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Hercule Poirot #0.42
The Erymanthian Boar: a Hercule Poirot Short Story
We progress on to the fourth challenge of Hercule Poirot as he endeavours to duplicate the Labours of Hercules of Greek mythology.
The Erymanthian beast took the form of a wild boar, a type of pig. It lived near the Erymanthus wetlands. Boars are know for their irrational temper; their defence is often a crazed charge. Hercules task was to capture it alive and bring it to the king in Mycenae.
After finishing the previous challenge in Switzerland, Poirot decides to visit the Alps. While buying his ticket for a funicular train up a mountain near Andermatt, he gets recognized by an old friend, Lementeuil, the Swiss Commissioner of Police. The commissioner is in pursuit of Marrascaud, the murderer of a Paris bookmaker. Can Poirot help? As his friend notes, "(The criminal) is not a man - he is a wild boar - one of the most dangerous killers alive today." This challenge is dangerous. The boar is cornered at the top of a mountain and will do anything to ensure he is not caught by Hercule Poirot.
Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Erymanthian Boar." Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. Individual entries for all Poirot short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."
The Erymanthian beast took the form of a wild boar, a type of pig. It lived near the Erymanthus wetlands. Boars are know for their irrational temper; their defence is often a crazed charge. Hercules task was to capture it alive and bring it to the king in Mycenae.
After finishing the previous challenge in Switzerland, Poirot decides to visit the Alps. While buying his ticket for a funicular train up a mountain near Andermatt, he gets recognized by an old friend, Lementeuil, the Swiss Commissioner of Police. The commissioner is in pursuit of Marrascaud, the murderer of a Paris bookmaker. Can Poirot help? As his friend notes, "(The criminal) is not a man - he is a wild boar - one of the most dangerous killers alive today." This challenge is dangerous. The boar is cornered at the top of a mountain and will do anything to ensure he is not caught by Hercule Poirot.
Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Erymanthian Boar." Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. Individual entries for all Poirot short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."
18 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
1 person is currently reading
660 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,737 books76k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 15, 2023
After the events of the case of The Arcadian Deer, Poirot decides that he deserves a little holiday. And since he's already in Switzerland he decides to go to a mountain-top hotel and enjoy a funicular ride!
I had to look up what the hell a funicular was, and apparently, it's some sort of a cable car used on the side of mountains. That sounds terrifying for someone like me who not only hates cold weather but also actively avoids any sort of mountainous terrain.
Why?
Have you ever heard of anyone falling off of a cliff?
Yes.
Have you ever heard of anyone plummeting to their death while walking along a beach?
No.
You will never convince me that a snowy vacation in the mountains is anything but nightmare fuel.
Alright.
So on the way up to this scenic (yet terrifying!) hotel, a man who says he's an agent of the Swiss Commissaire of Police slips a note to Poirot asking him to be on the lookout for some gangster shit that might be going down at the hotel. The note uses the term wild boar to describe the leader of said gang, and Poirot decides he can shoehorn that into one of his 12 Labors.
This one is pretty cool as there are a whole bunch of people who get snowed into the hotel and (of course) no one is what they seem. I'd recommend this story for sure to anyone who is interested in what makes Christie's shorts so much fun.
Originally published in 1940 in The Strand Magazine & put together with 11 other stories in 1947 and published as The Labours of Hercules.
These 12 cases are chosen by Poirot as his own labors that he will undertake before his supposed retirement.
I had to look up what the hell a funicular was, and apparently, it's some sort of a cable car used on the side of mountains. That sounds terrifying for someone like me who not only hates cold weather but also actively avoids any sort of mountainous terrain.
Why?
Have you ever heard of anyone falling off of a cliff?
Yes.
Have you ever heard of anyone plummeting to their death while walking along a beach?
No.
You will never convince me that a snowy vacation in the mountains is anything but nightmare fuel.
Alright.
So on the way up to this scenic (yet terrifying!) hotel, a man who says he's an agent of the Swiss Commissaire of Police slips a note to Poirot asking him to be on the lookout for some gangster shit that might be going down at the hotel. The note uses the term wild boar to describe the leader of said gang, and Poirot decides he can shoehorn that into one of his 12 Labors.
This one is pretty cool as there are a whole bunch of people who get snowed into the hotel and (of course) no one is what they seem. I'd recommend this story for sure to anyone who is interested in what makes Christie's shorts so much fun.
Originally published in 1940 in The Strand Magazine & put together with 11 other stories in 1947 and published as The Labours of Hercules.
