Chapter 14 The Tale of Hercules - 14

Hercules' eighth task was to bring Diomedes' herd of mares back to Mycenae.Diomedes was the son of Ares, the god of war, and king of the warlike Pistonians.He kept a herd of ferocious and wild mares, which had to be chained tightly to an iron manger.The mare was fed not the oats that are given to ordinary horses, but unfortunate strangers who had strayed into the castle.When Hercules came here, the first thing he did was to subdue the guards in charge of the stables, and then throw the cruel king into the manger.The horses became tame immediately after eating the king.They obediently obeyed the command of Hercules and were driven to the sea.Suddenly, he heard loud voices behind him, and it turned out that the Pistonians were chasing after him in full armor.

Hercules hastened to prepare for battle.He left the horses in the care of his companion Apoteros.Apoteros is the messenger of the gods, the son of Hermes.After Hercules left, the mares all went crazy again.When Hercules repelled the Pistonians and returned, he found that his companions had been eaten by horses, leaving only bones.Hercules was so sad that he built Apotera nearby in memory of his friend.Finally, he subdued the mares again and handed them over to Eurystheus.Eurystheus sacrificed the horses to Hera, the queen of heaven.Later, these mares gave birth to foals, and they were bred for a long time.It is said that a horse ridden by King Alexander of Macedon was their descendant.

When Hercules had done this, he went with Jason and the Argonauts to Colchis to obtain the Fleece, as has already been said.