Greek naiad, mother of Hyllus
Melite
Melite is a naiad of Greek mythology, daughter of the river god Aegaeus and one of the many lovers of Zeus and his son Heracles. Her union with Heracles gave rise, according to the tales, to the hero Hyllus.
The myth
According to the myth, after Heracles murdered his children, he sought refuge on the mythical island of Scheria and rested by a lake where Melite and her sisters lived. She hid him in a deep, dark part of the lake, where they became lovers, and she later gave birth to Hyllus. Zeus was furious that Melite had chosen a mortal over him, so he asked her father to stop her from having more children with Heracles. Heracles then left her for other women, and Melite was one of those who mourned his death.
Hyllus did not want to be a mere subject of King Nausithous, so he travelled to the far north of Greece, where he became the eponymous king of a Dorian tribe, the Hylleis.