Thersander (Epigoni)

In the Theban cycle Thersander is presented as the son of Polynices and a member of the Epigoni — the generation of sons who mount a second, successful expedition against Thebes to avenge their fathers (the Seven Against Thebes). Classical summaries and local-historical accounts (notably Pausanias and later epitomes preserved in summaries of Theban mythic history) portray him as inheriting his father's cause, raising a new army of Epigoni, and, after the successful assault, becoming king of Thebes. Some later summaries add that he intended to fight at Troy but was killed by Telephus before the Greek fleet reached the war; the precise circumstances vary across sources and the tradition is fragmentary.

Surviving sources offer no sustained physical description of Thersander. Classical authors characterize him by patronymic, civic role, and deeds rather than by bodily details — a common feature for secondary figures in epic genealogies — so he appears in texts as a leader, son of Polynices, and eventual king rather than through distinct visual markers.

All capacities attributed to Thersander in the sources are mortal and political-military: leadership in raising and commanding the Epigoni, kingship of Thebes after the campaign, and intention to join the Greek forces at Troy. No supernatural powers or divine attributes are ascribed to him in the supplied material; variations in accounts concern historical/genealogical details and the circumstances of his premature death.