Yes, I
know, I skipped the hydra. Well, I’m not out to chronicle all of Herc’s labors.
The hydra story is good, yes, and shows off that herc can adapt to
circumstances, but the stables, the stables truly showcase Herc’s cleverness.
So the
Augean stables are filthy. They have never been cleaned. Ever. And we’re not
talking about a few years, but 30. Moreover, we’re talking about 3,000 divine cattle.
This isn’t a neighborhood stable with a dozen horses. This is Texas roundup
time.
Oh, and he
has a day to do it.
So let’s do
the math: 30 years of filth x 3,000 cattle / 1 Hercules x 24 hours (assuming he
won’t sleep) = not gonna happen.
Yeah, this
should be the new definition of impossible, not to mention demeaning. With the
other labors, Hercules was out taming some kind of nuisance beast that
terrorized the populace. This is just humiliating, and no amount of physical
strength is going to help him scrub away the crap.
But this is
Herc, and he’s more than just muscles. Herc is fully aware that he can’t clean
the stables the normal way in the time limit. So he has to clean it his way.
This is where Herc showcases his brains as well as his brawn. He diverts a
nearby river to flow through the
stables, washing all of the muck away.
Lest the
environmentally-conscious complain about this, remember, this is Ancient
Greece, and everything here is biodegradable. And there’s no lasting ecological
damage because Herc puts the river back on its original course.
While Herc
using his braincase is a highlight of this story, and taking down the
impossible with style, Eurystheus puts a damper on things once again. He
disallows this labor, claiming that Herc cheated. There were no stipulations as
to how Herc was to complete the labour, it’s just that Eurystheus didn’t like
the result. He wanted Herc covered in muck and failing miserably. For the king,
the only choice for him to claim victory is to deny the event ever took place.
Previously
we knew that Eurystheus had it out for Herc, but now the game is clearly
rigged. If herc doesn’t play by Eurystheus ever-changing rules, he loses. Yet
the only choice is acceptance and to move on to the next labor.
While Eurystheus
doesn’t want Herc to gain any acclaim, Herc is still pursuing the higher
purpose of trying to gain absolution, and perhaps a certain amount of
humiliation—or humility—is necessary.