Today again we return to the section of legends of astronomy with one of the zodiacal constellations.
In this case it is one of the animals that roam freely through our firmament and that, although he may not be the king of the jungle, he has become the king of the stars. Its aboutnemean len, better known as the constellation of Leo.
His story stars Hercules and his father the godZeus, that after the young hero defeated the beast decided to send him to stars, from which everyone can contemplate and remember the feat.
The Nemean lion and the constellation of Leo
The nemean len was a huge fierce that scared everyone where he stepped. And it is not for less, considering that there were those who considered it son of typhn, a primitive divinity responsible for the appearance of the hurricanes. On the contrary, others believed that it was the fruit of the relationship between Zeus and Selene, who had fallen from the Moon in the form of a lion.
Wherever it came from, the truth is that it was an animal practically invincible, so it was a magnificent challenge to be part of the twelve works of Hercules.
Hercules and the twelve works
Before one of the many Hera’s rudeness;that she could not bear that her husband, Zeus, had fathered a hero like him with a mortal, the young man was imprisoned by a fit of rage and killed his wife, children, and two nephews.
When he was aware of what he had done, Hercules was invaded by a deep despair, which led him to flee to wild lands, where he intended isolate yourself from the world. However, it was found by his brotherwho encouraged him to ask the advice of the Delphic sibyl, which he proposed to do twelve tests with which you can ease your guilt.
The young man accepted and immediately started with the first of them, which consists precisely in ending the nemean len; a complicated task, but one that was never resisted.
To get started, plug one of the outlets from the cave where the animal lived, and when he met him, he squeezed it, drowning it with all his might.
I know it was more complicated cut the skin, although under the advice of the goddess Athena, tried to do it with their own claws, watching how the hide was easily torn. Thus, with the skins obtained, a new one could be made. armor and went on to use his head as a helmet.
However, neither the lion nor his battle with Hercules they must be forgotten; reason why, after his death, Zeus decided to send him to firmamentWhere can we see him today, soaring through the sky majestically, as he did in life before meeting the young hero.
