I've always been a bit of a history nut, and I particularly like the old Greek and Roman stuff. I used to visit a website where everyone had names along those lines. No one was using Heraclid, so I did. And the rest is history.

The term refers to one of the Heraclidae, or "sons of Hercules". Originally they were members of the Spartan royalty who claimed direct descent from the mythical hero. Though eventually banished and persecuted, Greek legend had it that one day these descendants of Hercules would return.

As Mycenaean culture waned on the Peloponessian peninsula, that area experienced an influx of tribes from adjacent areas. Interestingly, these outsiders spoke a decidedly insider Greek dialect. This dialect had its origins in the central Greek city of Doris, and so these people came to be called Dorians. The so-called "Doric Invasion" represented a monumental shift in Greek history and ushered in the Iron Age there. Because of their language, many said the Dorians were in fact the returning Heraclidae, and so the terms Heraclid and Dorian are practically interchangeable.