THE MARES OF DIOMEDES.
The Mares of Diomedes were four horses, named Deinos (terrible), Lampon (shining), Podargos (swift), and Xanthos (yellow). They were known for their beauty and wild nature.
The horses were driven mad by unknown force. This caused them to eat human flesh. They were only appeased and were only manageable when fed on human meat this made them calm.
The Mares belonged to King Diomedes of Thrace, who kept them tethered with iron chains in a bronze manger in the town of Tirida. They were used to consume strangers who were put into the manger to feed the horses.
The Mares of Diomedes were one of the tasks assigned to Heracles by King Eurystheus as part of the Twelve Labours of Heracles. Heracles had to bring the horses back to Eurystheus, which he accomplished by feeding them their master, Diomedes, and then calming them.
The Mares symbolize the attraction for excessive asceticism that constrains the energies of life and must be reoriented. They represent the need to break free from constraints and find a balance between the natural and the unnatural.
Stories of the Mares of Diomedes appear in many other classical works, among them, those written by Euripides, Diodorus Siculus, and even Ovid, Statius, Lucan, and Seneca. These accounts provide detailed descriptions of the horses' appearance, behavior, and the nature of Heracles' difficult tasks in trying to catch them.
