The Hydra (also known as the Lernaean Hydra) was a Greek mythological serpent with any number of heads (usually nine, but the original number of heads varies depending on author). It is usually depicted as being from anywhere between 7 and 25 meters long and being around 6 to 13 meters tall. Where does the lernaean Hydra live?
What is a Lernaean Hydra?
The Lernaean Hydra, or simply the Hydra for short, is a gigantic dragon monster with nine heads, with the center one being immortal. It is one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna .
What is the name of the Hydra in Greek mythology?
Lernaean Hydra. Jump to navigation Jump to search. The Lernaean Hydra or Hydra of Lerna (Greek: Λερναῖα Ὕδρα, Lernaîa Hýdra), more often known simply as the Hydra, is a serpentine water monster in Greek and Roman mythology.
How many heads does a hydra have?
The Lernaean Hydra, or simply the Hydra for short, is a gigantic dragon monster with nine heads, with the center one being immortal. It is one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna . The Lernaean Hydra is a gigantic, ancient nameless serpent-like chthonic nine-headed water dragon.
What does the Hydra look like?
The body of the hydra itself was again snake like, and the Hydra was said to leave trails that were poisonous too, so avoiding the path of the beast was paramount.
How big is Lernaean Hydra?
between 7 and 25 meters longThe Hydra (also known as the Lernaean Hydra) was a Greek mythological serpent with any number of heads (usually nine, but the original number of heads varies depending on author). It is usually depicted as being from anywhere between 7 and 25 meters long and being around 6 to 13 meters tall.
What is the Lernaean Hydra known for?
It had poisonous breath and blood so virulent that even its scent was deadly. The Hydra possessed many heads, the exact number of which varies according to the source. Later versions of the Hydra story add a regeneration feature to the monster: for every head chopped off, the Hydra would regrow two heads.
Who killed the Lernaean Hydra?
HYDRA LERNAIA (Lernaean Hydra) was a gigantic, nine-headed water-serpent, which haunted the swamps of Lerna. Herakles (Heracles) was sent to destroy her as one of his twelve labours, but for each of her heads that he decapitated, two more sprang forth.
Which head of Hydra was immortal?
Hera, who had raised the monster specifically to kill Heracles, sent a giant crab in aid of the hydra. The hero, though, crushed it under his giant foot. The final head of the Hydra was immortal, and Heracles managed to destroy it by using a golden sword that the goddess Athena had offered him.
Are hydras evil?
There is no terrorist organization more malevolent, nor influential, than Hydra. Having some of the most evil villains in history among its ranks, Hydra has been wreaking havoc around the globe since World War II.
What is a 3 headed dragon called?
The three-headed flying dragon remains Godzilla's greatest and most dangerous enemy.
Is the Hydra male or female?
Hydra can be either hermaphroditic (having both male and female sex organs) or be separate sexes.
Does the Hydra grow 2 heads?
Anyone who attempted to behead the Hydra found that as soon as one head was cut off, two more heads would emerge from the fresh wound. The destruction of the Lernean Hydra became one of the 12 Labours of Heracles.
Is the Hydra a dragon?
The hydra is a multiheaded dragon, with anywhere between 3 to 7 heads recorded, but there are rumors of them having many more. It is the only dragon that reproduces by splitting its head. It is also one of the only dragons with only two legs and two useless wings.
How are hydras killed?
Each time Hercules bashed one of the hydra's heads, Iolaus held a torch to the headless tendons of the neck. The flames prevented the growth of replacement heads, and finally, Hercules had the better of the beast. Once he had removed and destroyed the eight mortal heads, Hercules chopped off the ninth, immortal head.
How old is Hydra?
Some of us age more gracefully than others, but perhaps no animal group does it better than the tiny freshwater polyps known as hydras.
Who killed Cerberus?
HeraclesHeracles carried Cerberus away, showed him to Eurystheus, then returned Cerberus to the underworld. In an apparently unique version of the story, related by the sixth-century AD Pseudo-Nonnus, Heracles descended into Hades to abduct Persephone, and killed Cerberus on his way back up.
What is the significance of Hydra?
The Hydra, a small freshwater invertebrate, is an advantageous model organism for regenerative biologists. Named after the serpent from Greek mythology that grew two new heads for each one cut off, this tiny, jellyfish-like creature holds within its genomic code the key to biological immortality.
What did the Hydra do?
The Hydra was a serpent-like water monster with nine heads that is often referenced in Greek mythology. It was an offspring of Typhon and Echidna bred by Hera to kill Hercules. It was Hercules responsibility to slay the beast during his twelve Labors for King Eurystheus.
