Oechalia
A city whose king Eurytus refused to honour his promise to give Heracles his daughter Iole, sparking the hero's final tragedy.
The Story of Oechalia
Eurytus, king of Oechalia, was a master archer who had taught Heracles the art of the bow in some traditions. He offered his daughter Iole as a prize to any man who could beat him and his sons in an archery contest. Heracles won, but Eurytus refused to hand over Iole, fearing what Heracles might do in one of his madness episodes. Years later, Heracles sacked Oechalia, killed Eurytus and his sons, and took Iole captive. It was the news of this captive that drove his wife Deianeira to send the fatal shirt, setting off the chain of events that led to Heracles' death on Mount Oeta.
Parents
{Eurytus (king)}
Children
{Iole,Iphitus (prince)}
Symbols
Fun Fact
The sack of Oechalia is the event that triggers the entire end of Heracles' story — Iole, the woman at the centre of it, is sometimes called the true cause of Heracles' death.
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