Deianira

Before he had quite completed the destruction of the city, he sent home—where Deianira, his devoted wife, was waiting for him to come back from Omphale in Lydia—a band of captive maidens, one of them especially beautiful, Iole, the King’s daughter.

This news was not so hard for Deianira as might be expected, because she believed she had a powerful love-charm which she had kept for years against just such an evil, a woman in her own house preferred before her.

He took Deianira on his back and in midstream insulted her.

Before he died he told Deianira to take some of his blood and use it as a charm for Hercules if ever he loved another woman more than her.

In his first agony he turned on Deianira’s messenger, who was, of course, completely innocent, seized him and hurled him down into the sea.