Strangely enough, two very late sources give "Penthesilea the Amazon" a son
'Venetus A' Scholia on Iliad 2.461: Cayster (Kaustros) is a son of Penthesileia the Amazon. He married Dercerto in Ascalon and fathered from her Semiramis. Among the Syrians, Dercerto is called Atargatis.
Etymologicum Magnum, ΚΑΫΣΤΡΟΣ: A river in Lydia, from Kaüstros. And Kaustros is a son of Penthesileia the Amazon. He married Derkerto in Askalon and fathered from her Semiramis. She's the one who had the walls of Babylon built.
Is this meant to be the Penthesilea who fought in the Trojan war? If so, who's the dad? It's unlikely to be Achilles, as he only falls in love with her upon her death — and, to my knowledge, she is not said to have reciprocated his feelings. Also, you'd think they'd mention such an important figure like Achilles if he was the father.
To add further confusion, his daughter is a legendary Babylonian queen and his wife is a goddess who murders him???
Diodorus Siculus, Library 2.4.4–6: Aphrodite, being offended with this goddess, inspired in her a violent passion for a certain handsome youth among her votaries; and Derceto gave herself to the Syrian and bore a daughter, but then, filled with shame of her sinful deed, she killed the youth and exposed the child in a rocky desert region, while as for herself, from shame and grief she threw herself into the lake and was changed as to the form of her body into a fish. […] About the region where the babe was exposed a great multitude of doves had their nests, and by them the child was nurtured. […] Then Simmas, being childless, gave every care to the rearing of the girl, as his own daughter, and called her Semiramis.
I did a little bit more digging, and found a reason an author might want to connect Semiramis and the Amazons.
Diodorus Siculus, Library 2.19.1–4: Semiramis likewise marshalled her forces, and as the two armies neared each other Stabrobates, the king of the Indians, despatched his cavalry and chariots far in advance of the main body. But the queen stoutly withstood the attack [...] Then Semiramis, who was in the battle with a select band of soldiers, made skillful use of her advantage and put the Indians to flight.
Tatian, Address to the Greeks: Who would not laugh when you tell us that the Amazons, and Semiramis, and certain other warlike women existed, while you cast reproaches on our maidens?
She was considered a 'warlike' woman!
Overall, I doubt this is the Penthesilea. Maybe she was just the first Amazon they thought of, maybe it's a different Amazon with the same name.... though, honestly, you never can know with these late late late sources xD
Still, it's an interesting possibility to explore :P
