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Lernaean HydraIn Greek mythology, The Lernaean Hydra was a snake-like beast that possessed nine (usually nine, it ranged from five to one hundred) heads and poisonous breath, killed by Herakles as one of his Twelve Labours. The Hydra was said to be the sibling of the Nemean Lion, and thus seeking revenge for Hercules' slaying of it. As such, it was said to have been chosen as a task for Herakles so that Herakles would likely die. Upon reaching the swamp near Lake Lerna, where the Hydra dwelt, Heracles covered his mouth and nose with a cloth to protect himself from the poisonous fumes and fired flaming arrows into its lair to draw it out. He then confronted it, but upon cutting off one of its heads he found that it (or two) grew back, the same happened again upon cutting off a second head; realising that he could not defeat the hydra in this way Heracles called on his nephew Iolaus for help. His nephew then came upon the idea (possibly inspired by Athena) of using a burning firebrand to scorch the neck stumps after decapitation and handed him the blazing brand. Heracles cut off each head and Iolaus burned the open stump leaving the hydra dead and taking its one immortal head he placed it under a great rock, and dipped his arrows in the hydra's poisonous blood, and so his second task was complete. In an alternate version, Hera sent a crab to bite his feet and bother him, hoping to cause his death. When Eurystheus found out that it was Heracles' nephew who had handed him the firebrand he declared that the labour had not been completed alone and as a result did not count towards the ten labours set for him. The term "Hydra" is often used today when referring to a problem that seems to share this sort of characteristic, for example when attempts to suppress a particular piece of information result in it being disseminated even more widely. Origin When the sun is in the sign of Cancer, the constellation Hydra is has its head near it. Also close by, beneath the sun, is the constellation of Cancer, which is a crab. The story of the Lernaean Hydra states that the hydra, and the crab, were put into the sky after Herakles slew them Mythology about fighting giant snakes, and snake-like animals, that are invincible, appear to be a general archetype in reference to a solid extensive battle line with an indefatigable opposing army, (e.g. the Lambton worm represents the mediaeval Scottish army's raids into England). Since Lerna is in the direction of Sparta, the most war-like of all nations, tales of Sparta's might (from the point of view of a victim) may have formed such a snake myth, making the choice of the location for the story. It is uncertain as to what the cauterising of the snake heads means, but it may derive from tales concerning a battle connected to Lerna, possibly indicative of setting fire to parts of the enemy (possibly the corpses) so as to disperse them. Lerna features in another myth as a fountain from Poseidon created in memorial of the daughter of Danaos (who represents the Danae, who appear in earlier works, such as the Illiad, as a seafaring group from elsewhere), which may be a myth of a failed attack on the native population by Danae, which the Danae later repeated successfully. The greek word for arrow, which is toxon, is closely related to the greek word for poison, which is toxis, thus the poison arrows that Herakles created from the Hydra's blood. Associations with the Nemaean lion may derive from recreating the surrounding narrative to suit an order in which the tale of the Hydra follows that of the lion.
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