Thespiades

The fifty daughters of Thespius and Megamede. The king entertained Heracles for fifty days while the hero was hunting for a lion. Thespius was anxious that all of his daughters should have children by Heracles, and each night he sent a different daughter to sleep with the hero, and in the course of his stay he fathered fifty sons by them. An alternative version related that the hero slept with forty-nine of them in a single night;¹ only Anthea refused, but the eldest daughter, Procris, bore him twins.

The Thespiades and their sons are:

Aeschreis → Leucones; Aglaea → Antiades; Anthea; Anthippe → Hippodromus; Antiope → Alopius; Argele → Cleolaus; Asopis → Mentor; Calametis → Astybies; Certhe → Iobes; Chryseïs → Onesippus; Clytippe → Eurycapys; Elachia → Buleus; Eone → Amestrius; Epilais → Astyanax; Erato → Dynastes; Euboea → Olympus; Eubote → Eurypylus; Eurybia → Polylaus; Euryce → Teleutagoras; Eurypyle → Archedicus; Eurytele → Leucippus; Exole → Erythras; Heliconis → Phalias; Hesychia → Oestrobles; Hippo → Capylus; Hippocrate → Hippozygus; Iphis → Celeustanor; Laothoe → Antiphus; Lyse → Eumedes; Lysidice → Teles; Lysippe → Erasippus; Marse → Bucolus; Meline → Laomedon; Menippis → Entelides; Nike → Nicedromus; Nicippe → Antimachus; Olympusa → Halocrates; Oreia → Laomenes; Panope → Threpsippas; Patro → Archemachus; Phyleis → Tigasus; Praxithea → Nephus; Procris → Antileon and Hippeus; Pyrippe → Patroclus; Stratonice → Atromus; Terpsicrate → Euryopes; Tiphyse → Lyncaeus; Toxicrate → Lycurgus; Xanthis → Homolippus; ? → Creon.

Heracles instructed Iolaus to take the boys to Sardinia, where they colonized the island. Two of them later returned to Thebes while seven never left Thespiae.

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