Heracles, Clad in the Lion

The myth

The first of Heracles' twelve labors was to kill the Nemean Lion, a beast with an invulnerable hide that ravaged the land. Arrows bounced off and swords would not cut; the hero blocked one entrance of its cave, went in through the other and strangled the lion with his arms. Theocritus says he could skin it only by using the animal's own claws. From then on Heracles wore the pelt as armor and the lion's head as a helmet (Apollodorus 2.5.1). Frightened, King Eurystheus barred him from the city and received his labors from a distance.

Why it has this power

An Epic level-8 card with 2850 ATK and 2600 DEF: the high defense comes from the hide no blade can cut. An Earth Warrior, he bears the Sun and Hammer constellations. He appears only through the ancient rhyme Young Heracles plus Nemean Lion: the hero and the beast he defeated become one.

Did you know

According to Apollodorus, Eurystheus was so afraid that he had a great bronze jar made to hide in underground.

Connections

• Born from the fusion of: Young Heracles + Nemean Lion

Where to get it

• Campaign drop: Kaelmyr, Devourer of Pantheons (The Void Between Mythologies) — grade A: 17%
• Born from the fusion of: Young Heracles + Nemean Lion

Sources

1. NEMEAN LION (Leon Nemeios) - Labour of Heracles in Greek Mythology — Aaron J. Atsma, Theoi Project
2. The Library, Book 2 — Pseudo-Apollodorus (trans. J. G. Frazer), Theoi Classical Texts Library
3. Hercules (World History Encyclopedia) — Mark Cartwright