Legendary Passages #0006a - The 1st Olympics -
Herculean tasks, from Diodorus Siculus' Library of History.
Last time we reviewed the first eight labors of Hercules. This time we shall hear of them again, although not in the traditional order, as well as some other adventures.
After capturing the Cretan Bull, Hercules started the first Olympics, and won every game himself. He fought with the gods in the Gigantomachy, and received the title of Olympian.
Lastly he journeyed to Thrace, and fed King Diomedes to his own man-eating mares, and then brought them to Eurystheus.
The passage continues into episode 44, where Hercules joins the Argonauts and sails east to obtain the girdle of the amazon queen.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A36034.0001.001/1:10.2?rgn=div2;view=fulltext
The First Olympics,
a Legendary Passage,
from Diodorus Siculus' Library of History,
translated by G. Booth Esq.
At length Time moderating his Grief, resolving to undergo all the Difficulties that were enjoyn'd him, he went to Euristheus; who in the first place commanded him to kill the Lyon in the Forest of Nemea, which was of a monstrous Bigness, not to be pierc'd or wounded by Sword, Spear or Stones, and therefore not to be dealt with but by meer Force and Strength of Hand.
His Walks were commonly between Mycenas and Nemea, near the Mountain (from what happen'd to it) call'd Tretos. For at the Foot of this Hill there was a Den, in which this Monster us'd to lurk. Hercules here meeting with him lay'd hold on him, whereupon the Beast beginning to fly to his Den, he resolutely pursu'd him (having before stop'd up one of the Mouths of the Den) and so both clos'd, where he got the Lyon by the Throat, and strangl'd him with his Arms. Then he cloath'd himself with his Skin (which was big enough to cover his whole Body) and ever after wore it as a Defence in all Conflicts.
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His second Task was to kill the Hydra of Lerna. This Monster had a hundred Necks rising out of one Body, and upon every Neck a serpentine Head, and when one of these was cut off, two others grew up in its stead, and therefore this Monster was accounted invincible; and not without good reason; for from the Part that was lost, arose a double Assistance in its Room.
Against this Difficulty he invented this Stratagem; he commanded Iolaus to sear the Part that was cut off with a Firebrand, that thereby the Blood might be stop'd, by which Means the Beast was kill'd; and he dipt the Points of his Darts in the Monster's Gall, that wherever they struck, the Wound might be incurable.
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The third Command was, that he should bring the Erymanthean Boar (which rov'd about in the Plains of Arcadia) to him alive. This seem'd to be a most difficult Task. For he that fought with this Beast ought to be so subtil as diligently to watch the exact Time and fittest Opportunity in the Management of the Conflict; for if he should let him go while he was in his full strength, the Champion was in danger to be rent in pieces with his Tuskes; and if he wounded him too sore, and so kill'd him, his Labour was lost, and his Victory imperfect. However he so prudently manag'd the Combat, that he brought the Boar alive to Euristheus, who was so terrify'd to see him come hurrying with the Boar upon his Shoulders, that he hid himself in a Brazen Hogshead.
In the mean time Hercules subdu'd the Centaurs upon this occasion: There was one Pholus among the Centaurs, from whom the Neighbouring Mountain was call'd Pholoes; this same having entertain'd Hercules as his Guest, took up an Hogshead of Wine that had for a long time been bury'd in the Earth. For it's reported that this Wine was anciently deposited in the Hands of a certain Centaur by Bacchus, who commanded that it should be broacht at that very time when Hercules came thither; who now hapning to be there the Fourth Age after, Pholus remembring Bacchus his Command, open'd the Hogshead; whereupon the Wine being old, and exceeding strong, the Flavour of it reacht to the Neighbouring Centaurs, and struck them all with a fit of Fury and Madness; whereupon they all came in Troops, and in a terrible Tumult assaulted Pholus his House, to carry away the Prey, in so much as Pholus in a great Fright hid himself.
