Lion of Némée

See also: Lion (homonymy)

The lion of Némée is a creature generated by Orthos and Échidna, killed by Héraclès during its work.

Caption

It is the big brother of large the Sphinx of Thèbes. Échidna, terrified by the birth of the two monsters, entrusts them like infants to cold, relentless and pale goddess of the Moon, Séléné.

To kill this monster and to bring back it to Eurysthée constitute the first of the Twelve work that Héraclès must achieve. It is Héra which places it in the area of Némée, in Argolide, to be used as test in Héraclès.

On its arrival with Cléonae, it stops in the hut of a plowman, named Molorchos, which wants to offer a sacrifice to him, as with a god. Refusing similar honor, Héraclès requires of him to wait one month. This passed month, or it will deserve a sacrifice under died hero, or it will have killed the animal, in which case Molorchos will be able to then offer the sacrifice to Zeus saver.

One evening, Héraclès surprises the lion on the slope of a hill, after the meal of the animal. Dissimulated, it draws on it with blow from arrows. But he realizes quickly that the monster is invulnerable. Its arrows, offered however by Apollo, rebound on his leather. The lion charges, Héraclès avoids the attack. It fights armed only with its bludgeon out of wooden of olive-tree. It strikes the lion of it, then chokes it, breaking its bludgeon in the fray. It skins it by using the proper claws of the monster to start the skin coriace. It cleans the skin and of revêt. Zeus puts the lion in the firmament, with the number of the constellations. Molorchos is sacrificing to the hero when suddenly Héraclès arrives at Cléonae. On his return to Tirynthe, the hero launches the skin to the feet of Eurysthée, which in if is terrified that it jumps in an earthenware jar to hide there. It orders in Héraclès to henceforth deposit its trophies outside the city and to communicate with him only via its herald, Coprée.

According to old legends, the lion of Némée attacked like the Egyptian Sphinx, i.e. by pushing a howl such as it burst the tympanums with whoever dared to attack it. It could also shake the ground by striking it very extremely with its leather peeling.

Sources

  • (II, 5).

  • Bacchylide, Épinicies (IX, 6,9; XIII46-54).
  • (L 31).
  • (v.  328-332).
  • ( Isthmian , 47-48).

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