Nemean Lion
By: Kadijah Barmore and Immy Armstrong
Basic Information
- its mom was a "she-viper" (name - Echidna)
- its dad was a Typhoon (Name - Typhon)
- it was from Nemea
- Some believed Hera created the Nemean Lion when she was mad at Zeus
- Some believed that Hera created the Nemean Lion because she was mad at Hercules for killing his family (wife and kids)
- the Lion was put where Zeus was, so anyone that wanted to worship Zeus would have to go through the Lion
- King Euryetheus used the Nemean Lion as one, of the twelve "impossible" tasks (the Twelve Laborers)
Connected Characters:
- Typhon (dad)
- Echidna (mom)
- Siblings - Sphinx, Cerberus, Hydra, Chimera
- Hera (believed to be the creator of all Greek monsters)
- Hercules
- Zeus
- King Euryetheus
The First Task of the Twelve Laborers
Hercules was assigned the 12 "impossible" tasks for killing his wife and children. His first task was to kill the Nemean Lion and return with its pelt as a sacrifice to Zeus. When Hercules was assigned the first task, he accepted and went to the Lion's cave to defeat it. Hercules tried to kill the lion with his bow-and-arrow, but the Nemean Lion could not be wounded by mortal weapons. Hercules then, blocked one of the two entrances to the lion's cave. Hercules jumped on the lion and strangled it to its death. Hercules attempted to remove the pelt with his bare hands, but failed because the lion's skin was too tough. He resulted in using the lion's claws to puncture the skin and remove the pelt. Hercules couldn't carry the pelt because of its weight, so he wore it like a cloak. Even though the story of the Nemean Lion was short, it still was an important story to Hercules becoming a known hero.