Heracles and Iolaus, an exemplary student

Speranza

Plutarch maintains in his "Eroticos" that Ercole's same-sex affairs were so numerous that "it is impossible to list them all."

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Iolaus is the youthful assistant of Ercole in his exploits.

Euripides makes Iolaus Ercole's "parastates" (cfr. the Cretan eromenos), or helper and elsewhere his squire (hypaspister).

Now, there was in Thebes a warrior society based on same-sex affection and friendship; the

HIEROS LOCHOS

or 'sacred battalion', thanks to which Epaminondas wasw able to defeat Sparta.

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This HIEROS LOCHOS (or sacred battalion) consisted of male _couples_.

Georgides, its founder, had in fact established the battalion to bring together cuples previously despersed throughout the Theban army.

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Iolaus, the disciple of Ercole, is a master chariot driver.

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Iolaus was the leader of troops of youths. The fifty indeed fifty one) children of Ercole were all boys: the

THESPIADAE.

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All the traditions agree that these 52 boys embarked on a lengthy voyage.

Ercole named Iolaus to be the leader of these 52 boys.

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They sailed to Sardinia.

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(In Sardinia, a plain is known locally as "Iolaeion" and the people called themselves "Iolaians").

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---- The THESPIADAE then were a group of fifty two young men. The figure is typical of groups of young boys involved in initiation procedures in Greek legends.