Wild boar of Érymanthe

The fourth work of Héraclès consisted in capturing living the wild boar of Érymanthe . This wild beast made damage on the territory of Psophis, while going down from the mount Érymanthe, in Arcadie.

While crossing Pholoé, Héraclès receives the hospitality of the centaur Pholos, wire of Silène and a nymph Méliade. At the time of the meal, it offers to Héraclès cooked meats, being satisfied for its part to eat raw meat. As Héraclès claims wine to him, he answers him that he is afraid to open an earthenware jar which belonged jointly to the Centaurs. Héraclès strongly insists and asks him to open it.

A little later the Centaurs, having felt the odor of the wine, arrive armed with stones and clubs at the entry of the cave. Héraclès then puts in escape the first which dare to enter (Anchios and Agrios) in their launching burning firebrands. He pursues then the others of his arrows until the course Malée. There, the centaurs take refuge near Chiron that the Lapithes had driven out Pélion. Driven back by Héraclès, they are wound into a ball behind Chiron while Héraclès aims them with its arc. But an arrow crosses the arm of Élatos and is planted in the knee of Chiron.

Afflicted, Héraclès runs, withdraws the arrow of the knee of Chiron and applies to the wound of medicines that Chiron had given him itself. But the wound is incurable and Chiron is withdrawn at the bottom of its cave, embanked by the pain. It wishes to die but cannot it because it is immortal. Then Prométhée request with Zeus to become immortal in the place of Chiron. Zeus accepts and places then Chiron at the firmament which becomes the Constellation of the Centaur. The last Centaurs survivors flee in all the directions: some gain the Malée mount, Eurytion goes to Pholoé, and Nessos with the Événos river. Poséidon receives the others in Éleusis and the mask under a mountain.

Meanwhile, Pholos remained in its cave, extracts from a corpse one of the arrows of Héraclès and is astonished that a so small thing could kill out of the so large creatures. The arrow - poisoned - slips with its hand, strikes its foot and kills immediately it. Then returning Héraclès with Pholoé, sees that Pholos died and buries it. Thus the two only good and wise centaurs of Greek mythology die.

Héraclès goes then to hunting to wild boar. It continues it and the fact of leaving to great cries its thicket. Thick snow tires considerably wild boar and Héraclès can thus capture it with a running node. It then brings it back to Mycènes with his cousin Eurysthée. Frightened by alive wild boar, his/her cousin hides again in the large bronze earthenware jar with half-buried.

Random links: