THE SECOND LABOR--HERAKLES KILLS THE WATER-SNAKE OF LAKE LERNA
Not far from Mykenæ is a small lake called Lerna. It is formed from a
large spring at the foot of a hill. In this lake there lived a
water-snake called the Hydra. It was a snake of uncommon size, with
nine heads. Eight of the heads were mortal, but the one in the middle
was immortal.
The Hydra frequently came out of the water and swallowed up herds of
cattle, laying waste the surrounding country. Eurystheus ordered
Herakles to kill the snake, so he put on his lion's skin, and taking
his club, started out. He mounted his chariot and took his faithful
friend Iolaos, who acted as charioteer.
Every warrior had to have a charioteer to drive the horses, leaving
him free to use both of his hands. But driving was by no means the
charioteer's only duty; he had also to look out for danger and
protect the warrior with his shield as well as to supply him with
arrows from the quiver suspended at the side of every chariot, and
with reserve spears when his own was broken in the fray.
It is clear, therefore, that the warrior's life was entirely in the
hands of his charioteer, so it is no wonder that only the hero's
dearest and most trusted friends were allowed to serve him in this
way.
After driving along for a while through groves of olive-trees and past
pleasant vineyards, they came to wild places and saw Lake Lerna
gleaming through the trees. Having reached the lake, Herakles
descended from the chariot, left the horses in care of Iolaos, and
went to hunt for the snake.
He found it in a swampy place where it was hiding. Herakles shot some
burning arrows at the Hydra and forced it to come out. It darted
furiously at him, but he met it fearlessly, put his foot upon its
tail, and with his club began to strike off its heads. He could not
accomplish anything in this way, for as fast as he knocked off one
head two others grew in its place.
The snake coiled itself so firmly around one of Herakles' legs that he
was no longer able to stir from the place. Added to all this there
came a huge crab to the assistance of the snake. It crept up to
Herakles' foot, and seizing it with its sharp claws, inflicted painful
wounds. Herakles killed the crab with his club and called Iolaos to
help him.
Under Herakles' directions Iolaos produced a fire-brand which he
applied to the neck as fast as Herakles cut off one of the snake's
heads, in this way preventing them from growing again. Finally it came
the turn of the head which could not die. Cutting it off Herakles
buried it in the ground, placing a heavy stone over it.
Then he dipped some arrows into the Hydra's blood, which was
poisonous, so that whoever was wounded by one of them could not be
healed. The least scratch inflicted by such an arrow was incurable.
Eurystheus, of course, had no word of praise for his great bondsman,
but the people, knowing that the place was now safe, flocked to the
land in great numbers and drained the lake, which was really not much
more than a big marshy pond, and in their new homes they blessed the
hero's name forever. That was the prize for which Herakles cared the
most.
If you should go to-day to that old battle-field of Herakles you
would still find the spring flowing from the rocks, but Lake Lerna
exists only in story.