Advice on fighting Hydras

[the_fantastic_ms_fox]

The hydra is a many-headed serpent.

(As in: the heads each have a serpentine "neck," a opposed to just having a snake with a bundle of heads on one end.)

It's big and poisonous.

Maybe it's aggressive, or maybe ancient Greek heroes just liked to get into fights with dangerous animals.

If you cut off a head, it head grows back. Or a pair grows back.

Much is made of Heracles' solution - cut off a head, and cauterize the stump immediately.

But why not strike at the body?

Comments

[donnaidh-sidhe.livejournal.com]

I think the general idea is that if you cut too far down and leave the heads too much support, they may still survive. It's a fine balancing act.

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

The problem is getting nommed by the heads while trying to get at the body. Ancient Greeks had few stand-off weapons because killing someone from a distance wasn't "manly" enough.

So we blame the quandary on an excess of testosterone, which seemingly causes a mysterious lack of common sense.

[plaidalicious.livejournal.com]

Dangerous heads mean it's hard to attack the body. Poison bad.

I think the body may be perceived as tougher in some way too, at least it is in film.

Arrows into body = the smart way to kill dangerous animals...