The first feat of Hercules: the Nemean lion

Along with the Odyssey, Hercules is one of the most celebrated Greek heroes. His father was Zeus himself, and his mother was mortal, which explained the hatred of Hera (the wife of Zeus). Throughout the life of Hercules, Hera plotted against him, and Zeus, Athena and Apollo, on the contrary, helped in every possible way. It should be noted that the exploits of Hercules did not do so at will. Hera arranged so that he had to serve his relative, King Mycena Eurystheus. Hercules did not know about this. It so happened that he, in a fit of insanity, dealt with his own children and, trying to make amends, appealed to the priestess of Apollo to find out what to do now. Then he was predicted that the service of Eurystheus would provide the hero with immortality, and only after that he went to Mycenae.

The first feat of Hercules: the Nemean lion

This monster was the first of those with whom Hercules was able to fight on the orders of Eurystheus. The lion lived in a mountain valley near the Argolide town of Nemea. He was a huge growth and remarkable strength and devoured people and animals with impunity, even in the day the shepherds did not leave their homes and tried not to let go of cows and goats. On the way to Neme, Hercules stopped at the farmer Moloch. They agreed that if the hero does not return in 30 days, the Molarch will sacrifice his last sheep to the owners of Aida. If Hercules manages to return, the ram will be sacrificed to Zeus. To find the cave where the Nemean lion lived, it took the hero just 30 days. He piled stones at one of the entrances to it, hid himself next to the other and waited for the monster to appear. At sunset he saw a lion and shot three arrows in a row, but none of them broke the skin. The Lion threw himself at Hercules, but he struck him with a club made of ash, cut down in a Nemeisk grove, and then strangled the beast, stunned by the blow.

Nemean Games

So the Nemean lion was defeated. The first feat was given to the hero quite easily. He removed the hide from the beast, put it on himself, and went to the dwelling of the Molarch, who was just about to sacrifice Aida and Persephone.

Seeing Hercules, he was delighted and thanked Zeus for the fact that his son had defeated the lion and rescued Neme from the monster. It is believed that Hercules also punished the Hammer to arrange Nemean Games (similar to the Olympic Games) in honor of this event. Leaving the farmer's house, he came to Mycenae and showed Efrisfea proof of his victory. The giant skin made an impression on the tsar. Subsequently, he avoided personal contact with the hero in every possible way and preferred to admire his trophies from the city walls.

Where did the Nemean lion come from?

There are two versions of the origin of the monster. According to the more familiar, the lion gave birth to Typhon and Echidna, the chthonic deities of the ancient Greeks. Their other children were the dogs of Cerberus and Orff, the Chimera and the Lernaean Hydra. With some of them, Hercules also had to meet. The second version is more exotic: the lion allegedly created the goddess of the moon Selene by order of Hera (again, not without the wife of Zeus). The lion was born from a magic foam, which Selena filled a wooden box. After that, the goddess of the rainbow Irida tied the beast with her magic belt and carried it to Neme.

Lion from the mountain Keeferon

The monster from Nemea was not the first of the killed by Hercules. In his youth, the son of Zeus defeated the man-eating lion from the slopes of Kieferon, which is dedicated to a separate myth. The skin of the Kieferonian lion Hercules also wore as clothing.

The episode with the killing of the beast from Mount Kieferon is not included in the list of exploits. Perhaps, once the Greeks had a single myth: the Nemean lion And his Kieferon kinsman were one. But then the mythological subjects parted ways, and two different stories arose.

Nemean Lion's Skin

As you know, the hero began to wear a skin as clothing and armor: she made him invulnerable to arrows. But one day he had to part with her: the fact is that after committing 12 exploits, he was sold into slavery for accidentally killing a friend.

His master was Omphala, the queen of Lydia (the Asian state). She did not force Hercules to bring her trophies, but dressed him in women's clothes and ordered her to wool along with the slaves. According to some sources, Hercules was in love with his mistress (among other things, the demigoddess) and therefore not only allowed himself to be humiliated by women's work, but also did not mind when Omphala dressed in the skin of a Nemean lion and armed herself with a club.

Constellation

After the Nemean lion was defeated, Zeus took his body to heaven and turned it into a constellation in memory of his son's exploit. The constellation of the Lion is best seen in March-April - it represents a highly stretched irregular hexagon. The brightest stars in it are Denebola and Regulus.

Symbolic meaning

The first feat is sometimes interpreted by scholars in an allegorical way. So, the lion personifies human passions, aggression, which bring a lot of suffering to others. The victory over passions and vices requires endurance and wit, hence the mention of 30 days of searches and the cunning plan of the hero. The Nemean lion is invulnerable to weapons, and Hercules strangles him with his bare hands. This means that you can deal with your "demons" only independently, without outside help. And, finally, Hercules conquers the lion and appropriates his skin, that is, subordinates his passions and directs his abilities if not to a peaceful channel, then at least for the benefit of people.