The Death and Apotheosis of Heracles
The poisoned garment of Nessus brings unbearable suffering to Heracles, whose mortal life ends before he is received among the gods.
The Story
Deianira eventually feared that Heracles had fallen in love with another woman.
Remembering the instructions of Nessus, she treated a garment with what she believed was a love charm.
The garment was sent to Heracles.
But Nessus had deceived her.
The substance contained poison.
When Heracles put on the garment, the poison began to burn into his body.
The suffering became unbearable.
Heracles could not simply remove the garment without tearing away his own flesh.
Recognising that his mortal life was ending, he ordered a funeral pyre to be prepared.
He climbed onto it.
The mortal career of the greatest Greek hero came to an end.
Yet this was not the end of Heracles.
An important strand of Greek tradition held that his divine part was received on Olympus.
Heracles was thereafter honoured not simply as a dead hero but also as a god.
The figure who had spent his life moving between the mortal and divine worlds finally crossed permanently into the company of the Olympians.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Heracles' apotheosis provides the conclusion to his mythological life and explains his unusual status as both hero and deity in Greek religion.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient sources vary over the details of the pyre, who ignited it and how Heracles' transition to Olympus was understood.