DeianeiraDeianira

The last mortal wife of Herakles (Heracles); her name literally means “destroying her spouse.”

With the blessing of Deianeira’s father and the protection of Athene (Athena) and Nike, Herakles and Deianeira were married and had a son, Hyllos; sometime later, while they were traveling, they came to the river Evenus where they met the Centaur, Nessos; Nessos offered to carry Deianeira across the river on his back while Herakles waded across with Hyllos; Nessos quickly transported Deianeira across the river and, with unbridled depravity, tried to forcibly seduce her; Herakles fell on the Centaur with savage fury and moments later Nessos lay bleeding to death on the riverbank.

Before he died, Nessos managed to commit one last act of malice, he secretly told Deianeira that his blood was a powerful love potion; he said that if she were to put the magic blood on Herakles it would bind him to her forever; Deianeira collected some of Nessos’ blood and put it on Herakles’ cloak; the blood was poison to Herakles and it burned him like acid; Deianeira was horrified because she had mortally wounded the man she had hoped to bind with love; she killed herself in desperation.