Hercules spent hours trying to skin the lion, but without success. In future he was to display the fruits of his labours outside the city gates. However the king was so terrified that he forbade Hercules ever to enter the city again. He then took the body to Mycenae so that it could be seen by King Eurystheus, who had set the tasks that Hercules had to carry out. Then the hero sealed one of the entrances and cornered him in the den where he strangled the beast. Hercules warded it off so that the lion entered the den. When Hercules confronted it for the first time all his arms proved ineffective. It had a skin so thick that it could not be pierced by weapons. The lion had been terrorising those in the surroundings of Nemea. The lion is considered to be the offspring of Typhon and Echidna or of Orthrus and Chimera, although it was also said to have fallen from the moon, as the offspring of Zeus and Selene. In Greek mythology the Nemean lion was a pitiless monster which lived in Nemea, and was finally slain by Hercules. The stories in which he has the leading role form a cycle which is constant through all antiquity, and for this reason it is difficult to give a chronological, or even a coherent exposition of them. There are many stories in mythology about him, the most important one is that of the Twelve Labours of Herakles. He is considered to be the forebear of the kings of Sparta, and this was one of the reasons for the dissemination of his legend and cult, making Hercules the Dorian hero par excellence. His extraordinary strength is the most important of his attributes, but he is also known for courage, pride, a certain candor and formidable sexual prowess. In ancient Rome as in Western Europe, he is better known as Hercules, and some Roman emperors, Commodus and Maximian among others, identified with his figure. It was as an adult that he received the name with which he is known, imposed on him by Apollo through the Pythia, to indicate his condition as a follower of the goddess Hera. This very word evokes the idea of strength. At birth he was given the name of Alcaeus or Alcides, in honour of his grandfather. He was considered to be the son of Zeus and Alceme, a mortal queen, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus on his mother’s side. His name comes from the goddess Hera and the Greek word “kleos” (glory), meaning “the glory of Hera”. Herakles is the most famous hero in Greek mythology and perhaps also in all classical antiquity. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017. Hercules holding apples of Hesperides, Roman, 2nd – 3rd century AD.
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