Iolaus- Greek HeroHero"Charioteer of Heracles"

Nephew and Charioteer

Iolaus was the son of Iphicles, Heracles' mortal twin half-brother. He served as Heracles' charioteer and shield-bearer throughout the Twelve Labors and the campaigns that followed. In the Shield of Heracles, he drives the chariot against Cycnus, son of Ares, holding the horses steady before the altar of Apollo at Pagasae while the two warriors clash. He sailed with the Argonauts to Colchis, and after Heracles' madness and the killing of his own children, the hero entrusted his first wife Megara to Iolaus.

The Hydra's Fire

During the Second Labor, Heracles went to the swamp of Lerna where the Hydra lurked. When he struck off one head, two more grew from the stump. Iolaus devised the solution: he set fire to a nearby stand of trees and, as Heracles severed each head, pressed a burning brand to the raw neck before it could sprout. The method worked. Even when Hera sent a giant crab to bite at Heracles' feet, the pair held their ground and destroyed the monster. Heracles dipped his arrows in the Hydra's venom — a poison that would later wound Chiron and kill Nessus. King Eurystheus refused to count the labor, arguing that Heracles had received help.

Defender of the Heraclidae

After Heracles' death and apotheosis, Eurystheus persecuted the hero's children, seeking to eliminate any threat to his power. The aged Iolaus became their champion. He could barely lift his shield, but he insisted on taking the field against the Argive army and prayed for a single day's return of his youthful strength. The goddess Hebe — now Heracles' divine wife on Olympus — answered his prayer and rejuvenated him. Iolaus pursued and captured the fleeing Eurystheus. The Thebans honored Iolaus with a gymnasium and hero-shrine near the Proetid gates, where athletic competitions were held at his tomb.