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TheHeracleidae (/hɛrəˈklaɪdiː/;Ancient Greek:Ἡρακλεῖδαι) orHeraclids/ˈhɛrəklɪdz/ were the numerous descendants ofHeracles, especially applied in a narrower sense to the descendants ofHyllus, the eldest of his four sons byDeianira (Hyllus was also sometimes thought of as Heracles' son byMelite). Other Heracleidae includedMacaria, Lamos,Manto,Bianor,Tlepolemus, andTelephus. These Heraclids were a group ofDorian kings who conquered thePeloponnesian kingdoms ofMycenae,Sparta andArgos; according to the literary tradition inGreek mythology, they claimed a right to rule through their ancestor. SinceKarl Otfried Müller'sDie 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 inMycenaean Greece, was to assert the primal legitimacy of a traditional ruling clan that traced its origin, thus its legitimacy, to Heracles.
In the historical period, several dynasties claimed descent from Heracles, such as theAgiads andEurypontids of Sparta, or theTemenids ofMacedonia. In modern times, the same lineage has been claimed by theHouse of Burgundy and thekings of Castile.
Heracles, whomZeus had originally intended to be ruler ofArgos,Lacedaemon and MessenianPylos, had been supplanted by the cunning ofHera, and his intended possessions had fallen into the hands ofEurystheus, king ofMycenae. After the death ofHeracles, his children, after many wanderings, found refuge from Eurystheus atAthens. 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 toThessaly, whereAegimius, the mythical ancestor of theDorians, whom Heracles had assisted in war against theLapithae, adopted Hyllus and made over to him a third part of his territory.[1]
After the death ofAegimius, his two sons,Pamphylus andDymas, voluntarily submitted to Hyllus (who was, according to the Dorian tradition inHerodotus V. 72, really anAchaean), 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 theDelphic 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 theisthmus ofCorinth to attackAtreus, the successor ofEurystheus, but was slain in single combat byEchemus, king ofTegea. This second attempt was followed by a third underCleodaeus and a fourth underAristomachus, both unsuccessful.[2]
At last,Temenus,Cresphontes andAristodemus, 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 ofRhium. They accordingly built a fleet atNaupactus, but before they set sail,Aristodemus was struck by lightning (or shot byApollo) and the fleet destroyed, because one of the Heracleidae had slain anAcarnanian soothsayer.[3]
The oracle, being again consulted byTemenus, 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 toNaupactus,Temenus fell in withOxylus, 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 fromNaupactus toAntirrhium, and thence toRhium inPeloponnesus. A decisive battle was fought withTisamenus, son ofOrestes, the chief ruler in the peninsula, who was defeated and slain.[3] This conquest was traditionally dated eighty years after theTrojan War.[4]
The Heracleidae, who thus became practically masters of Peloponnesus, proceeded to distribute its territory among themselves by lot.Argos fell toTemenus,Lacedaemon toProcles andEurysthenes, the twin sons ofAristodemus; andMessenia toCresphontes (tradition maintains that Cresphontes cheated in order to obtain Messenia, which had the best land of all.[5]) The fertile district ofElis had been reserved by agreement forOxylus. The Heracleidae ruled inLacedaemon until 221 BCE, but disappeared much earlier in the other countries.[3]
This conquest ofPeloponnesus 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 inHomer orHesiod.Herodotus (vi. 52) speaks of poets who had celebrated their deeds, but these were limited to events immediately succeeding the death of Heracles.[3]
A Heraclid royal family ruledLydia as well, but sources differ as to their maternal parentage and lineage. The Heraclids are widely agreed to have been descended from Heracles and a woman ofIardanus, but sources differ on whether this woman was his girl or his illustrious daughter,Queen Omphale.
Herodotus writes that Heracles sired this dynasty with a slave-girl ofIardanus (who, since she was unnamed in Herodotus' account, might beOmphale). In this account, the first of this line to rule was their great-great-grandson, namedAgron. After Agron, Lydia would be ruled by Heraclid kings over 22 generations for 505 years. This line of kings would includeMeles, followed by his sonCandaules. Candaules was infamous for his voyeuristic appetites (seecandaulism and theRing of Gyges). He would be overthrown and usurped by his servantGyges, who would go on to found theMermnad dynasty.
