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026 - Legends Pelops and Heracles - part 1 · Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty five, Part one of Myths and Legends. This
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  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
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  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Recording by Graham Redman. Myths and Legends
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  Speaker 1: of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Berons, Section
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  Speaker 1: twenty five, Part one Legends. Pelops Pelops, the son of
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  Speaker 1: the cruel Tantalus, was a pious and virtuous prince. After
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  Speaker 1: his father was banished into Tartarus, a war ensued between
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  Speaker 1: Pelops and the king of Troy, in which the former
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  Speaker 1: was vanquished and forced to fly from his dominions in Phrygia.
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  Speaker 1: He emigrated into Greece, where at the court of Eamaeus,
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  Speaker 1: king of Elis, he beheld Hippodamia, the king's daughter, whose
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  Speaker 1: beauty won his heart, but an oracle having foretold to
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  Speaker 1: Inenomaeus that he would die on the day of his
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  Speaker 1: daughter's marriage. He threw every obstacle in the way of
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  Speaker 1: her suitors, and declared that he would only give her
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  Speaker 1: to him, who succeeded in vanquishing him in a chariot race,
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  Speaker 1: but that all unsuccessful competitors should suffer death at his hands.
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  Speaker 1: The conditions of the contest were as follows. The race
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  Speaker 1: was to be run from a given point at Pisa
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  Speaker 1: to the altar of Poseidon at Corinth. The suitor was
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  Speaker 1: allowed to start on his course whilst Inomaeus performed his
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  Speaker 1: sacrifice to Zeus, and only on its completion did the
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  Speaker 1: king mont his chariot, guided by the skillful Mertillus and
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  Speaker 1: drawn by his two famous horses, Phylla and Harpinna, who
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  Speaker 1: surpassed in swi yiftness the winds themselves. In this manner,
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  Speaker 1: many a gallant young prince had perished, for although a
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  Speaker 1: considerable start was given to all competitors, still Eenomaeus, with
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  Speaker 1: his swift team, always overtook them before they reached the goal,
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  Speaker 1: and killed them with his spear. But the love of
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  Speaker 1: Pelops for Hippodamia overcame all fears, and, undeterred by the
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  Speaker 1: terrible fate of his predecessors, he announced himself to Enomaeus
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  Speaker 1: as a suitor for the hand of his daughter. On
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  Speaker 1: the eve of the race, Pelops repaired to the sea
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  Speaker 1: shore and earnestly implored Poseidon to assist him in his
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  Speaker 1: perilous undertaking the sea god heard his prayer and sent
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  Speaker 1: him out of the deep a chariot drawn by two
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  Speaker 1: winged horses. When Pelops appeared on the course, the king
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  Speaker 1: at once recognized the hall losses of Poseidon, but nothing daunted.
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  Speaker 1: He relied on his own supernatural team, and the contest
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  Speaker 1: was allowed to proceed. Whilst the king was offering his
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  Speaker 1: sacrifice to Zeus, Pelops set out on the race and
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  Speaker 1: had nearly reached the goal when turning round he beheld
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  Speaker 1: Enomaeus spear in hand, who with his magic steeds, had
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  Speaker 1: nearly overtaken him. But in this emergency, Poseidon came to
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  Speaker 1: the aid of the son of Tantala's. He caused the
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  Speaker 1: feelds of the royal chariot to fly off, whereupon the
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  Speaker 1: king was thrown out violently and killed on the spot,
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  Speaker 1: just as Pelops arrived at the altar of Poseidon. As
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  Speaker 1: the hero was about to return to Pisa to claim
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  Speaker 1: his bride, he beheld in the distance flames issuing from
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  Speaker 1: the royal castle, which at that instant had been struck
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  Speaker 1: by lightning. With his winged horses, he flew to rescue
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  Speaker 1: his lovely bride and succeeded in extricating her uninjured from
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  Speaker 1: the burning building. They soon afterwards became united, and Pelops
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  Speaker 1: reigned in Pisa for many years in great splendor. Heracles
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  Speaker 1: or Hercules, Heracles, the most renowned hero of Antiquity, was
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  Speaker 1: the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the great grandson
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  Speaker 1: of Perseus. At the time of his birth, Alcmene was
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  Speaker 1: living at Thebes with her husband Amphytrion, and thus the
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  Speaker 1: infant Heracles was born in the palace of his stepfather.
