Hylas

hero

Ὕλας

loss

Beautiful young companion of Heracles on the Argo who was pulled into a spring by enamored water nymphs and never seen again.

The Myth

The Naiads wanted him so badly they dragged him underwater — and Heracles abandoned the quest for the Golden Fleece to search for him. Hylas went ashore in Mysia to fetch water and leaned over a spring. The Naiads, captivated by his beauty, seized his arm and pulled him beneath the surface. Heracles heard his cry and searched frantically, refusing to leave. The Argonauts debated whether to wait and finally sailed without their strongest member. Heracles wandered the coast calling Hylas's name — a scene that became one of the most depicted in ancient art. The people of Kios held an annual ritual of searching for Hylas, calling his name through the hills.

Parents

Theiodamas

Symbols

water jugspringlily

Fun Fact

The people of Kios held an annual festival where they walked through the hills calling Hylas's name.

Explore Further

Naiads

nymph

Naiads presided over every spring, stream, river, lake, and fountain — their water held prophetic...

Heracles

hero

The greatest hero of Greek mythology, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Famous for his...

Heracles (Labours)

hero

Heracles performed twelve seemingly impossible labours as penance for killing his family in a...

Argo (Ship)

place

The Argo was the ship built by Argus for Jason's quest — the first long-voyage ship in Greek myth,...

Argonauts

concept

The Argonauts were the band of heroes who sailed with Jason on the Argo to retrieve the Golden...

Golden Fleece

concept

The fleece of a golden-wooled ram, hung in a sacred grove in Colchis and guarded by a sleepless...

Golden Fleece (Origin)

concept

The fleece of the golden ram Chrysomallus that carried Phrixus to Colchis, becoming the object of...

Hera

god

Queen of the Olympian gods and goddess of marriage. Known for her jealous rages against Zeus's...

Hera Teleia

god

An epithet of Hera as goddess of marriage and its fulfilment, worshipped as the divine model of the...

Absyrtus

hero

Son of King Aeetes of Colchis, murdered and dismembered by his sister Medea to slow their father's...

Acastus

hero

King of Iolcus and Argonaut who later tried to murder Peleus by stranding him unarmed on Mount...

Achilles

hero

The greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the...