Return of the Heraclidae
The mythological return of Heracles' descendants to the Peloponnese, used by the Dorian Greeks to justify their conquest of Mycenaean territories.
The Meaning of Return of the Heraclidae
After Heracles' death and apotheosis, his children — the Heraclidae — were persecuted by Eurystheus of Mycenae. They found refuge in Athens under King Theseus (or his sons), and Eurystheus was killed in battle. The Heraclidae attempted to return to the Peloponnese but were driven back by plague — the Oracle at Delphi told them to wait for "the third harvest." Interpreting this as three years, they attacked too early and were defeated. The oracle meant the third generation. Temenus, Cresphontes, and Aristodemus — great-grandsons of Heracles — finally led the successful invasion, aided by the Dorian people. They divided the Peloponnese by lot: Temenus received Argos, Cresphontes took Messenia, and the sons of Aristodemus inherited Sparta. This myth served as charter mythology for the Dorian Greeks, justifying their historical conquest of the Peloponnese around 1100 BC as a "return" rather than an invasion.
Children
Temenus, Cresphontes, Aristodemus
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Return of the Heraclidae is one of history's most effective propaganda myths. The Dorian invasion that destroyed Mycenaean civilisation around 1100 BC was reframed as the "rightful return" of Heracles' heirs — turning conquest into restoration. Every colonial power since has used the same trick: the British "returned" civilisation to India, and Zionists framed settlement as "return." The Heraclidae myth wrote the playbook for legitimising conquest through ancestral claim.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Heraclids
💭 conceptDynasty, conquest
The descendants of Heracles who claimed the Peloponnese and established the Dorian kingdoms of Sparta, Argos, and Messenia
Epigoni
💭 conceptwar
The sons of the Seven against Thebes who returned a generation later and successfully sacked the city their fathers died attacking.
Descendants of Deucalion
💭 conceptDynasty, flood, origin
The lineage descending from Deucalion and Pyrrha, the survivors of Zeus's great flood who repopulated Greece
Theban Cycle
💭 conceptepic, dynasty
The cycle of myths surrounding the cursed royal house of Thebes, from Cadmus's founding through Oedipus's tragedy to the war of the Seven and their sons.
Amazonomachy
💭 conceptBattle of Greeks and Amazons
The Amazonomachy was the legendary battle between the Athenians and the Amazons who invaded Athens — depicted alongside the Centauromachy as a key symbol of Greek triumph.
Battle of Salamis
💭 conceptwar, divine intervention
The 480 BC naval battle where the Greek fleet destroyed the Persian armada in the straits of Salamis, attributed to the intervention of Ajax and the Aeacidae heroes.
Theban Royal Family
💭 conceptDynasty, Thebes
The cursed ruling house of Thebes spanning from Cadmus through Oedipus to the fratricidal war of his sons
Return of Odysseus
💭 conceptNarrative
The hero's perilous ten-year journey home from Troy and his reclamation of his kingdom in Ithaca
Theseus and the Amazons
💭 conceptNarrative
The Athenian king's conflict with the warrior women that brought war to the gates of Athens itself
Seven Against Thebes
💭 conceptNarrative
The doomed military expedition of seven champions against the city of Thebes in the generation before the Trojan War
Danaid Lineage
💭 conceptDynasty, Argos
The royal lineage descending from Danaus and his fifty daughters, central to the mythology of Argos
Trojan Royal Family
💭 conceptDynasty, Troy
The ruling dynasty of Troy descended from Dardanus through Tros, Ilus, and Laomedon to Priam and his fifty sons