Heracleidae - Wikipedia Heracleidae From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search This article is about the descendants of Heracles. For the play by Euripides, see Heracleidae (play). For other uses, see Heraclides (disambiguation). "Heraclid" redirects here. For the ruler of Moldavia, see Iacob Heraclid. This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Heracles with his son Telephus, one of the Heracleidae In Greek mythology, the Heracleidae (/hɛrəˈklaɪdiː/; Ancient Greek: Ἡρακλεῖδαι) or Heraclids /ˈhɛrəklɪdz/ were the numerous descendants of Heracles (Hercules), especially applied in a narrower sense to the descendants of Hyllus, the eldest of his four sons by Deianira (Hyllus was also sometimes thought of as Heracles' son by Melite). Other Heracleidae included Macaria, Lamos, Manto, Bianor, Tlepolemus, and Telephus. These Heraclids were a group of Dorian kings who conquered the Peloponnesian kingdoms of Mycenae, Sparta and Argos; according to the literary tradition in Greek mythology, they claimed a right to rule through their ancestor. Since Karl Otfried Müller's Die Dorier (1830, English translation 1839), I. ch. 3, their rise to dominance has been associated with a "Dorian invasion". Though details of genealogy differ from one ancient author to another, the cultural significance of the mythic theme, that the descendants of Heracles, exiled after his death, returned some generations later to reclaim land that their ancestors had held in Mycenaean Greece, was to assert the primal legitimacy of a traditional ruling clan that traced its origin, thus its legitimacy, to Heracles. Contents 1 Origin 2 Dorian invasion 3 List of Heraclid kings 3.1 At Sparta 3.2 At Corinth 4 In Euripides' tragedy 5 References 6 Sources 7 External links Origin[edit] Heracles, whom Zeus had originally intended to be ruler of Argos, Lacedaemon and Messenian Pylos, had been supplanted by the cunning of Hera, and his intended possessions had fallen into the hands of Eurystheus, king of Mycenae. After the death of Heracles, his children, after many wanderings, found refuge from Eurystheus at Athens. Eurystheus, on his demand for their surrender being refused, attacked Athens, but was defeated and slain. Hyllus and his brothers then invaded Peloponnesus, but after a year's stay were forced by a pestilence to quit. They withdrew to Thessaly, where Aegimius, the mythical ancestor of the Dorians, whom Heracles had assisted in war against the Lapithae, adopted Hyllus and made over to him a third part of his territory. After the death of Aegimius, his two sons, Pamphylus and Dymas, voluntarily submitted to Hyllus (who was, according to the Dorian tradition in Herodotus V. 72, really an Achaean), who thus became ruler of the Dorians, the three branches of that race being named after these three heroes. Desiring to reconquer his paternal inheritance, Hyllus consulted the Delphic oracle, which told him to wait for "the third fruit", (or "the third crop") and then enter Peloponnesus by "a narrow passage by sea". Accordingly, after three years, Hyllus marched across the isthmus of Corinth to attack Atreus, the successor of Eurystheus, but was slain in single combat by Echemus, king of Tegea. This second attempt was followed by a third under Cleodaeus and a fourth under Aristomachus, both unsuccessful. Dorian invasion[edit] Main article: Dorian invasion At last, Temenus, Cresphontes and Aristodemus, the sons of Aristomachus, complained to the oracle that its instructions had proved fatal to those who had followed them. They received the answer that by the "third fruit" the "third generation" was meant, and that the "narrow passage" was not the isthmus of Corinth, but the straits of Rhium. They accordingly built a fleet at Naupactus, but before they set sail, Aristodemus was struck by lightning (or shot by Apollo) and the fleet destroyed, because one of the Heracleidae had slain an Acarnanian soothsayer. The oracle, being again consulted by Temenus, bade him offer an expiatory sacrifice and banish the murderer for ten years, and look out for a man with three eyes to act as guide. On his way back to Naupactus, Temenus fell in with Oxylus, an Aetolian, who had lost one eye, riding on a horse (thus making up the three eyes) and immediately pressed him into his service. According to another account, a mule on which Oxylus rode had lost an eye. The Heracleidae repaired their ships, sailed from Naupactus to Antirrhium, and thence to Rhium in Peloponnesus. A decisive battle was fought with Tisamenus, son of Orestes, the chief ruler in the peninsula, who was defeated and slain. This conquest was traditionally dated eighty years after the Trojan War.