Gods,Heroes,Myths Greek Mythology Homer's epics,Expeditions

Near Argos and Tiryns, there was a lake called Lerna. The ancient Greeks believed that this lake extended all the way to the Underworld. Within its waters and among the roots of enormous plane trees lived a dreadful serpent with nine heads, known as the Lernaean Hydra. At night, the Hydra would emerge from the lake and attack animals. The local inhabitants avoided confronting it due to the danger it posed. They believed that the Hydra was the daughter of Echidna and the sister of the Nemean Lion, and that if one of its heads were cut off, two new heads would grow back in its place.

"I want you to kill the Lernaean Hydra," said Eurystheus to Heracles after a long time. "This will be your second labor."

This time, Heracles took with him his beloved nephew, Iolaus, who was the son of his brother Iphicles. Arriving at the edge of the lake, they saw the dreadful serpent disturbing the waters and hiding in its lair among the tree roots.

"We need to drive it out of there," said Heracles, and he kindled a large fire with the help of Iolaus.

"How will we deal with it in its lair?" asked Iolaus, losing his composure at the sight of the terrible serpent. "If we enter the lake, the Hydra will easily seize us and drag us to the depths."

"Don't worry, Iolaus, we won't be going into the lake," Hercules replied. "Make sure the fire burns brightly, and you'll see how we'll deal with the Lernaean Hydra."

Iolaus carefully carried large pieces of wood and threw them onto the blazing fire, while Hercules placed his iron arrows among the flames. As the arrows heated and turned red, Hercules shot them one by one with his bow into the Hydra’s lair. The dreadful water-serpent, unable to withstand the heat, was forced to emerge from its den. Then the fearless Hercules grabbed the axe he had brought and launched a vigorous attack on the lake monster. The Hydra attempted to strike Hercules with its nine heads, but one of its heads was completely severed by the sharp axe. In place of the severed head, two new heads grew!

However, Hercules was not only brave but also clever.

"Bring me a burning piece of wood quickly!" he said to Iolaus. "Every head I cut off, I will burn with the fire to prevent new ones from growing in its place."

And so it was done. Iolaus placed the burning wood on the spot of the second head that Hercules had cut off, and this time no new heads grew back.

The Hydra's heads were cut off one by one. After that, only the large, immortal head remained. Hercules then cut off this head and buried it deep in the ground to ensure it would not find a way to resurface.

When Hercules returned to Tiryns, Eurystheus could hardly believe he was seeing Hercules alive before him. He was certain that this time the hero would not have succeeded and that the Hydra would have drowned him in the waters of Lerna.

"How did you manage to return alive?" he asked. "Or... perhaps you were scared and never went to Lerna at all?"

"The Hydra no longer exists," Heracles explained to him. "On the shore of Lerna, you can find its severed heads."

Nevertheless, the king of Tiryns continued to devise even more dangerous challenges for Heracles. He believed that, surely, in one of these, the hero would lose his life.