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  Speaker 1: Aware of the animosity with which hera persecuted all those
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  Speaker 1: who rivaled her in the affections of Zeus, Alcmene, fearful
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  Speaker 1: lest this hatred should be visited on her innocent child,
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  Speaker 1: intrusted him soon after his birth to the care of
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  Speaker 1: a faithful servant, with instructions to expose him in a
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  Speaker 1: certain field and there leave him, feeling assured that the
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  Speaker 1: divine offspring of Zeus would not long remain without the
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  Speaker 1: protection of the gods. Soon after the child had been
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  Speaker 1: thus abandoned, Hearer and Pallas Atheni happened to pass by
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  Speaker 1: the field and were attracted by its cries. Atheni pityingly
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  Speaker 1: took up the infant in her arms and prevailed upon
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  Speaker 1: the Queen of Heaven to put it to her breast.
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  Speaker 1: But no sooner had she done so, than the child
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  Speaker 1: causing her pain. She angrily threw him to the ground
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  Speaker 1: and left the spot. Atheni moved with compassion, carried him
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  Speaker 1: to Alcmeni, and entreated her kind offices on behalf of
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  Speaker 1: the poor little foundling. Alcmeni at once recognized her child
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  Speaker 1: and joyfully accepted the charge. Soon afterwards, hearer, to her
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  Speaker 1: extreme annoyance, discovered whom she had nursed, and became filled
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  Speaker 1: with jealous rage. She now sent two venomous snakes into
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  Speaker 1: the chamber of Alcmene, which crept unperceived by the nurses,
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  Speaker 1: to the cradle of the sleeping child. He awoke with
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  Speaker 1: a cry, and, grasping a snake in each hand, strangled them.
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  Speaker 1: Both Alcmene and her attendants, whom the cry of the
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  Speaker 1: child had awakened, rushed to the cradle, where, to their
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  Speaker 1: astonishment and terror, they beheld the two reptiles dead in
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  Speaker 1: the hands of the infant. Heracles. Amphytrion was also attracted
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  Speaker 1: to the chamber by the commotion, and when he beheld
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  Speaker 1: this astounding proof of supernatural strength. He declared that the
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  Speaker 1: child must have been sent to him as a special
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  Speaker 1: gift from Zeus. He accordingly consulted the famous seer Tyresias,
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  Speaker 1: who now informed him of the divine origin of his
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  Speaker 1: step son and prognosticated for him a great and distinguished future.
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  Speaker 1: When Amphytrion heard the noble destiny which awaited the child
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  Speaker 1: entrusted to his care, he resolved to educate him in
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  Speaker 1: a manner worthy of his future career at a suitable age.
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  Speaker 1: He himself taught him how to guide a chariot, Eurytus,
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  Speaker 1: how to handle the beau, Autolicus dexterity, and wrestling and boxing,
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  Speaker 1: and caster the art of armed warfare, whilst Linus, the
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  Speaker 1: son of Apollo, instructed him in music and letters. Heracles
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  Speaker 1: was an apt pupil, but undue harshness was intolerable to
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  Speaker 1: his high spirit, and old Linus, who was not the
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  Speaker 1: gentlest of teachers, one day corrected him with blows, whereupon
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  Speaker 1: the boy angrily took up his lyre and with one
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  Speaker 1: stroke of his powerful arm, killed his tutor on the spot,
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  Speaker 1: Apprehensive lest the ungovernable temper of the youth might again
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  Speaker 1: involve him in similar acts of violence, and Phytrion sent
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  Speaker 1: him into the country, where he placed him under the
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  Speaker 1: charge of one of his most trusted herdsmen. Here, as
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  Speaker 1: he grew up to manhood, his extraordinary stature and strength
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  Speaker 1: became the wonder and admiration of all beholders. His aim,
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  Speaker 1: whether with spear, lance or bow, was unerring, and at
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  Speaker 1: the age of eighteen, he was considered to be the
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  Speaker 1: strongest as well as the most beautiful youth in all Greece.
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  Speaker 1: The choice of Heracles. Heracles felt that the time had
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  Speaker 1: now a round when it became necessary to decide for
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  Speaker 1: himself how to make use of the extraordinary powers with
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  Speaker 1: which he had been endowed by the gods, And in
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  Speaker 1: order to meditate in solitude on this all important subject,
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  Speaker 1: he repaired to a lonely and secluded spot in the
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  Speaker 1: heart of the forest. Here, two females of great beauty
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  Speaker 1: appeared to him. One was Vice, the other Virtue. The
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  Speaker 1: former was full of artificial wiles and fascinating arts, her
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  Speaker 1: face painted and her dress gaudy and attractive, whilst the
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  Speaker 1: latter was of noble bearing and modest mien, her robes
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  Speaker 1: of spotless purity. Wes stepped forward and thus addressed him.
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  Speaker 1: If you will walk in my paths and make me
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  Speaker 1: your friend, your life shall be one round of pleasure
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  Speaker 1: and enjoyment. You shall taste of every delight which can
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  Speaker 1: be procured on earth. The choicest viance, the most delicious wines,
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  Speaker 1: the most luxuriant of couches shall be ever at your disposal,
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  Speaker 1: and all this without any exertion on your part, either
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  Speaker 1: physical or mental. Virtue now spoke in her turn. If
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  Speaker 1: you will follow me and be my friend, I promise
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  Speaker 1: you the reward of a good conscience and the love
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  Speaker 1: and respect of your fellow men. I cannot undertake to
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  Speaker 1: smooth your path with roses, or to give you a
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  Speaker 1: life of idleness and pleasure. For you must know that
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  Speaker 1: the gods grant no good and desirable thing that is
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  Speaker 1: not earned by labor. And as you sow, so must
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  Speaker 1: you reap. Heracles listened patiently and attentively to both speakers,
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  Speaker 1: and then, after mature deliberation, decided to follow in the
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  Speaker 1: paths of virtue, and henceforth to honor the gods, and
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  Speaker 1: to devote his life to the service of his country.
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  Speaker 1: Full of these noble resolves, he sought once more his
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  Speaker 1: rural home, where he was informed that on mons Etherum,
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  Speaker 1: at the foot of which the herds of Emphytrion were grazing,
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  Speaker 1: a ferocious lion had fixed his lair and was committing
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  Speaker 1: such frightful ravages among the flocks and herds that he
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  Speaker 1: had become the scourge and terror of the whole neighborhood.
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  Speaker 1: Heracles at once armed himself and ascended the mountain, where
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  Speaker 1: he soon caught sight of the lion, and, rushing at
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  Speaker 1: him with his sword, succeeded in killing him. The hide
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  Speaker 1: of the animal he wore ever afterwards over his shoulders,
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  Speaker 1: and the head served him as a helmet. As he
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  Speaker 1: was returning from this his first exploit, he met the
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  Speaker 1: heralds of a Ginus, king of the Minions, who were
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  Speaker 1: proceeding to Thebes to demand their annual tribute of a
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  Speaker 1: hundred oxen. Indignant at this humiliation of his native city,
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  Speaker 1: Heracles mutilated the heralds and sent them back with ropes
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  Speaker 1: round their necks to their royal master. Aginus was so
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  Speaker 1: incensed at the ill treatment of his messengers that he
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  Speaker 1: collected an army and appeared before the gates of Thebes,
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  Speaker 1: demanding the surrender of Heracles. Creon, who was at this
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  Speaker 1: time king of Thebes, fearing the consequences of a refusal,
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  Speaker 1: was about to yield when the Hero, with the assistance
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  Speaker 1: of Amphitrion and a band of brave youths, advanced against
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  Speaker 1: the minions. Heracles took possession of a narrow defile through
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  Speaker 1: which the enemy were compelled to pass, and as they
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  Speaker 1: entered the pass the Thebans fell upon them, killed their
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  Speaker 1: king Aeginus, and completely routed them. In this engagement, Amphytrion,
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  Speaker 1: the kind friend and foster father of Heracles, lost his life.