However, most other sources say the Heraclids of Lydia were not descended fromIardanus' anonymous slave-girl, but from his daughterOmphale - a Lydian queen who held Heracles in servitude for a year. Their romance was characterised by an inversion of gender norms, with Omphale taking the masculine role and Heracles taking the feminine role in both social and sexual contexts.Pseudo-Apollodorus writes that the Lydian Heraclids were descended Omphale and Heracles' sonAgelaus, who would go on to be an ancestor ofCrœsus.Dionysus of Halicarnassus also writes that Heracles and Omphale sired royal children, such asTyrrhenus,founder of theEtruscans. This might be supported byPausanias, who writes that Heracles had a Lydian son namedTyrsenus, which is used in other texts as a variation ofTyrrhenus. According toXanthus of Lydia, the Heraclid dynasty of Lydia traced their descent to a son of Heracles and Omphale named Tylon, and were called Tylonidai. "Tylon" is a variation ofTylos, a native Anatolian deityinterpreted as Heracles.[6]
AtSparta, the Heraclids formed two dynasties ruling jointly: theAgiads and theEurypontids. OtherSpartiates also claimed Heraclid descent, such asLysander.
At Corinth the Heraclids ruled as theBacchiadae dynasty[7] before the aristocratic revolution, which brought a Bacchiad aristocracy into power.
A descendant of Heracles,Temenus, was the first king ofArgos, who later counted the famous tyrantPheidon.
After becoming the kings of Argos, the Heraclid line ofTemenus would later go on to ruleMacedonia. This was theArgead Dynasty of Macedonia (so-named because of its origins in Argos). It was established in Macedonia a Temenid descendant of Heracles, who left Argos and settled in Macedonia, establishing his own kingdom. However, sources differ as to which Temenid founded the Macedonian branch of the family.Herodotus andThucydides write that the dynasty was founded byPerdiccas, who conquered the Macedonian plain and founded a fort, around which grew the kingdom.[8]. However, later sources (includingMarsyas of Pella, as well as Roman sources such asLivy) say the Argead dynasty was established in Macedonia byCaranus. According to Marsyas of Pella, Caranus did not just simply conquer Macedonia; he first received a prophecy from theOracle at Delphi advising him to do so, and therefore had a divine justification for his expedition.[9][10]
The Kingdom of Macedonia under the Argead dynasty would be famous for its global conquests underAlexander the Great, beginning theHellenistic period. Under the reign ofPhilip II - Alexander's father and predecessor - the Argead Dynasty had extended its hegemony over all ofUpper Macedonia, and had become the most powerful kingdom in the Aegean apart fromAchaemenid Persia.Alexander the Great would continue Philip's conquests inGreece, and then conquer thePersian Empire, and expand as far asEgypt andIndia.
In modern times, Heraclid lineage has been claimed by theHouse of Burgundy and thekings of Castile. The seventeenth-century Spanish kingPhilip IV, a descendant of both houses, commissioned the artistFrancisco de Zurbarán to paint a series of ten works depicting Hercules, as part of the decoration of hisBuen Retiro Palace; these artworks were considered an allegory for the legitimacy of his rule.[11]
The Greek tragedians amplified the story, probably drawing inspiration from local legends which glorified the services rendered by Athens to the rulers of Peloponnesus.[citation needed]
The Heracleidae feature as the main subjects ofEuripides' play,Heracleidae.[12] J. A. Spranger found the political subtext ofHeracleidae, 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.[13]
In the tragedy,Iolaus, Heracles' old comrade and nephew, and Heracles' children, Macaria and her brothers and sisters have hidden fromEurystheus inAthens, ruled by KingDemophon; as the first scene makes clear, they expect that the blood relationship of the kings with Heracles and their father's past indebtedness toTheseus will finally provide them sanctuary. As Eurystheus prepares to attack, anoracle tells Demophon that only the sacrifice of a noble woman toPersephone can guarantee an Athenian victory. Macaria volunteers for the sacrifice and a spring is named theMacarian spring in her honor.[citation needed]
In historical times the royal house traced its descent from the mythical Temenus, king of Argos, who was one of the Heracleidae, and more immediately from Perdiccas I, who left Argos for Illyria, probably in the mid-seventh century BC, and from there captured the Macedonian plain and occupied the fortress of Aegae (Vergina), setting himself up as king of the Macedonians.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Heraclidae".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 308–309.
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