Hyllus

Overview

Hyllus, eldest son of Heracles and Deianira, was a Greek hero. He married Iole, a princess of Oechalia, and had a son with her named Cleodaeus.

After the death of his father Heracles, Hyllus and Heracles’ other children were forced to flee Eurystheus, the cruel king who had once tormented and enslaved Heracles. They ultimately defeated Eurystheus in battle (in one version, it was Hyllus who killed him).

Later, Hyllus led the Heraclids in an invasion of the Peloponnese, but his misinterpretation of a prophecy doomed the invasion and led to Hyllus’ own death in battle.

Hyllus was especially important to the Dorian Greeks; in fact, one of the three Dorian tribes, the Hylleis, took its name from him. Though not particularly prominent in Greek literature or art, Hyllus does play a significant role in Sophocles’ Trachinian Women.^[1]