Augias
Augias ( Greek Αὐγείας , Augeias) is in Greek mythology a son of Helios (according to other information also of Poseidon or Phorbas ) and Hyrmine and thus a brother of the actor . He was the king of Elis in the Peloponnese . His sons were Phyleus and Agasthenes . He also had a daughter named Agamede .
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The task of Heracles
According to legend, one of the twelve tasks that Heracles had to perform on behalf of his cousin King Eurystheus was to clean out the Augean stables , where countless cattle are said to have been kept. Eurystheus had not only simply given Herakles this immense work, but also made it a condition that Heracles had to finish it within a day. The stables of King Augias had not been cleaned for many years, and mucking out the stables was therefore considered impractical. Augias promised Heracles a tenth part of his cattle for this, in the certainty that no one - not even Heracles - would ever be able to cope with the task in this short time. The two Augias' son Phyleus served as a witness for this agreement.
The task was not only shameful for a hero because of the unworthy work, because of the size it seemed impossible even for a demigod . Heracles did the job, like a hero , by breaking open the foundations of the stable on one side and channeling the water of the rivers Alpheios ( Ἀλφειός ) and Peneios (Πηνειός) through the stable and thus cleaning the Augean stables. Augias then refused his wages and initially denied having promised Heracles the cattle. Only later was he ready to submit to a judgment by a court. However, when his son Phyleus confirmed Heracles' testimony before the judges, Augias had them both driven out of the country.
Heracles later returned, conquered Elis , killed Augias and Agasthenes, and surrendered the kingdom to the Phyleus. To celebrate this victory, he also introduced the Olympic Games in honor of his father Zeus.
Eurystheus did not credit Heracles with the accomplishment of the task because it was not he but the water who accomplished the deed or because Heracles had received wages.
saying
An Augean stable or Augean stables is still a proverbial name for a very dirty room. The phrase “mucking out an Augean stable” is common in political rhetoric . As a rule, it is used to uncover corruption or the removal of unpopular conditions and means something like "clean up thoroughly". Redensartlich therefore a Augiasstall a "Riesensaustall".
Individual evidence
- ↑ Theocrit , Idyll 25.54; Pausanias 5,1,9
- ↑ Libraries of Apollodorus 2,5,5,1
- ^ Theocritus, Idyll 25.55; Libraries of Apollodorus 2,5,5,3
- ↑ Homer , Iliad 2,624
- ↑ Homer, Iliad 11,739-740; Hyginus , Fabulae 157
- ↑ Theokrit, Idyll 25,126–127 names over 500 breeding bulls alone
- ↑ Diodorus 4,13,3
- ↑ Bibliotheke of Apollodor 2,5,5,3; Diodorus 4,13,3 mentions only one river; Pausanias 5,1,10 calls the river Menios
- ↑ Libraries of Apollodorus 2,5,5
- ↑ Libraries of Apollodorus 2,5,5,7
literature
- Adolf Schirmer : Augeias . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 1.1, Leipzig 1886, Col. 731-733 ( digitized version ).
- Konrad Wernicke : Augeias 1 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume II, 2, Stuttgart 1896, Sp. 2306-2310.
Web links
- Legend of the Augean stable at www.bamberga.de