A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

HERACLES. HERACLES. 399.
his retlrn to Tegea, he became, by Auge, the father ing lole, began to fear lest she should supplant her
of Telephus [AUGE], and then proceeded to Caly- in the affection of her husband, to prevent which she
don, where he demanded Deianeira, the daughter steeped the white garment he had demanded in the
of Oeneus, for his wife. [DEIANEIRA; ACHELOUS.] preparation she had made from the blood of Nessus.
The adventures which now follow are of minor im- Scarcely had the garment become warm on the body
portance, such as the expedition against the Dryo- of Heracles, when the poison which was contained
pians, and the assistanchehe gave to Aegimius, king in the ointment, and had come into it from the
of the Dorians, against the Lapithae; but as these poisoned arrow with which Heracles had killed
events led to his catastrophe, it is necessary to sub- Nessus, penetrated into all parts of his body, and
join a sketch of them, caused him the most fearful pains. Heracles seized
Heracles had been married to Deianeira for Lichas by his feet, and threw him into the sea. He
nearly three years, when, at a repast in the house wrenched off his garment, but it stuck to his flesh,
of Oeneus, he killed, by an accident, the boy Eu- and with it he tore whole pieces from his body. In
nomus, the son of Architeles. The father of the this state he was conveyed to Trachis. Deianeira,
boy pardoned the murder, as it had not been com- on seeing what she had unwittingly done, hung
rmitted intentionally; but IHeracles, in accordance herself; and Heracles commanded Hyllus, his
with the law, went into exile with his wife Deia- eldest son, by Deianeira, to marry Iole as soon as
neira. On their road they came to the river Eue- he should arrive at the age of manhood. He then
nus, across which the centaur Nessus used to carry ascended Mount Oeta, raised a pile of wood,
travellers for a small sum of money. Heracles ascended, and ordered it to be set on fire. No one
himself forded the river, and gave Deianeira to ventured to obey him, until at length Poeas the
Nessus to carry her across. Nessus attempted to shepherd, who passed by, was prevailed upon to
outrage her: Heracles heard her screaming, and as comply with the desire of the suffering hero. When
the centaur brought her to the other side, Heracles the pile was burning, a cloud came down from
shot an arrow into his heart. The dying centaur heaven, and amid peals of thunder carried him
called out to Deianeira to take his blood with her, into Olympus, where he was honoured with imas it was a sure means for preserving the love of her mortality, became reconciled with Hera, and marhusband. (Apollod. ii. 7. ~ 6; Diod. iv. 36; ried her daughter Hebe, by whom he became the
Soph. Trach. 555, &c.; Ov. Met. ix. 201, &c.; father of Alexiares and Anicetus. (Hom. Od. xi.
Senec. Here. Oet. 496, &c.; Paus. x. 38. ~ 1.) 600, &c.; Hes. Tlheog. 949, &c.;. Soph. Traceh.
From the river Euenus, Heracles now proceeded 1. c., Philoct. 802; Apollod. ii. 7. ~. 7; Diod. iv.
through the country of the Dryopes, where he 38; Ov. Met. ix. 155, &c.;Herod. vii. 198; Coshowed himself worthy of the epithet "the vora- non, Narrat. 17; Paus. iii. 18. ~ 7; Pind. Neln.
cious," which is so often given to him, especially i. in fin., x. 31, &c., Isthlm. iv. 55, &c.; Virg. Aen.
by late writers, for in his hunger he took one viii. 300, and many other writers.)
of the oxen of Theiodanmas, and consumed it all. The wives and children of Heracles are enumeAt last he arrived in Trachis, where he was kindly rated by Apollodorus (ii. 7. ~ 8), but we must
received by Ceyx, and conquered the Dryopes. refer the reader to the separate articles. We may,
He then assisted Aegimius, king of the Dorians, however, observe that among the very great number
against the Lapithae, and without accepting a por- of his children, there are no daughters, and that
tion of the country which was offered to him as a Euripides is the only writer who mentions Macaria
reward. Laogoras, the king of the Dryopes, and as a daughter of Heracles by Deianeira. We
his children, were slain. As Heracles proceeded must also pass over the long series of his surnames,
to Iton, in Thessaly, he was challenged to single and proceed to give an account of his worship in
combat by Cycnus, a son of Ares and Pelopia (He- Greece. Immediately after the apotheosis of Hesiod. Scut. Her. 58, &c.); but Cycnus was slain. racles, his friends who were present at the termiKing Amyntor of Ormenion refused to allow Hera- nation of his earthly career offered sacrifices to him
cles to pass through his dominions, but had to pay as a hero; and Menoetius established at Opus the
for his presumption with his life. (Apollod. ii. 7. worship of Heracles as a hero. This example was
~ 7; Died. iv. 36, &c.) followed by the Thebans, until at length Heracles
Heracles now returned to Trachis, and there was worshipped throughout Greece as a divinity
collected an army to take vengeance on Eurytus of (Diod. iv. 39; Eurip. Here. Fur. 1331); but he,
Oechalia. Apollodorus and Diodorus agree in Dionysus and Pan, were regarded as the youngest
making Heracles spend the last years of his life at gods, and his worship was practised in two ways,
Trachis, but Sophocles represents the matter in a for he was worshipped both as a god and as a hero.
very different light, for, according to him, Heracles (Herod. ii. 44, 145.) One of the most ancient'was absent from Trachis upwards of fifteen months temples of Heracles in Greece was that at Bura, in
without Deianeira knowing where he was. During Achaia, where he had a peculiar oracle. (Paus. vii,
-that period he was staying with Omphale in Lydia; 25. ~ 6; Plut. de Malign. Herod. 3.1.) In the
and without returning home, he proceeded from neighbourhood of Thermopylae, where Athena, to
Lydia at once to Oechalia, to gain possession of please him, had called forth the hot spring, there
Iole, whom he loved. (Soph. Trach. 44, &c.; was an altar of Heracles, surnamed mAdU7rvTyose
*248, &c., 351, &c.) With the assistance of his (Schol. ad Aristoph. Nub. 1047; Herod. vii. 176);
allies, Heracles took the townof Oechalia, and slew and it should be observed that hot springs in
Eurytus and his sons, but carried his daughter general were sacred to Heracles. (Diod. v. 3;
Iole with him as a prisoner. On his return home' Schol. ad Pind. 01. xii. 25; Liv. xxii. 1; Strab.
he landed at Cenaeum, a promontory of Euboea, pp. 60, 172, 425, 428.) In Phocis he had a
and erected an altar to Zeus Cenaeus, and sent his temple under the name of Cao'yovqrls; and as at
companion, Lichas, to Trachis to fetch him a white Rome, women were not allowed to take part in his
garment, which he intended to use during the worship, probably on account of his having been
eacrifice. Deianeira, who heard.from Lichasrespect- poisoned by Deianeira. (Plut. Quaest. Roen. 57,