Mȳthoi Erōtikoi

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the role of Heracles as a mythical figure and god in Achilles Tatius’ Leucippe and Clitophon in order to show the ways in which his representation shapes a reading of the novel. This analysis argues that Heracles, a frequent presence in L&C, is depicted as an erotic figure over a heroic one and that he, therefore, embodies the interweaving of myth, narrative, and eroticism captured in the phrase mȳthoi erōtikoi and thematized throughout the novel. Furthermore, I suggest that the novel’s emphasis on erotic Heracles not only influences the reader’s understanding of Clitophon, but also contributes to the novel’s disruption of the genre’s expectations around heteroeroticism, monogamy, and marriage as the telos of the plot.