In Ancient Greece there once lived a young demi-God named Heracles, he was brave and strong and a little bit full of himself.
“I’m going to be the greatest hero Greece has ever known. There will be statues made of me and people will see my image in the stars,” he boasted.
But Hera, the Queen of the Gods, didn’t like him. “He’s arrogant, violent and rash. He will never be a great hero.”
The Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, felt differently. She wanted to give Heracles a chance. “You must prove yourself,” she told him.
“I’ll complete any task you set me,” Heracles said, hoping she would send him to win a war or save a princess from a terrible sea monster. But Athena had other ideas.
“You will go to King Eurystheus and do whatever he asks.”
“What?!” King Eurystheus and Heracles hated each other. “But he’s such a wimp,” Heracles moaned. “Do I have to?”
Athena’s beautiful face turned stern. “Eurystheus is a King. Heroes respect their kings.”
Not a very good king. Heracles thought. “Alright, I’ll go,” he said aloud. But he better give me a heroic task.
King Eurystheus had thought long and hard for a task that would make Heracles squirm. “Ah, here’s the ‘hero’,” he smirked, when Heracles strode into his throne room. “I have a job perfect for you,” he said. “You will clean out the Augean Stables.”
“No I won’t!” Heracles’ retort was out before he had time to think. The Augean Stables housed thousands and thousands of cattle, pigs, sheeps and horses and they had never been cleaned. “Those stables are disgusting!”
King Eurystheus giggled. “And filled from floor to ceiling with animal dung.”
Heracles fumed. He’s trying to humiliate me.
“Shall I tell the Goddesses you can’t do it?”
Heracles wasn’t about to let Eurystheus win. “No. I can do it.” He forced a smile. “It will be easy.”
King Eurystheus narrowed his eyes. “It’ll be really, really, stinky.”
Heracles shrugged. “Can’t be any worse than the smell in here.”
King Eurystheus’ cheeks went bright red. “Well, if it’s that easy then I expect the task to be completed today,” he spluttered.
“No problemo.”
Heracles made his way to the stables feeling quite pleased with himself. He had controlled his anger and refused to be humiliated. Then he saw the stables.
“Poseidon’s trident!” Heracles exclaimed. The stables spanned from one horizon to another, barn after barn after barn was filled from top to bottom with animal dung. There’s no way I can clean all this before sunset.
To make matters worse, he felt a spot of rain. “Great!” Heracles huffed. Then he got an idea. He went to visit King Augeas, the owner of the stables.
King Augeas looked at him, warily. “If you’ve come to complain about the smell, I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Actually, I’ve come to help you,” said Heracles.
“No one can help me,” King Augeas said sadly, “My stables are filled with so much dung, I can’t get to my fields to grow my crops. I’m ruined.”
“What if I told you I could clean out your stables by the by the end of the day?”
King Augeas laughed. “You do that and I will give you half my herds!”
“It’s a deal,” Heracles said and they shook on it. He may as well get something for his efforts.
Heracles wasted no time. After a quick glance at the sky, he returned to the stables, rolled up his sleeves and marched to the wall of the stable yard, which he punched a big hole through.
King Augeas watched, horrified. “He’s mad!”
Then Heracles hurried over to the other side of the yard and punched a hole in that wall too. “Trust me,” he called to the King.
But King Augeas was starting to think he’d made a terrible mistake. Especially as Heracles then picked up a shovel and dug big ditches all over his fields.
“You’re ruining my farm!” the King cried.
Heracles leant on his shovel and looked up to the sky, “Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s going to rain.”
Now the King was sure Heracles was crazy. “How will rain help?”
A few spots, then a pitter-patter. The sky turned black, the pitter-patter became a shower, which became a torrent and suddenly, a storm was upon them. Across the valley two rivers rushed and gushed with rainwater, flooding towards Heracles’ trenches and then filling them with white water rapids, which surged across King Augeas’ fields towards the stables.
King Augeas’ mouth fell open. “You’re a genius!”
