Iole with Heracles in the house of Eurytus, as depicted on the seventh-century Eurytos column-crater, Louvre. Iole's name is given in its Corinthian (Doric) form Ϝιόλᾱ ("Viola"), with digamma and a local Σ-shaped form for iota. It is located under the name of Heracles in the right upper corner of the image.

Deianeira, fearing Hercules loved the captive princess Iole, sent him the tunic soaked in Nessus's blood as a supposed love charm. The moment Hercules put it on, the Hydra venom — still present in the centaur's blood — began to burn through his flesh. He could not remove it; the skin tore away with the cloth. Even his divine strength was no match for this slow, invisible fire.

Builds His Own Funeral Pyre on Mount Oeta

View full imageHercules On Mount Oeta, By John Flaxman (c. 1755-1826)

Unable to bear the agony, Hercules built a great pyre on Mount Oeta in Thessaly and climbed upon it. No one would light it until Philoctetes agreed — and in return Hercules gave him his legendary bow and Hydra-poisoned arrows, which would later win the Trojan War. Deianeira, learning what she had done, took her own life.