What are the hydras powers?
PowersImmortality - The largest of the Hydra's head is immortal, and cannot be damaged by conventional weapons. ... Regeneration - With all other heads, the Hydra would grow two for every one that was cut off. ... Poisoned Blood - The blood of the Hydra was known to be a powerful poison.More items...
What does the Greek Hydra represent?
Hydra symbolizes rapid renewal and regeneration; when one of the creature's heads is cut off, one or more heads grow back immediately.
History
Lernaean hydras ( pronounced: / l ɛ r ˈ n eɪ ʌ n / ler-NAY-un) were a rare variety of hydra.
Description
These creatures resembled the standard hydra, a multi-headed reptile with scales that ranged from grayish-brown to dark brown.
Abilities
A lernaean hydra would grow two necks and heads whenever one was severed, though this could be prevented by applying fire or acid to the injured neck stump. In ages past, this ability was apparently unique to the Lernaean hydra, but later all hydras possessed this trait.
History
A fifty-headed Lernaean hydra was said to have been slain by the giant goddess Hiatea in order to prove herself to her father, Annam All-Father. She was said to have used her enchanted spear to slay it, preventing the regeneration of its heads by cauterizing them with fire.
Ecology
Like most hydras, Lernaeans lived solitary lives and only gathered for the purpose of mating.
How many heads does the Lernaean Hydra have?
Trust me, it's as hard and controversial as it sounds. The Lernaean Hydra, or simply the Hydra for short, is a gigantic dragon monster with nine heads, with the center one being immortal. It is one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna .
What are Lernaean Hydra's powers?
Powers and Abilities. It had poisonous breath and blood so virulent that even its scent was deadly. There is also a regeneration feature to the monster: for every head chopped off, the Lernaean Hydra would regrow two heads. The middle and dominant hydra head (the front and biggest) was immortal and breathed fire.
What was the destruction of Lernaean Hydra?
The destruction of the Lernaean Hydra was one of the 12 Labors of Heracles (or Hercules ), which he accomplished with the assistance of Iolaus. It had many heads and every time someone would cut off one of them, two more heads would grow out of the stump.
Why did Heracles cover his nose and mouth with a cloth?
When Heracles reached the lake Lerna, he had to cover his nose and mouth with a cloth, in order to protect himself from poisonous gases that were emitted.
How many heads does a Hydra grow back?
In the Euthydemus of Plato, Socrates likens Euthydemus and his brother Dionysidorus to a Hydra of a sophistical nature who grows two arguments for every one refuted. Palaephatus, Ovid, and Diodorus Siculus concur with Euripides, while Servius has the Hydra grow back three heads each time; the Suda does not give a number. Depictions of the monster dating to c. 500 BC show it with a double tail as well as multiple heads, suggesting the same regenerative ability at work, but no literary accounts have this feature.
How many heads did Heracles cut off?
After he managed to lure the monster out of its lair, Heracles quickly cut one of its heads off, only to realize in despair that two new heads had grown. As one head was cut off, two grew in its place.
Which hydra has no legs?
The serpentine, aquatic hydra with fins on its head and usually no legs was the Lernaean Hydra which Heracles fought. The other is the terrestrial hydra which is the one with 4 legs and horns and spikes which is usually in other tales. Both of these hydra's could have any number of heads and does not have a set amount.
How many heads did the Lernaean Hydra grow?
Something that should have proved advantageous to Heracles though soon became a disadvantage for from the open neck wound, the Lernaean Hydra grew two new heads fully formed.
What constellation is Lernaean Hydra?
Hera would subsequently place the likeness of the Lernaean Hydra amongst the stars as the constellation Hydra; and also at the same time placed Carcinus as the constellation Cancer. Some also tell of how the Lernaean Hydra was actually resurrected to become a physical protector of the Underworld, alongside Cerberus.
Why is Lernaean hydra undrinkable?
The presence of the Lernaean Hydra in the waterways of Hydra though, also resulted in the bountiful freshwater becoming undrinkable, as the poisonous gasses released from its heads contaminated all of the water.
Why is Lernaean Hydra so famous?
The Lernaean Hydra of course became famous because of the adventures of the Greek hero Heracles.
What was the second monster in the story of Hera?
This second Greek monster was a gigantic crab, Carcinus, but compared to the Hydra it was an insignificant monster, and although it did manage to grab the leg of Heracles, the hero simply crushed it beneath his feet.
Where is the Hydra's home?
Lerna was the name given to a region found on the eastern coast of the Peloponnese, south of Argos. The region was especially noted for its lakes, springs and swamps, these being gifts from Poseidon, and initially for the purity of the freshwater found there and its healing properties.