But Hercules unexpectedly set upon the Aggressors; for he was to fight with those who from the Mother partook of the Nature of the Gods, were as swift as Horses, as strong as double Bodied Beasts, and were indu'd with the understanding and prudence of Men.
Some of these Centaurs assail'd him with Fir-Trees pluck'd up by the Roots; others with huge and massy Stones, some with lighted Firebrands, and others with Axes, with whom he undauntedly enter'd the List, and fought with that bravery, as was agreeable to the glory of his former Actions.
Their Mother Nephele assisted them by a violent Storm of Rain, which was no prejudice to them that were Four-footed; but he that had but Two, had by this means a troublesom and slippery Standing: However Hercules with wonderful Valour overcame them, that had so many and great Advantages above him, Killing most of them, and putting the rest to flight: Of those that were slain, the most remarkable were Daphnis, Argeus, Amphion, Hippotion, Oreus, Isoples, Melanchetes, Thereus, Dupo and Phrixus.
And every one of those that fled, came afterwards to condign Punishment; For Homadus, (because he ravisht in Arcadia, Atalcyona, the Sister of Euristheus) was slain by Hercules, for which his Generosity was greatly admir'd: For though he hated his Enemy upon his own private Account, yet he judg'd it a commendable piece of Humanity, to have Compassion of a Woman in her afflicted Condition, upon the account of her Dishonour and Disgrace.
Somewhat likewise remarkable happened to Pholus, Hercules his Friend: For burying the Centaurs that were kill'd (upon the account of his Kindred and Relation to them) plucking a Dart out of one of them, he chanc'd with the Point mortally to wound himself, of which he died; whom Hercules with great Pomp and State bury'd at the Foot of the Mount; which fell out to be far more glorious than the most stately Monument; for the Mountain being call'd Philoe, preserves the memory of him bury'd there, not by Characters and Inscriptions, but by similittude of Name. In the same manner he kill'd Chiron (eminent for his Art in Phisick) by chance with the throwing of a Dart. But this that has been said of the Centaurs shall suffice.
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Afterwards Hercules receiv'd a further Command, That he should take the swift Hart that had golden Horns, and bring him to the King. This he perform'd more by Art and Subtilty than strength of Body: For some say he took her in a Net, others by tracing her to the place where she rested, and there laying hold on her when she was asleep; but others say, that he ran her down, and so gain'd her by swiftness of Foot. However it were, it's certain he perform'd this Labour not by force or any hazard, but by Art and Skill.
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Being next commanded to drive away the Birds that were about the Stymphalian Lake, by Art and Contrivance he easily perform'd this: For there were an innumerable number of Birds in those Places, which destroy'd and eat up all the Fruits in the Neighbourhood; and they were so numerous, that no Force could prevail to be rid of them.
Being therefore there was need of Art and Contrivance in this matter, he invented a Brazen Pan, and by the mighty sound it made, by striking upon it, frighted the Birds, and by the continual noise, drave them at length quite away; so that the Lake was never infested with them afterwards.
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This Labour being now at an end, Eurystheus in Contempt of him, commanded him without any Assistant to cleanse Augeus his Stable, in which were vast heaps of Muck and Dirt which had been gathering together for many Years.
Hercules therefore to avoid the ignominy of this Contempt cast upon him, scorn'd to carry out the Muck and Dung upon his Shoulders, but in one Days time, without any disgrace to himself, cleans'd the Stable, by turning the Course of the River Peneus through it; in which thing the ingenuity of Hercules is admirable, who so executed the proud Command of his domineering Master, as to avoid every thing that was base and unbecoming the glory of his immortal Honour.
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Next was impos'd upon him the bringing the Bull out of Crete, with which (they say) Pasiphae fell in love. To this end therefore he sail'd into the Island, and by the assistance of King Minos, transported the Beast (for which he had made so long a Voyage) into Peloponesus.
