Leo, Nemean Lion

The Nemean Lion was a large lion whose hide was impervious to weapons,. It plagued the district of Nemea in the Argolis. King Eurystheus commanded Herakles (Heracles) to destroy the beast as the first of his twelve Labours. The hero cornered the lion in its cave and seizing it by the neck wrestled it to death. He then skinned its hide to make a lion-skin cape, one of his most distinctive attributes. Hera afterwards placed the lion amongst the stars as the constellation Leo.