But before he saw any
of them he had been in Oichalia, and had seen the maiden Iole.
The king of Oichalia had offered his daughter Iole in marriage to
the hero who could excel himself and his sons in shooting with
arrows. Heracles saw Iole, the blue-eyed and childlike maiden,
and he longed to take her with him to some place near the Garden
of the Hesperides. And Iole looked on him, and he knew that she
wondered to see him so tall and so strongly knit even as he
wondered to see her so childlike and delicate.
Then the contest began. The king and his sons shot wonderfully
well, and none of the heroes who stood before Heracles had a
chance of winning. Then Heracles shot his arrows. No matter how
far away they moved the mark, Heracles struck it and struck the
very center of it. The people wondered who this great archer
might be. And then a name was guessed at and went around--
Heracles!
When the king heard the name of Heracles he would not let him
strive in the contest any more. For the maiden Iole would not be
given as a prize to one who had been mad and whose madness might
afflict him again. So the king said, speaking in judgment in the
market place.
Rage came on Heracles when he heard this judgment given. He would
not let his rage master him lest the madness that was spoken of
should come with his rage. So he left the city of Oichalia
declaring to the king and the people that he would return.
It was then that, wandering down to Crete, he heard of the
Argonauts being near.
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