Deianira: The Greek Mythology of the Woman Who Murdered Heracles
Deianira had several Greek myths that gave her different parentages and families. However, one common event that appears to run through all the accounts is her marriage to Heracles. The circumstances surrounding her marriage also differ according to various sources. Even her killing of Hercules was believed to be a later addition that was not present in the older accounts. This article will look at the various myths surrounding Deianira and her marriage to the Greek hero, Heracles.
Who Was Deianira?
Deianira was the wife of the famous hero of Greek Mythology, Heracles. She was the one who killed her husband by poisoning him. Later on in her life, Deianira killed herself by hangin off a sword and committing suicide.
The Various Deianira Parents
Some versions of the myth depict her as the daughter of the Calydonian King Oeneus and his wife Althaea. She had eight other siblings namely Agelaus, Eurymede, Clymenus, Melanippe, Gorge, Periphas, Toxeus and Thyreus including a half-brother called Meleager.
Other accounts name King Dexamenus as the father of Deianira making her the sister of Theoronice, Euryplus and Theraephone. In other myths of King Dexamenus, Deianira is substituted for either Hippolyte or Mnesimache.
The Children of Deianira
Most sources seem to agree on the names and the number of her children. They were Ctesippus, Hyllus, Onites, Glenus, Onites and Macaria who fought and defeated King Eurystheus to protect the Athenians.
Meleager and Deianira
According to the myth, when Meleager was born, the goddesses of fate prophesied that he would live as long as a log, which was burning in the fire, was consumed. Hearing this, Meleager’s mother, Althaea, quickly retrieved the log, put out the fire and buried it to lengthen her son’s life. When the children grew up, they embarked on the hunt for the Calydonian Bear hunt that had been sent to terrorize the people of Calydon. During the hunt, Meleager killed all his brothers on purpose which angered his mother who brought out the log and burnt it, killing Meleager.
During the Twelfth labor of Heracles in the Underworld, he came across the spirit of Meleager who pleaded with him to marry his sister Dieinira. According to Meleager, he was worried that his sister would grow old, lonely and unloved. Heracles then promised Meleager to marry his sister once he completed his mission and returned to the realm of the living. However, when Heracles returned, he had many things on his mind so he may have forgotten about the promise.
Heracles Meets Deianira
However, a few years later, he went to Calydon and was enchanted by the beauty of Deianira who was strong-willed and independent. So independent was the Princess of Calydon that she wouldn’t allow anybody to ride her chariot but herself. She was also skillful with the sword and the arrow and knew the art of war so well. All these qualities attracted her to Heracles and he fell in love with her and Deianira returned the favor.
Before she met Heracles, Deianira had many suitors and she rejected all of them for she wasn’t ready for marriage yet. However, they kept pressurizing her until Heracles declared his intentions of marrying her. Due to his reputation, all of the suitors backed down except one. According to the Greek playwright, Sophocles, the river god Achelous had developed feelings for the maiden and was determined to marry him.
However, Deianira was not interested in the river god for she had her eyes on someone else, Heracles. To win her hand, Heracles challenged the river god, Achelous, to a wrestling match. Though the river god put in his best efforts, he was the match for the demigod Heracles.
The Marriage of Deianira
Heracles won the match against the river god and claimed Deianira as his wife and settled in Calydon. One day, Heracles accidentally killed the King’s cupbearer and decided to punish himself. He left Calydon with his wife and traveled till they came to the river Evenus which they found difficult to cross. Fortunately for the couple, a centaur named Nessus came to their rescue and opted to carry Deianira on his back across the river.
When they got to the other side of the river, Nessus tried raping Deianira and Heracles shot him with a poisonous arrow. While dying, Nessus told Deianira that his blood could be used as a love potion so she should fetch some and keep it. He then instructed her then if her husband, Heracles, was falling in love with another woman, all she had to do was to pour some of his blood on his shirt and he would forget about the other woman. However, it was all a lie for the poison on the arrow had spread out through his body.
Nessus knew that if any mortal came into contact with his blood, they would die. He was hoping that Deinira would, one day, use it and kill him in revenge. Nessus then died and Deianira, along with her husband, traveled to the city of Trachis and settled there. Heracles then left to wage war against Eurytus, killed him and took his daughter, Iole, as captive.
Deianira Kills Heracles
Eventually, Heracles became fond of Iole and made her his concubine. To celebrate his victory over Eurytus, Heracles organized a feast and requested Deianira to send him his best shirt. Deianira, who had heard of the relationship between her husband and Iole, feared that she was losing her husband. Therefore, she put Heracles’ shirt in Nessus’ blood, dried it and sent it to her husband in a bid to restore his love for her.
However, when Heracles wore the shirt, he felt a burning sensation all over his body and quickly threw it off, but it was too late. The poison had entered his skin, but his status as a demigod slowed his death. Slowly and painfully, Heracles built his own funeral pyre, set fire to it and laid on it to die. Deianira then realized that she had been tricked by Nessus and she mourned her husband.
Deianira Death
Later, Zeus came for the immortal part of Heracles and Deinaria, overcome by grief, hanged herself.
Deianira Pronunciation and Meaning
The name is pronounced |da-i-ni-ra| with Deianira meaning man-destroyer, reflecting her role in Heracles’ death.
Conclusion
So far, we’ve been reading the myth of Deianira and how she ended up killing her husband by trying to win back his love. Here is a recap of what we’ve read:
- Deianira was the daughter of King Oeneus and Althaea of Calydonia, however, other versions say her father was King Dexamenus.
- Deianira was a beautiful, strong-willed and independent lady who had many suitors but rejected them all because she wasn’t ready for marriage.
- However, when she met Heracles, she fell in love with him and wanted to marry him but the river god Achelous proved a stumbling block.
- Therefore, Heracles challenged him to a wrestling match with the winner walking away with Deianira.
- Heracles won the match and married Deianira but a series of events led the couple to leave Calydonia and head for Thracis.
Heracles took Iole as a concubine which upset Deianira and in a bid to win back the love of her husband she ended up killing him. When she realized what she had done, Deianira was overcome with grief and she hanged herself.
