place
Nemea
also: Cleonae
The valley whose monstrous lion Hercules strangled, the first labor; its skin became his cloak.
Reading notes
- Agamemnon §864 Nemean lion
Nemea, where Hercules strangled the invulnerable lion, the first of his labors.
- Hercules (Mad) §228 the lion, the greatest terror of Nemea
The Nemean lion, strangled in Hercules's arms (the first labor); its invulnerable hide became his cloak.
- Oedipus §28 Dog-star
Sirius, the scorching summer star; here paired with the Sun pressing the Nemean lion's back (the zodiac sign Leo).
- Oedipus §28 Nemean lion
The constellation Leo, identified with the lion of Nemea that Hercules killed; the sun in Leo marks the height of summer heat.