Michael Hurst broke his arm during the filming of an action sequence, so his injury was written into the plot of this Xena episode, and the injury is present in the next few filmed episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995). It is acknowledged in the disclaimer 'Iolaus was harmed during the making of this motion picture'.
Gabrielle's tale is based in a story from Plato's "The Symposium", which Plato credits to Aristophanes. The same story is known in popular culture as the basis for the number "The Origin of Love" in the Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Paul Norell, who plays the salesman, appears in other roles throughout the Xenaverse, including the recurring role of Falafel in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995).
In the original Greek myth, Prometheus was chained and tormented by Zeus, not Hera, as punishment for bringing fire to humanity.