Historiae Romanorum

The Mares of Diomedes

For Heracles' eighth labor, Eurystheus ordered the hero to bring him the mares of the King Diomedes.  Diomedes (not to be confused with the Diomedes who fought at Troy), a son of Ares, possessed man-eating horses.  He was the king of the Bistones, a very warlike people of Thrace.

Gathering a group of volunteers, Heracles sailed to Thrace and overpowered the horses' guards.  When the Bistones came to reclaim their horses, Heracles temporarily placed the horses under the gaurd of  his friend Abderos.  Heracles and his men defeated the Bistones, but Abderos was devoured by the horses.  After returning the horses to Tiryns, they were set free to roam Greece.  They were eventually devoured by wild beasts on Mt. Olympus.

Source(s):

1. Apollodorus.  Bibliotece.

This page was last updated on July 21, 2004.