---
title: Deianira
author: Joshua J. Mark
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Deianira/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2023-02-21
---
# Deianira
_Authored by [Joshua J. Mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/JPryst/)_
Deianira was the second wife of the [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) hero and demi-[god](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) [Herakles](https://www.worldhistory.org/hercules/) (better known as [Hercules](https://www.worldhistory.org/hercules/), son of the god [Zeus](https://www.worldhistory.org/zeus/) and the mortal woman Alcmene). She was the daughter of King Oeneus and Queen Althaea of Calydon. During the time of Hercules' famous Twelve Labors, he had taken a kind of side-adventure to sail with [Jason and the Argonauts](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/425/jason--the-argonauts/) and, on this trip, met the hero [Meleager](https://www.worldhistory.org/Meleager/), Oeneus' son. When Meleager was born, the [Fates](https://www.worldhistory.org/Fates/) predicted that he would live until a log, presently burning in the family's hearth, was consumed. His mother instantly snatched the log from the fire, doused it with water, and hid it in a closet.
Many years later, after Meleager intentionally killed his brothers following the Calydonian Boar Hunt, Althaea, in her grief, retrieved the log, threw it into the fire, and Meleager died. Hercules later met the spirit of Meleager during his twelfth labor, when he went into the underworld to bring back the three-headed dog [Cerberus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cerberus/) who guarded the gates of [Hades](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hades/). Meleager told him he was troubled because his sister Deianira remained unwed on earth. He asked Hercules to return to the mortal plane and marry her so that she would not grow old and unloved in their father's house. Hercules promised the [ghost](https://www.worldhistory.org/ghost/) that he would marry the woman if he were able to.
### The Meeting of Deianira & Hercules
Once Hercules had completed his labors he then had further adventures, and whether he thought of Meleager and his request is never mentioned. There were certainly many other pressing events to occupy his mind. He killed Prince Iphitus of Oechalia and, to expiate this sin, sold himself as a slave to Queen Omphale who made him dress in [women](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/women/)'s clothes and do needlework with the ladies of the court.
Once Omphale set him free, he then embarked on further adventures such as the [conquest](https://www.worldhistory.org/warfare/) of [Troy](https://www.worldhistory.org/troy/), the [war](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/) with the Titans, and a mission of revenge against King Augeias whom he felt had cheated him earlier by backing out of an agreement they had made. A number of years passed before Hercules came to Calydon and met Deianira.
Whether he remembered his promise to Meleager seems irrelevant, since he quickly fell in love with the beautiful princess who was so independent that she drove her own [chariot](https://www.worldhistory.org/chariot/) and was adept in the arts of war. It also seems that Meleager did not have to worry about his sister's marital status, as she was of such beauty and charm that she had many suitors who wished to marry her. She was not interested in marrying any of them and, perhaps, was not even thinking of marriage until she fell in love with Hercules.
When Hercules declared his intentions, most of these suitors withdrew, but one of them, the river god Achelous, would not back down from the challenge of a mortal. He wrestled Hercules for Deianira's hand and would continually change shape just when Hercules' was on the point of winning. He finally changed himself into a bull and charged at Hercules who broke off one of his horns and would not return it until the god had capitulated, which he quickly did; Hercules and Deianira were then married.
### The Marriage of Deianira & Hercules
The new couple lived happily for a time in Calydon until he accidentally killed his father-in-[law](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/law/)'s cupbearer. Although it was an accident, and he was forgiven by the king, Hercules could not forgive himself and so decided to leave the kingdom with Deianira. On their travels, they reached the river Evenus and there met the [centaur](https://www.worldhistory.org/centaur/) Nessus who offered to carry Deianira across on his back. Upon reaching the other side, however, he tried to rape her and Hercules shot him with one of his arrows.
These were the same arrows Hercules had dipped in the blood of the nine-headed monster known as the Hydra during the second of his Twelve Labors in order to tip them with poison, as the Hydra's blood was extremely venomous. Nessus, therefore, was dying quickly as the poison pulsed through him, when he told Deianira that his blood possessed a special quality as a love potion, and that she should take some of it in a vial.
If ever she felt that Hercules might love another woman, he said, she should sprinkle the blood on his shirt and he would remain in love with Deianira forever, never even noticing other women. Nessus understood, of course, that his now-poisoned blood would be deadly to any mortal, and this was his revenge for Hercules' arrow.
