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This chapter discusses two riverine battles: Achilles fighting the Scamander in Book 21 of the Iliad, and Heracles conquering the Achelous reported in Sophocles’ Trachiniae. The Scamander’s actions in response to Achilles’ rampage evoke the seasonal changes that a sporadic stream goes through; the Achelous’ metamorphoses and Heracles’ conquest of the river in each form allude to the awesome fertility of this grand, persistent river. In these mythical narratives, the characterizations of the rivers are consistent with the natural behaviour of waterways, and additionally, the progress and outcomes of the battles convey knowledgeable observation of the hydrogeology of the Mediterranean and contemporary attitudes towards the dangerous and beneficial power of ancient rivers.