Heracles and the Dhemse

Summary

As part of Heracles' trials of ascension, he was tasked with slaying a monster that had been terrorizing the Celadon river near the city of Hybale, devouring cattle and herdsmen alike. This creature, called the Dhemse, is said to have had the maw of a crocodile and the body of an octopus, with no eyes or claws.

In order to slay the beast, Heracles approached the prince of the city and instructed him to parade the largest herd of cattle in the city up and down the east bank of the river. When the Dheme lifted its head above the water to attack the cattle, Heracles hurled a spear and struck the back of the beast's throat. He then pulled it to the shore with a rope he had tied to the end of the spear. After a full day and night of wrestling with the beast's many arms, heracles managed to get ahold of the spear and drove it through the creature's heart, slaying it.

Historical Basis

Most scholars agree that at least some permutation of these events did occur, though the official story in the scriptures contains several details that seem to contradict historical knowledge. Most notably are the reference to the "prince of Hybale," when most records of the time indicate that Hybale was a member of the Darian League during that period and thus would have been ruled by a governor.

Variations & Mutation

In some versions of the story, Heracles used a mithral fishing net borrowed from the Dwarven King to pull the Dhemse to shore, while in others he swam into the river and pulled the beast out with his hands. These are generally not accepted as canon, as the former implies an otherwise unsupported friendship between Heracles and the dwarves, while the latter does not portray a clever solution to the problem, which is otherwise seen as a unifying theme among Heracles' tasks.

In Literature

Tasia included this tale in her Blessed Collections, citing it as a parable of trusting those in authority (as the prince trusted Heracles to put his cattle in danger), as well as solving problems in a creative way (as Heracles used a harpoon to pull the beast onto land instead of chasing it into the water).