The second feat of Hercules: "Hydra Lernean"

Centuries later, the myths of Ancient Greece do not lose popularity among readers all over the world. The most interesting is the cycle of stories about Hercules. Each of the twelve feats has its own myth. "Lernaean Hydra" - the second feat of Hercules.

Who is Hercules?

Hercules - the most popular hero of ancient Greek myths. He is the son of the supreme god who lives on Olympus, Zeus and the wife of the hero Amphitryon - Alkmena. Homer remembers him repeatedly in the Iliad.

Dozens of myths about Hercules and his exploits have reached us. The most popular and interesting is the cycle of twelve myths about the exploits of Hercules, committed when he was in the service of Euryspheus, the Mycenaean king and his cousin.

The cult of Hercules in Greece

In Greece, Hercules was a cult person. His profile was minted on coins, retold adventures, all strong and resourceful people, too, compared with him. In Italy, the cult of Hercules spread through the Greek colonists, but the locals called it Hercules.

According to the myths of ancient Greece, the evil goddess Hera sent a terrible disease to Hercules. The great hero became a madman. Deprived of reason, in a fit of anger Hercules killed his own children, wives and children of Iphicles - a brother. When the attack passed, the hero realized that he had committed horrible murders, but it was too late. Deeply sorry and tormented by a sense of guilt, he still managed to cleanse the soul of an involuntary crime. After this, Hercules went to the sacred mountains of Delphi to ask advice from Apollo. He ordered the hero to go to the native lands of his ancestors - to Tiryns - and faithfully serve Eurystheus for twelve years. Hercules was predicted that he would gain eternal life and youth if he performed twelve incredible feats on the orders of Evrisfey. The hero agreed and became a servant of the feeble pitiful Mycenaean king.

"Lernaean Hydra"

Myth "Lernaean Hydra" is one of the most interesting in the cycle. You will be very interested to read it. The second feat of Hercules - "Lerney Hydra" - tells of the hero's battle with a terrible monster with nine dragon heads, one of which was immortal, and the body of the snake - the creation of Echidna and Typhon, born to kill Hercules. It was so poisonous that in the place that her body touched, nothing had ever grown, but from the very breath and the smell all life had perished.

The Lernea hydra in the swamp, not far from the picturesque town of Lerna, who suffered greatly from the terrible creature, inhabited. The Emperor Neuron wanted to measure the depth of the swamp, but to no avail: it turned out to be bottomless. For many travelers, the swamp became the last pier. Hydra Lernean often devastated a fertile, fertile place, killing its inhabitants. Only the real hero could kill the monster, and Hercules did it.

Duel of Hercules and monsters

Athena thought about how Hercules could defeat the Lernae hydra. After the hero reached Lerna's chariot, guided by Iolaus, the goddess of wisdom pointed out to him the place where the hydra lives, and advised him to fire fiery arrows in the swamp monster to force him out of the den. When he appeared, Hercules had to hold his breath. Hercules listened to the patroness. At that time, Hydra Lernaeus did not feel any danger, was fed and prepared for bed. Burning arrows irritated her and made him crawl out of the den. But the hydra wrapped its powerful, slippery and long body around the hero's leg, trying to knock him down and strangle him, and nine horrific heads began to hiss and breathe deadly poisons. Hercules even more tightly wrapped in the skin of a lion, which protected from the stings and bites of any creatures, and with all the force he beat a huge club over the heads of the monster, but in vain: as soon as he broke one head, several new ones appeared in its place. Suddenly, the hero felt a terrible sharp pain in his leg: from the bottomless swamp to the aid of the hydra crawled out huge sizes of cancer. He grabbed Hercules' foot, but he, gathering all his strength, in his fury, crushed him and called to the aid of his nephew, Iolaus, who set fire to a small part of the grove, and so that the hydra did not grow new heads, began cauterizing the logs on the necks with burning trunks Trees.

Hercules easily destroyed the eight heads of the hydra and finally reached the immortal head, which was almost all golden. When she fell to the ground, Hercules and Iolaus buried still the living and hissing heads of the Hydra deep into the earth, not far from the road to Eleut, and a very large rock was piled onto this place. The trunk of the monster Hercules chopped into pieces and dipped his arrows in his venomous bile, which now could instantly kill anyone. With great pride and glory, the hero returned to Tiryns, but Evrisfey already invented a new task with the help of Hera.

Another version of the end of the myth

Some retellings also indicate that Hercules still bit the Lerney hydra in nude, uncoated places. The hero was very ill and could die from a terrible poison. Hercules no longer hoped for healing, but the oracle gave him a chance, ordering him to find a magical flower in the East. In distant Phenicia, Hercules found the externally hydra-like lotus flower, which miraculously healed him.

With this feat, Hercules not only cleared his soul from the terrible crime, rescued people from the monster that devastated their land poisonous air, but even more famous in Tiryns and in their homeland.