From the point-of-view of the lion, the story of Young Hercules and the Lion is rather chilling. But it is a classic and bears repeating.
In Greek mythology, the Young Hercules—before he became the superhero we know today—was assigned Twelve Labors by his uncle, King Eurystheus of Tiryns. Hercules was being challenged as penance for having killed his family after the goddess, Hera, drove Hercules mad. (She was trying to get back at Hercules's father, Zeus.) The Labors were intended to be impossible for the Young Hercules to accomplish.
Hercules's First Labor was to kill the Nemean Lion. Nemea was a village about 20 miles southwest of Corinth. The fearsome Nemean Lion was invincible due to its beautiful golden fur, which was impervious to the weapons of mortals. The lion also had extraordinary claws which could cut through any human armor. At first, Hercules attempted to shoot the lion with a bow and arrow—which simply bounced-off the lion's haunches. After that, Hercules lured the lion into its cave, blocked him from escaping, and clubbed the lion. Once the lion was dazed, Hercules strangled him.
Hercules had difficulty skinning the lion—for its fleece was impervious to human knives. Athena appeared to Hercules, advising him to use one of the lion's own claws to remove its pelt. After skinning the lion, Hercules threw the fleece over his back, thus becoming impervious himself. He then headed back to the city to notify his uncle, King Eurystheus, of his accomplishment. When Hercules entered the city, the king was so frightened by Hercules's feat that he forbade his nephew from ever entering the city again.
The German porcelain sculpture, shown above, was made by Hochst in the late Nineteenth Century. It captures a (very) young Hercules, returning to his uncle, the king, wearing the Nemean Lion's fleece over his shoulder and carrying the club in his other hand. Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome sculpture.
More handsome LEOs tomorrow and in the days to come.
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