5th Labour of Hercules: Clean the Augean Stables

Hercules cleaning the Augean stables.

The fifth Labour of Hercules to clean the Augean stables. In Greek mythology, Augeas was king of Elis and father of Epicaste. He is well known for his stables, which had a huge number of cattle in the country and had never been cleaned. until the time of the great Hercules.

Augeas promised Heracles one tenth of his cattle if the job was finished in one day. Eurystheus assigned this task to Hercules because it was both as humiliating and impossible, since the livestock were divinely healthy (immortal). These stables had not been cleaned in over 30 years, and 3000 cattle lived there. However, Heracles succeeded by rerouting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus to wash it.

Unfortunately, Augeas refused to honor 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. Eurystheus didn't like the success of this labour because the rivers have done the work of cleaning the stables.

Then Eurystheus then sent Heracles to defeat the Stymphalian Birds.