Today the term "hydra" is often used to describe any particularly complex situation or a compound problem that keeps offering up waves of complications. But, the original Hydra was a mythical monstrous foe faced by none other than the world’s most famous hero, Hercules.

According to Greek mythology, the Hydra was a nine-headed monster that haunted the swamps of Lerna, Greece, from where it terrorized the good people of Argos. Unfortunately, it was not an easy pest to be rid of. Its breath was fatally poisonous and every time one head was cut off, two would grow back in its place, adding to the effective gnashing fangs count. Oh...and its central head was immortal.

The story of the Hydra might have ended there...had Hercules not been sent off by his cousin Eurystheus, king of Mycenae, to complete 12 impossible labors as penance for killing his wife and children under a fit visited upon him by Hera in her jealousy (but that's another story). Anyway, for the second labor of Hercules, the hunky hero had to slay the Hydra. Which he did with great difficulty, and cunning ingenuity.

You can learn much much more about Hercules and the Hydra here.

Hydra the company initially started out offering a wide range of internet-related services. So naming it after the “many-headed beast” seemed apt at the time. Since that time however, Hydra has come to focus exclusively on its high-performance, 100% cost-per-action online affiliate ad network. But, we kept the name.