Macaria (daughter of Heracles)

Lore & Background

Macaria was the daughter of Heracles and Deianira. After Heracles' immolation, King Eurystheus hunted down Heracles' descendants, eventually besieging them in Athens.

In Euripides' play Children of Heracles, Macaria flees with her siblings Alcmene and Iolaus from King Eurystheus, who is determined to kill all the children of Heracles, finding shelter at the court of King Demophon in Athens. Eurystheus demands their surrender, but Demophon refuses, even upon threat of war. An oracle foretells that the Athenians will only be victorious if a maiden of noble birth is sacrificed to the goddess Persephone.

Reader's Guide

Macaria's significance lies in her embodiment of noble self-sacrifice, a theme central to Greek tragedy. In Euripides' version, she willingly volunteers to be sacrificed, reasoning that dying on the altar is more noble than living as a coward who doomed a city. Iolaus admires her courage and suggests drawing lots, but Macaria insists she should die.

Demophon leads her away to be sacrificed as she says her final farewells. After her death, the Athenians honored her with expensive funeral rites, and a spring in Marathon was named after her. The 10th-century Byzantine lexicon Suda mentions a proverbial phrase connected to Macaria, 'be gone in blessedness,' used as a euphemism for those whose courage endangered them, equivalent to modern curses like 'go to hell.' Greek sophist Zenobius, however, said it was originally said for those who sacrificed themselves with valor, like Macaria.

Did You Know?

• The ancient Greek noun μακαρία translates to 'happiness' or 'bliss,' but can also mean 'foolishness.'
• In some versions, Heracles moved with his family to Trachis before his death, and after his death Eurystheus demanded their surrender.