Deianeira

Deianeira (or Deianira) was the daughter of Althaea and Oeneus, the king of Calydon. She was strikingly beautiful and became the third wife of the legendary hero Heracles when he won a contest against the fearsome river god Achelous for her hand in marriage. Later Heracles, rescued Deianeira from a wild centaur named Nessus, who had attempted to kidnap her as he was ferrying her across a river. As he lay dying, Nessus lied to Deianeira, telling her that a potion of oil and his blood would ensure that Heracles would never again be unfaithful. When Heracles later fell in love with Iole, Deianeira used the potion on his famous lionskin shirt, but the centaur's toxic blood burned Heracles terribly and, to escape the pain, he threw himself into a funeral pyre. In despair, Deianeira committed suicide by hanging herself or with a sword.