The Lernaean Hydra
“Kieeeek—!”
The heads of the Hydra were severed by the massive scythe of intent swung by Heracles. Kugugugung…… The space the scythe crossed split the landscape in two from that point onward. Trees, rocks, the earth—everything was cleaved apart and collapsed. It was an astonishingly tremendous sight.
Yet around the severed necks of the Hydra, the flesh writhed as if new heads were about to sprout. The sight of two heads wriggling up where one had fallen was nothing short of a nightmare. Three heads had been cut off; if left alone, six would grow in their place. The Hydra was a beast that multiplied without end.
“Iolaus, light the torch!”
“Yes!”
At Heracles’ shout, Iolaus poured the prepared oil jar over the severed cross-section of the Hydra. Chwaaak—! Iolaus brought the already-lit torch to the oil-soaked wound. Hwarurururuk— The Hydra’s neck burst into flames in an instant. Iolaus hoisted a thick chunk of wood with both hands and pressed it against the burning neck. Chiiiiiik……! With the sound of searing flesh, acrid smoke billowed upward like a cloud.
‘So that’s how they cauterized it.’
I had wondered what it meant to burn the Hydra’s neck with a torch, but the torch was only for igniting the oil; they had pulled up a tree to press against the wound. No wonder the Hydra couldn’t regenerate. When the smoke cleared, the cut surface had become a completely charred, blackened lump of charcoal.
We used this method to lure out the Hydra’s heads one by one and sever them. The Hydra’s tangled heads were helplessly cut and burned. The twelve necks dwindled to nine, then to six. But the Hydra did not simply take the beating.
Ssussuss— With six heads remaining, the Hydra crawled out of its cave. Having grasped our tactics, the creature no longer moved separately. All six heads acted in unison, scanning their surroundings.
We had expected this. Unless it was a fool, it would not simply endure the assault.
“Kiriririk……”
Poisonous breath dripped from the corners of the enraged heads as they surveyed their surroundings. Grass touched by the breath blackened and crumbled, and rotten trees split apart. Against such a monster, the standard approach would be to fight a guerrilla war, striking and retreating while wary of the poison. But Heracles was a true hero who did not rely on such tedious strategies.
“Iolaus, the moment I sever its heads, light the torch immediately.”
“Understood, Lord Heracles.”
Iolaus, his nephew, also showed no hesitation. He pulled up a thick tree—this was the torch?—and soaked it in oil, preparing to set it ablaze. Watching him with no trace of doubt, I asked Heracles,
“There are still many heads left. Are you sure this is all right?”
“Six heads are more than manageable.”
“The poison will be dangerous.”
“Jeanne beside you can purify it, can’t she?”
Jeanne, singled out by Heracles, spoke with little confidence.
“Yes, I can purify it. But if the poisoning exceeds a certain amount, it becomes difficult. About the size of a palm…… Anything more than that is impossible.”
“Then there’s no problem.”
“……?”
Did this man hear correctly?
“Lord Heracles, it’s only the size of a palm.”
“I heard you.”
“……”
Heracles had not misheard. He simply had no intention of being poisoned beyond the size of a palm. After all, in the original myths, Heracles was the monster who had fought the nine-headed Hydra head-on. And nowhere was it recorded that he had been poisoned by it. Against such a man, six heads were……
Heracles, gripping his olive-wood club, bent his knees. His feet dug into the ground. Then the bent knees straightened, and Heracles launched himself forward. Kwaaaang—! The ground he had stood on crumbled like a cookie. Before long, Heracles had flown right in front of the Hydra’s heads.
“Kii?!”
The Hydra’s eyes widened in shock at Heracles’ sudden appearance. Before it could react, the wooden club swung. Puh-uhk!
“Kieeeek?!”
One of the Hydra’s heads was struck squarely on the crown and went limp, unconscious. Kugugugung— A thick neck over ten meters long sprawled across the ground. It had taken only ‘one blow.’
And then—
Sgeoeok— The enormous scythe of intent sliced through the Hydra’s neck. As if waiting for this moment, Iolaus charged forward with a burning tree on his head and cauterized the wound. Chiiiiiik……! In an instant, one of the Hydra’s necks turned to ash.
‘Well, it can’t be helped.’
I had tried to proceed slowly and cautiously, but the moment Heracles moved, guerrilla tactics were no longer an option.
“Kieeeek!”
The enraged Hydra surrounded Heracles from all sides and lunged. Taang—! Taang—! I fired magic bullets to divert the Hydra’s attention.
“Kii?!”
Two of the Hydra’s heads turned toward the direction the bullets had come from.
“Lady Banesha, please buy us some time.”
“Yes, benefactor.”
Banesha lured the turned heads away. She moved freely between the boundaries of darkness and shadow, darting through the forest. Her ghostly speed and shadow-like agility left the Hydra utterly bewildered.
Meanwhile, Heracles moved nimbly, engaging the Hydra in close combat. Chiiiii…… Dodging the poison and swinging his club, Heracles was the very image of the hero from myth. True to his boast, he allowed not a single drop of poison to touch him.
While supporting Heracles, I scanned the surroundings. According to the myths I knew, the Hydra was not the only creature here. Hera, seeking to hinder Heracles’ labors, had sent the giant crab Carcinus as reinforcements. Yet Carcinus had not appeared while we fought the Hydra. The stealthy hunter was hiding somewhere, waiting to strike at Heracles’ ankle the moment he let his guard down.
I searched the ground for Carcinus. Then something strange caught my eye.