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Having perform'd this Task, he instituted the Olympick Games, and for that purpose chose out a place he judg'd most convenient for the reception of such a Pompous Assembly, which were the Fields all along the Banks of the River Alpheus. Here he order'd the Solemnity of these Games to the honour of his Father Jupiter; and appointed to the Victors a Crown for a Reward, minding the general good and benefit of Mankind, without taking any advantage to himself. In every Exercise he was Victor, without any opposition; for by reason of his remakable strength and valour, none durst contend with him, although the Contests were of a contrary and different nature one from another: For it's a hard matter even for a mighty Champion in Combate, always to win the Prize in a Course, and as difficult for those that are usually Victors in small Contentions, to prevail against them that are eminent in greater Contests. Hercules therefore prevail'd in all these Games, carrying away the Prize from the chiefest among them.
And here we are not to omit giving an account of the Rewards given to him by the Gods for his Virtue; for when he retir'd himself from Wars, and betook himself to his ease and quietness, and to follow Sports, Panegyricks and Festivals, every one of the Gods presented him with their several Gifts.
Minerva gave him an imbroidered Hood, Vulcan a Club and a Breast-plate; and between these Two, was a Contest who should excel in their several Arts, whilst the one wrought and bestow'd what was for pleasure and ornament in time of Peace, and the other what was for defence in time of War. Neptune presented him with Horses, Mercury with a Sword, Apollo a Bow, and taught him the art of Archery. And Ceres to expiate the Slaughter of the Centaurs, instituted in honour of Hercules some small Mysteries.
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But concerning the Birth of this God, this is remarkable, for the first Woman upon Earth that Jupiter lay with, was Niobe, the Daughter of Pharoneus; and the last was Alcmena, who was in the Sixteenth Age after Niobe as the Mythologists say. From the time of her Ancestors, he began to beget Men, and at length ended in this Alcmena, and would never after have any thing to do with any Mortal, or beget any Issue, never expecting to beget a more excellent Offspring.
Afterwards when the Giants fought with the immortal Gods at Pallene, Hercules aided the Gods, and after a great Slaughter made by him of those Sons of the Earth, he became greatly renown'd. For Jupiter call'd those only Gods of Olympus, who assisted him in the War, by this Title of Honour, to distinguish the Couragious from the Coward; which Surname he gave to Bacchus and Hercules, though their Mothers were Mortals; not only because they were the Offspring of Jove, but likewise for that they were like him in virtuous Qualifications, doing good generally to all Mankind.
But Prometheus because he stole Fire from Heaven, and handed it to Men, was clapt in Chains by Jupiter, who caus'd an Eagle to seize and feed continually upon his Liver: But Hercules seeing that he suffered so much for his Kindness to Mankind, shot the Bird with an Arrow, and then having pacify'd Jove, freed this common Benefactor from all farther trouble.
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Afterwards he was injoyn'd to bring away Diomedes King of Thrace's Mares, which were kept in Stalls of Brass, and (by reason of their Strength and Fierceness) ty'd up in Iron Chains. Their Provender was not from the Product of the Earth, but they were fed with the Flesh of miserable Strangers that came thither, cut in small Pieces for that purpose. Hercules to gain Possession of them, laid their own Master Diomedes before them, who satiating their Hunger by his Flesh, who had wickedly taught them to feed upon Flesh, thereby became tame and manageable. Euristheus when they were brought to him, dedicated them to Juno, and their Breed continu'd to the time of Alexander the Great.
When he had perform'd this Labour, he saild with Jason to Colchos, to bring away the Golden Fleece by force of Arms. But of this we shall speak, when we come to the Expedition of the Argonauts.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A36034.0001.001/1:10.2?rgn=div2;view=fulltext
http://legendarypassages.blogspot.com/2015/01/lp0006-first-olympics.html
Greek and Roman mythology from the original sources, from Atlantis to Hercules to the Trojan War. Email: LegendaryPassages@gmail.com
