Myth of the End o' the Year: Herakles' First Labor
Oh, my, how time flies! Time to get back in the saddle and start updating my Greek Odyssey once more.
Let me shake off the rust and start with a short myth.
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Most people have heard of the twelve (originally ten) labors of Herakles -- Hercules in Latin. Many people also recognize him in Greek art by his lionskin and club. Where did the lionskin come from, and why did he have to do all those labors, anyway?
As usual in patriarchal Greece, the goddess Hera gets part of the blame. The Disney Hercules film deftly glossed over the fact that Herakles was yet another bastard of Zeus, persecuted by Zeus' wife Hera. At one point she afflicted Herakles with madness, and he killed his own children. When he came to his senses, he asked the Delphic Oracle how on earth to purify himself and atone for their murder. Oddly enough, the Delphic Oracle assigned him a hard taskmaster, King Eurystheus of Tiryns, who gave him various nigh-impossible labors to complete.
Most were search-and-destroy missions, rooting out this or that mythical beastie that was ravaging the countryside. One such monster was the Nemean Lion, named after the town of Nemea where it was eating most of its victims.
Herakles soon discovered that this lion's hide was so tough that arrows wouldn't pierce it (which later proved handy). As in most of his labors, Herakles had to come up with some sort of workaround; he never succeeded by brute force alone. In this case, Herakles located its lair, blocked up all the entrances but one, clubbed it at the exit and then simply grabbed it by the neck and wrestled it until he strangled it. So yes, brute force helped too.
He skinned it and wore the skin (according to some ancient scholars) from then on, making it easy to spot him in Greek art.
Herakles' physical prowess was later celebrated by athletes competing in the Nemean Games, one of four local sports festivals that alternated from year to year: the Nemean, Pythian, Isthmian, and, most famous of all, the Olympic Games.
Also in this section:
~ Photos of Herakles in Greek art
Let me shake off the rust and start with a short myth.
_________
Most people have heard of the twelve (originally ten) labors of Herakles -- Hercules in Latin. Many people also recognize him in Greek art by his lionskin and club. Where did the lionskin come from, and why did he have to do all those labors, anyway?
As usual in patriarchal Greece, the goddess Hera gets part of the blame. The Disney Hercules film deftly glossed over the fact that Herakles was yet another bastard of Zeus, persecuted by Zeus' wife Hera. At one point she afflicted Herakles with madness, and he killed his own children. When he came to his senses, he asked the Delphic Oracle how on earth to purify himself and atone for their murder. Oddly enough, the Delphic Oracle assigned him a hard taskmaster, King Eurystheus of Tiryns, who gave him various nigh-impossible labors to complete.
Most were search-and-destroy missions, rooting out this or that mythical beastie that was ravaging the countryside. One such monster was the Nemean Lion, named after the town of Nemea where it was eating most of its victims.
Herakles soon discovered that this lion's hide was so tough that arrows wouldn't pierce it (which later proved handy). As in most of his labors, Herakles had to come up with some sort of workaround; he never succeeded by brute force alone. In this case, Herakles located its lair, blocked up all the entrances but one, clubbed it at the exit and then simply grabbed it by the neck and wrestled it until he strangled it. So yes, brute force helped too.
He skinned it and wore the skin (according to some ancient scholars) from then on, making it easy to spot him in Greek art.
Herakles' physical prowess was later celebrated by athletes competing in the Nemean Games, one of four local sports festivals that alternated from year to year: the Nemean, Pythian, Isthmian, and, most famous of all, the Olympic Games.
Also in this section:
~ Photos of Herakles in Greek art