#image_title
Nothing evokes a visceral reaction in the audience when they see the protagonist of a story bravely fighting a tall, great monster that towers over him. They cannot help but root for him as curiosity about how he can vanquish the mighty beast grow in their hearts. When said monster is a fantasy hydra, they wonder how he can overcome it.
What sets the hydra apart from the many other monstrous denizens of the genre is that it doesn’t have just one head; it has more than one. Fighting a vicious monster with multiple heads is a wholly different ballgame since it has far more avenues in which to attack its foe and its opponent has fewer options to choose from since it is fighting a beast that can bite it from just about any direction.
Despite the fantasy hydra having several heads, it employs powers to use in combat. One of its advantages is that it has a deep reservoir of powers and abilities it can choose to use, depending on the world it appears in, all of which come with devastating effects. In some worlds, it can even use elemental powers like fire and lighting!
You might be wondering where such a dangerous beast lives. In many of the stories it appears in, it appears as a boss of a dungeon that the protagonist must successfully defeat in order to receive a priceless treasure. However, the dungeon isn’t necessarily the only place it can be found in since it can roam the over world and wreak havoc upon unsuspecting communities.
This is article number nineteen in the fantasy creatures series. For more, check out our blog page where there’s an ever-growing number of articles that cover many aspects of fantasy!
The hydra is a mythical creature that appears in many media across fantasy from video games to literature. It is a formidable monster with powers that surpass that of many others but that isn’t the only thing it has going for it. What makes this beast truly unique is the fact that it has more than one head.
The fantasy hydra is commonly depicted as a great snake with three heads. However, it can have as few as two or far more than three. In some worlds, it has seven or more and when one is severed from its body, two more grow to replace it, essentially making it nearly impossible to bring down such a vicious fiend. Only a weapon imbued with holy power can destroy it since no new heads sprout when one is cut off and unfortunately such weapons are extremely rare.
As a serpentine creature, it shares many characteristics with its fellow members of the snake family. That is, it has the same eyes, a slit nose shape, and a forked tongue. It can be any color though it is usually green, gray, or black. Its hide is notoriously tough for many weapons to pierce, meaning only a select few can successfully get through its impervious skin.
The heads of the fantasy hydra stem from a body that can withstand their weight. The body itself resembles that of a serpent though it can also be dragon-shaped — for example, think of the Gleeok monster from The Legend of Zelda — meaning it can slither much like a snake. The head in the middle is generally considered the leader and issues commands to the others though sometimes it’ll bicker with another head.
In some worlds, the hydra takes the form of a dragon. This means it has airborne capabilities due to its wings, making it far more dangerous than its land-based counterpart. It can scream across the skies, spreading fear and panic among the townsfolk who happen to see it and it can fly beyond the reach of the arrows the soldiers shoot at it.
It having more than one head means the hydra poses a grave threat on the battlefield since it can attack faster than many other monsters. It comes with a number of powers that it uses to its full advantage. However, it is also a force to be reckoned with off the battlefield when it is hunting for food.
One power the fantasy hydra relies on is its ability to bite. The more heads it has, the greater its biting power rises since it can use its mouths to effortlessly puncture potentially life-threatening wounds on the skin of its target. Once it sinks its fangs in it, there is little the target can do but to flail about since dozens of teeth are tearing it apart.
Some variations of the hydra are imbued with elemental powers. There’s the fire-spitting one, those that can launch lightning bolts on its prey, and others that can freeze someone in place. Some of the most powerful ones are equipped with dark powers where they can unleash black waves that suck the souls out of those nearby.
The dragon-like fantasy hydra takes advantage of everything its body has to offer in terms of combat. It can use its hefty bulk to pulverize its enemies, tear them apart with its razor-sharp claws, or send someone flying with just a flick of its tail. This species generally has elemental powers to boot which only compounds the threat it poses to communities.
For those that can fly, the winged hydra boasts great aerial capabilities. It can unleash a barrage of fireballs and not have to worry about being hit since it is so high up in the skies. It can also serve as a ferry, escorting key personnel of the dark forces to strategically important areas like cities or battlegrounds where they can use their combined powers to ensure that their side gets what they want.
For such a beast that is one of the most powerful in the genre, one might wonder where it lives. Due to its colossal size, the hydra prefers areas that can accommodate it. Places that don’t restrict its movement are favored over smaller ones that could severely limit its mobility.
Across various media of the genre, the fantasy hydra serves as a major boss the hero must battle. It appears at the end of a dungeon, becoming the final challenge of the place where he must figure out how to defeat it. This monster can appear in a number of dungeons, from underground ones to ones way up in the skies.
Dungeons aren’t the only place where the hydra calls home. For those who are inclined to find one, there are a number of areas they can look through though they need to be ready to fight one should they find it. One such place is the volcano where it taps into its massive powers to increase its already considerable powers.
Some members of the fantasy hydra family enjoy the remotest places in the world where only few people tread. Cold, inhospitable environments like the tundra or wintry mountains are examples of such areas. It can safely hunt prey and develop new powers like the ability to shoot ice daggers or generate snowstorms that dramatically decrease the vision of those trapped inside them.
The great serpent especially likes places with high humidity and those are filled with water. Swamps, jungles, and lakes are excellent since it can use the waters in these areas as a weapon in battle, making it hard to slay since it slows down the mobility of those who attempt to attack it. It can move around the water like a fish and can even go underwater to hit its target from below and take it down before it has a chance to guard against such a move.
In terms of worldbuilding potential, the fantasy hydra has it in spades. It is a vicious, multi-headed brute armed with equally dangerous powers that make battling it fraught with danger. There is a reason why the hydra is considered one of the best monsters of the genre which means it would be an excellent addition to your world and story!
Let me know what you think in the comments below. (Note: this is an account-exclusive feature).
If you don’t have one, you can register here. It only takes a few moments of your time!
Liked this article and want to subscribe? All you have to do is fill out the form below and that’s it!
Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
Subscribing means you receive:
You can always unsubscribe anytime.
CONTENTS Introduction Building a fantasy world, especially for those doing it for the first time,…
CONTENTS The Premise One advantage of fantasy worlds is that they are populated with all…
CONTENTS Overview With so many new stories and fantasy worlds coming out every year, people…
CONTENTS Introduction Navi from Ocarina of Time. The sims with wings from The Sims series.…
CONTENTS The Premise When it comes to building both a fantasy world and the story…
CONTENTS Overview One of the best parts of creating stories set in fantasy worlds is…
This website uses cookies.