Topic Archive

Myths about Poison

Explore myths connected by the recurring theme of Poison across cultures, characters, and sacred places.

2 myths currently featured for Poison.

Sinfjötli Dying After Being Poisoned by the Vengeful Queen Borghild

🪓 Norse MythologyBorg Chieftain's Hall, Lofoten, NorwaySinfjötli • Sigmund • Borghild

Following a dispute over a woman that led to the death of Queen Borghild’s brother, the hero Sinfjötli is targeted by his stepmother in a deceptive funeral feast. Despite his father Sigmund's attempts to protect him by drinking the poisoned ale himself, Sinfjötli is eventually forced by pride and circumstance to consume the final toxic draft. This tragic end to the fiercest of the Völsung...

The Tragedy of Pholus and the Divine Wine

🏛️ Greek MythologyMount Pholoe, Elis, GreeceHeracles • Pholus • Chiron

While hunting the Erymanthian Boar, Heracles visits the wise centaur Pholus, but their feast turns into a bloody battle when the scent of sacred wine attracts wilder centaurs. In the tragic aftermath, Pholus accidentally kills himself with one of Heracles' poisoned arrows while marveling at its lethality.