Megara (Wife of Hercules)

Megara was the first wife of the Greek hero Herakles (better known as Hercules). She was the daughter of King Creon of Thebes who gave her in marriage to Hercules in gratitude for his help in winning back Creon's kingdom from the Minyans. Megara's story is best known through the work of the Greek playwright Euripides (480-406 BCE) and the later Roman playwright Seneca (4 BCE-65 CE) both of whom wrote plays concerning Hercules and Megara. Her story was known long before Euripides wrote his play, though, and different versions of her brief life with Hercules differ on detail and chronology but relate the same basic story.