Women, Weird and Wonderful: Iole, the Parachute Girl

After Herakles’ unaliving of his family – in a daze of insanity – the myths tell us he was on the lookout for a new bride. Beautiful princess Iole would do, and since her father had promised her to the best archer of his generation, he was confident she would be his. Only, her father wasn’t too keen on entrusting his daughter to a man with Herakles’ past. Myths vary in how Herakles took revenge, varying from stealing the royal horses, unaliving Iole’s brother and/or destroying the entire city. In the meanwhile he also met another beautiful princess, Deianeira. She was only too happy to comfort him and eagerly accepted to become the second mrs. Herakles. But to her distress, that didn’t keep him from going after Iole anyway, if not as a wife, than at least as a concubine. The poor girl threw herself out of a tower window to escape. And doing so, she inspired the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and the brothers Montgolfier. Because her garments opened up and carried by the wind, she landed safely. And invented the parachute.

Iole and Hercules, Santi di Tito, Palazzo Vecchio, Firenze, Italy

Iole with Hercules in the House of Eurytus, Column Krater, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France