In Sophocles' account of Deianira's marriage, she was courted by the river godAchelous, but was saved from having to marry him by Heracles, who defeated Achelous in a wrestling contest for her hand in marriage.[16]
In another version of the tale, where she was described as the daughter of Dexamenus, Heracles raped her and promised to come back and marry her. While he was away, thecentaurEurytion appeared and demanded her as his wife. Her father, being afraid, agreed, but Heracles returned before the marriage and slew the centaur and claimed his bride.[17]
Deianira and the dying centaur Nessus telling her of the "love charm" / "love potion" (his own poisonous blood).
Deianira was associated with combat, and was described as someone who "drove a chariot and practiced the art of war."[18]
The most famous story containing Deianira concerns theShirt of Nessus. A wild centaur namedNessus attempted to kidnap or rape Deianira as he was ferrying her across the riverEuenos, but she was rescued by Heracles, who shot the centaur with an arrow laced with the venom of theHydra. As he lay dying, Nessus persuaded Deianira to take a sample of his blood, claiming that, when mixed with his semen, it would create a love potion that would ensure Heracles would never again be unfaithful.[19]
When Heracles fell in love with the younger and more beautifulIole, Deianira, fearing that she would lose her husband, decided to use the potion. She soaked a tunic or shirt (perhaps Heracles' famouslionskin shirt) in the potion. When Heracles put on the shirt, the venom from the very arrow he had used to kill Nessus began to burn and eat away at his skin. When he tried to remove the shirt, he tore off chunks of his own flesh. Eventually, unable to bear the pain any longer, Heracles built a funeral pyre and immolated himself. When Deianira realized what she had done, she committed suicide, either by hanging or by a sword.[20]
She is remembered inDe Mulieribus Claris, a collection of biographies of historical and mythological women by theFlorentine authorGiovanni Boccaccio, composed in 1361–62. It is notable as the first collection devoted exclusively to biographies of women in Western literature.[21]
^Wohl, Victoria (2010). "A Tragic Case of Poisoning: Intention Between Tragedy and the Law".Transactions of the American Philological Association.140 (1): 53.doi:10.1353/apa.0.0046.S2CID159697583.
^Boccaccio, Giovanni (2003).Famous Women. I Tatti Renaissance Library. Vol. 1. Translated by Virginia Brown. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. xi.ISBN0-674-01130-9.
Hesiod,Catalogue of Women fromHomeric Hymns, Epic Cycle, Homerica translated by Evelyn-White, H G. Loeb Classical Library Volume 57. London: William Heinemann, 1914.Online version at theio.com
Media related toDeianira at Wikimedia Commons
