Mishydranation

"Asthma: A Multi-Headed Hydra or Misunderstood Genus?"

"MBTA [Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority] - the Multi-headed Hydra. When you play with the bulls you must look out for the horns. In the case of the MBTA, there’s a difference - the bull has many heads - and all of them are disconnected."

"Taming the Multi-Headed Hydra: Mobile Management Becomes a Vendor Must-Have."

"The West’s plight vis-à-vis radical Islam is therefore akin to Hercules’ epic encounter with the multi-headed Hydra-monster."

I'm not impressed by this.

What I've learnt tonight is that Hydra was a swamp-dwelling, poison-oozing water serpent of Lerna who had a terribly disagreeable, ultimately fatal, encounter with Hercules and Iolaus (The H's nephew and chauffeur). These men charioted in from out of town, probably in the morning and without any warning, sought out the piteous chthonic beast and over the course of the next few hours delivered upon it a frenzied series of cuts, cauterisations and club strokes until only one of its nine heads remained unlopped. Hercules then ripped this "immortal head" - which could not be harmed by ordinary weapons - off its stump with his bare hands and buried it beneath a heavy stone. The slaying of Hydra was one of The H's twelve labours (imposed on him as punishment for flipping out and murdering his own wife and children).

So let's get this straight: up until its final moments, Hydra always had multiple heads. Some say nine, others a hundred. History fades. But, please, let's ditch the over-description.

Also, there was only ever one Hydra of Lerna. It was not a bull and almost certainly didn't cohabit with bulls (as, let's be frank, it would have multi-bitten a bull's face if one was ever foolish enough to stray near the swamp looking for a drink or a clump of fresh clover).

Finally, though Hydra grew a few more heads and was assisted by a crab and generally acquitted itself well in what must have been a challenging defensive effort, The H eventually prevailed. Point being: Hydra was never tamed.