Labor VI

Abstract

This chapter surveys the literary and visual treatments of Heracles’ encounter with the Stymphalian Birds. While some ancient accounts make the birds dangerous adversaries, in most they are merely pests that infest Stymphalus, hampering agriculture; this Labor is therefore less about the vanquishing of a mighty animal foe and more about the clearing of land for cultivation. It is argued that the Labor is part of a complex of local Arcadian myth in which the forces of nature have to be subdued and controlled so that human society can prosper. The birds themselves are an important part of the self-representation of the polis of Stymphalus, through cult and coinage.