HMS Hydra (A144) the first commission of HMS "Hydra". She was decommissioned and sold to the Indonesian Navy in 1986 and renamed KRI "Dewa Kembar" (Pennant Number 932); she was still in service in 2006. There have been eight ships of the name in the Royal Navy, named for the Hydra of Greek Mythology, a serpent with many heads (though nine is generally accepted as standard), the centre one of which was immortal. The monster was overcome and slain by Hercules. The ship's badge of HMS "Hydra" depicts the monster with seven heads. The ship's motto was "Ut Herculis Perseverantia" ("Like Hercules Persevere").
Modern understanding of Greek mythology Modern understanding of Greek mythology The genesis of modern understanding of Greek mythology is regarded by some scholars as a double reaction at the end of the 18th century against "the traditional attitude of Christian animosity mixed with disdain, which had prevailed for centuries", in which the Christian reinterpretation of myth as a "lie" or fable had been retained. In Germany, by about 1795, there was a growing interest in Homer and Greek mythology. In Göttingen Johann Matthias Gesner began to revive Greek studies and a new humanistic spirit. His successor, Christian Gottlob Heyne, worked with Johann Joachim Winckelmann, and