A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

HERACLES: HERACLES. 3951
Serv. ad' Aen. viii. 295.) Eirystheus ordered &c.; Ov. Met. ix. 188; Virg, Aen. vi. 803; Pind.
Heracles to bring him the skin of this monster. O1. iii. 24, 53; Eurip. Here. Fur. 378.)
When Heracles arrived at Cleonae, he was hospi- 4. The Eryrnanthianboar. This animal, which
tably received by a poor man called Molorchus. Heracles was ordered to bring alive, had descended'
This man was on the point of offering up a sacri- from mount Erymanthus (according to others, from
fice, but Heracles persuaded him to delay it for mount Lampe,) into Psophis. Heracles chased hinm
thirty days until he should return from his fight through the deep snow, and having thus worn him
with the lion, in order that then they might to- out, he caught him in a net, and carried him to
gether offer sacrifices to Zeus Soter; but Heracles Mycenae. (Apollod. ii. 5. ~ 4; Diod. iv. 12.)
added, that if he himself should not return, the Other traditions place the hunt of the Erymanthian
man should offer a sacrifice to him as a hero. The boar in Thessaly, and some even in Phrygia.
thirty days passed away, and as Heracles did not (Eurip. Here. Fur. 368; Hygin. Fab. 30.) It
return, Molorchus made preparations for the heroic must be observed that this and subsequent lasacrifice; but at that moment Heracles arrived in bours of Heracles are connected. with other subor-.
triumph over the monster, which was slain, and dinate ones, called Ia'pep-ya, and the first of these.
both sacrificed to Zeus Soter. Heracles, after hav- parerga is the fight of Heracles with the Centaurs;
ing in vain used his club and arrows against the for it is said that in his pursuit of the boar he came
lion, had blocked up one of the entrances to the to the centaur Pholus, who had received from Dioden, and entering by the other, he strangled the nysus a cask of excellent wine. Heracles opened'
animal with'his own hands. According to Theo- it, contrary to the wish of his host, and the decritus (xxv. 251, &c.), the contest did not take licious fragrance attracted the other centaurs, who
place in the den, but in the open air, and Heracles besieged~ the grotto of Pholus. Heracles drove
is said to have lost, a finger in the struggle. (Pto- them away: they fled to the house of Cheiron, and.
lem. Heph. 2.) He returned to Eurystheus car- Heracles, eager in his pursuit, wounded Cheiron,
rying the dead lion on his shoulders; and Eu- his old friend. Ileracles was deeply grieved, and
rystheus, frightened at the gigantic strength of tried to save Cheiron; but in vain, for the wound
the hero, took to flight, and ordered him in future was fatal. As, however, Cheiron was immortal;
to deliver the account of his exploits outside the and could not die, he prayed to Zeus to take away
gates of the town. (Diod. iv. 11; Apollod., Theo- his immortality, and give it to Prometheus. Thus
crit. 11. cc.; comp. MOLORCHUS.) Cheiron was delivered of his burning pain, and died.
2. Fight against tle Lernean hydra. This mon- Pholus, too, was wounded by one of the arrows,
sFter, like the lion, was the offspring of Typhon and which by accident fell on his foot and killed him.
Echidna, and was brought up by Hera. It ravaged This fight with the centaurs gave rise to the esta.
the country of Lernae near Argos, and dwelt in a blishment of mysteries, by which Demeter intended
swamp near the well of Amymone: it was for- to purify the hero from the blood lie had shed
inidable by its nine heads, the middle of which against his own will. (Apollod. ii. t.. ~ 4; Diod.
was immortal. Heracles, with -burning arrows, iv. 14; Eurip. Herec. Fur. 364, &c.; Theocrit.
hunted up the monster, and with his club or a vii. 150; Apollon. Rhod. i. 127; Paus. viii. 24.
sickle he cut off its heads; but in the place of ~2; Ov. Met. ix. 192.)
the head he cut off, two new ones grew forth 5. The stables of Augeas. Eurystheus imposed
each time, and a gigantic crab came to the assist- upon Heracles the task of cleaning the stables of
ance of the hydra, and wounded Heracles. How- Augeas in one day. Augeas was king of Elis, and
ever, with the assistance of his faithful servant extremely rich in cattle. Heracles, without menIolaus, he burned away the heads of the hydra, and tioning the command of Eurystheus, went to Auburied the ninth or immortal one under a huge geas, offering in one day to clean his stables, if he
rock. I-aving thus conquered the monster, he would give him the tenth part of the cattle for his
poisoned his arrows with its bile, whence the trouble, or, according to Pausanias (v. i. ~ 7) a
wounds inflicted by them became incurable. Eu- -part of his territory. Augeas, believing that Herarystheus declared the victory unlawful, as Hera- cles could not possibly accomplish what he procies had won it with the aid of Iolaus. (Hes. mised, agreed, and Heracles took Phyleus, the son
Theog. 313, &c.; Apollod. ii. 5. ~ 2; Diod. iv. 11; of Augeas, as his witness, and then led the rivers
Eurip. Here. Fur. 419, 1188, Ion, 192; Ov. lMet. Alpheius and Peneius through the stables, which
i,. 70; Virg. Aen. viii. 300; Paus. ii. 36. ~ 6, were thus cleaned in the time fixed upon. But
37. ~ 4, v. 5. ~ 5; Hygin. Fab. 30.) Augeas, who learned that Heracles had undertaken
3. Thle stag of Ceryneia in Arcadia. This animal the work by the command of Eurystheus, refused
had golden antlers and brazen feet.. It had been the reward, denied his promise, and declared that
dedicated to Artemis by the nymph Taygete, be- he would have the matter decided by a judicial
cause the goddess had saved her from the pursuit verdict. Phyleus then bore witness against his faof Zeus. Heracles was ordered to bring the ani- ther, who exiled him from Elis. Eurystheus dermal alive to Mycenae. He pursued it in vain for clared the work thus performed to be unlawful,
a whole year: at length it fled from Oeno6 to because Heracles had stipulated with Augeas a
mount Artemisium in Argolis, and thence to the payment for it. (Apollod. ii. 5. ~ 5; Theocrit.
river Ladon in Arcadia. Heracles wounded it with xxv. 88, &c.; Ptolem. Heph. 5; Athen. x. p. 412;
an arrow, caught it, and carried it away on his Schol. ad Pind. 01. xi. 42.) At a subsequent time
shoulders. While yet in Arcadia, he was met by Heracles, to revenge the faithlessness of Augeas,
Apollo and Artemis, who were angry with him for marched with an army of Argives and Tirynthians
having outraged the animal sacred to Artemis; against Augeas, but in a narrow defile in Elis he'but Heracles succeeded in soothing their anger, was taken by surprise by Cteatus and Eurytus, and
and carried his prey to Mycenae. According to lost a great number of his warriors. But aftersomue statements, he killed the stag. (Apollod. ii. wards.H1eracles slew Cteatus and Eurytus, invaded
5. ~ 3; Diod iv. 13; Callim. I/ymn. ixDianz. 100, Elis, and killed Augeas and his sons. After this