Hercules and Deianira

Hercules continued his journey by aiding the Olympus Gods in their battle with the Titans. He won the battle, freeing the Gods from captivity and saving the world from chaos. Hercules arrived at Claydon later in his life and fell in love with princess Deianira there. Hercules wrestled the river god Achelous in order to obtain her hand in marriage. Although Hercules and Deianira were happily married, the union would ultimately result in Hercules' demise. A perilous river was once being attempted to be crossed by the couple when Nessus, a centaur, offered to assist the woman. Nessus sought to rape Deianira as he got to the opposite side, revealing his true intentions. Hercules was compelled to shoot him with an arrow poisoned by the Hydra as a result.

The centaur, however, prepared a revenge plan on Hercules. He said that his blood was a love potion and that Deianira could make Hercules faithful by applying a small amount of it to the hero's clothing. Hercules and Deianira settled down in Trachis. She began to feel threatened by Iole, another princess, after a long time. She presented her husband with the garment stained with Nessus' blood out of fear that Hercules would desert her. Hercules was swiftly devoured by the venom, and the excruciating pain drove him insane. In order to put an end to his agony and his earthly life, he built his own funeral pyre on Mount Etna and threw himself into it.