Augean stables, in Greek and Roman mythology, were the stables belonging to Augeas, king of Elis. The stables had not been cleaned for 30 years. Hercules had to clean these stables out one day. This task was one of the 12 great labors that he had to perform in the service of Eurystheus, king of Mycenae and Tiryns. Hercules cleaned the stables by making the Alpheus and Peneus rivers flow through them. The expression “cleansing the Augean stables” is sometimes applied to the work of those people who try to improve bad conditions.
