Chapter 8 The Story of Hercules-8

The second task the king entrusted to Hercules was to kill the hydra Hydra.Hydra was the daughter of Typhon and Echidna.She was brought up in the marshes of Lena in Argolis, and she used to climb ashore, ruining the crops and endangering the livestock. She was fierce and gigantic, a nine-headed basilisk, eight of which could be killed, but the ninth, the one standing upright in the middle, was indestructible. Hercules took the risk with great courage.He drove there, and his nephew Iolaus, the son of his cousin Iphicles, drove him.Iolaus has always been with him, his inseparable right and left hand.The car drove hurriedly towards Lena.When they reached the hillside near the spring of Amimana, they saw the Hydra in the cave.Iolaus hastily pulled the horse by the reins, and Hercules jumped out of the chariot.He shot several arrows in a row, leading the hydra Hydra out of the cave.Hydra hissed and rushed in front of Hercules, holding his nine heads aggressively, looking very scary.

Hercules went forward fearlessly, grabbed her hard, and held her tightly.But she tangled Hercules' foot violently.Hercules hit her head hard with his club, but when one was shattered, another grew again.One of her giant crabs came to fight and helped Hydra.It bit Hercules' foot with its giant pincers.Hercules slew it with his club in a fit of rage, and at the same time called to Iolaus to come to his aid.Iolaus held on to the torch, set fire to the nearby woods, and then used the flaming branches to burn the newly grown snake's head to prevent it from growing.At this time, Hercules took the opportunity to cut off the immortal head of Hydra and buried it by the roadside with a heavy stone on it.Then, he split the snake's body in two, and soaked the arrow in the poisonous blood of the snake.From then on, the enemy who was hit by his arrow has no medicine to heal.