Deianeira

Greek mythology

Also known as: Deianira

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Last updated

June 25, 2026

Quick Summary

Deianeira was a figure in Greek mythology, known primarily as the wife of the hero Heracles. She was also the daughter of Oeneus, king of Calydon. Her story is one of tragic love and unintended consequences.12

Deianeira married Heracles after he fought the river god Achelous for her hand. However, Heracles was a wanderer, often away on his famous Labours or other adventures. During one of Heracles's absences, Deianeira sent him a garment treated with a supposed love charm, which was actually the poisoned blood of the centaur Nessus. This charm proved to be a deadly poison, leading to Heracles's agonizing death. In Sophocles's play Trachinian Women, Deianeira's desperate attempt to keep Heracles's love results in his demise and her own subsequent suicide.13

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Heracles
…Achelous for the hand of Deianeira. As he was taking her home, the Centaur Nessus tried to violate her, and Heracles shot him with one of his poisoned arrows. The Centaur, dying, told Deianeira to preserve the blood from his wound, for if Heracles wore a garment rubbed with it…
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…Achelous for the hand of Deianeira. As he was taking her home, the Centaur Nessus tried to violate her, and Heracles shot him with one of his poisoned arrows. The Centaur, dying, told Deianeira to preserve the blood from his wound, for if Heracles wore a garment rubbed with it…
Read More