July 29: Travel Month
Sardinia
The hero Herakles is mostly remembered for slaying all kinds of monsters, but in ancient Greece, he was perhaps even more admired for another achievement. It happened when he visited one of his biggest fans, king Thespios of Boeotia. Now, Thespios had fifty daughters, and only one wish: that one of them would become the mother of Herakles’ child. So he offered his friend the choice. But Herakles, always up for the challenge, proposed to “try out” all fifty of them. Thespios was over the moon, and brought all of his daughters to Herakles’ room, one after the other, in the same night. More than for all of his labours, it’s for this example of stamina and dedication that Greek – and Roman – men held Herakles in the highest esteem… As could be foreseen, not one, but all fifty women bore him sons, who would be known as the “Thespiades”. The oldest, Sardus, would later lead his brothers on an expedition to an island off the coast of Italy. He named it Sardinia after himself and it would become Herakles’ favourite getaway.
Gynaeceum, Amphora, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
Courtisane and client, Pelike, National Museum of Archaeology,
Athens, Greece
Did you know?
Herakles (Hercules) fathered lots of sons (called Heraclids) with various mothers. Most mentioned are Hyllus with Deianeira, Agelaus with Omphale, Telephos with Auge (cfr. “Chivalry”) and the “Thespiades” with the daughters of Thespius.
The expedition to Sardinia by the Thespiades would have been led by Herakles’ long time companion Iolaos (Iolaus).
Euripides wrote a play “Herakleidai” about Herakles’ children, in which one of his daughters, Makaria, sacrifices herself to save her brothers and sisters.
About Herakles’ (Hercules’) 12 labours: “A Hard Shell”, “A Thick Skin”, “Ho Ho Ho”, “Bulls and Boars”, “Spring Cleaning”, “A Proud Father”, “Sycophants”, “Choose your Battles”, “To the End of the World”, “Forbidden Fruit”, “The Hellhound”.
There’s a legend about Herakles visiting the island of Sardinia to check out the nature park off the northwestern tip. He found it so beautiful that he tore it off, creating the island of Asinara, also called “Herakles’ island”.