Chapter 25 The Tale of Hercules - 25

The last adventure that Heracles experienced was to crusade against Eurytus, the king of Ocaria. The king had promised that anyone who could shoot arrows better than him and his son could marry his daughter Iol, but later he Refused.In order to avenge him, Hercules summoned a powerful army, besieged Ocaria, broke through the city, killed the king and his three sons, and captured the young and beautiful Iol. At home Deianila anxiously awaited news of her husband's battle.At this time, there was a burst of cheers in the palace, and a messenger rushed back and reported: "Your husband, who has won a great victory, is about to return! His servant Likas is announcing the good news of victory to the people outside the city. Hercules' return will be delayed for a few days, because he is preparing a sacrifice to Zeus on the peninsula of Cenaeon in Euboea."

Soon, the follower Likas returned with a group of captives. "Greetings, my lady," he said to Deianira, "the cause of Hercules' justice has been won. We have captured the city and taken captives. Be kind to me, says your husband. These captives, and especially this unfortunate woman who kneels at your feet." Deianira looked at the young woman sympathetically.She lifted the girl up from the ground, and said: "Who are you, poor woman? You don't seem to be married, and you must come from a noble family! Tell me, Lycas, who is the father of this young girl?"

"How do I know? Why do you ask me?" Likas replied evasively, his expression revealed that he seemed to be hiding a secret. "Naturally, this woman," said Likas after a moment's hesitation, "was never born in a small family in Ocaria." Hearing this, the young girl let out a long sigh and remained silent.Deianila felt strange, but it was inconvenient to ask any more, and just asked someone to send the girl into the inner room, so that she should not be treated badly.When Lichas went to carry out her orders, the messenger who had entered first approached his mistress and whispered to him: "Deianira, do not believe Lichas. He has kept things from you. The truth. He himself said that Hercules fought against Ocaria only for the sake of this young woman. She is Iol, the daughter of Eurytus. Before Hercules knew you, She is very much in love. She is not your maid this time, but your competitor. She is the mistress of Hercules."

Deianira was very sad.But she immediately regained her composure, and ordered Likas, her husband's servant, to come to her.Likas swore to Zeus by pointing to the sky that he was telling the truth, and he really didn't know who the girl's father was.Deianira begged him not to play tricks on her. "Even though I might blame my husband for his infidelity, I would never hate this girl, because she never hurt me. I feel sorry for her. Her appearance has caused her misery and ruined her country." Leigh Seeing that Madam was so reasonable, Cass told her everything.Deianira did not reproach him at all, but only told him to wait a moment, while she was going to prepare a present for her husband in return for the captives he had given her.As Nessus the Centaurus died, she made an ointment of his poisoned blood and hid it out of the sun.She thought it was harmless, just a potion to bring back Hercules' love and devotion.Now she crept quietly into the small room, took out the blood ointment, and applied it to a precious piece of clothing with a woolen dip.Then she folded the dress and locked it in a pretty little box.After doing all this, Deianira threw the used wool on the ground, went outside, and gave the gift to the servant Likas.

"Bring this garment to my husband, please," she commanded, "I sewed it myself. No one can wear it but him. Before he wears it to worship the gods, It is my wish not to place it by the fire or in the sun. I will give you a ring as a token, and he will know that it is indeed my true message." Likas promised to do as she asked.He rushed to Oboa with gifts for the master who was about to sacrifice.A few days later, Hylos, the eldest son of Hercules and Deianira, went to visit his father, and he wanted to persuade his father to return home quickly.Deianila accidentally walked into the small room containing the blood ointment, and saw that the wool coated with the potion on the ground had turned to ashes in the sun, she couldn't help being shocked, and had a premonition that something was wrong.She was so scared that she walked around the palace, not knowing what to do.

