Heracles And The Nemean Lion: The 12 Labours of Heracles EP.1 | Greek Mythology

Years after strangling Hera's serpents, when Heracles had grown into a well-skilled young man, he married princess Megara, daughter of the then Theban king, Creon. And the two had a number of children. Seeking to take away everything he loved, Hera sent the spirits of insanity and rage upon Heracles, driving him to kill his beloved wife and children. What great sorrow befell Heracles when his madness left him. He visited the oracle of Delphi, to ask for punishment, to seek penance, to seek guidance. The oracle answered, that to atone for his sins, he must serve his cousin and usurper, king Eurystheus of Mycenae and Tyrins, for twelve whole years. To ensure the hero's failure, king Eurystheus, guided by Hera, would task Heracles with twelve impossible labors, upon his arrival at Tyrins. By the promise of Zeus, should Heracles successfully fulfill the twelve tasks, he would be granted immortality at his death. But surely, it was not possible for any mortal or half-god to pull off this feat, so Hera thought. She appeared to the king of Tyrins, and directed him to humiliate Heracles with originally ten impossible labors. The first labor of Heracles, was to slay the Nemean lion. Eurystheus instructed him to kill the beast, and bring back its hide. Born from the monstrous Typhon and Echidna, the Nemean lion was a fierce beast with an impenetrable skin, that could not be broken by the weapons of man. It resided in the town of Nemea, luring people into its den, to eat them alive. Heracles found the roaming beast, when he got to the mountain of Nemea. Shooting arrows at it, he quickly realized they were of no use, as none of his arrows broke the beast's skin. Following it to its cave, he blocked the passages of the cave, so it could not escape. Then when the lion charged at him, Heracles wrapped his arms around its neck, and squeezed tight, strangling the beast. Now the lion was dead, but how could he skin it? What tool, or weapon, could he use? Athena in her wisdom, advised him to use the lion's claws, to carve out its own hide, which he did, using the hide as an armor, afterward. Heracles returned to the city of Tyrins, to the palace of Eurystheus, exactly thirteen days after he had set out on that task. Wearing the lion's skin, he presented himself to the horrified Eurystheus, ready to begin his second task.