Zeus fell in love with a beautiful Greek woman named Alcmene. Although married to Amphitryon, Zeus got her pregnant. Hera (wife of Zeus) was angry and tried to thwart the pregnancy.  Nevertheless, Alcmene gave birth to a healthy baby boy.  She named him ‘Herakles’, meaning “glorious gift of Hera”.  Now Hera was furious.  She sent snakes into his crib, but the baby was so strong that he killed both of them.  Unable to kill Hercules herself, Hera decided to make his life miserable.

Over time, Hercules became an invincible warrior.  He fell in love and married Megara. Together, they had two children.  To disrupt this happy family, Hera cursed Hercules with a fit of madness during which he murdered his wife and his children.  After regaining his senses, he asked the god Apollo how to atone for his wrongdoing.  Apollo told him to perform 10 (later 12) heroic labors to redeem himself from the crime of spilling the blood of his family.  Additionally, Hercules had to serve the mean King Eurystheus for 12 years, while he performed the heroic Labors.

The second of the heroic Labors was a battle with the Hydra. The Hydra lived in a lake and guarded an entrance to Hades.  It has poisonous breath and the touch of its blood was deadly.  Each time her head was cut off two more would grow in its place.  As if the Hydra was not enough, Hera send a giant crab to aid the serpent monster.  The crab latched on to the foot of Hercules, but before he could finish off the Hydra, he smashed the crab.  As a reward for the crab’s service to Hera, she had it placed in the night sky.   Eventually, Hera lets go of her anger of Hercules, but not before he suffers a great deal more.