Children of Heracles

In the literary account provided by Euripides' tragedy Children of Heracles (performed 430 BCE), the Herakleidai are mortal descendants of the hero Heracles who, after his death, are pursued by Eurystheus—king of Mycenae—because of hereditary enmity. Their plight in the play is set against the civic-religious framework of Athens: they seek asylum and their protection becomes entangled with an oracle's demand and the city's military-political decisions. The name Ἡρακλεῖδαι (Hērakleidai) is the standard Greek patronymic denoting membership in Heracles' lineage.

The sources are literary and provide no systematic supernatural or iconographic description. Dramatic references identify individual members by role and status: Hyllus (eldest son of Heracles), Macaria (a maiden/daughter), Iolaus (Heracles' old friend and protector), and Alcmene (mother). No consistent physical features or ritual dress for the group are specified in the summaries provided.

The Herakleidai are portrayed as mortal actors whose notable actions in the play include taking sanctuary at the altar of Zeus at Marathon, appealing to Athenian authorities, and participating in martial defense when Hyllus arrives with reinforcements and Iolaus fights. Within the drama one plot element describes Iolaus as regaining youth (presented as an event in the play), but the sources do not ascribe recurring or systematic supernatural powers to the group; their agency is primarily social, political, and religious rather than magical.