Also called Hydra.
Their story
The Hydra was a water-snake of the marshes of Lerna, born of Typhon and Echidna and raised by Hera to trouble Heracles. When Heracles cut off one head, two grew back. His nephew Iolaus seared each neck with a firebrand, and Heracles buried the immortal head under a rock. He dipped his arrows in her poison, which later brought about his own death.
Best times to give to them
- When a problem keeps growing back
- None traditional
What they like being given
- None are traditional; a candle lit for a problem you mean to finish for good
- A candle lit while reading or retelling the story
How to honour them
- When fixing one thing creates two more, stop and look for the root, as Heracles did.
- Ask a friend for help, as Heracles asked Iolaus.
How they can help you
- Solving problems at the root
- Teamwork
- Persistence
Symbols
- many serpent heads
- marsh
- firebrand
- golden sickle
Sources
- Hesiod, Theogony 313-318
- Apollodorus, Library 2.5.2
- Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.37.4