The myth of the lernaean hydra

Abstract

The Hydra monster lurking beneath the waters of the Halcyon Lake of ancient Lerna, which figured as one of the heroic exploits of Hercules in Greek mythology, was credited with attributes of toxicity and curative regenerative abilities, offering a remarkable prototype for the freshwater invertebrate polyp that resembles its appearance and bears its name in scientific nomenclature. The resemblance, however, is fortuitous since the animal’s characteristics are not observable to the unaided eye and it was unknown to the Classical world. The mythical Hydra was a zoomorphism of a psychoactive drug that figured in the very ancient Mystery rites that were still being enacted at the sacred lake well into Roman times, when the original offering of human victims was replaced by initiatory experiences of spiritual transcendence.