Augean stables. The Legacy of Ancient Greece

Perhaps, there are few people who do not know the name of Hercules, about the adventures of which was shot not one film and painted more than one cartoon. This hero and demigod of ancient Greek myths was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and also a descendant of at least The famous hero of Perseus. Even before the birth of Hercules was intended glorious path of the founder of the Olympic Games, but Hera, the wife of Zeus, tried to prevent this. Before the birth of the hero, she forced the Thunderer to swear that of all the descendants of Perseus, the one who will be born first will be the main one.

Unbeknownst to exile to Earth, Hera made sure that before Heracles another descendant of Perseus, named Eurystheus, was born. Under the treaty, it was Eurystheus who gained power over Hercules. After revealing the cunning of his wife, Zeus also tried to outwit her. He put the little Hercules beside the sleeping wife so that the future hero could swallow from her breast milk of eternity. Waking up, Hera pushed the baby away, but Hercules managed to secure her immortality. Spilled milk became the Milky Way and another "achievement" of Hercules. Zeus did not forget about Hera's intrigues and took an oath from the angry goddess: she would free the hero when he performed the twelve assignments of Eurystheus, one of which was the Augean stables. The jealous goddess did everything to make Eurysthey's assignments impossible for Hercules. Her efforts turned these tasks into exploits.

Reigning in Elis, Augee was a great lover of horses. In its vast stables contained 3000 horses. To clean the agricultural buildings, the tsar, however, did not consider it necessary. Manure and other impurities of the Augean stables were filled to the very roof. Eurystheus, following the advice of Hera, gave Hercules the order to clear these stables. The goddess believed that for the removal of sewage, accumulated for thirty years, Hercules will spend eternity. However, the ingenious hero of the Augean stables did not frighten. Instead of rakes, wheelbarrows and shovels, the Alpheus river became the "working tool" of the strong man. For a long time without thinking, Hercules turned the river bed, and a powerful stream, to Hera's great disappointment, cleared the Augean stables in just a day. The efforts of Hercules were not appreciated by King Augee. He drove the young man away, without paying him a job for a penny.

"Cleansing" expander The hero's attitude became a feat. Preserved in our speech and the idiom "Augean stables." The phraseology, which became this winged phrase, was used in their sayings by famous people. This is how the composer Mussorgsky called his desk in a letter to VV Stasov. This Soviet phraseology was also used by Soviet leaders such as Lenin and Kirov.

What exactly does the phrase "Augean stables" mean? The meaning of this phraseology is not one. First of all, it means an extremely dirty, littered and neglected room, for cleaning which will take long hours. It was in this sense that Mussorgsky used the expression. Politicians also talked about disorder, but not in the room, but in deeds. This was the second meaning of the aphorism. The saying became the language heritage of Ancient Greece. Using it in our speech, we seem to return to Hellenistic times, remembering the deeds of the mighty Hercules.