On the Argonauts' expedition, Heracles is accompanied by his beloved friend, the beautiful, young Hylas, until, during a stopover, he loses him to one or more fountain nymphs, who lust for him at first sight. Heracles' subsequent efforts to find him are in vain. This myth was popular from at least hellenistic times until late antiquity and therefore served several famous authors (Theocritus, Apollonius Rhodius, Nicander, Propertius, Valerius Flaccus, Ausonius and Dracontius) as a welcome subject.

The study first considers hints at possibly lost representations of the story, then explores the transmitted texts in their narrative, stylistical, structural and intertextual aspects. It also addresses questions of priority.

Appendix 1: The Hylas-texts. Appendix 2: Metrical analyses (Valerius, Dracontius). Indexes of passages, names and topics.