Nemean Lion
The Unwoundable
nee-MEE-un LY-un
A lion whose hide no blade or arrow could cut, which turned Heracles's first labour into a wrestling match.
The Story
It hunted the valley of Nemea from a cave with two entrances, and the pelt turned every weapon Heracles had. He blocked one mouth of the cave, went in the other, and strangled it with his hands, losing a finger to it in some tellings.
The problem after that was skinning something no knife could cut. Athena's advice was to use the lion's own claws, and the pelt became the hide Heracles wears for the rest of his life: the reason he is recognisable in every vase painting, and armour nothing could pierce.
Did You Know?
- The constellation Leo is traditionally identified as the lion, set in the sky after the labour.
- The Nemean Games, one of the four great Panhellenic festivals alongside the Olympics, were held on the site and traced their founding to the story.
- Some traditions have it fall from the moon, which would explain a hide no earthly weapon could cut.