Along with Odysseus, Hercules is one of the most celebrated Greek heroes. Zeus himself was considered his father, and his mother was mortal, which explained the hatred of Hera (wife of Zeus) towards him. 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 Hercules performed the feats not only of his own free will. Hera arranged so that he was forced to serve his relative, King Eurystheus of Mycenae. Hercules did not know about this. It so happened that in a fit of madness he de alt with his own children and, trying to make amends, turned to the priestess of Apollo to find out what he should do now. Then it was predicted to him that serving Eurystheus would provide the hero with immortality, and only after that he went to Mycenae.
The first labor of Hercules: the Nemean lion
This monster was the first of those that Hercules had a chance to fight on the orders of Eurystheus. The lion lived in a mountain valley near the Argolid city of Nemea. He was of enormous stature and remarkable strength and devoured people and cattle with impunity, even during the day the shepherds did not leave their homes and tried not to let out cows and goats. On the way to Nemea, Hercules stoppedat the farmer Molorkh. They agreed that if the hero did not return after 30 days, Molorkh would sacrifice his last ram to the owners of Hades. If Hercules has time to return, then the ram will be sacrificed to Zeus. It took the hero exactly 30 days to find the cave where the Nemean lion lived. He blocked one of the entrances to it with stones, hid near the other and waited for the monster to appear. At sunset, he saw a lion and shot three arrows in a row at him, but none of them pierced the skin. The lion rushed at Hercules, but he hit him with a club made from an ash tree cut down in a Nemean 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 took off the skin from the beast, put it on himself and went to the dwelling of Molorch, who was just about to offer sacrifice to Hades and Persephone.
Seeing Hercules, he was delighted and thanked Zeus for the fact that his son defeated the lion and delivered Nemea from the monster. It is believed that Hercules also ordered Molorch to arrange the Nemean Games (similar to the Olympic Games) in honor of this event. Leaving the farmer's house, he came to Mycenae and presented Ephrystheus with proof of his victory. The huge skin made an impression on the king. 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 was born by Typhon and Echidna, chthonicdeities of the ancient Greeks. Their other children were the dogs Cerberus and Orff, the Chimera and the Lernaean Hydra. Hercules also had to meet with some of them. The second version is more exotic: the lion was allegedly created by the goddess of the moon Selene on the orders of Hera (again, Zeus's wife was also involved). The lion was born from magic foam, which Selena filled a wooden box with. After that, the goddess of the rainbow, Irida, tied the beast with her magic belt and transferred it to Nemea.
Lion from Mount Kitheron
The monster from Nemea was not the first one slain by Hercules. In his youth, the son of Zeus defeated the cannibal lion from the slopes of Cithaeron, to which a separate myth is dedicated. Hercules also wore the skin of the Cithaeron lion as clothing.
The episode with the killing of the beast from Mount Kiferon is not included in the list of feats. Perhaps, once the Greeks had a single myth: the Nemean lion and its Cithaeron cousin were one. But then the mythological plots diverged, and two different stories arose.
Nemean lion skin
As you know, the hero began to wear the skin as clothing and armor: it made him invulnerable to arrows. But one day he had to part with her: the fact is that after performing 12 feats, he was sold into slavery for accidentally killing a friend.
Omphala, Queen of Lydia (an Asian state) became his mistress. She did not force Hercules to bring her trophies, but dressed him in women's clothes and ordered him to spin wool with the slaves. According to some sources, Hercules was in love with his mistress (by the way, a 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 with a club.
Constellation
After the Nemean lion was defeated, Zeus raised his body to heaven and turned it into a constellation in memory of the feat of his son. The constellation Leo is best observed in March-April - it is a strongly stretched irregular hexagon. The brightest stars in it are Denebola and Regulus.
Symbolic meaning
The first feat is sometimes interpreted by scientists allegorically. So, the lion personifies human passions, aggression, which bring a lot of suffering to others. Victory over passions and vices requires endurance and ingenuity, hence the mention of 30 days of searching and the cunning plan of the hero. The Nemean lion is invulnerable to weapons, and Hercules strangles it with his bare hands. This means that you can only cope with your "demons" on your own, without outside help. And, finally, Hercules defeats the lion and appropriates his skin, that is, he subjugates his passions and directs his abilities, if not in a peaceful direction, then at least for the benefit of people.