These 12 cases are chosen by Poirot as his own labors that he will undertake before his supposed retirement.
December 12, 2023
4 Stars. Closer to a 21st century thriller than many of Agatha Christie's other works. Poirot is attacked; guns are fired; waiters are kidnapped. "The Erymanthian Boar" is the 4th of 12 short stories Christie gathered together in 1947 as "The Labours of Hercules" in which her 20th century detective matched wits with Hercules of Greek mythology fame. The story first appeared in "The Strand" in 1940. My read was from "Hercule Poirot The Complete Short Stories" of 1999. Poirot is sightseeing in Switzerland after his last challenge and visits Chamonix, Montreux and Andermatt where he decides to take the funicular railway up to isolated Rochers Neiges which, at 10,000 feet, consists only of a beautiful lookout and a small hotel. With his ticket, he gets a crumpled note from a friend, Swiss Police Commissioner Lementeuil, asking him to assist in the capture of a notorious criminal, a wild boar of a man, thought to be at Rochers Neiges. "Get in touch with Inspector Drouet who is on the spot." But Poirot can't easily find him. Undercover? Who is the police officer and who is Marrascaud the murderer? A challenge for the reader too! (May 2021)
June 5, 2016
Having found the lady looked for in the previous story, Poirot goes to Switzerland and begins sightseeing.
A note is passed to him on a tram car asking him to come to the top of the mountain because a murderer/thief from a police Inspector.
Poirot's interactions with those people who are at the lodge have him deducing who it is that the police are after. A surprise entrance from the police helps nab the culprit.
Who is it?
A note is passed to him on a tram car asking him to come to the top of the mountain because a murderer/thief from a police Inspector.
Poirot's interactions with those people who are at the lodge have him deducing who it is that the police are after. A surprise entrance from the police helps nab the culprit.
Who is it?
August 4, 2020
The continuation of the last 12 cases of Poirot. Continuing on from the previous story, whilst still in Switzerland and taking a train journey into the mountains, Poirot receives a note regarding a dangerous criminal, asking Poirot to figure out who the person is.
A good and interesting story, tense in parts. You’re given the information and characters to try and figure it out. Felt the ending was a bit weak.
A good and interesting story, tense in parts. You’re given the information and characters to try and figure it out. Felt the ending was a bit weak.
January 7, 2019
2 1/2 stars. Rather common place mystery.
August 29, 2021
As I said with the previous story, I love the series adaptation and I liked it so much more than the story itself. The characters are much more interesting and the plot devises are excelent. The involvement of the Duchess and the doubtfulness of who Marasko is, it's amazing. Still, really enjoyed this story, I loved that it's not the same as the series so as now I had no clue to as who was it and was activelly trying to guess.
July 27, 2023
I love a story where the villain is hiding in a mountain lodge during the off season and the only mode of getting down said mountain is mysteriously damaged. And all of a sudden there are multiple people showing up to the lodge unexpectedly, leaving me to try to figure out if the villain is hiding amongst the guests and staff. A favorite of the Poirot short stories.
January 21, 2023
Pretty good. I'm wondering what other stories/movies were later based off of this short story's setting & premise. A James Bond movie comes to mind...or did the Dame borrow it from someone else? 3.75/5
June 9, 2023
Poirot is on vacation in Switzerland and comes to a hotel that is very remote. The only way to get there is made useless by an avalanche. There are more twists and turns in these few pages than in some full length novels. Definitely recommended
November 28, 2020
De 4e van de Hercules serie. Hoog in de bergen van Zwitseland lost HP weer op sublieme manier het raadsel op.
September 30, 2022
This story turned into a great episode with Suchet, but is only good in written form. The short story format doesn't allow the same level of development.
December 12, 2023
A lot of components in this short make it a very very good tale! Isolation on a Swiss peak? Check! Disaster? Check. International Villains? YES! More? Of course! And HP to solve it all.
December 25, 2023
Wonderful story.
May 12, 2024
3.5⭐️
June 1, 2024
A rare case in which Poirot is attacked on person!
October 29, 2024
Fantastic setting and as usual poirot outdoes everyone!
March 14, 2025
I think Agatha Christie is using the same trick over and over again: whenever someone cannot be recognized due to injuries, he is definitely not who he is supposed to be
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2025
2.75 stars
December 31, 2025
This has depth and is easy to follow but I still don't care for it. I'm not certain exactly why.
December 18, 2022
A Hercule Poirot short story. Light and entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews