In the mythology of Classical Greece, the Lernaean Hydra was a ferocious monster faced by the heroic demigod Heracles during the course of his twelve labours.[1] In Don Chaffey's 1963 mythological fantasy film Jason and the Argonauts, it featured as the guardian of Colchis's fabled Golden Fleece, and was brought to life by the pioneering visual effects talent of animation giant Ray Harryhausen.[2]
Description[]
In Jason and the Argonauts, the Hydra was a serpentine creature with a twin tail and seven heads. Each head was crowned with a pair of short horns, and it’s mouths resembled the beaked maws of certain predatory birds.
The teeth of the Hydra, when sown into the ground while uttering the correct obeisances to the goddess Hecate, were capable of raising skeletal warriors - referred to as the "children of the Hydra's teeth" - who would serve the one who planted them. Whether this was an innate ability unique to the dentistry of the Hydra or a magical boon granted by Hecate is unclear.
History[]
When Jason visited Colchis on his quest for the legendary Golden Fleece, he was forced to fight the Hydra to claim his prize. After a long battle, he finally succeeded in slaying the beast and claiming his prize.
A vengeful King Aeëtes then used the fallen creature's teeth to summon the children of the Hydra and do battle with Jason and his men but, once again, the young demigod emerged victorious.
Behind the Scenes[]
The Hydra depicted in Jason and the Argonauts appeared to by largely faithful to traditional depictions of the beast: a multi-headed, serpentine monstrosity with the twin tail featured in certain versions of the myth.[1] However, one of the Hydra's most iconic abilities - that regenerative power which allowed it to regrow severed heads - was not addressed in the film. This was likely due to animation restrictions combined with the Hydra's fight scene already being a fairly lengthy - and correspondingly expensive - production element.
The Hydra of Greek Mythology featured as the second labour of Heracles, where he was tasked with killing the creature. At first struggling to gain the upper hand due to the Hydra's potent regenerative capabilities, the demigod was eventually able to overcome his fearsome opponent with the aid of his nephew Iolaus.[1]
Triva[]
- Ray Harryhausen stated this was one of the harder models to work with due to the numerous heads.(source?)
- In the original myths, the Golden Fleece was protected by a dragon rather than the Lernaean Hydra.[2]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lernaean Hydra at Wikipedia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jason and the Argonauts (1963 film) at Wikipedia