Iolaus
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- For the butterfly genus, see Iolaus (butterfly).
In Greek mythology, Iolaus (in Greek, Ιόλαος) was a Theban divine hero, son of Iphicles and Automedusa.
He was famed for being Heracles' beloved, and helper for some of his Labors.
Through his daughter Leipephilene he was considered to have fathered the mythic and historic line of the kings of Corinth, ending with Telestes.
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[edit] Relationship with Heracles
As a son of Iphicles, Iolaus was a nephew of Heracles. He often acted as Heracles' charioteer and companion, and the closeness of their relationship was such that he was known as Heracles' symbomos, or "altar-sharer," since the two could be honored at one and the same altar - a very rare occurrence in ancient Greece, where each divinity would have his or her own altar.
During the classical period he was represented as Heracles' eromenos (beloved), thus functioning as the Theban patron hero of pederasty.
Plutarch reports that down to his own time male couples would go to Iolaus' tomb in Thebes to swear an oath of loyalty to the hero and to each other.[1] This initiatory myth is believed to be of ancient origin. The tomb of Iolaus is also mentioned by Pindar.[2]
The Theban gymnasium was also named after him, and the Iolaeia, an athletic festival consisting of gymnastic and equestrian events, was held yearly in Thebes in his honor.[3] The victors at the Iolaea were crowned with garlands of myrtle.[4]
Iolaus provided essential help to Heracles in his battle against the Hydra, his second labor. Seeing that Heracles was being overwhelmed by the multi-headed monster, who grew two heads in place of each one cut off, Iolaus sprang to help, cauterizing each neck as Heracles beheaded it.
Heracles gave his wife, Megara, age thirty three, to Iolaus, then only sixteen years old[5] – ostensibly because the sight of her reminded him of his murder of their three children. They had a daughter, Leipephilene. He was one of the Heraclidae.[6]
Upon Heracles' death, Iolaus lit the funeral pyre, though according to some mythographers, this was Philoctetes instead.
[edit] Television
Iolaus was a main character in the syndicated television series Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, played by Michael Hurst. This Iolaus was neither the lover nor the relative of Hercules (the show used Roman names for several key characters), but simply a traveling companion, almost a sidekick. The character as portrayed in the series occasionally eclipsed Hercules. In Young Hercules, Iolaus was played by Dean O'Gorman.
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