Ssreuk, ssreuk. The ground near Heracles was quietly ‘moving.’
Hera’s minion. The giant crab, Carcinus. And Heracles was about to step right on top of it.
I summoned the Twin Dragon Sword. Suaa…… A pure white aura enveloped the blade.
Three Feet Sworn to Heaven, Mountains and Rivers Stir.
Gripping the Twin Dragon Sword, I waited silently for the creature to move.
Then, at last—
Puhwaak—! Carcinus burst from the ground, aiming for Heracles. Its massive pincers lunged for his ankle. At the same moment, the Twin Dragon Sword swung. The pure white aura sliced through the pincer reaching for Heracles’ ankle. Kwagagagang—! The giant crab shell shattered along with the pincer, and its innards spilled out.
Startled, Heracles looked down. Carcinus, which had tried to grab his ankle, lay broken and pitiful. Heracles stomped on the shattered shell and leaped once more, swinging his club. The Hydra responded by opening its massive maw and spewing a poisonous mist.
Normally, Heracles would have retreated to avoid it. But—
Hwaaaat—! The light of the stigmata erupted, purifying the poisonous mist in an instant. It lasted only a moment, but that was enough. Heracles’ club tore through the clearing mist and struck the Hydra’s crown. Puh-uh-uhk!
Another head went limp and collapsed to the ground. Soon after, Iolaus cauterized the neck severed by the scythe, and including the heads Banesha had lured away, only three remained.
Finishing off the last three heads was easy. With the poisonous mist neutralized by Jeanne, the Hydra had no way to threaten Heracles. Banesha led the remaining heads to Heracles, who severed them all.
Kugugugugung— The Hydra’s body, now headless, lost its balance and collapsed. But it was not over yet.
‘The immortal head.’
According to myth, one of the Hydra’s heads possessed immortality and could not be killed. I watched the severed heads carefully.
A fleeting moment.
“Kieeeek!”
One of the severed heads snapped its eyes open and spewed poison in a surprise attack. Hwaaat! Jeanne, who had been on alert, reacted instantly, dispersing the poisonous mist.
“Kieeeek!”
The severed head writhed on its own, eyes bloodshot. Even though it had been cut from its body, the Hydra’s head showed no sign of dying. That was the true body of the Hydra. The ‘immortal head.’
“Kiek, kieeek.”
There was no way to deal with the creature that kept spewing poisonous mist in threat. If left alone, it would begin regenerating.
“We’ll have to bury it.”
Heracles approached the cliff where the Hydra’s cave was. He walked toward a large boulder near the entrance. The boulder was bigger than the cave mouth the Hydra had entered. Heracles dug his hands beneath the massive rock. And then—
Dudududud…… The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck, and dust rose. The boulder slowly lifted. Holding the rock above his head, Heracles turned toward the Hydra’s head. He bent his knees slightly. The ground beneath him sank deeply.
‘Surely not……’
Watching Heracles, I couldn’t help but curse.
“Crazy.”
Heracles’ back was arched like a bow.
“Benefactor, step back.”
Banesha, realizing Heracles’ intent, pulled me away. Jeanne raised a barrier with her holy power.
“Kieeeek! Kiek!”
The head-only Hydra flailed, trying to escape, but it was too late. Heracles’ bent waist snapped forward, and the boulder soared into the sky. Then—
Kuaaaaaaaaang—! A tremendous earthquake shook the ground. The boulder crushed the Hydra’s head, and the earth sank with a thud. Dust billowed upward, and sand struck Jeanne’s barrier. When the view finally cleared, a crater like a volcanic vent had formed. At its center was the massive boulder Heracles had thrown.
“This should keep it from moving.”
Heracles dusted off his hands. It was a crude solution, but the most certain one. Only Heracles could lift and move a rock of that size.
“Now let’s go report the completion of the labor.”
“Let’s.”
Heracles picked up one of the dead Hydra’s heads and began walking.
*
When we went to the Mycenaean palace to report the completion of the labor, we could not meet King Eurystheus of Mycenae. More precisely, we could not see his ‘face.’
—I-I have confirmed the completion of the labor.
A massive bronze jar was buried in the royal audience chamber, and Eurystheus’ voice echoed from within it.
“You don’t need to see it directly?”
—C-Copreus. Have you confirmed it?!
“Yes, it is indeed the Hydra.”
—It has been confirmed.
Eurystheus’ behavior was pitiful, but understandable. Who would want to approach a Hydra’s head that poisoned anything it touched? Heracles understood this and let it pass.
“What is the next labor?”
—Capture the golden-horned deer in Ceryneia. However, you must not inflict even the slightest wound.
“Understood.”
Having received his third labor, Heracles left the audience chamber carrying the Hydra’s head.
—C-Clean the audience chamber! Quickly!
Leaving Eurystheus’ screams behind.
Heracles seemed to think capturing the deer would not be difficult. But contrary to his expectations, he would spend a full ‘year’ completing the third labor. The Ceryneian deer was no ordinary stag.
‘The handmaiden of the moon goddess Artemis.’
The true identity of the golden-horned deer of Ceryneia was Taygete, one of the seven Pleiades and a handmaiden of Artemis. When Zeus had set his sights on Taygete, Artemis had disguised her as a deer and hidden her away.
Unaware of the truth, Heracles strode confidently out of the Mycenaean palace. He had not the slightest idea that capturing the deer would take an entire year. The key to this labor lay with the moon goddess Artemis.