The Hydra was an ancient monster from ancient Greek mythology. Which lived in the swamps near to the ancient city of Lerna in Argolis, was a terrifying monster which like the "Nemean lion was the offspring of Echidna, which was half women half snake, and Typhon a creature that had 100 heads, other versions think that the Hydra was the offspring of Styxand the Titan Pallas"(French). The Hydra had the body of a serpent and many heads some argue that the creature had five heads, others argue it was nine heads. Nevertheless the heads were indestructible in the sense that when one would cut off a head two more would grow in place of the existing head.  Also the stench from the Hydra's breath was enough to kill man or beast and other stories say it was the deadly venom that could kill a man instantly. When it emerged from the swamp it would attack herds of cattle and terrorize local villagers, devouring them with its numerous heads. For many years it devoured and terrorized people and cattle in the area of Lerna.

    The Hydra or Lernean Hydra is mostly related with the stories of Hercules and his 12 Labors. The slaying of the Hydra was Hercules’s second task. Driven by a fury against Hera, Hercules was determined as ever to fulfill his tasks. Before this task was given to him, his first task was to kill the Nemean Lion. He achieved that goal because he easily slays the lion without much work at all. When Hercules was given the task to kill the Hydra, he asked his cousin Iolaus for help, Hercules told Iolaus to burn the neck the instant Hercules took a head off. Searing prevented the stump from regenerating. "When all 9 mortal necks were without any heads and burned, Hercules sliced off the immortal head and buried it underground just to make sure they won't resurrect the numerous heads"(French). to ensure all the parts of the beast were properly disposed of so they won't cause any havoc againts the people of Lerna. At last Hercules top the heads off with a huge rock on top to hold the many heads of the Hydra down down. All these were according to the many legends and stories of the Ancient Greek Mythology.

    On a more modern day stance the hydra is a monster that can be also represented as a creature that is immortal and just keeps coming back stronger the harder you try to get rid of it or destroy it. Such comparisons can be made with people that take out loans whether it is for a car, home or pay for school. The modern payday loan emerged in the early 1990s."Jones is recognized as the father of the modem payday loan, which he began making in 1993 in Cleveland, Tennessee. Soon after, payday lending spread and grew quickly” (Faller). This began what we call today as a formal way to borrow money from someone else with having the intention of paying them back all of the money you had borrowed in the beginning. The comparison that people or institutions that offers loans to the hydra is how when you can’t come up with payments to pay back the loans, they become monsters that terrorize you in the sense that they don’t leave you alone until you pay the full amount back. This is the designed method that lenders lure people in to apply for loans. Bringing back loan sharks which is another exaple of people's interpretation of loans and anything associated with them.

    As with any type of monetary exchange or any exchange at all sometimes brings conflict, dealing with loans almost always dealt with conflict. “The problems associated with payday loans are rooted deep in their design. The fundamental problem is that payday loans, unlike more formalized and mainstream credit options, do not serve as a means of financial improvement for borrowers. Instead, they often leave borrowers in a worse position than when they sought the loan to begin with. This effect is no accident” (Faller). This specifically targets people that borrow money and lenders use this as a trap. Some lenders incorporate the “extend the loan” instead of paying it off completely making it difficult for the borrower to walk away free and clear of any debt associated with a certain loan. This is the trap they get caught in unknowingly as much as a borrower tries to pay off the loans the lenders offer extensions in loans offering lower interest and other special deals that make it hard for the person to give up. The way it can be seen as monstrous is because it eats people, one would automatically compare that as being a monstrous trait.

     In a sense this can be compared to the Lernean Hydra because as some loan sharks can be called monsters in the way they try to collect debts from borrowers. You seem to never be in the clear of them. They always seem to come back seeking to collect and also hassle the person to give the money up. This would be the many heads of the Hydra, once you thought you have got rid of one head of  2 more come out in its place. It is most certainly a form that can be compared as monstrous because you can never escape it no matter how hard you try. At the same time from comparing the Hydra to the mechanism used by loaners it is inevitably seen more as a monster because of the fact it ate people and terrorized  populations.

Works Cited

Faller, Benjamin D. "PAYDAY LOAN SOLUTIONS: SLAYING THE HYDRA (AND KEEPING IT DEAD). (Cover story)." Case Western Reserve Law Review 59.1 (2008): 125-160. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 9 May 2011.

French, Sue. "The 12 Labors of Hercules." Sky & Telescope 116.1 (2008): 78-80. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 9 May 2011.