. Zeus’s favourite human son. Half-twin of Iphicles. Half-brother of Laonome and of Zeus’s plethora of progeny. Cousin of Busiris, Eurystheus and Theseus. Brother-in-law of Polyphemus. Persecuted by Hera; later her son in law. Favoured by Apollo, Athena, Hephaestus, Hermes and Poseidon. Married to Megara (whom he kills), Deianira (who kills him), and his half-sister Hebe (with whom he spends half eternity). Father of numberless Heraclides, including Hyllus (by Deianira). Lover of Abderus, Hippolyta, Hylas, Iolaus and Omphale. Infant herpetocide. Performs Labours for Eurystheus to expiate his murder of Megara. Joins the Argonauts. Abandoned by them when searching for Hylas. Wrestles Thanatos for the soul of Alcestis. Liberator of Prometheus. Temporary supporter of the heavens. Rescuer of Theseus from the underworld. Threatens the Pythia with violence. Serves Omphale to expiate his murder of Iphitus, learning the joys of cross-dressing. Founder of the Olympic Games. Victor of the Gigantomachy. Wins Horn of Plenty from Achelous. Bane of Amazons, centaurs, Gegeneis, GIANTS, the OFFSPRING OF TYPHON AND ECHIDNA, Antaeus, the Cithaeronian Lion, Eurytion and Geryon, and the Trojan Sea Monster. Tamer of Cerberus, the Ceryneian Hind, the Cretan Bull, the Erymanthian Boar and the Mares of Diomedes. Sacker of Troy. Slayer of Augeas, Busiris, Calais and Zetes, Diomedes, Eurytus, Eurytus and Cteatus, Eryx, Hippocoön, Hippolyta, Iphitus, Laomedon, Linus and Neleus. Fatally wounded by Nessus’s shirt soaked in Lernaean Hydra blood. Immolated by Philoctetes. Immortalized and catasterized by Zeus. HIPPOCOÖN King of Sparta. Brother of Tyndareus, whom he ousted from the throne. Slain by Heracles for aiding Neleus against him. HIPPOLYTUS Son of Theseus and Antiope. Half-brother of Acamas and Demophon. Grandson of Poseidon. Punished by Aphrodite for his devotion to Artemis, by having his stepmother Phaedra driven mad by desire for him. Killed by the bull sent by Poseidon in answer to Theseus’s curse. HIPPOMENES Megaran prince. Son of Megareus, grandson of Poseidon. Aided by Aphrodite to outsmart Atalanta and win her hand. Father (by Atalanta) of Parthenopaeus. With Atalanta, punished by Aphrodite for ingratitude, then transformed into a lion by Cybele for involuntarily profaning her temple. HYLAS Son of Ceyx. Page and lover of Heracles. Joins the Argonauts. Surrenders to the attractions of water nymphs. HYLLUS Son of Heracles and Deianira. Witnesses deaths of his parents. Leader of the Heraclides. Slayer of Eurystheus. Installs Atreus as King of Mycenae. IASUS Arcadian king. Son of Lycurgus. Brother of Ancaeus. Possibly husband of Clymene and father of Atalanta, whom he exposes as an infant. ICARUS Son of Daedalus. Pioneer of aviation. Flies too close to the sun. IDMON Seer of Argos. Son of Apollo and Cyrene. Mortal brother of Aristaeus, and half-brother of Apollo’s other progeny. Joins the Argonauts, despite prophesying his own demise on their quest. Gored to death by wild boar. IOBATES King of Lycia. Father of Philonoë and Stheneboea. Sets Bellerophon deadly tasks. Settles differences with him by offering the hand of Philonoë and the succession to his kingdom. IOLAUS Son of Iphicles. Nephew, page and lover of Heracles. Devises plan to defeat the Lernaean Hydra. Witnesses the death of Heracles from Lernaean Hydra blood. IPHICLES Son of Amphitryon and Alcmene. Half-twin of Heracles. Brother of Laonome. Brother-in-law of Polyphemus. Father of Iolaus. Slain by Eurytus and Cteatus. IPHITUS Son of Eurytus. Brother of Iole. Slain by Heracles while his guest. IXION King of the Lapiths. Husband of Dia. Stepfather of Pirithous. Condemned to eternal torment in Tartarus for attempting to ravish Hera. Forebear (with Nephele) of the centaurs. JASON ‘The healer’. Rightful heir to the throne of Iolcos. Son of Aeson and Alcimede. Brother of Promachus. (Half-)nephew of Neleus and Pelias. Cousin of Bellerophon, Hellen, Phrixus and Schoeneus. Kinsman of Atalanta and the Phrixides. Father (by Medea) of Mermerus, Pheres and Thessalus. Raised by Chiron. Favoured by Athena and Hera. By Pelias set the task of recovering the Golden Fleece. Leads the Argonauts. Lover of Hypsipyle (whom he abandons). Father of Euneus and Thoas (by Hypsipyle). Slayer of Cyzicus. With the aid of Medea’s magic, tames the Khalkotauroi, defeats the Spartoi, overpowers the Colchian Dragon and take the Golden Fleece. Evades Aeëtes, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, the Wandering Rocks and Talos to return in triumph to Iolcos. Holds Pelias responsible for the deaths of Aeson, Alcimede and Promachus in his absence. Held responsible (with Medea) by the Iolcians for the death of Pelias. Takes refuge with Medea in Corinth. Planned wedding to Creusa spoiled by Medea murdering his bride, his father-in-law Glaucus, and their sons Mermerus and Pheres. Hunter of the Calydonian Boar. Reclaims throne of Iolcos from Acastus. Slain in a shipyard accident involving the Argo. LABDACUS King of Thebes. Son of Polydorus and Nicteis. Cousin of Dionysus and Pentheus. Father of Laius. Scion of a much-cursed house. Overthrown by his kinsmen