHyginusTzetzes
ParentsHelios✓✓✓✓✓
Phorbas and Hyrmine✓
Poseidon✓✓
Eleios✓
Helios and Nausidame✓
Phorbas✓✓
Helios and Iphiboe✓
SiblingActor✓✓
ChildrenAgasthenes✓✓
Agamede✓✓
Phyleus✓✓✓✓✓
Eurytus✓
Epicaste✓

Mythology

The fifth Labour of Heracles (Hercules in Latin) was to clean the Augean stables. Eurystheus intended this assignment both as humiliating (rather than impressive, like the previous labours) and as impossible, since the livestock were divinely healthy (immortal) and therefore produced an enormous quantity of dung (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἡ<!--[sic]--> ὄνθος). Those stables had not been cleaned in over thirty years,[13] and 3,000 cattle lived there. However, Heracles succeeded by rerouting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus to wash out the filth.

Augeas reacted angrily because he had promised Heracles one tenth of his cattle if the job was finished in one day. He refused to honour the agreement, and Heracles killed him after completing the tasks. Heracles gave his kingdom to Phyleus, Augeas' son, who had been exiled for supporting Heracles against his father.

According to the odes of the poet Pindar, Heracles then founded the Olympic Games:

Eurystheus discounted the success of this labour because the rushing waters had done the work of cleaning the stables and because Heracles was paid. Stating that Heracles still had seven labours to do, Eurystheus then sent Heracles to defeat the Stymphalian Birds.

Classical literature sources

Augeas

Chronological listing of classical literature sources for Augeas:

Stables of Augeas

Chronological listing of classical literature sources for the Stables of Augeas:

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. [Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]
  2. [Eustathius of Thessalonica|Eustathius]
  3. Hyginus, Fabulae 14
  4. [John Tzetzes|Tzetzes]
  5. [Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]
  6. [Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]
  7. Pausanias, 5.1.11.
  8. Hyginus, Fabulae 14
  9. Eustathius on Homer, pp. 303 & 1598
  10. Homer, Iliad 11.740; Hyginus, Fabulae 157
  11. Homer, Iliad 2.624
  12. [Diodorus Siculus]
  13. Book: Strouf , Judie L. H. . 2005 . The literature teacher's book of lists . . 13 . 0787975508.

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