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Siren: The Bird-Women
Odysseus was warned about sirens and ordered his crew to plug their ears with wax. But Odysseus was curious about their legendary voices, so he had himself tied to the bow of his ship and instructed his men not to release him, no matter how much he begged.
He told his men that even if he begged to be released, they should only tie him tighter. Sure enough, when he heard the song of sirens, Odysseus begged to be released, but his crew refused to release him until they were out of danger.
After Odysseus escaped unharmed, the sirens, devastated by their failure, threw themselves into the sea, marking the end of their terror.
Minotaur: The Bull of Minos
The Minotaur was the son of Minos, the king of Crete, but he had a bad habit of eating people, so he was kept captive in a labyrinth under the city. Seven maidens and seven young men were chosen from Athens every year to feed the beast. One year, the son of the Athenian king, a young man named Theseus, volunteered as tribute. He boasted that he would kill the Minotaur. With the help of Ariadne, the Minotaur's sister, Theseus smuggled a sword into the labyrinth. He unraveled a ball of string as he made his way through the maze until he found the Minotaur. The Minotaur was sleeping, so Theseus slew him easily. He found his way back out of the labyrinth using the trail of string he left behind.
Hydra: The Water Snake
Heracles was tasked with killing the hydra. For this feat, he brought along his nephew, Iolaus. Cleverly, they covered their noses mouths to protect themselves from the deadly fumes of the beast. Heracles cut off one of the monster's heads, but then two head grew back and took its place. He cut off two more heads, and four more grew back. Iolaus figured out he could use a burning torch to seal the neck stumps when Heracles cut off one of the heads so they couldn’t grow back. Heracles put an end to the hydra when he cut off its main head and buried it under a large rock.
