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The shape of Hydra resembles a twisting snake, and features as such in some Greek myths. One myth associates it with a water snake that a crow served Apollo in a cup when it was sent to fetch water; Apollo saw through the fraud, and angrily cast the crow, cup, and snake, into the sky. It is also associated with the monster Hydra, with its many heads, killed by [[Hercules]], represented in another constellation. According to legend, if one of the hydra's heads was cut off, two more would grow in its place. However, Hercules burned out the roots of the heads he severed to prevent them from growing again, and thus overcame the hydra.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydra_%28constellation%29 Hydra]</ref> | The shape of Hydra resembles a twisting snake, and features as such in some Greek myths. One myth associates it with a water snake that a crow served Apollo in a cup when it was sent to fetch water; Apollo saw through the fraud, and angrily cast the crow, cup, and snake, into the sky. It is also associated with the monster Hydra, with its many heads, killed by [[Hercules]], represented in another constellation. According to legend, if one of the hydra's heads was cut off, two more would grow in its place. However, Hercules burned out the roots of the heads he severed to prevent them from growing again, and thus overcame the hydra.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydra_%28constellation%29 Hydra]</ref> | ||
The Hydra of Lerna was a fabulous water serpent with nine heads, killed by Hercules in the second of his twelve labors. Hercules found that if he cut off one of the heads, two new heads grew back: hence some evils are spoken of as "many headed hydras". Hercules' nephew and charioteer, Iolaus, used a burning firebrand to scorch the neck stumps after each decapitation, and Hercules buried the ninth head, the one that was immortal, under a huge stone. The expression "hydra-headed" refers to a weed or trouble that is very difficult to get rid of. | |||
This constellation represents the Hydra of Lerna. The name Lerna resembles the word learn. An ichnite is a fossilized footprint, the imprint of the sole of the foot. The myth says "even smelling the Hydra's footprints was enough to bring death to an ordinary mortal". It was while battling the Hydra that Hercules crushed the Crab (Cancer) under the sole of his foot. The essence of the verb 'to learn' comes from the idea of following tracks, "to follow a course of study", "gain experience by following a track". The word learn comes from the Indo-European root *leis-¹ 'Track, furrow'. Derivatives: last³ (a block or form shaped like a human foot and used in making or repairing shoes. To mold or shape on a last, last, sole of the foot), last² (to continue in time), lore¹, learning, learn (to follow a course of study'), delirium (mental confusion, a going off the ploughed track, a madness, from Latin lira, a furrow).<ref>[http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Hydra.html Constellations of Words]</ref> | |||
==HGS Session References== | ==HGS Session References== | ||