Hylas

Family: Argonauts · Role: companion of Heracles · First appears: Book I 1

Life events

• Heracles carries Hylas away from his father’s house and raises him.(Book I 9)
  • With: Heracles
  • “For in such ways did Heracles nurture him from his first childhood when he had carried him off from the house of his father”
• A water-nymph plunges Hylas into the spring while he draws water.(Book I 9 · 📍 Pegae)
  • “straightway she laid her left arm above upon his neck yearning to kiss his tender mouth; and with her right hand she drew down his elbow, and plunged him into the midst of the eddy.”
• Hylas disappears after going to the well, prompting Polyphemus and Heracles to search for him.(Book I 10 · 📍 Pegae)
  • With: Polyphemus Heracles
  • “Hylas has gone to the well and has not returned safe, but robbers have attacked and are carrying him off, or beasts are tearing him to pieces; I heard his cry.”
• Glaucus foretells the separate destinies of Heracles, Polyphemus, and Hylas.(Book I 10)
  • With: Glaucus Heracles Polyphemus
  • “At Argos it is his fate to labour for insolent Eurystheus and to accomplish full twelve toils and dwell with the immortals, if so be that he bring to fulfilment a few more yet; wherefore let there be no vain regret for him. Likewise it is destined for Polyphemus to found a glorious city at the mouth of Cius among the Mysians and to fill up the measure of his fate in the vast land of the Chalybes. But a goddess-nymph through love has made Hylas her husband, on whose account those two wandered and were left behind.”
• Heracles threatens the Mysian land and secures an oath to continue searching for Hylas.(Book I 10 · 📍 Mysian land)
  • With: Heracles
  • “And he threatened to lay waste the Mysian land at once, should they not discover for him the doom of Hylas, whether living or dead. And for him they gave pledges choosing out the noblest sons of the people and took an oath that they would never cease from their labour of search.”

Book I 1

• friends with Heracles “and with him went Hylas, a brave comrade, in the flower of youth”

Book I 9

• parent: Theiodamas “For in such ways did Heracles nurture him from his first childhood when he had carried him off from the house of his father, goodly Theiodamas”
• guardian: Heracles “For in such ways did Heracles nurture him from his first childhood when he had carried him off from the house of his father, goodly Theiodamas”
• employer: Heracles “that he might be quick in drawing water for the evening meal and actively make all things ready in due order against his lord’s return”

Book I 10

• parent: Theiodamas (Theiodamas is identified as Hylas’s father.) “Therefore to this day the people of Cius enquire for Hylas the son of Theiodamas”
• with Glaucus (Glaucus foretells Hylas’s fate.) “But a goddess-nymph through love has made Hylas her husband, on whose account those two wandered and were left behind.”

⭐ Constellation map → · 📖 Read the original → · 🗂 Character index → · 🕰 Chronicle → · 📍 Places →

Extracted from the original text of The Argonautica. Made with Rho MD.