In the Twelve Labors of Hercules, Augeas was the king of Elis when Hercules cleaned the stables.
Augeas was a son of Helios in some traditions and a powerful ruler of Elis in the western Peloponnese. He possessed vast herds, but his stables had not been cleaned for many years. The resulting accumulation became the extraordinary problem Hercules was ordered to solve.
Instead of carrying the waste away, Hercules redirected the Alpheus and Peneus rivers through the stable grounds. The water swept the filth out, allowing him to finish within the required day. This feat is remembered as an example of using a natural force to accomplish an apparently impossible task.
Augeas later disputed the promised payment, and Eurystheus refused to count the labor in some versions. Augeas is therefore important not only as the stable owner but also as the king whose broken bargain affected the final number of labors. The name is sometimes spelled Augias in transliteration.