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History

Early Life[]

Deianira was the Princess of Mycenae in Ancient Greece. It was said her beauty was only matched by Venus herself.[1]

Achelous[]

Achelous, the River God, fell in love with Deianira. She only had eyes for Hercules and so, Achelous challenged him for her hand in marriage. As the battle raged on, Achelous transformed into a bull and charged at Hercules. He avoided the attack and shattered Achelous' right horn. Deianira awarded his victory with a kiss. [1]

Marriage[]

She later became the second wife of Hercules.[2] The couple had a son Hyllus a great warrior like his father.[1]

Kidnapped by Nessus[]

Nessus the centaur the ferryman for the River Evenus kidnapped Deianira[3], whereupon Hercules shot him with an arrow. Feigning a wish to make amends, the dying centaur told Deianeira how to make a love charm from his allegedly enchanted blood, aware that it was now tainted with the lethal poison of the Hydra, in which Hercules had dipped his arrows.When Deianeira rubbed the supposed love charm into Hercules' shirt, she inadvertently caused Hercules' mortal demise, granting Nessus his late revenge.[4][5] He threw himself on a pyre built by his nephew Iolaus.[4]

Another account stated that he kidnapped Deianira while Hercules was away on the Quest for the Golden Fleece. He However returned home to rescue his wife. With his dying breath he gave her the Amulet of Love. After many years of marriage she grew jealous and asked him to wear the Amulet of Love which caused Hercules to burst in flame which could not be put out by water. His mortal side died and Zeus took him to Olympus to live among the gods.[3]

Legacy[]

After Hercules' death, her son Hyllus defeated King Eurystheus and dragged him to Alcmena Hercules' mother. He tried to explain to her he was doing Hera's will, but Alcmena pierced his eyes and Hyllus beheaded him.[1]

See Also

Links and References

References

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