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  Speaker 1: The Hero now advanced upon oor Commonus, the capital of
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  Speaker 1: the minions, where he burned the royal castle and sacked
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  Speaker 1: the town. After this signal victory, all Greece rang with
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  Speaker 1: the fame of the young Hero, and Creon, in gratitude
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  Speaker 1: for his great services, bestowed upon him his daughter Megara
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  Speaker 1: in marriage. The Olympian gods testified their appreciation of his
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  Speaker 1: valor by sending him presents. Hermes gave him a sword, Phoebus,
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  Speaker 1: Apollo a bundle of arrows, Hephaestus a golden quiver, and
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  Speaker 1: Athene a coat of leather. Heracles and Eurystheus and now
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  Speaker 1: it will be necessary to retrace our steps. Just before
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  Speaker 1: the birth of Heracles, Zeus, in an assembly of the gods,
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  Speaker 1: exultingly declared that the child who should be born on
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  Speaker 1: that day to the house of Perseus, should rule over
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  Speaker 1: all his race. When Hero heard her lord's boastful announcement,
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  Speaker 1: she knew well that it was for the child of
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  Speaker 1: the hated Alcmene that this brilliant destiny was designed, And
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  Speaker 1: in order to rob the son of her rival of
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  Speaker 1: his rights, she called to her aid the goddess Ilithia,
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  Speaker 1: who retarded the birth of Heracles and caused his cousin Eurystheus,
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  Speaker 1: another grandson of Perseus, to precede him into the world.
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  Speaker 1: And thus, as the word of the mighty Zeus was irrevocable,
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  Speaker 1: Heracles became the subject and servant of his cousin Eurystheus. When,
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  Speaker 1: after his splendid victory over Aeginus, the fame of Heracles
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  Speaker 1: spread throughout Greece, Eurystheus, who had become king of Mycene,
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  Speaker 1: jealous of the reputation of the young Hero, asserted his
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  Speaker 1: rights and commanded him to undertake for him various difficult tasks.
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  Speaker 1: But the proud spirit of the hero rebelled against this humiliation,
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  Speaker 1: and he was about to refuse compliance when Zeus appeared
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  Speaker 1: to him and desired him not to rebel against the fates.
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  Speaker 1: Heracles now repaired to Delphi in order to consult the oracle,
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  Speaker 1: and received the answer that after performing ten tasks for
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  Speaker 1: his cousin Eurystheus, his servitude would be at an end.