Heracles grinned, he was a bit of a genius. The swelling water burst through the hole in the yard wall and into the barns. Sweeping up the mountains of dung as it went, the river spilled out again through the hole on the other side of the yard. Heracles had dug a whole network of trenches, as the water washed through the fields, the dung stayed behind to fertilize all the King’s crops.
“Brilliant!” the King said.
“You’re welcome,” said Heracles.“Now, how about those herds you owe me?”
The King was so pleased that Heracles had solved both his problems, he gladly would have given Heracles half his herds. But Heracles didn’t want to be greedy (that was unheroic). “Just give me a tenth and call it quits,” he said.
Heracles left King Augeas a happy man and returned to King Eurystheus, ready to bask in the glory of his success. However, when he got to the throne room, the Goddesses Athena and Hera were already there and they didn’t look happy. King Eurystheus, on the other hand, was beaming as bright as the moon, which couldn’t be a good thing.
“You failed, Heracles,” Eurystheus couldn’t wait to goad him. “You’re never going to be a hero.”
“But I completed the task and in record time.” How could he have failed? What he’d done was brilliant, genius even.
Athena shook her head sadly. “You took payment for your work, Heracles.”
“So? Don’t I deserve something for my efforts?”
“I told you!” Hera’s eyes flashed with gleeful malice, “He’s selfish, greedy and arrogant. Definitely not hero material”
Heracles couldn’t lose his chance of being a hero. “What if I give the herds back?” he said, he didn’t need them anyway.
“OK,” Athena said. “Return the herds and maybe, maybe you can still become a hero.”
“Thank you.” Heracles returned the herds to King Augeas.
The King could hardly believe his luck. “You mean you did all that, just to help me?”
Heracles nodded, “I guess I did.”
The King was impressed. “Wow, you are a true hero.” He called all his people together and they had a great party and Heracles was the guest of honour. Everyone cheered him and called him a hero.
“I could get used to this,” Heracles said. He had realised being a hero was a reward in itself.
“I’m going to be the greatest hero Greece has ever known. There will be statues made of me and people will see my image in the stars,” he boasted.
But Hera, the Queen of the Gods, didn’t like him. “He’s arrogant, violent and rash. He will never be a great hero.”
The Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, felt differently. She wanted to give Heracles a chance. “You must prove yourself,” she told him.
“I’ll complete any task you set me,” Heracles said, hoping she would send him to win a war or save a princess from a terrible sea monster. But Athena had other ideas.
“You will go to King Eurystheus and do whatever he asks.”
“What?!” King Eurystheus and Heracles hated each other. “But he’s such a wimp,” Heracles moaned. “Do I have to?”
Athena’s beautiful face turned stern. “Eurystheus is a King. Heroes respect their kings.”
Not a very good king. Heracles thought. “Alright, I’ll go,” he said aloud. But he better give me a heroic task.
King Eurystheus had thought long and hard for a task that would make Heracles squirm. “Ah, here’s the ‘hero’,” he smirked, when Heracles strode into his throne room. “I have a job perfect for you,” he said. “You will clean out the Augean Stables.”
“No I won’t!” Heracles’ retort was out before he had time to think. The Augean Stables housed thousands and thousands of cattle, pigs, sheeps and horses and they had never been cleaned. “Those stables are disgusting!”
King Eurystheus giggled. “And filled from floor to ceiling with animal dung.”
Heracles fumed. He’s trying to humiliate me.
“Shall I tell the Goddesses you can’t do it?”
Heracles wasn’t about to let Eurystheus win. “No. I can do it.” He forced a smile. “It will be easy.”
King Eurystheus narrowed his eyes. “It’ll be really, really, stinky.”
Heracles shrugged. “Can’t be any worse than the smell in here.”
King Eurystheus’ cheeks went bright red. “Well, if it’s that easy then I expect the task to be completed today,” he spluttered.
“No problemo.”
Heracles made his way to the stables feeling quite pleased with himself. He had controlled his anger and refused to be humiliated. Then he saw the stables.
