Skip to content

Unexplainable.net

Watching The World Change

  • CONTROVERSIAL UFO AND EXTRATERRESTRIAL DISCLOSURES UFOs and Aliens
  • March of the Clown Dolls Ghost And Demons
  • Past Life Regression Information and Theories
  • Highlights of Ancient Greek History: 469 BCE to 404 BCE Ancient Civilizations
  • August Birthdays: Astrological Myths 2 Space and Astrology
  • Haunted Homes: Whitlock Seabrook-Wilson Homestead & Hemingway Home Ghost And Demons
  • Haunted Places in Asia I Ghost And Demons
  • Baby Discovered by Authorities in Dome of the Rock Religion Articles

12 Labors of Heracles: The Mares of Diomedes

Posted on May 4, 2011 By jim No Comments on 12 Labors of Heracles: The Mares of Diomedes
Mooker

The eighth labor that the hero Heracles had to endure dealt with the intimidating horses of King Diomedes. In Greek myths, the horses were described as wild and uncontrollable, yet Heracles was given the task of capturing the creatures. In this article, you will learn more about the eighth labor of Heracles.

What are the Mares of Diomedes?

The Mares of Diomedes (also referred to as the Mares of Thrace) were known to wreak havoc on man. Described as ‘man-eating horses,’ they belonged to Diomedes. It is said that the horse that Alexander the Great rode on was a descendant of the mares. The horses were given names, such as Podagros (the fast), Lampon (the shining), Xanthos (the blond) and Deinos (the terrible).

Who was Diomedes?

King Diomedes who ruled over Thrace was the giant son of Ares (the god of war) and Cyrene. He called the shores of the Black Sea his home, as he ruled over the tribe of Bistones , often known for their warlike qualities. The King was known for his four horses, which had a reputation for eating humans.

Heracles and his Eighth Labor

Following the capture of the Cretan Bull, Heracles was sent to steal the Mares from Diomedes. There is more than one version of the story. In one account, a group of youths aid the hero in completing his task. They took the horses, but were chased by Diomedes and his men. Another version says that when they breathed , fire came out.

Stealing the mares would not be an easy task, as they were tethered to a bronze manger because they were too wild. It was said that the horses went crazy because they were given an unnatural diet of human flesh. As Heracles went about stealing the mares, he had to engage in a fight with Diomedes. In the meantime, he left behind his favorite companion (Abderus) so that he could look after the horses. The boy was eaten in the process. Heracles was furious and fed Diomedes to his own horses in retaliation. The place where the boy’s tomb was positioned, the hero founded the city of Abdera.

Another version of the tale saw Heracles staying awake so that he did not place himself in danger. He feared that Diomedes would cut his throat in the middle of the night. Instead, he was able to cut the chains that held the horses in place. He used the tactic of scaring the horses to higher ground, which Heracles turned into an island by digging a trench and filling in with water. When Diomedes arrived, he killed the king with an axe and fed the body to the horses in order to calm their nerves.

The act of feeding the horses to make them calmer appears in the various versions of the story. When he could, Heracles binded the horses’ mouths shut so that it wasn’t hard to take them back to Eurystheus. The horses were dedicated to Hera. Other accounts state that the horses were allowed to wander about Argos without any restrictions. In the process, they were no longer wild and became calm.

Ancient Civilizations

Post navigation

Previous Post: 12 Labors of Heracles: Cretan Bull
Next Post: The Last Machine an Alien Race Would Ever Develop

Related Posts

  • A Hodgepodge of Ancient Greek Trivia II Ancient Civilizations
  • Instruments of the Ancient World I Ancient Civilizations
  • More Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Facts and Ramses II Ancient Civilizations
  • Egyptian Goddesses: Ma’at and Nephthys Ancient Civilizations
  • Inside the Ancient Roman Marriage Ancient Civilizations
  • Ancient Mesopotamian Mythology Ancient Civilizations

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Mahavatar Babaji: The Yogi alive for 2000 years
  • Spirituality and science conflict
  • Conspiracies and myths about spirituality
  • Know your Ki: Reiki
  • 10 amazing plants to promote spirituality and positivity

Recent Comments

No comments to show.

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • May 2020
  • June 2018
  • February 2018
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • February 2016
  • September 2015
  • July 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • July 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • May 2005
  • April 2005
  • March 2005
  • February 2005
  • January 2005
  • December 2004
  • November 2004
  • October 2004
  • September 2004
  • August 2004
  • July 2004
  • June 2004
  • May 2004
  • April 2004
  • March 2004
  • February 2004
  • January 2004
  • December 2003
  • November 2003
  • October 2003

Categories

  • Ancient Civilizations
  • Benjamin Fulford Story
  • Cryptology and Monsters
  • Eating Healthy
  • Ghost And Demons
  • Information and Theories
  • Mars Coverage
  • Meditation And Spirituality
  • Mysteries
  • NASA Articles
  • Other Exciting News
  • Personal Accounts
  • Pictures And Multimedia
  • Political Conspiracies
  • Recent Submissions
  • Religion Articles
  • Self Improvement
  • Simply Unexplainable
  • Space and Astrology
  • Technology Articles
  • True Stories
  • UFOs and Aliens
  • Unexplainable Video Library
  • Unexplainable Weather
  • The Paranormal Activity of Brumder Mansion I Ghost And Demons
  • Healing Stones and Crystals: Aventurine and Amber Information and Theories
  • Powerful Magnetic Storm Approaches the Earth Space and Astrology
  • Scientists Develop Genetic Code Rewriting Virus Technology Articles
  • Glowing Red Eyed Adults and BEKs Simply Unexplainable
  • Ancient Steles: Korean and Greek Ancient Civilizations
  • Talking Elmo Doll Makes Death Threats Other Exciting News
  • Interesting Reptile Facts: Snakes and More Information and Theories

Copyright © 2025 Unexplainable.net.

Powered by PressBook News Dark theme