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  Speaker 1: Soon afterwards, Heracles fell into a state of the deepest
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  Speaker 1: melay melancholy, and through the influence of his inveterate enemy,
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  Speaker 1: the goddess Hearer, this despondency developed into raving madness, in
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  Speaker 1: which condition he killed his own children. When he at
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  Speaker 1: length regained his reason, he was so horrified and grieved
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  Speaker 1: at what he had done that he shut himself up
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  Speaker 1: in his chamber and avoided all intercourse with men. But
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  Speaker 1: in his loneliness and seclusion, the conviction that work would
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  Speaker 1: be the best means of procuring oblivion of the past
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  Speaker 1: decided him to enter without delay upon the tasks appointed
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  Speaker 1: him by Eurystheus, one the Nemean Lion. His first task
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  Speaker 1: was to bring to Eurysthus the skin of the much
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  Speaker 1: dreaded Nemean lion, which ravaged the territory between Cleone and Nemea,
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  Speaker 1: and whose hight was invulnerable against an immortal weapon. Heracles
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  Speaker 1: proceeded to the forest of Nemir, where, having discovered the
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  Speaker 1: lion's lair, he attempted to pierce him with his arrows,
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  Speaker 1: but finding these of no avail, he felled him to
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  Speaker 1: the ground with his club, and before the animal had
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  Speaker 1: time to recover from the terrible blow, Heracles seized him
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  Speaker 1: by the neck, and with a mighty effort, succeeded in
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  Speaker 1: strangling him. He then made himself a coat of mail
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  Speaker 1: of the skin and a new helmet of the head
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  Speaker 1: of the animal. Thus attired, he so alarmed Eurystheus by
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  Speaker 1: appearing suddenly before him, that the king concealed himself in
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  Speaker 1: his palace and henceforth for bad Heracles to enter his presence,
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  Speaker 1: but commanded him to receive his behests for the future
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  Speaker 1: through his messenger Coprius two. The Hydra. His second task
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  Speaker 1: was to slay the Hydra, a monster serpent, the offspring
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  Speaker 1: of Typhoon and Echidna, bristling with nine heads, one of
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  Speaker 1: which was immortal. This monster infested the neighborhood of Lerner,
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  Speaker 1: where she committed great depredations among the herds. Heracles, accompanied
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  Speaker 1: by his nephew Iolaus, set out in a chariot for
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  Speaker 1: the marsh of Lerna, in the slimy waters of which
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  Speaker 1: he found her. He commenced the attack by assailing her
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  Speaker 1: with his fierce arrows in order to force her to
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  Speaker 1: leave her lair, from which she at length emerged and
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  Speaker 1: sought refuge in a wood on a neighboring hill. Heracles
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  Speaker 1: now rushed forward and endeavored to crush her heads by
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  Speaker 1: means of well directed blows from his tremendous club, But
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  Speaker 1: no sooner was one head destroyed than it was immediately
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  Speaker 1: replaced by two others. He next seized the monster in
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  Speaker 1: his powerful grasp, But at this juncture a giant crab
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  Speaker 1: came to the assistance of the Hydra and commenced biting
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  Speaker 1: the feet of her assailant. Heracles destroyed this new adversary
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  Speaker 1: with his club, and now called upon his nephew to
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  Speaker 1: come to his aid. At his command, Iolaus set fire
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  Speaker 1: to the neighboring trees, and with a burning branch, seared
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  Speaker 1: the necks of the monster. As Heracles cut them off,
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  Speaker 1: thus effectually preventing the growth of more. Heracles Necks struck
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  Speaker 1: off the immortal head, which he buried by the roadside,
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  Speaker 1: and placed over it a heavy stone. Into the poisonous
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  Speaker 1: blood of the monster. He then dipped his arrows, which
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  Speaker 1: ever afterwards rendered wounds inflicted by them incurable. Three the
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  Speaker 1: Horned Hind. The third labor of Heracles was to bring
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  Speaker 1: the horned Hind syunitis alive to Mycenie. This animal, which
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  Speaker 1: was sacred to Artemis, had golden antlers and hoofs of brass.
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  Speaker 1: Not wishing to wound the hind, Heracles patiently pursued her
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  Speaker 1: through many countries for a whole year, and overtook her
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  Speaker 1: at last on the banks of the river Leydon. But
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  Speaker 1: even there he was compelled, in order to secure her,
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  Speaker 1: to wound her with one of his arrows, after which
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  Speaker 1: he lifted her on his shoulders and carried her through Arcadia.