[1] The Heracleidae, who thus became practically masters of Peloponnesus, proceeded to distribute its territory among themselves by lot. Argos fell to Temenus, Lacedaemon to Procles and Eurysthenes, the twin sons of Aristodemus; and Messenia to Cresphontes (tradition maintains that Cresphontes cheated in order to obtain Messenia, which had the best land of all.[2]) The fertile district of Elis had been reserved by agreement for Oxylus. The Heracleidae ruled in Lacedaemon until 221 BCE, but disappeared much earlier in the other countries. This conquest of Peloponnesus by the Dorians, commonly called the "Dorian invasion" or the "Return of the Heraclidae", is represented as the recovery by the descendants of Heracles of the rightful inheritance of their hero ancestor and his sons. The Dorians followed the custom of other Greek tribes in claiming as ancestor for their ruling families one of the legendary heroes, but the traditions must not on that account be regarded as entirely mythical. They represent a joint invasion of Peloponnesus by Aetolians and Dorians, the latter having been driven southward from their original northern home under pressure from the Thessalians. It is noticeable that there is no mention of these Heraclidae or their invasion in Homer or Hesiod. Herodotus (vi. 52) speaks of poets who had celebrated their deeds, but these were limited to events immediately succeeding the death of Heracles. List of Heraclid kings[edit] At Sparta[edit] Main article: List of kings of Sparta At Sparta, the Heraclids formed two dynasties ruling jointly: the Agiads and the Eurypontids. At Corinth[edit] At Corinth the Heraclids ruled as the Bacchiadae dynasty[3] before the aristocratic revolution, which brought a Bacchiad aristocracy into power. The kings were as follows: Aletes 1073 - 1035 BCE Ixion 1035 - 997 BCE Agelas I 997 - 960 BCE Prymnis 960 - 925 BCE Bacchis 925 - 890 BCE Agelas II 890 - 860 BCE Eudemus 860 - 835 BCE Aristomedes 835 - 800 BCE Agemon 800 - 784 BCE Alexander 784 - 759 BCE Telestes 759 - 747 BCE In Euripides' tragedy[edit] Main article: Heracleidae (play) The Greek tragedians amplified the story, probably drawing inspiration from local legends which glorified the services rendered by Athens to the rulers of Peloponnesus. The Heracleidae feature as the main subjects of Euripides' play, Heracleidae.[4] J. A. Spranger found the political subtext of Heracleidae, never far to seek, so particularly apt in Athens towards the end of the peace of Nicias, in 419 BCE, that he suggested the date as that of the play's first performance.[5] In the tragedy, Iolaus, Heracles' old comrade, and Heracles' children, Macaria and her brothers and sisters have hidden from Eurystheus in Athens, ruled by King Demophon; as the first scene makes clear, they expect that the blood relationship of the kings with Heracles and their father's past indebtedness to Theseus will finally provide them sanctuary. As Eurystheus prepares to attack, an oracle tells Demophon that only the sacrifice of a noble woman to Persephone can guarantee an Athenian victory. Macaria volunteers for the sacrifice and a spring is named the Macarian spring in her honor. References[edit] ^ Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.12 ^ Apollodorus, Library 2.8.4 ^ Diodorus Siculus, 7.9 ^ It is the first of two surviving plays by Euripides where the family of Heracles are suppliants (the second being Heracles Mad). ^ J. A. Spranger, "The Political Element in the Heracleidae of Euripides" The Classical Quarterly 19.3/4 (July 1925), pp. 117-128. Sources[edit] Bibliotheca ii. 8 Diodorus Siculus iv. 57, 58 Pausanias i. 32, 41, ii. 13, 18, iii. I, iv. 3, v. 3 Euripides, Heracleidae Pindar, Pythia, ix. 137 Herodotus ix. 27 Connop Thirlwall, History of Greece, ch. vii George Grote, History of Greece, pt. i. ch. xviii Georg Busolt, Griechische Geschichte, i. ch. ii. sec. 7, where a list of modern authorities is given External links[edit] Article by George Hinge Greek Mythology Links Timeless Mythology Article about Dorian Invasion  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Heraclidae". Encyclopædia Britannica. