Historiae Romanorum

The Nemean Lion

The Nemean Lion was one of the children of the grim Echidna and Typhaon.  The first of the twelve labors given to Heracles by the king Eurystheus was to kill this mighty beast.  As Heracles soon found out, no weapon could pierce its tough hide.  Heracles had to resort to fighting the Nemean Lion with his bare hands, eventually strangling it to death. 

Once dead, Heracles brought the dead beast back to a stunned Eurystheus, who had assumed the hero would be killed.  Afraid the king forbid Heracles to enter the gates, and instead he gave him the second labor using a herald.

Source(s):

1. Hesiod.  Theogeny.

2. Apollodorus.  Bibliotece.

This page was last updated on July 21, 2004.