Nessus (mythology) Nessus (mythology) In Greek mythology, Nessus (Ancient Greek: ) was a famous centaur who was killed by Heracles, and whose tainted blood in turn killed Heracles. He was the son of Centauros. He fought in the battle with the Lapiths and became a ferryman on the river, Euenos. Nessus is known for his role in the story of the Tunic of Nessus. After carrying Deianeira, the wife of Heracles, across the river, he attempted to force himself upon her. Heracles saw this from across the river and shot a Hydra-poisoned arrow into Nessus's breast. As he lay dying, as a
Greek mythology in popular culture Fairy Book". In C. S. Lewis's retelling of Cupid and Psyche, "Till We Have Faces", the narrator is Psyche's sister. Roberta Gellis's "Shimmering Splendor" is a retelling of Cupid and Psyche. The Italian poet Dante Alighieri used characters from the legend of Troy in his Divine Comedy, placing the Greek heroes in hell to show his contempt for their actions. Poets of the Renaissance began to widely write about Greek mythology, and "elicited as much praise for borrowing or reworking" such material as they did for truly original work. The poet John Milton used figures from classical mythology to "further