The twelfth and last task imposed by Eurystheus was to bring Cerberos from the under-world. When preparing for this expedition, Heracles went to Eumolpos at Eleusis, desirous to be initiated; but he could not be admitted, as he had not been purified of the blood of the Centaurs. Eumolpos however purified him, and he then saw the mysteries, after which he proceeded to Tænaron in Laconia, where the entrance to the under-world was, and went down it, accompanied by Hermes and Athenaa.

The moment the shades saw him they fled away in terror, -all but Meleagros and Medusa the Gorgôn. He was drawing his sword on the latter, when Hermes reminded him that she was a mere phantom. Near the gates of the palace of Hades he found Theseus and Peirithoös, who had attempted to carry off Persephone, and had in consequence been fixed on an enchanted rock by the offended monarch of Erebos. When they saw Heracles they stretched forth their hands, hoping to be relieved by his might. He took Theseus by the hand, and raised him up; but when he would do the same for Peirithoös, the earth quaked, and he left him. He then rolled off Ascalaphos, the son of Acheron and Gorgyra, the rock which Demeter had cast on his body. Wishing to give the shades blood to drink, he took one of the oxen of Hades, and killed it. Menatios, the son of Keuthonymos the herdsman, immediately challenged him to wrestle. Heracles laid hold on him, broke his ribs, and but for the prayers of Persephone would have killed him on the spot. He then asked Pluto to give him Cerberos; and the god consented, provided he could take him without using his weapons. He found him at the gate of Acherôn; and, protected only by his corslet and lion's skin, he flung his arms about his head, and grasping him by the neck made him submit, though the dragon in his tail bit him severely. He brought him through Træzên to Eurystheus; and when he had shown him, took him back to the under-world.

Il. viii. 867. Perseus was similarly aided by these deities.

b This is founded on Od. xi. 633.

For an effect of this on the bodily conformation of the Athenians, see Sch. Aristoph. Knights, 1365.

The hero having now performed all his tasks, returned to Thebes, where he gave Megara in marriage to Iolaos. Wishing himself to marry again, and hearing that Eurytos, king of Echaliaa, had declared that he would give his daughter Iola to him who should overcome himself and his sons in shooting with the bow, he went thither, and won the victory, but did not obtain the promised prize. Iphitos, the eldest son, was for giving his sister to Heracles; but Eurytos and his other sons refused, lest he should destroy her children, if she had any, as he had done those of Megara. Shortly afterwards the oxen of Eurytos being stolen by Autolycos, his suspicions fell upon Heracles. Iphitos, who gave no credit to this charge, betook himself to that hero, and besought him to join in search of the lost oxen. Heracles promised to do so, and entertained him; but falling again into madness, he precipitated Iphitos from the walls of Tiryns. In order to be purified of this murder he went to Neleus, who being a friend of Eurytos refused to comply with his desire. Heracles then went to Amycle, where he was purified by Deiphobos the son of Hippolytos. But he fell notwithstanding into a severe malady on account of the murder of Iphitos; and going to Delphi to seek relief, he was refused a response by the Pythia. In his rage at her denial he went to plunder the temple, and taking the tripod was about establishing an oracle for himself. Apollo came to oppose him; but Zeus hurled a thunderbolt between the combatants, and put an end to their contest. Heracles now received a response, that his malady would be removed if he let himself be sold for three years as a slave, and gave the purchase-money to Eurytos as a compensation for the loss of his son b.

a There were three places named Echalia in Greece; on the banks of the Peneios in Thessaly, in Eubœa, in Messene. Each of these claimed Eurytos. Homer (Od. viii. 226; xxi. 22. seq.) is in favour of the last: he says that Eurytos having challenged Apollo at archery was killed by the god; and his son Iphitos, coming to Heracles in quest of his mares and foals, was slain by him in violation of the rights of hospitality. In the Catalogue (Il. ii. 730.) the Thessalian Echalia is the city of Eurytos; while the 'Taking of Œchalia' and the Ægimios, as it would seem, are in favour of that in Euboea. They are followed by Sophocles, Apollodorus, and the current of writers.

Pherecydes ap. Sch. Od. xxi. 23. Æsch. Agam. 1048. Soph. Trach. 252. seq.

Accordingly, in obedience to the oracle, he was conducted by Hermes to Lydia, and there sold to Omphale the queen of the country. The purchase-money (three talents, it is said,) was offered to Eurytos, but he refused to accept it.

When the term of his servitude was expired, he prepared, being now relieved of his disease, to take his long-threatened vengeance on Laomedôn. He accordingly collected a fleet of eighteen fifty-oared vessels, manned by a valiant band of volunteer warriors, and sailed for Ilion. Leaving the fleet under the charge of Oïcles, he led his men against the town; but while he was advancing toward it, Laomedôn fell on the ships, and Oïcles was slain in the attack; Laomedôn was however driven back and besieged in the town. Telamôn succeeded in making a breach in the walls, and entered. Heracles followed with his drawn sword, for he would have no one thought his superior. When Telamôn saw this he began to collect the stones which were lying near him; and on Heracles asking him what he was doing, said that he was raising an altar to Heracles Callinicos (Victor). Heracles slew with his arrows Laomedon and all his sons but Podarkes. He gave Hesione to Telamon as a reward of his valour, and allowed her to choose one among the captives to be set at liberty. When she had fixed on her brother Podarkes, Heracles replied that he must first be made a slave, and then she might give something for him and redeem him. She took her golden veil off her head, and with it bought him; and hence he was afterwards named Priamos (Purchased) instead of Podarkes (Swift-foot).