His son Xu Ross finally came back, but there was no father by his side. "Oh, mother," he yelled at his mother full of hatred, "I wish there had never been you in this world, I wish you had never been my mother!" She was startled by her son's words, and quickly asked Said: "Son, what's the matter with you?" "I have just returned from Cenaion, mother," sobbed the son, "you have ruined father's life!" Deianira's face was pale, but he still asked him calmly: "Who told you this, my son? Who dares to slander me for doing such an outrageous thing?" "No, no one told me, it was me Witnessed the tragic end of my father," said the son.

"When I met him at Cenaion, he was busy slaughtering animals to sacrifice to Zeus. Then Lichas came, and he brought your gift, which is a cursed garment. The father put it on at once, and he liked the beautiful dress. He began to sacrifice. A total of twelve bulls were slaughtered that day. At the beginning, the father prayed very peacefully. But when the flames on the altar Beads of sweat broke out from his body as he rose, and the tights seemed to be made of iron on him, and he trembled intermittently, as if a poisonous snake was biting him. Father called out to Likas. Likas. Cass is in fact innocent, and he faithfully handed over your poisoned straitjacket. Licas comes, and he repeats what you commanded him. Father catches him at once, and throws him on the rocks by the sea He died, and threw his bones into the sea. His madness made people dare not approach him. He howled and rolled on the ground in pain, and then suddenly jumped up. He cursed you and your marriage. Finally, he He yelled at me: 'Son, if you feel sorry for my father, send me back to the boat. I can't die in a foreign land.' We carried him to the boat, and he screamed in pain, but finally returned to his hometown. You'll see him at once, alive or dead. That's what you've done, mother, for the shameful murder of the greatest hero ever alive!"

Deianira made no excuses for his son's reproach.She leaves him in despair.Some of the servants had heard her speak of the love potion that Nessus had given her, and they told the child that in his anger he had wronged his mother.When the son heard about it, he hurried after the unfortunate mother.But he came too late.Deianira lay stretched out on her husband's bed, dead.On her chest lay a sharp sword.The son lay beside his mother, crying bitterly and hugging his mother's body, deeply regretting his aggressive language.Suddenly, when he heard that his father had returned to the palace, he jumped up in fright.

"Son," cried Hercules loudly, "Son, where are you? Pull out your sword, point it at your father, point it at my neck, and kill me! Only then will you be free from the curse your mother gave you." My pain!" Then, turning in despair to those who stood by, and stretching out his hands to them, he said aloud, "Not a single spear, not a beast, not an army of giants can subdue me. But A woman's hand has conquered me! My son, kill me, and then punish your mother!" When Xu Ross told him that his mother had killed him unintentionally, and that she had drawn a knife and killed herself in order to atone for the crime.Hercules was stunned for a moment, turning from grief and indignation to sorrow.Immediately he married his son Hyloth to Iol, whom he had loved before and who had become his captive.Because the oracle at Delphi said that Hercules would die on Mount Itar in Traches, so despite the pain in his body, he still asked people to carry him to the top of Mount Itar.He ordered a pile of wood to be erected, placed him on the pile, and ordered a fire to be lit, but no one would carry out the order.At last, unable to withstand his repeated entreaties, his friend Philoctetes, seeing his pain, stood up and prepared to light the fire.To thank him, Hercules specially gave him his invincible bow and arrows.No sooner had the wood been lit than lightning flashed from the sky, fueling the flames.Finally, an auspicious cloud descended, sending the immortal hero to the holy mountain of Olympus in the sound of rumbling snow.When the wood was reduced to ashes, Iolaus and some other friends tried to collect his bones, but they found nothing.There is no doubt that Hercules has changed from a mortal to a god in response to the confession of the gods.They sacrificed to him and worshiped him as a god.Later, all the Greeks worshiped him as a god.

In the sky, he met his girlfriend Athena.She inducts the hero into the ranks of the gods.Hera forgave him and gave him her daughter Hebe in marriage.Hebe is the eternal goddess of youth. They lived on the holy mountain of Olympus and gave birth to many beautiful eternal children.