“Poseidon’s trident!” Heracles exclaimed. The stables spanned from one horizon to another, barn after barn after barn was filled from top to bottom with animal dung. There’s no way I can clean all this before sunset.
To make matters worse, he felt a spot of rain. “Great!” Heracles huffed. Then he got an idea. He went to visit King Augeas, the owner of the stables.
King Augeas looked at him, warily. “If you’ve come to complain about the smell, I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Actually, I’ve come to help you,” said Heracles.
“No one can help me,” King Augeas said sadly, “My stables are filled with so much dung, I can’t get to my fields to grow my crops. I’m ruined.”
“What if I told you I could clean out your stables by the by the end of the day?”
King Augeas laughed. “You do that and I will give you half my herds!”
“It’s a deal,” Heracles said and they shook on it. He may as well get something for his efforts.
Heracles wasted no time. After a quick glance at the sky, he returned to the stables, rolled up his sleeves and marched to the wall of the stable yard, which he punched a big hole through.
King Augeas watched, horrified. “He’s mad!”
Then Heracles hurried over to the other side of the yard and punched a hole in that wall too. “Trust me,” he called to the King.
But King Augeas was starting to think he’d made a terrible mistake. Especially as Heracles then picked up a shovel and dug big ditches all over his fields.
“You’re ruining my farm!” the King cried.
Heracles leant on his shovel and looked up to the sky, “Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s going to rain.”
Now the King was sure Heracles was crazy. “How will rain help?”
A few spots, then a pitter-patter. The sky turned black, the pitter-patter became a shower, which became a torrent and suddenly, a storm was upon them. Across the valley two rivers rushed and gushed with rainwater, flooding towards Heracles’ trenches and then filling them with white water rapids, which surged across King Augeas’ fields towards the stables.
King Augeas’ mouth fell open. “You’re a genius!”
Heracles grinned, he was a bit of a genius. The swelling water burst through the hole in the yard wall and into the barns. Sweeping up the mountains of dung as it went, the river spilled out again through the hole on the other side of the yard. Heracles had dug a whole network of trenches, as the water washed through the fields, the dung stayed behind to fertilize all the King’s crops.
“Brilliant!” the King said.
“You’re welcome,” said Heracles.“Now, how about those herds you owe me?”
The King was so pleased that Heracles had solved both his problems, he gladly would have given Heracles half his herds. But Heracles didn’t want to be greedy (that was unheroic). “Just give me a tenth and call it quits,” he said.
Heracles left King Augeas a happy man and returned to King Eurystheus, ready to bask in the glory of his success. However, when he got to the throne room, the Goddesses Athena and Hera were already there and they didn’t look happy. King Eurystheus, on the other hand, was beaming as bright as the moon, which couldn’t be a good thing.
“You failed, Heracles,” Eurystheus couldn’t wait to goad him. “You’re never going to be a hero.”
“But I completed the task and in record time.” How could he have failed? What he’d done was brilliant, genius even.
Athena shook her head sadly. “You took payment for your work, Heracles.”
“So? Don’t I deserve something for my efforts?”
“I told you!” Hera’s eyes flashed with gleeful malice, “He’s selfish, greedy and arrogant. Definitely not hero material”
Heracles couldn’t lose his chance of being a hero. “What if I give the herds back?” he said, he didn’t need them anyway.
“OK,” Athena said. “Return the herds and maybe, maybe you can still become a hero.”
“Thank you.” Heracles returned the herds to King Augeas.
The King could hardly believe his luck. “You mean you did all that, just to help me?”
Heracles nodded, “I guess I did.”
The King was impressed. “Wow, you are a true hero.” He called all his people together and they had a great party and Heracles was the guest of honour. Everyone cheered him and called him a hero.
“I could get used to this,” Heracles said. He had realised being a hero was a reward in itself.
The twelve labours of Heracles (aka Hercules) is an epic from Ancient Greece. My version has been created from various sources and many years telling this story. This particular version was written for open source education for onebillion.org. If you want to republish or tell this version, I'd appreciate a link back to this site of credit given. Many thanks.
