Thespia (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Thespia (Ancient Greek: Θέσπια) was the daughter of the river god Asopus and Metope, daughter of Ladon, himself a river god. She was abducted to Thespiae (the city west of Thebes) by Apollo, and the city might have been named after her.[1][2]

Quote from Pausanias

They say that Thespia was a daughter of Asopus, who gave her name to the city, while others say that Thespius, who was descended from Erechtheus, came from Athens and was the man after whom the city was called.[1]

In pop culture

In the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay cast a magic spell to "conjure the goddess Thespia to help us locate demonic energy in the area". They invoke her as "protector of the night" and goddess of knowledge, grace and benevolence.[3]

Note

1. Pausanias, 9.26.6
2. "Thespia". Theoi Project. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
3. "04x14 - Goodbye Iowa". Buffy the Vampire Slayer Transcripts. Forever Dreaming. Retrieved January 13, 2024.

References

• Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. ISBN 0-674-99328-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
• Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.