The HydraBeast of Lake LernaThe Hydra is a beast from ancient Greek mythology that appeared in the tale of the twelve labours of Heracles (also called Hercules). It lived in Lake Lerna in Argolis and was the sibling of the Nemean lion. Its parents were the serpent-woman Echidna and the hundred headed Typhon. Other siblings of the Hydra were Cerberus, the Chimera and Ladon.The Hydra was a huge water serpent with many heads. The number of heads varies tremendously with different versions of the tale, however many people agree on nine. The number nine again. One of these heads was supposedly immune to harm, the others would grow back if cut off (some versions say that two heads would grow back in the place of one). It was also said to have poisonous breath. After terrorising the region of Lerna for many years, the Hydra was finally killed by Heracles. There are several versions of this story. The most common has Heracles attempting to kill the Hydra with normal weapons, only to realise that its heads would always grow back. So he called upon the help of his nephew Iolaus. Iolaus weilded a burning brand, and as each head was cut off by Heracles he cauterised the stump to prevent it growing back. To deal with the final head, Heracles ripped it off with his bare hands and buried it deep in the ground with a rock on top. Having eliminated the Hydra, Heracles dipped his arrows into its blood thus making them deadly poisonous.
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