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 308–309. v t e Hercules (Heracles) Hercle Ercole Hercule Alcide Family Zeus (father) Alcmene (mother) Megara, Omphale, Deianira, and Hebe (wives) Heracleidae (children) Events Hercules at the crossroads Labours of Hercules Hercules in ancient Rome Shirt of Nessus Literature Poems Heracles Papyrus Shield of Heracles Catalogue of Women L'Atlàntida Plays Herakles Women of Trachis Hercules Furens Hercules Oetaeus Other The Labours of Hercules Hercules and the Wagoner Art Hercules and the lion of Nemea (5th century BCE) Hercules of the Forum Boarium (2nd century BCE) Lansdowne Heracles (c. 125) Statue of Hercules, Dura-Europos (c. 150–256) Farnese Hercules (216) Hercules slaying Antaeus (c. 1460) Hercules and Deianira (c. 1470) Hercules and the Hydra (c. 1475) Hercules and Antaeus (c. 1500–1510) The Choice of Hercules (c. 1520–1525) Hercules and Antaeus (1531) Hercules and Cacus (1534) The Origin of the Milky Way (1575–1580) The Choice of Hercules (1596) Hercules and Omphale (1603) Hercules fighting Nemean lion (1634) Hercules and the Hydra (1634) Hercules separating the mounts Calpe And Abyla (1634) The Death of Hercules (1634) Hercules' Dog Discovers Purple Dye (1636) The Origin of the Milky Way (1637) Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides (1638) Hercules and Omphale (1732–1734) Libertas Americana (1783) The Sanctuary of Hercules (1884) Hercules the Archer (1909) Achelous and Hercules (1947) The Twelve Labors of Hercules (1981) The Labors of Herakles (2006–2008) Hercules and the Erymanthian Boar Hercules and the Nemean Lion Opera Ercole amante (1662) Alcide (1693) Ercole su'l Termodonte (1723) Admeto (1727) Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen, BWV 213 (1733) Hercules (1744) Le nozze d'Ercole e d'Ebe (1747) The Choice of Hercules (1750) Hercule mourant (1761) Le Rouet d'Omphale (1871) Déjanire (1911) Atlántida (1962) Hercules vs. Vampires (2010) Films Italian series Hercules (1957) Hercules Unchained (1959) Goliath and the Dragon (1960) The Loves of Hercules (1960) Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis (1961) Hercules in the Haunted World (1961) Hercules in the Valley of Woe (1961) The Fury of Hercules (1962) Hercules, Samson and Ulysses (1963) Hercules vs. Moloch (1963) Hercules the Invincible (1964) Hercules Against Rome (1964) Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun (1964) The Triumph of Hercules (1964) Samson and His Mighty Challenge (1964) Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon (1964) Hercules and the Princess of Troy (1965) Hercules the Avenger (1965) Other European live-action Herakles (1962) Hercules Against the Moon Men (1964) American films live-action The Warrior's Husband (1933) The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962) Jason and the Argonauts (1963) Hercules in New York (1970) Hercules (1983) The Adventures of Hercules (1985) Jason and the Argonauts (2000) Immortals (2011) The Legend of Hercules (2014) Hercules (2014) Animated films Hercules (1995) Hercules (1997) Hercules: Zero to Hero (1998) Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus (1998) Television The Mighty Hercules The Sons of Hercules Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules (1961) Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules (1962) Ulysses Against the Son of Hercules (1962) Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995) Hercules and the Amazon Women (1994) Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994) Hercules and the Circle of Fire (1994) Hercules in the Underworld (1994) Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur (1994) Hercules: The Animated Series (1998) "Hercules and the Arabian Night" (1999) Young Hercules (1998) Hercules (2005 miniseries) Atlantis (2013) Comics Hercules (Marvel Comics) Hercules (DC Comics) Hercules (Radical Comics) Games The Return of Heracles (1983) Hercules (1984) Disney's Hercules (1997) Herc's Adventures (1997) Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (2000) Heracles Chariot Racing (2007) Glory of Heracles (2008) Other Hercules in popular culture Hercules (franchise) Hercules (2019 musical) Pillars of Hercules Maczuga Herkulesa Hercules' Club Xena: Warrior Princess Authority control GND: 118959654 SUDOC: 240563778 VIAF: 67265413 WorldCat Identities: viaf-67265413 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heracleidae&oldid=986876176" Categories: Heracleidae Dorians Iron Age Greece Mycenaean Greece Patronymics from Greek mythology Hidden categories: Articles lacking in-text citations from April 2011 All articles lacking in-text citations Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit 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