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  Speaker 1: On his way, he met Artemis with her brother Phoebus Apollo,
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  Speaker 1: when the goddess angrily reproved him for wounding her favorite Hind,
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  Speaker 1: but Heracles succeeded in appeasing her displeasure, whereupon she permitted
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  Speaker 1: him to take the animal alive to Mycenie for the
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  Speaker 1: Erymanchian boar. The fourth task imposed upon Heracles by Eurystheus
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  Speaker 1: was to bring alive to mycene the Rimancian boar, which
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  Speaker 1: had laid waste the region of Erimancha and was the
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  Speaker 1: scourge of the surrounding neighborhood. On his way thither he
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  Speaker 1: craved food and shelter of a centaur named Pholus, who
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  Speaker 1: received him with generous hospitality, setting before him a good
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  Speaker 1: and plentiful repast. When Heracles expressed his surprise that at
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  Speaker 1: such a well furnished board wine should be wanting, his
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  Speaker 1: host explained that the wine cellar was the common property
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  Speaker 1: of all the centaurs, and that it was against the
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  Speaker 1: rules for a cask to be broached except all were
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  Speaker 1: present to partake of it. By dint of persuasion. However,
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  Speaker 1: Heracles prevailed on his kind host to make an exception
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  Speaker 1: in his favor. But the powerful, luscious odor of the
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  Speaker 1: good old wine soon spread over the mountains and brought
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  Speaker 1: large numbers of centaurs to the spot, all armed with
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  Speaker 1: huge rocks and fir trees. Heracles drove them back with
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  Speaker 1: fire brands, and then, following up his victory, pursued them
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  Speaker 1: with his arrows as far as Mallea, where they took
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  Speaker 1: refuge in the cave of the kind old centaur Chirne. Unfortunately, however,
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  Speaker 1: as Heracles were shooting at them with his poisoned darts,
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  Speaker 1: one of these pierced the knee of Chirne. When Heracles
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  Speaker 1: discovered that it was the friend of his early days
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  Speaker 1: that he had wounded, he was overcome with sorrow and regret.
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  Speaker 1: He at once extracted the arrow and anointed the wound
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  Speaker 1: with a salve, the virtue of which had been taught
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  Speaker 1: him by Chirne himself, But all his efforts were unavailing.
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  Speaker 1: The wound, imbued with the deadly poison of the hydra,
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  Speaker 1: was incurable. And so great was the agony of Cairne that,
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  Speaker 1: at the intercession of Heracles, death was sent him by
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  Speaker 1: the gods, for otherwise, being immortal, he would have been
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  Speaker 1: doomed to endless suffering. Pholus, who had so kindly entertained Heracles,
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  Speaker 1: also perished by means of one of these arrows, which
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  Speaker 1: he had extracted from the body of a dead centaur
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  Speaker 1: while he was quietly examining it, astonished that so small
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  Speaker 1: and insignificant an object should be productive of such serious results.
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  Speaker 1: The arrow fell upon his foot and fatally wounded him.
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  Speaker 1: Full of grief at this untoward event, Heracles buried him
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  Speaker 1: with due honors, and then set out to chase the boar.
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: With loud shouts and terrible cries. He first drove him
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: out of the thickets into the deep snow drifts which
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: covered the summit of the mountain, and then, having at
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: length wearied him with his incessant pursuit, he captured the
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: exhausted animal, bound him with a rope, and brought him
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: alive to Mycene. Five. Cleansing the stables of Orgias. After
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: slaying the ermansion bore Eurystheus commanded Heracles to cleanse in
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: one day the stables of Orgias. Orgias was a king
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: of Elis, who was very rich in herds. Three thousand
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: of his cattle. He kept near the royal palace in
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: an enclosure where the refuse had accumulated for many years.
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: When Heracles presented himself before the king and offered to
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: cleanse his stables in one day, provide he should receive
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: in return a tenth part of the herds Augeas, thinking
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: the feet impossible, accepted his offer. In the presence of
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: his son Phylius. Near the palace were the two rivers,
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: Penius and Alpheus, the streams of which Heracles conducted into
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: the stables by means of a trench which he dug
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: for this purpose, And as the waters rushed through the shed,
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: they swept away with them the whole mass of accumulated filth.
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: But when Orgias heard that this was one of the
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: labors imposed by Eurystheus, he refused the promise. Gerten. Heracles
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: brought the matter before a court and called Phylius as
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: a witness to the justice of his claim, whereupon Orgias,
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: without waiting for the delivery of the verdict, angrily banished
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: Heracles and his son from his Dominions six the Stmfalides.
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: The sixth task was to chase away the Stymphalides, which
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: were immense birds of prey, who, as we have seen
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: in the legend of the Argonauts, shot from their wings
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: feathers sharp as arrows. The home of these birds was
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: on the shore of the lake Stymphalis in Arcadia, after
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: which they were called, where they caused great destruction among
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: men and cattle. On approaching the lake, Heracles observed great
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: numbers of them, and while hesitating how to commence the attack,
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking round,
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: he beheld the majestic form of Pallas Athene, who held
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: in her hand a gigantic pair of brazen clappers made
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: by Hyphastus, with which she presented him. Whereupon he ascended
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: to the summit of a neighboring hill and commenced to
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: rattle them violently. The shrill noise of these instruments was
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: so intolerable to the birds that they rose into the
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: air in terror, upon which he aimed at them with
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: his arrows, destroying them in great numbers. Whilst such as escaped,
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: his darts flew away, never to return. Seven the Cretan Bull.
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: The seventh labor of Heracles was to capture the Cretan
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: bull Minos, king of Crete. Having vowed to sacrifice to
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: Poseidon any animal which should first appear out of the sea,
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: the god caused a magnificent ball to emerge from the
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: waves in order to test the sincerity of the Cretan king, who,
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: in making this vow, had alleged that he possessed no
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: animal among his own herds worthy the acceptance of the
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: mighty sea god. Charmed with the splendid animal sent by
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: poseionidden and eager to possess it, Minos placed it among
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: his herds and substituted as a sacrifice one of his
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: own bulls. Hereupon, Poseidon, in order to punish the cupidity
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: of Minos, caused the animal to become mad and commit
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: such great havoc in the island as to endanger the
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: safety of the inhabitants. When Heracles therefore arrived in Crete
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: for the purpose of capturing the bull, Minos, far from
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: opposing his design, gladly gave him permission to do so.
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: The hero not only succeeded in securing the animal, but
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: tamed him so effectually that he rode on his back
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: right across the sea as far as the Peloponnesus. He
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: now delivered him up to Eurysthus, who at once set
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: him at liberty, after which he became as ferocious and
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: wild as before, roamed all over Greece into Arcadia, and
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: was eventually killed by di Theseus on the plains of
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: Marathon eight. The mares of Diomedes The eighth labor of
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: Heracles was to bring to Eurysthus the mares of Diomedes,
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: a son of Ares and king of the Bistonians, a
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: warlike Thracian tribe. This king possessed a breed of wild
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: horses of tremendous size and strength, whose food consisted of
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: human flesh, and all strangers who had the misfortune to
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: enter the country were made prisoners and flung before the horses,
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: who devoured them. When Heracles arrived, he first captured the
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: cruel Diomedes himself, and then threw him before his own mares, who,
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: after devouring their master, became perfectly tame and tractable. They
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: were then led by Heracles to the sea shore, when
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: the Bistonians, enraged at the loss of their king, rushed
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: after the hero and attacked him. He now gave the
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: animals in charge of his friend Abdurus, and made such
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: a furious onslaught on his assailants that they turned and fled.
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: But on his return from this encounter, he found to
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: his great grief that the mares had torn his friend
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: in pieces and devoured him. After celebrating due theoneurial rites
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: to the unfortunate Abdurus, Heracles built a city in his honour,
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: which he named after him. He then returned to Tyrians,
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: where he delivered up the mares to Eurystheus, who set
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: them loose on Mount Olympus, where they became the prey
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: of wild beasts. It was after the performance of this
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: task that Heracles joined the Argonauts in their expedition to
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: gain possession of the Golden Fleece, and was left behind
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: at Chios as already the rated. During his wanderings, he
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: undertook his ninth labor, which was to bring to Eurysduce
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: the girdle of Hippolyty, Queen of the Amazons. End of
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: Section twenty five, Part one recording by Graham Redman