A hero cleans up a mess

 Of the Labors of Heracles, I ought to love the thinly disguised tale about the pursuit of wisdom. But I like the story about the Stockyards of Augeias.

The labor is usually known as the Stables of Augeias, but it’s clear we’re talking about stockyards. Augeias, king of Elis, was said to be the wealthiest cowman in the world.

If all this is new, Heracles, the better man, had to work for Eurystheus, a much lesser man, as penance for a crime. Eurystheus was the boss from Hades. He ordered Heracles to clean out the stockyards in one day. He relished the idea of the hero sweating under tons of manure.

Heracles was strong but also crafty. He breached the walls of the stockyards, dammed a couple of rivers and flushed out the mess with a minimum of fuss.

What’s the attraction of this tale?

One of my daily chores is to tend to the cat’s litterbox. Funny, but I sometimes think of Heracles. 

• Note: For the labor that involved the pursuit of wisdom, see “A story about a deer hunt,” Nov. 22, 2024.