Who is the mother of the Lernaean Hydra?
The Lernaean Hydra was the monstrous offspring of Echidna, the mother of monsters, and Typhon, the most powerful of all monsters in Greek mythology. This made the Lernaean Hydra sibling to other notable monsters, including the Chimera, Cerberus and the Colchian Dragon.
What is the Lernean Hydra?
Hydra, also called the Lernean Hydra, in Greek legend, the offspring of Typhon and Echidna (according to the early Greek poet Hesiod ’s Theogony ), a gigantic water-snake-like monster with nine heads (the number varies), one of which was immortal. The monster’s haunt was the marshes of Lerna, near Árgos, ...
Where is Heracles battling the Lernaean Hydra?
Heracles battling the Lernaean Hydra. Heracles (Hercules) battling the Lernaean Hydra; at the southern entrance to the Hofburg (Imperial Palace) in Vienna. © v0v/Fotolia. Britannica Quiz. A Study of Greek and Roman Mythology.
How many tentacles does a Hydra have?
The name hydra has been assigned to a genus of invertebrate freshwater animals having a circlet of 4 to 25 tentacles on one end of its tubelike body. This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn, Managing Editor, Reference Content.
Where is the Hydra's haunt?
The monster’s haunt was the marshes of Lerna, near Árgos, from which he periodically emerged to harry the people and livestock of Lerna. Anyone who attempted to behead the Hydra found that as soon as one head was cut off, two more heads would emerge from the fresh wound. Heracles battling the Lernaean Hydra.
Who helped Heracles destroy the Lernean Hydra?
The destruction of the Lernean Hydra became one of the 12 Labours of Heracles. For that and other labours, Heracles enlisted the aid of his nephew Iolaus. As Heracles severed each mortal head, Iolaus was set to the task of cauterizing the fresh wounds so that no new heads would emerge.
What are the characteristics of a hydra?
The defining feature of the Hydra was of course its multiple serpentine, snake like heads, with sharp curved teeth the Hydra would be able to deliver poison fast enough to render a man immovable in minutes. The body of the hydra itself was again snake like, and the Hydra was said to leave trails that were poisonous too, so avoiding the path of the beast was paramount. Finally the overall size of the Hydra was large compared to an average snake, but not as big as might be expected, the height of a Hydra in its body was less than a man, but with the multiple heads the Hydra could stand tall.
What is the mythical Greek hydra?
The Mythical Greek Hydra was a serpentine water beast that had multiple heads , the guardian of the underworld the Hydra was a formidable foe and deadly in multiple ways. Not only could the Hydra strike with many of its heads, each snake like head contained sharp teeth, and poisonous breath deadly to humans. Worse still, were you to try and defend yourself against the Hydra, with a sword or similar edged weapon, if you cut off one of the Hydras many head, two would grow back in its place.
Where did the Hydra live?
The Hydra lived in a discreetly hidden cave at Amymone Spring situated at Lerna which was considered one of the entrances to the Underworld, and was located in southern Argolis in Greece. Hera the sister of Zeus raised the Hydra specifically with the intention of killing her own brother Hercales.
Who helped Hercales kill the Hydra?
Hercales would travel to Lerna with his nephew Iolaus to help him kill the Hydra. Drawing the Hydra out from the cave using flaming arrows, Hercales engaged the Hydra when it came into melee distance. With each of the head of the Hydra growing back double after Hercales sliced them off, it was Iolaus who helped Hercales to seal the necks of the Hydra using a torch to stop them from growing back. When Hercales finally overpowered the Hydra and sliced off its final head, he buried the head under a mighty rock to ensure the Hydra would forever be beaten. Thus the Hydra met it’s end at the hands of Hercales and Hera plan was foiled.
Overview
- These creatures resembled the standard hydra, a multi-headed reptile with scales that ranged from grayish-brown to dark brown.
Appearance
Personality
Powers and Abilities
History
Myths and Legends
- The Lernaean Hydra possessed many heads, the exact number of which varies according to the source. It is usually depicted as being from anywhere between 7 and 25 meters long and being around 6 to 13 meters tall. This is not correct or incorrect as the hydra is usually fought at different stages of its life depending on the version of the legend. Co...
Trivia
- Similar to the Beast, she does not have a "human" personality, instead having a more animalistic personality, driven by instinct. This can be reinforced by the fact that she is a child of Typhon, the personification of natural disasters, literally a force of nature driven by a desire for destruction. However, like her father, it is likely that she still has some rationality, probably being much more i…