The Story of the Hydra

The Story of the Hydra

The Hydra is a ugly as sin but it was not always like this. Back a long time ago there was this beautiful woman given the rare chance to join a beauty contest. Its name was the Hydra and its beauty is unmatched. For years the Hydra won competition after competition, people started to become jealous.

One day the people had enough and called on the gods to help make the Hydra lose the beauty competition. The god answered and they truly over did what the mortals asked.

The gods gave the Hydra multiple heads and the face of an eel like face and a horrid smell. After overdoing the townspeople's wish they sent Hydra to guard a swamp near the village. The Hydra was never permitted to leave the swamp and to defend its new home with its life.

The hydra saw its own reflection in the swamp water and agreed to protect the swamp seeing that she could never return to the village. Over the years, people who came near the swamp the Hydra was bound to protect would disappear and anyone who survived that made it long enough would describe the Hydra as a ugly beast and usually would pass from an unknown disease.

Hercules as part of his 12 labors was to defeat the hydra but the hydra had one trick up its sleeve, the Hydra with its unsealed wounds could regenerate its heads. Hercules after cutting two of the Hydra’s heads off and them coming back, Hercules was assisted by his nephew Iolaus. When Hercules cut of a head of the Hydra, Iolaus would burn the wound to seal it. After the final head was removed the Hydra finally fell and peace was brought to the swamp.

People started coming back and collecting resources, but even from the grave the Hydra still claimed people’s. After falling the Hydra left a deadly disease that was released upon the swamp but it only affected people. To this day the disease still lingers but no longer takes the lives of people at the rate as first released. The Hydra’s spirit may finally rest when the disease finally disappears.