Augean stables. Legacy of Ancient Greece

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

Perhaps there are few people who do not know the name of Hercules, about whose adventures more than one film has been shot and more than one cartoon has been drawn. This hero and demigod of ancient Greek myths was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, as well as a descendant of at least

the famous hero Perseus. Even before the birth of Hercules, the glorious path of the founder of the Olympic Games was destined, but Hera, the wife of Zeus, tried to prevent this. Before the birth of the hero, she made the Thunderer swear that of all the descendants of Perseus, the one who was born first would be the main one.

Imperceptibly gone to Earth, Hera made sure that another descendant of Perseus named Eurystheus was born in front of Hercules. According to the agreement, it was Eurystheus who received power over Hercules. Having revealed the cunning of his wife, Zeus also tried to outwit her. He put little Hercules near his sleeping wife so that the future hero could take a sip from her chest.milk of eternity. Waking up, Hera pushed the baby away, but Hercules managed to ensure immortality for himself. The spilled milk became the Milky Way and another "achievement" of Hercules. Zeus did not forget about the intrigues of Hera and took an oath from the angry goddess: she would free the hero when he completed the twelve tasks of Eurystheus, one of which was the Augean stables. The jealous goddess did everything to make the tasks of Eurystheus impossible for Hercules. Through her efforts, these tasks turned into feats.

Augius reigning in Elis was a great lover of horses. Its vast stables contained 3,000 horses. The king, however, did not consider it necessary to clean the agricultural buildings. The Augean stables were filled with manure and other sewage up to the very roof. Eurystheus, following the advice of Hera, ordered Hercules to clear these stables. The goddess believed that Hercules would spend eternity on the removal of sewage that had accumulated for thirty years. However, the Augean stables did not frighten the cunning hero. Instead of a rake, a wheelbarrow and a shovel, the Alpheus River became the “working tool” of the strong man. Without thinking for a long time, Hercules turned the riverbed, and a powerful stream, to the great disappointment of Hera, cleared the Augean stables in exactly one day. King Avgiy did not appreciate the efforts of Hercules. He kicked the young man out without paying him a penny for his work.

"Cleansing" expedition

the idea of a hero has become a feat. The idiom "Augean stables" has also been preserved in our speech. Phraseologism, which this catchphrase has become, was used in theirsayings of famous people. That is how the composer Mussorgsky called his desk in a letter to V. V. Stasov. This phraseological unit was also used by Soviet leaders, such as Lenin and Kirov.

What exactly does the phrase "Augean stables" mean? This phraseological unit has more than one meaning. First of all, it denotes an extremely dirty, cluttered and neglected room, which will take long hours to clean. It is in this sense that Mussorgsky used the expression. Politicians also talked about disorder, but not indoors, but in business. This was the second meaning of the aphorism. The saying became the linguistic heritage of Ancient Greece. Using it in our speech, we seem to be returning to Hellenistic times, remembering the deeds of the mighty Hercules.