Brittney, a National Board Certified Teacher, has taught social studies at the middle school level for 15 years.
Beginning in 573 BCE, an athletic tournament was held in ancient Greece for several centuries. It was called the Nemean Games and included a wide variety of sporting events. The origin of the games is sometimes attributed to the story of Opheltes, an unfortunate baby who was killed by a snake. The Nemean Games were said to have begun as funeral games organized in the baby's honor.
However, the games are also commonly credited to a story of Hercules and his battle with a ferocious lion that stalked Nemea, called the Nemean Lion. Let's look more closely at this story.
Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, despised Hercules, who was born from one of her husband's numerous infidelities. Hera hated him so much, that she drove him mad, forcing him to kill his wife and kids.
Deeply regretful, Hercules went to the Oracle of Delphi to ask how he could redeem himself. The Oracle instructed Hercules to go and serve Eurystheus, king of Tiryns, who had devised a series of tasks that matched Hercules up against the most horrendous monsters of the time. The tasks were known as the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Fortunately for us, we don't have to delve into all twelve labors in this lesson because slaying the Nemean Lion was task one!
The Nemean Lion was a child of Typhon and Echidna, who were considered the parents of all monsters. However, some say he belonged to Zeus and his lover Selene.
Hera trained and cared for the vicious beast. One day, she was angry at Zeus so she sent the lion to guard one of his temples in Nemea. With the lion there, people couldn't worship Zeus at the shrine, just as Hera had wanted.
The lion spent most of his time lurking on the mountain of Tretos. He was vicious and possessed huge, sharp teeth and skin that could not be penetrated by any sharp instrument. He was also cunning. The lion would lure warriors to his den by kidnapping women that he could use as bait. When a brave hunter showed up to rescue the damsels, the Nemean Lion would pounce and devour him.
One day, Hercules studied his opponent while watching him from the bushes. The lion had been feasting all day and bits of blood, meat, and flesh clung to his bushy mane. As he returned to his den, Hercules shot arrow after arrow into the lion's hide, but to no avail. Each arrow bounced off the beast and dropped to his feet. It seems that no one mentioned to Hercules that the lion's coat was impenetrable.
Realizing his weapons would be of no use, Hercules followed the lion to its den where he blocked off one entrance and entered through another. In the darkness, Hercules felt around until he came upon the lion. Realizing his presence, the lion lunged, but Hercules whacked him on top of the head with a club. The lion swayed, clearly rattled. Hercules took advantage of the moment and put the lion in a chokehold. Then, he slowly strangled him to death.
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Hercules used the lion's own claw to do the skinning. He was supposed to bring the pelt back to prove the lion was dead, but knowing the hide could repel weapons of iron, stone, and bronze, Hercules decided it would be his new armor and threw it over his shoulders. He then placed the lion's head on top of his own and headed back.
This visual of Hercules wearing the lion's head and skin is commonly found in ancient artwork. There is a debate, however, on whether this skin is from the Nemean Lion or from a lion Hercules killed when he was younger.
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Hercules returned to Eurystheus, who panicked upon seeing the lion's head atop of the young hero, believing the monster had come to ravage the streets of his city. Even after he realized it was Hercules, however, he was still too afraid to meet with him because anyone who could take down the Nemean Lion must be very powerful and dangerous.
As for the lion's legacy, the myth connects him to the constellation Leo. There are various explanations, but the most common is that Hera felt guilty because she was the one who had sent the lion to Nemea in the first place. If she had not done so, he never would have been killed. So she cast the lion into the heavens, giving him a special spot next to Selene, who had always loved the beast.
And that, my friends, is the story of Hercules and the Nemean Lion.
The story of Hercules and the Nemean Lion is one story used to explain the origin of the Nemean Games, a sporting event held in ancient Greece beginning in 573 BCE.
As the story goes, the goddess Hera despised Hercules, a product of Zeus's many affairs. After she had driven Hercules to kill his family, he went to the Oracle of Delphi for penance and was sent to complete the Twelve Labors of Hercules under Eurystheus.
The first task was to slay the Nemean Lion, the ferocious monster of Nemea who lurked in the hills of Tretos. Because arrows couldn't penetrate the lion's coat, Hercules stunned the lion with a club and strangled it to death. He then wore the lion's head and used the skin as his new armor. Feeling sorry for the lion, Hera cast him into the heavens where he became the constellation Leo.
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