Hercules Task #2 – HYDRA

This isn’t Captain America. For the real Hydra, the monster Hydra, the Greek curse existed long before Steve Rogers fought the Nazi organization, HYDRA.  

Hercules had returned to Eurystheus with the pelt of the Nemean Lion. Next, Hercules was to slay the Lernaean Hydra. Hydra was a snake monster that lived in Lake Lerna. Hydra had nine heads, of which one was immortal.

Some background …

• Lerna was near the Peloponnesus eastern coast, just south of Argos
• Located between the mountains and the sea made this area important to travelers
• Lerna was one of the entrances to the underworld
• The lake was said to have no bottom and would suck swimmers to its depth
• The lake is also called “the Lake of Darkness” in Shakespear’s King Lear

The lake, especially the surrounding swampy area, was said to be covered by a poisonous mist. So Hercules covered his mouth to prevent breathing the poison in. The monster too had poisonous breath – as well as a blood that if spilled and smelled, would prove fatal.

The myth, especially later writings and also mentioned in the Captain America movies, believes that to cut a head of Hydra off would just result in the Snake Monster regrowing two heads. 

So to “cut off a hydra” came to mean a task that was endlessly futile.

To overcome this task, Hercules got help from his nephew Iolaus. Iolaus would wait for Hercules to cut one of the snake’s head.  Then, the nephew would use a firebrand and caterize the head stump before it could grow back.

SMART MOVE … Herc saved some of the Hydra’s blood and used it when attacking other monstrous foes. Herc would dip arrows in the blood and kill monsters like the Stymphalian Birds of the giant Geryon.

Hera, the offended step mother, now is furious that Herc killed the monster she sent to kill him. She put the monster into the sky and created the constellation Hydra. 

Lessons …
– Don’t think a job is finished until it’s really finished

– Sometimes we need friends to accomplish tasks

– Even bad things in our lives can help us overcome other bad things later