# Heracles — The Argonautica character guide

> Heracles in The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Herakles, Herakles lion-souled, Sore loth

**First appearance:** 0000-book-i

## Snapshot

The strongest of the Argonauts, who sets aside Eurystheus' labors to sail with Jason, bringing Hylas and a bow no one else can draw.

## Who they are

Heracles joins the crew as its obvious muscle, the man whose presence makes the voyage seem possible at all. He brings his squire Hylas, who carries his arrows, and the poem quietly plants the bond that will matter later when the ship must choose between the quest and one man's grief. His departure from the company is one of the poem's sharpest losses.

## In the story

### [Book I: The Gathering of Heroes and the Voyage Begins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/chapters/book-i)

Key hero; rebukes the Argonauts for lingering on Lemnos and urges them to continue the quest.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/characters/heracles
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/characters