[312] Apollodôr. ii. 5, 5; Schol. Apoll. Rhod. i. 172. In all
probability, the old legend made Augeas the son of the god
Hêlios: Hêlios, Augeas and Agamêdê are a triple series parallel
to the Corinthian genealogy, Hêlios, Æêtês and Mêdia; not to
mention that the etymology of Augeas connects him with Hêlios.
Theocritus (xx. 55) designates him as the son of the god Hêlios,
through whose favor his cattle are made to prosper and multiply
with such astonishing success (xx. 117).
[313] Iliad, xi. 670-760; Pherekyd. Fragm. 57, Didot.
[314] Diodôr. iv. 13. Ὕβρεως ἕνεκεν Εὐρυσθεὺς προσέταξε καθᾶραι·
ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλῆς τὸ μὲν τοῖς ὤμοις ἐξενεγκεῖν αὐτὴν ἀπεδοκίμασεν,
ἐκκλίνων τὴν ἐκ τῆς ὕβρεως αἰσχύνην, etc. (Pausan. v. 1. 7;
Apollodôr. ii. 5, 5).
It may not be improper to remark that this fable indicates a
purely pastoral condition, or at least a singularly rude state
of agriculture; and the way in which Pausanias recounts it goes
even beyond the genuine story: ὡς καὶ τὰ πολλὰ τῆς χώρας αὐτῷ ἤδη
διατελεῖν ἀργὰ ὄντα ὑπὸ τῶν βοσκημάτων τῆς κόπρου. The slaves
of Odysseus however know what use to make of the dung heaped
before his outer fence (Odyss. xvii. 299); not so the purely
carnivorous and pastoral Cyclôps (Odyss. ix. 329). The stabling
into which the cattle go from their pasture, is called κόπρος in
Homer,—Ἐλθούσας ἐς κόπρον, ἐπὴν βοτανῆς κορέσωνται (Odyss. x.
411): compare Iliad, xviii. 575—Μυκηθμῷ δ᾽ ἀπὸ κόπρου ἐπεσσεύοντο
πέδονδε.
The Augeas of Theocritus has abundance of wheat-land and
vineyard, as well as cattle: he ploughs his land three or four
times, and digs his vineyard diligently (xx. 20-32).
[315] The wrath and retirement of Phyleus is mentioned in the
Iliad (ii. 633), but not the cause of it.
[316] These singular properties were ascribed to them both in
the Hesiodic poems and by Pherekydês (Schol. Ven. ad II. xi.
715-750, et ad II. xxiii. 638), but not in the Iliad. The poet
Ibykus (Fragm. 11, Schneid. ap. Athenæ. ii. 57) calls them ἅλικας
ἰσοκεφάλους, ἐνιγυίους, Ἀμφοτέρους γεγαῶτας ἐν ὠέῳ ἀργυρέῳ.
There were temples and divine honors to Zeus Moliôn (Lactantius.
de Falsâ Religione, i. 22).
[317] Pausan. v. 2, 4. The inscription cited by Pausanias
proves that this was the reason assigned by the Eleian athlêtes
themselves for the exclusion; but there were several different
stories.
[318] Apollodôr. ii. 7, 2. Diodôr. iv. 33. Pausan. v. 2, 2; 3,
2. It seems evident from these accounts that the genuine legend
represented Hêraklês as having been defeated by the Molionids:
the unskilful evasions both of Apollodôrus and Diodôrus betray
this. Pindar (Olymp. xi. 25-50) gives the story without any
flattery to Hêraklês.
[319] Pausan. v. 4, 1.
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