Leo, fifth sign of the zodiac, is represented by the Lion, king of beasts. Traditionally, the mythology of the Lion is based on the story of Hercules and the Nemean Lion.
Hercules was the son of the great god Jupiter and the mortal woman Alcmena. Jupiter’s wife Juno, understandably jealous of Jupiter’s numerous love affairs, set herself against Hercules from the time he was a baby. When he was a young man Hercules was compelled to embark on twelve heroic and desperate undertakings, known as the Twelve Labors of Hercules.
The first Labor was to go to the valley of Nemea and there kill the savage and fearless Nemean lion. The skin of this lion could not be hurt by the weapons of man. Stone, iron, and bronze simply bounced off his pelt. Hercules tried to kill the lion with arrows, but they just fell away from the lion’s side. Finally Hercules wrestled with the lion barehanded. Because he possessed such great strength, he managed to get a grip around the lion’s neck and strangle him to death. In the process, the lion bit off Hercules’s finger, which by any measure would seem to indicate he got off lightly.
After he killed the beast, Hercules skinned the magical pelt. From the skin, Hercules made himself a breastplate, and from the lion’s jaw he formed a helmet. This new armor was to prove very valuable during his subsequent Labors.
The constellation of Leo is said to commemorate the bravery of combat between Hercules and the magnificent Nemean Lion.
Hercules was the son of the great god Jupiter and the mortal woman Alcmena. Jupiter’s wife Juno, understandably jealous of Jupiter’s numerous love affairs, set herself against Hercules from the time he was a baby. When he was a young man Hercules was compelled to embark on twelve heroic and desperate undertakings, known as the Twelve Labors of Hercules.
The first Labor was to go to the valley of Nemea and there kill the savage and fearless Nemean lion. The skin of this lion could not be hurt by the weapons of man. Stone, iron, and bronze simply bounced off his pelt. Hercules tried to kill the lion with arrows, but they just fell away from the lion’s side. Finally Hercules wrestled with the lion barehanded. Because he possessed such great strength, he managed to get a grip around the lion’s neck and strangle him to death. In the process, the lion bit off Hercules’s finger, which by any measure would seem to indicate he got off lightly.
After he killed the beast, Hercules skinned the magical pelt. From the skin, Hercules made himself a breastplate, and from the lion’s jaw he formed a helmet. This new armor was to prove very valuable during his subsequent Labors.
The constellation of Leo is said to commemorate the bravery of combat between Hercules and the magnificent Nemean Lion.