In this myth, Hercules’s task is to capture the Erymanthian Boar. This huge and bad-tempered wild pig has been attacking people in the countryside and destroying everything in its path. Weary of death, Hercules vows not to kill the boar in this task.

He sets out on the journey and on the way, he stops to visit his old friends, the centaurs, Pholus and Cherion. They shared a meal, and Hercules asks his friend for wine. Pholus opens a cask of wine that was a gift from Dionysus and meant as a group gift for all the centaurs. Hercueles, Pholus, and Cherion drink all of the wine. The rest of the centaurs, attracted by the scent of the wine, arrive and become angry that the wine intended for all of them was gone.

In anger, they charged and attacked Hercules in punishment. Hercules draws his arrows, which were tipped with the poison. One-by-one the centaurs, including Cherion fall. Curious about the rapid cause of death from such a small weapon against a centaur, Pholus picks up one of the arrows. The arrow slips from his fingers and pierces his foot. Pholus, Hercules’s friend dies of the deadly venom.

In sorrow over the loss of his friend, Hercules sets out again on his quest. He tracks the boar to the mountains and drives him into the deep snow. He traps the boar, binds him, and returns to Eurystheus with him. In the myth, as written by A.A. Bailey, she describes Hercules forcing the boar down the mountain by holding its two rear legs like a wheelbarrow.

The boar is an important representative of the Libran in this task. The boar is a symbol for the ability to meet uncomfortable situations directly so that things can be clarified and resolved fairly and equitably. This provides insight into the Libran native’s imperative to deal with different perspectives directly and to find balance. Boars live independently and will protect their territory with zeal and passion and this is a valuable clue to the highest relational expression of Libra. They must learn not to sacrifice their independence and individuality to partnership.

Hercules stops for companionship with his friend Pholos before capturing the boar. This stopping for food signifies the requirement that we must satisfy our physical pleasures before we attain self-mastery.

A centaur is half-man, half-horse. They are earthy creatures with a love of sensuality, food, wine, and sex. They can be kind and loving but are free spirits (think of the sign of Sagittarius, represented by the centaur). The centaurs live in the forests beyond the laws of man. They have a reputation for being barbaric and for fostering chaos. In this myth, the centaurs hold a place for the animal nature of man. Pholos, representing physical strength, breaks the rules of the group – evoking upset and chaos. Cherion, represents wise thought. They are both  killed in the melee that follows dinner and drinking. Bodily strength and wisdom must be destroyed, so that the voice of the deeper self, the soul may be heard.

Wine is an important symbol of transformation, sustenance, and life. Wine is sacred and requires work so that grapes can be transformed through crushing and fermentation. With the complete break-down of its original form, something new and sacred manifests. And so, we can understand wine as a symbol of a completed and perfected life. Consumed only by Pholos and Hercules, the wine, which was gifted to all for their transformation was misused.

The poison arrows in the myth are any pointed negative energy, such as harsh words or action, used against another. While Librans have a reputation for being gentle and diplomatic, they can also be fierce when it comes to issues of justice and fairness.

It’s significant in the myth that Hercules avoids direct contact with the boar, choosing to exhaust it. He relentlessly and persistently pursues him. Rather than capture him during the hunt, Hercules follows him to the top of the snow-covered mountain where the boar collapses in exhaustion. The mountain top is the place of transformation – where our highest nature is revealed to us.  And so, Hercules, the soul, has pursued and exhausted the boar, as the soul awaits the collapse of the personality so that he can take control of it.

Directing the boar down the mountain helps us understand the personality as an unwieldy an awkward instrument that requires the work of the soul to direct. Hercules represents the soul controlling the uncoordinated ungainly personality down from the place of spirit and transformation.

Libra is ruled traditionally by Venus and spiritually by Uranus. It is the sign at the midpoint of the zodiacal wheel, and importantly, it is the sign of where the turning of the wheel of incarnation occurs. Balance and equilibrium are important themes for the libra native, and this is evidenced in its zodiacal glyph.

Libra seeks to balance the pairs of opposites. It is the only astrological sign without a living symbol (the scales). While Librans have a well-earned reputation as diplomats and peace-lovers, they must find and earn the place of balance. Swings between the extremes are often part of the process that Librans experience to establish balance. The chaos and discord that erupted for Hercules and his friends after dinner and wine shows how “Taking time to eat and enjoy life,” can go too far. Satisfying our desires needs to be be done in moderation.

The death of Cherion and Pholos is an essential prelude to the quest for the boar on the mountain. Physical strength and intelligence must be set aside when the soul seeks mastery. The personality must be able to express the soul in ways beyond physical strength and knowledge and the spiritual mountain top is where this occurs.