[  Gilded Bronze Hercules Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/1169/gilded-bronze-hercules/ "Gilded Bronze Hercules")Hercules and Deianira left Nessus' corpse by the river and traveled on. They settled in the [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) of Trachis, started a family, and, again, were happy for a time until Hercules went to war against Eurytus who, like Augeius, had insulted him earlier in life. He killed Eurytus and took his daughter Iole (whom he had won before in an archery contest but been refused his prize by Eurytus) as his concubine. Another version of the myth relates how he helped [Artemis](https://www.worldhistory.org/artemis/) kill a boar which was ravaging the kingdom and was given Iole as a gift.
Hercules then prepared a victory feast and sent word to Deianira to send him his best shirt to wear at the festival. Deianira, fearing that Hercules was more fond of Iole now than of her, soaked the shirt in the blood of Nessus and then washed away the stains, leaving only the poison. As soon as Hercules put the shirt on, he was seized with agony and began to burn. He tore the shirt from his body, but the poison was already grafted to his skin.
Since he was a demi-god, he could not die quickly and so suffered as the poison penetrated his body, and he became weaker and weaker until, laying himself down on a funeral pyre he constructed, he died. His immortal part was taken by his father Zeus to dwell among the gods. Deianira, realizing she had been tricked by Nessus and had killed her husband, hanged herself.
### Deianira in [Literature](https://www.worldhistory.org/literature/)
Her story is sympathetically told in the Greek playwright [Sophocles](https://www.worldhistory.org/sophocles/)' tragedy *The [Women of Trachis](https://www.worldhistory.org/Women_of_Trachis/)* (written c. 450 BCE) and also by the [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) poet [Ovid](https://www.worldhistory.org/ovid/) (43 BCE - c.14 CE) in his *Heroides* where one of the chapters is presented as a letter from Deianira to Hercules when he was away, expressing her love for him and asking when he might return to her.
She is also featured in the play *Hercules Oetae'us* (Hercules on Oeta) by the Roman playwright [Seneca](https://www.worldhistory.org/Seneca/) (also known as Seneca the Younger, 4 BCE-65 CE) where she is depicted as a vindictive and jealous woman who kills Hercules out of spite. Historians have questioned whether the play was actually written by Seneca but, whoever wrote it, they drew heavily on Sophocles' earlier work, keeping many of the same scenes and the same progression and only seriously departing from it in the character of Deianira.
This version of Deianira, though a much less sympathetic rendering of the story, is in keeping with the meaning of her name: "man-destroyer". Earlier versions of her story generally present her as unwittingly causing Hercules' [death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/) out of her love for him and as a sympathetic character who dies tragically.
#### Editorial Review
This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).
## Bibliography
- [Bullfinch, T. *Bullfinch's Mythology.* Spring Books, 1963.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/B000SDED4S/)
- [Hamilton, E. *Greek and Roman Mythology.* Easton Press, 2009.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/8983470178/)
- [Harvey, P. *The Oxford Companion To Classical Literature.* Oxford University Press, 1966.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1179859359/)
- [Ovid. *Ovid's Heroines.* Yale University Press, 1991.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0300050933/)
- [Seneca. *Seneca.* Harvard University Press, 2004.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0674996100/)
- [Sophocles. *Four Tragedies.* Hackett Pub Co, 2007.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0872207633/)
## About the Author
Joshua J. Mark is World History Encyclopedia's co-founder and Content Director. He was previously a professor at Marist College (NY) where he taught history, philosophy, literature, and writing. He has traveled extensively and lived in Greece and Germany.
- [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/joshua-j-mark/38/614/339)
## Timeline
- **450 BCE**: Date of [Sophocles](https://www.worldhistory.org/sophocles/)' play The [Women of Trachis](https://www.worldhistory.org/Women_of_Trachis/), featuring [Deianira](https://www.worldhistory.org/Deianira/).
- **43 BCE - 14 CE**: Life of the poet [Ovid](https://www.worldhistory.org/ovid/) who features [Deianira](https://www.worldhistory.org/Deianira/) in his Heroides.
- **4 BCE - 65 CE**: Life of [Seneca](https://www.worldhistory.org/Seneca/) the Younger, who depicts [Deianira](https://www.worldhistory.org/Deianira/) in his play [Hercules](https://www.worldhistory.org/hercules/) on Oeta.
## Cite This Work
### APA
Mark, J. J. (2014, July 24). Deianira. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Mark, Joshua J.. "Deianira." *World History Encyclopedia*, July 24, 2014. .
### MLA
Mark, Joshua J.. "Deianira." *World History Encyclopedia*, 24 Jul 2014, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Joshua J. Mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/JPryst/ "User Page: Joshua J. Mark"), published on 24 July 2014. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.