As Heracles was sailing homewards from Troy, he was assailed by a furious storm, sent by Hera, which drove him to the isle of Côs. The inhabitants taking the strangers for pirates assailed them with stones, and endeavoured to prevent their landing; but they were defeated, and their king Eurypylos, the son of Poseidon and Astypalea, was slain. Heracles was himself wounded in the fight by Chalcodôn. Having

a The Lydians had a hero named Sandôn similar to Heracles (Lyd. de Magist. iii. 64.). Omphale, we are told, clad him in a robe dyed with sandyx. See Müller, Proleg. 188.

ravaged Côs, he went at the call of Athena to Phlegra, where he fought with the Gods against the Giants.

Not long afterwards he collected an army of Arcadians and volunteers from most of the towns of Greece, and marched against Augeas; who put his Eleians under the command of his nephews Eurytos and Cteatos, the sons of Molione and Actor, who excelled all men of that time in strength. Heracles happening to fall sick, made a truce with the Molionids; but when they heard of his illness, they attacked his army, and killed several of his men. He retired at that time; but in the third Isthmiad afterwards, when the Eleians sent the Molionids to Cleonæ to offer sacrifice, he waylaid and killed them. He then led an army into Elis, took the city, slew Augeas and his sons, and set Phyleus on the throne. He also established the Olympic games, raised an altar to Pelops, and built altars to the twelve gods in order.

After the capture of Elis he marched against Pylos, took the city, and killed Neleus and all his sons, except Nestôr, who was living with the Gereneans". He is also said to have wounded Hades and Hera as they were aiding the Pylians. He then marched to Lacedæmôn, to punish the sons of Hippocoön for having slain Eonos the son of Licymnios. For as this youth was gazing on the palace of Hippocoön, the housedog flew at him: he flung a stone at the dog; which so enraged the sons of Hippocoön, that they rushed out with sticks and beat him to death. Heracles therefore, to avenge his death, collected an army. At Tegea in Arcadia he asked Cepheus, who had twenty sons, to join in the expedition: but Cepheus, afraid lest during his absence the Argives might make an attempt on Tegea, declined the proposal. Heracles, who had in a water-urn a brazen ringlet of the Gorgôn, which Athena had given him, presented it to Aërope the daughter of Cepheus, and told her, that if when a hostile army should

a See below, chap. x. Eurytos and Cteatos,

b Il. xi. 689. See below, chap. x. Neleus.

The line, II. v. 397.

Εν Πύλῳ ἐν νεκύεσσι βαλὼν ὀδύνησιν ἔδωκε,

alludes perhaps to this event.

Paus. iii. 15, 4.

approach she would show it three times from the walls without looking at it herself, they would take to flight. Cepheus and his sons now joined Heracles; but they all fell in battle, and with them Iphicles the brother of the hero. Hippocoön himself was slain in the engagement, his sons were taken prisoners, and his kingdom was given to Tyndareos.

Returning through Tegea, Heracles violated, without knowing her, Auge the daughter of Aleos. She secretly brought forth a son, whom she laid in the sacred inclosure (Téμevos) of Athena. A famine coming on the land, Aleos went into the temenos of the goddess; and searching about, found his daughter's infant, which he exposed on Mount Parthenion. But the babe was protected by the care of the gods; for a hind, which had just calved, came and suckled him; and the shepherds finding him named him Telephos from that circumstancea. Aleos gave his daughter Auge to Nauplios the son of Poseidôn, to sell her out of the country; and he disposed of her to Teuthras king of Teuthrania on the Cayster in Mysia, who made her his wife. Telephos having, when grown up, consulted the oracle respecting his parents, came to Mysia, where he was kindly received by Teuthras, whom he succeeded in his kingdom.

Heracles went afterwards to Calydon, where he sought the hand of Deïaneira the daughter of Eneus. He had to contend for her with the river-god Acheloös, who turned himself into a bull; in which form one of his horns was broken off by the victorious hero. The vanquished river-god gave him in exchange for it the horn of Amaltheia. Heracles afterwards assisted the Calydonians against the Thesprotians, and took

a

Týλepos, from ¤λapos a hind. Its true signification is Far-shining (TMŋλépaos); Auge (Avyý) is Bright. The legend is connected with the worship of Athena Alea (above, p. 158.). See Paus. viii. 47. Welcker, Kret. Kol. 12. When he met Meleagros in Erebos the latter besought him to marry his sister. (Sch. Il. xxi. 194.)

Amaltheia (above, p. 79.) was the goat that suckled the infant Zeus; the name is probably derived from dμaλòs, tender, or from dμéλyw, to milk. It was a pleasing fiction to make her horn pour forth ambrosia and nectar. According to later writers Amaltheia was a nymph, the possessor of the horn, the daughter of Oceanos (Sch. II. xxi. 194.), or Hæmonios (Pher. ap. Apollod. ii. 7.5.), or Olenos (Theon. ad Arat. 64.).