Myth Rationale

When Hercules sets off to find the nine-headed hydra accompanied by his nephew Iolaus, he probably didn't think of the risk Iolaus was taking on his behalf. Hercules being the strongest man alive, was used to impossible tasks and pleasing the gods with his strength. On the other hand, his nephew Iolaus could have been very strong, but he certainly wasn't any match for Hercules.

You don't hear much about Iolaus, because he is a minor character isn't worth that much in stories or myths. It took a great deal of courage from Iolaus to slay the hydra. Hercules seemed very unafraid of the hydra because of his super human strength. All in all Hercules was a tad conceited and thought very much of himself and his strengths. When you're his accomplice you can't help but feel inferior to his strength. Iolaus must have had to overcome that fear of the dreaded hydra to be able to battle it as fiercely as Hercules had.

In my tapestry I am going to connect the virtue of courage to overcoming and acknowledging fear when faced with mortal danger or a dangerous quest. I will explore the scale of courage, from those who believe that fear is just a matter of overcoming, exploring, accepting, resisting, or mastering.

Myth: Hercules and the Hydra

Hercules set off to hunt the nine-headed menace, but he did not go alone. His trusty nephew, Iolaus, was by his side. Iolaus, who shared many adventures with Hercules, accompanied him on many of the twelve labors. Legend has it that Iolaus won a victory in chariot racing at the Olympics and he is often depicted as Hercules' charioteer. So, the pair drove to Lerna and by the springs of Amymone, they discovered the lair of the loathsome hydra.

First, Hercules lured the coily creature from the safety of its den by shooting flaming arrows at it. Once the hydra emerged, Hercules seized it. The monster was not so easily overcome, though, for it wound one of its coils around Hercules' foot and made it impossible for the hero to escape. With his club, Hercules attacked the many heads of the hydra, but as soon as he smashed one head, two more would burst forth in its place! To make matters worse, the hydra had a friend of its own: a huge crab began biting the trapped foot of Hercules. Quickly disposing of this nuisance, most likely with a swift bash of his club, Hercules called on Iolaus to help him out of this tricky situation.

Each time Hercules bashed one of the hydra's heads, Iolaus held a torch to the headless tendons of the neck. The flames prevented the growth of replacement heads, and finally, Hercules had the better of the beast. Once he had removed and destroyed the eight mortal heads, Hercules chopped off the ninth, immortal head. This he buried at the side of the road leading from Lerna to Elaeus, and for good measure, he covered it with a heavy rock. As for the rest of the hapless hydra, Hercules slit open the corpse and dipped his arrows in the venomous blood.

Introduction to Theme: Courage

Courage to some is one of the most important things in the world. It is the start of all virtues. In order to apply a virtue to your life, you must have the courage to pursue it.

Views of courage can be modified to be good or bad. For example: If a person or a person's family has been discriminated or prejudiced because of race, sex, sexuality, or ethnic background, it would be hard to come up with the courage to keep going or stand up for yourself. If the person doesn't have a positive influence in their life, it would be hard for them to gain enough courage to survive or speak out without having fear be present. Emotion can have a very big part in courage also, by overwhelming fear, courage is free to take charge and set things on the right course.

While sometimes fear can distort the appearance of courage, it always manages to be overcome. Although fear will always be with us, everything we do or decide on will be based on how much courage we have to carry through with the plan. Alternate interpretations of and perspectives on courage can warp or effect our social values.