In previous bet (just to give a tone to our soap opera story) we talked about the erotic source Tespiadi. But the forty children of Heracles who came to colonize Sardinia were not alone.
They were accompanied by a hero who is not among the most famous, because, ahilui!, Often found himself a champion of the shoulder: the shoulder or just amateur quell'Eracle infinite capacity (which we hope has remained Sardinian heritage his descendants ... even today).
The hero Iolaus, son of Iphicles, the brother of Heracles himself. In
parody that makes Sam Raimi in the TV series "Hercules," one of the recurring gag is that everyone knows Hercules \\ Hercules, Iolaus and nobody remembers.
Yet there is no episode in which the expressionless Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, in fact) is joined by his equally curly-haired companion blank (the actor Michael Hurst).
In "reality" of the myth, Iolaus does not appear immediately. It could not be otherwise: Heracles and Iphicles were twins (although Iphicles was mortal and divine Heracles). So we had to wait for the least gifted of the two erotically (Iphicles, in fact) to reach the right age to be able to generate as much as the nephew of his uncle's daughter along with Automedusa Alcatoo.
Iolaus's career, however, was not entirely secondary. His main occupation was the charioteer of Heracles, but even in this seemingly secondary role, the young hero was able to stand out. According to myth, in fact, it was Iolaus the first winner of the race on the cart to the first Olympics of the mythical history. And the good Iolaus gave an encore in the specialty to the next games in honor of the late Pelias.
During the 12 labors of his uncle, Iolaus earned everlasting fame. Without him, for example, Heracles could never defeat the Hydra of Lerna: the story goes that every time Hercules beheaded a monster's head, neck cut two heads sticking out just as deadly!
intervened at this point just Iolaus: As soon as my uncle was cutting a head, now the nephew burned the wound with a glowing ember, thus preventing the miraculous rebirth. A whole forest was burnt, and is considered worthy of reproach those who think that the bad habit of Iolaus went to Sardi current fires. Among the other companies 'minor' next to his uncle, took part in the campaign against Troy Iolaus, Heracles helped to lift the arms to Cycnus died, went to the Far West when confronted Heracles Geryon to steal his great herds participated in the expedition the Argonauts.
confidence in the nephew of Heracles was immense. Even when the demigod divorced his first wife Megara, he married the former wife to his nephew. The unlikely pair Iolaus \\ Megara had a daughter, Leipefile, a name which seems to mean "Love for the Abandoned" (Or, more properly, "for those who had left the tribe" ... but here you will enter into discussions on the matriarchy:-P). Some malignant
said that between Hercules and Iolaus was a loving relationship. On the contrary: that Iolaus was the love of many heroes of Greek mythology.
In any case, Uncle Iolaus repaid with loyalty and following it during the exile imposed upon Heracles by Eurystheus jealous.
So there are just so strange that he gave Heracles the task of bringing in Sardinia most Tespiadi, although it is disputed whether this was before or after the death of Heracles.
In this regard, among other things, we must not forget one important fact: Some versions see Philoctetes as the one who lit the funeral pyre of Heracles, like they say it was just THERE Iolaus ritualistic. The pyre burnt all residues from the mortal body of Hercules, thus allowing it to ascend to heaven as a god.
After the death of his uncle, Iolaus did not stop to help his cousins, the Heraclidae. According to one version, as mentioned, some of them brought to Sardinia at that time. According
other hand, returned to Greece from Sardinia when he learned that the remaining Heraclidae were threatened by Eurystheus.
Here are more hyperbolic versions of the other. The first says that Iolaus was already old when you are ready to meet Eurystheus; he also was not a young man, because it was a few days older than Hercules! But Zeus and Hebe, the divine wife of Heracles, returned for one day the youth and strength in Iola, in Modoc eh could better address the decisive battle. According to other
mythographers, Iolaus was even dead! But Heraclidae needed him, so the resurrected hero.
was how it was, Iolaus Eurystheus confronted and killed him. Then he returned to his grave (or his old age), but was revered in Sardinia for a long time.
How and why this happened, we will say in the next post.
Some small notes ...
That Iolaus participated in the expedition against Geryon and the theft of Pomi the Garden of the Hesperides, it is not surprising. It is likely that the figure of Iolaus is also merged with the figure of a hero "Western" and that Geryon is the Hesperides are connected to the West and away the most part unknown to the Greeks. not forget that Geryon had a daughter who Eriz, merged with Mercury \\ Hermes, father of Norac, a predecessor of tespiadi in the colonization of Sardinia (and if you do not remember the events of Norac, click here! ).
Depending on the model or Tartessus Geryon ruled over the island of Eriz but not named by his daughter, but the wife of Geryon, one of the Hesperides, daughters of Atlas: the Garden of the Hesperides think it was right next to the island.
