The Daughters of Thespius

By the age 18, stories of Herakles' strength and bravery had spread around Greece. There was a king Thespius who had 50 daughters (while some of the mythographers say they were all by his wife it is more likely that most were with various mistresses). All had reached the age of marriage but no one was a good suitor for any of them. This meant no descendants. Now in his land, there was a Lion that was plaguing the area. Thespius heard that Herakles had set out and was coming to slay the beast. This was a solution to two problems. Thespius invited Heracles to stay with his family while he was hunting.

That evening pretending to be exceedingly hospital Thespius said to Heracles that while he was there "you may have my eldest daughter Prokris as your bedfellow." Heracles took Prokris and the two conceived twins, two sons who would later be named Hippeus and Antileon. The next day Heracles was unsuccessful. That evening after dinner he took bedded Prokris again, or so he thought. Thespius had sent another one of his daughters to be a bedfellow to Heracles so that she too might carry a child of the greatest of Greek Heroes. Heracles having been tired from the hunt all day and made subdued from the evening's meal he did not realize that he was not with Prokris but with one of her sisters (possibly half-sister). The third evening he was brought pleasure by yet another daughter.

This continued and all but one was willing to follow the plan. That night Thespius had laid out that she could now too be a bedfellow to Herakles, but she did not wish to be bedded merely so that Thespius could have yet another grandson whose father was Heracles (especially since he believed he had been coupling with Prokris every night). As punishment Thespius would later send her off to be a priestess (priestesses were supposed to be lifelong virgins) because of this her name has been lost (though after he was made a god she would end up a priestess in one of his temples). Aside from her, Herakles unwittingly enjoyed all Thespius' other daughters during his fifty-day hunt. As a result of his plan, not only would he have Antileon and Hippeus there would be others; Aeskhreis was destined to be the mother of Leukones, Aglaia the mother of Antiades, Anthea was the mother of a child whose name is unknown, Anthippe was the mother of Hippodromus, Antiope was the mother of Alopius.

Argele was the Mother of Kleolaus, Asopis was the mother of Mentor, Kalametis was the mother of Astybies, Kerthe was the mother of Iobes, Khryseis was the mother of Onesippus, Klytippe was the mother of Eurykapys, Elakhia was the mother of Buleus, Eone was the mother of Amestrius, Epilais was the Mother of Astyanax, Erato was the mother of Dynastes, Euboea was mother of Olympos, Eubote was the mother of Eurypylus, Eurybia was the mother of Polylaus, Euryke was the mother of Teleutagoras, Eurypyle was the mother of Arkhedikus, Eurytele was the mother of Leukippus, Exole was the mother of Erythras, Helikonis was the mother of Phalias, Hesykhia was the mother of Oestrobles, Hippo was the mother of Kapylus, Hippokrate was the mother of Hippozygus, Iphis was the mother of Keleustinor, Laothoe was the mother of Antiphus, Lyse was the mother of Eumedes, Lysidike was the mother of Teles, Lysippe was the mother of Erasippus, Marse was the mother of Bokolus, Meline was the mother of Laomedon, Menippis was the mother of Entelides, Nike was the mother of Nikodromus, Nikippe was the mother of Antimakhus, Olympusa was the mother of Halokrates, Oria was the mother of Laomenes, Panope was the mother of Threpsippas, Patro was the mother of Arkhemakhus, Phyleis was the mother of Tigasis, Praxithea was the mother of Nephus, Pyrippe was the mother of Patroklus, Stratonike was the mother of Atromus, Terpsikrate was the mother of Euryopes, Tiphyse was the mother of Lynkaeus, Toxikrate was the mother of Lycurgus, Xanthis was the mother of Homolippus.

In the end the total number of children sired was fifty-one because even though only forty-nine of the fifty daughter slept with Heracles, Prokris was not the only daughter to bear twins, myths tell that the youngest also bore twins and the only child not yet mentioned is Kreon. Unfortunately the myth about Thespius's daughters only tell the names of all the daughters who laid with Herakles.