Hercules' second labor was to slay the Lernaean Hydra, a nine-headed monster that lived in a swamp near Lerna. When Hercules attacked the Hydra with his club, two new heads would grow back in place of each one he cut off. With the help of his friend Iolaus, who used fire to burn the severed necks, Hercules was able to prevent new heads from growing back and eventually killed the Hydra, cutting off its immortal head last with a golden sickle. He then dipped his arrows in the Hydra's poisonous blood to complete the task.

1. 12
ERASMUS+ KA2
Searching for the Labours of Hercules
2014-1-TR01-KA201-012990
Romania: Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra
Hercules had to obey in order to
deserve his absolution for the
murderof his wifeandchildren.So,
off he went to find the Hydra! He
did not go alone. His devoted
charioteer, Iolaus, drove him to
Lerna. Herculesfoundoutthat the
Hydra dwelt in a den on a hill
beside the springs of the
Amymone. The animal had a huge
body and nine tentacles with a
head at the end of each. The odor
of its body killed all who breathed
the stinking fumes.
He stirred up the monster out of
herdenbypeltingherwithburning
shafts of wood. She came out
raging with poisonous tongues
against him. She wound herself
aroundone of Hercules’feettrying
to immobilize him. But he hit the
tentacles with his mighty club
causing the monster to roar with
pain.
He knew that eight of the Hydra’s
heads were mortal and one was
immortal. He could hit as hard as
he might, the tentacles would not
easilybe beheaded.Tohissurprise,
once he struckaheadwithhisclub,
two more grew in its place.
A huge crab,friendof the monster,
came along and bit Hercules’ foot.
The heroaskedIolausforhelp. The
later used a torch and burnt the
beheaded tentacles so no more
new heads sprout. Thus, Hercules
managed to kill all the heads,
exceptthe immortalone.He finally
took this one too, using a golden
sickle.
He buried this head under a rock
and then dipped some of his
arrows into the poisonous gall of
the monster’s corpse.
King Eurystheus kept council with
the vengefulgoddessHeraonwhat
to order Hercules to do as his
second labour of penitence out of
the ten foretold by the Pythian
priestessof the temple in Delphi.
They wanted him to have a
meeting with the Lernaean Hydra,
a monstrous creature, a water-
snake which Hera raised to fight
against Hercules. To kill this nine-
headed animal was the task the
fearless hero had to accomplish.
Asone of hisgloriouspredecessors
once had done - Perseus, who
killedtheMedusa(awoman’shead
-like monster that could kill
anybody with the deadly glare in
her eyes) -, Hercules had the
almost impossible task to
annihilate a vicious animal who
livedinaswamp,andwouldravage
the cattle and the country around.