Hydra
creatureA monstrous water serpent with multiple heads that grew two more whenever one was cut off. Slaying the Hydra was Heracles's second labor.
The Myth
The Lernaean Hydra was a serpentine water monster raised by Hera specifically to be a challenge for Heracles. It dwelt in the swamps of Lerna, guarding an entrance to the underworld, and its very breath was lethal poison.
When Heracles attacked the Hydra as his second labor, he discovered the terrible truth: for every head he cut off, two more grew in its place. The battle seemed hopeless. Making matters worse, Hera sent a giant crab to bite at Heracles's feet as he fought.
Heracles's nephew Iolaus devised the solution. After Heracles severed each head, Iolaus cauterized the stump with a burning torch, preventing regeneration. Finally, Heracles cut off the Hydra's one immortal head and buried it beneath a heavy rock. He dipped his arrows in the monster's venomous blood, creating the most deadly weapons in Greek mythology.
Parents
Typhon and Echidna
Symbols
Fun Fact
A "hydra" problem is one that multiplies when you try to solve it — cut off one head and two grow back.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth: