Hydra

Hydra is a lake serpent with muliple heads. When one head is cut off, two more grow back in its place. Hydra stands for strength, cunning, and resilience. 

In Greek mythology, the Hydra is know as The Lernaean Hydra, as it can be found in the lake of Lerna in the Argolid, which the entrance to the Underworld and is the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. 

Hydra has poisonous breath and blood that even the scent is deadly and will kill you. Hydra ravaged Lerna and prayed and killed the locals that lived near the lake. 

Hydra represents difficult challenges, the dangers of nature or even the concept of evil that grows more formidable when faced head-on. Hydra is a symbol of the trials and tribulations heroes must overcome rather than as an inherently evil creature.

Hydra was the second task of Hercules' Twelve Tasks. Hercules was send to the lake of Lerna to kill it. The task was mean to test Hercules' physical strength and ability to overcome the impossible. Hercules foudn out quickly that just his physical strength would not win. During the battle each time Hercules chopped one of Hydra's head off two more grow in its place. As Hercules was slowly down and could feel himself getting weaker his newphew, Lolaus helped Hercules. While Hercules chopped the heads off, Lolaus burn the neck so the heads did not grow back. Then when all the heads were gone Hercules killed Hydra. 

Due to this battle the Hydra has inspired artists throughout history. There are many sculptures that show this battle and most were made by Greek and Italian sculptures. The Hydra name has been used as a name for an evil orgainzation in Marvel's Captain America series. It symbolizes something that is hard to destroy because cutting off a head just makes more.