Heracles 

The Nemean Lion

Heracles was sent to kill the Nemean Lion as the first of his twelve tasks. (43) The problem was the lion had an impregnable golden skin which even metal couldn't pierce. Because arrows and his sword were no use, Heracles wrestled and choked the creature. (44) Creating the Nemean lion - Leo in the zodiac - in the palm required the help of our prehistoric special effects department.

Illustration 37a:  A sketch of a lion-like face formed from creases and lines in the palm, with the flames of a fire creating his mane

Illustration 37b: "Lion" hand in front of a small fire

Is this Leo, the king of the jungle? Well he could be the king - he’s at the head of an arm-y. To prove the lion is dead, Heracles needs to return with its hide and the only way he can remove it is to cut it with the lion’s own claw. (45) Illustration 38  shows Heracles choking the lion and removing the hide with its claw.

Illustration 38: Heracles choking and skinning the lion with its own claw

Heracles throws the hide over his shoulder and uses it as armour in all his battles. (46) Illustration 39 shows Heracles with the golden armour over his shoulder. Again you will see the work of the special effects team in recreating this iconic image of Heracles. A little grease was added to the area of the hand behind Heracles, lit with a torch.

Illustration 39: Heracles with the lion's golden skin over his shoulder

In another story Heracles steps on a crab and is attacked by the angry creature (47), recreated in Illustration 40. The crab creature - Cancer in the zodiac (48) - supports the idea that these stories were told by parents. Parents still form their hand into a crab to play with small children, pinching them with their fingers.

Illustration 40: Heracles attacked by a crab

References

43. Bacchylides, Fragment 13 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric IV) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.)  The First Labour Of Heracles Theoi Project https://www.theoi.com/Ther/LeonNemeios.html

"See the neck-breaking hand that Perseus' descendant [Herakles] lays with all manner of skill on the flesh-eating lion [the Nemeian Lion]; for the gleaming man-mastering bronze refuses to pierce its unapproachable body : his sword was bent back."

44. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2. 74 - 76 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : Theoi Project https://www.theoi.com/Ther/LeonNemeios.html

"First he [Herakles] was assigned to fetch the skin of the Nemeian lion, an invulnerable animal sired by Typhon . . . He then went to Nemea, found the lion, and shot it first with arrows. But when he knew for sure it was invulnerable, he picked up his club and started after it. It escaped into a double-mouthed cave, but Herakles blocked up one of the mouths, and ran in after the creature through the other. He encircled its neck with his arm, and by squeezing choked it to death. He then draped it over his shoulders and took it back to Kleonai (Cleonae)."

45. Newcastle University Hercules And The Nemean Lion https://research.ncl.ac.uk/media/sites/researchwebsites/explorethepastwithus/O2%20-%20Hercules%20and%20the%20Nemean%20Lion%20-%20Athena's%20Owls.pdf

Then,since even he would have struggled to carry such a huge creature all the way back toTiryns, he used the monster’s own claws to get its skin off.
As he was heading back to Eurystheus’ palace, an idea struck the hero. ‘I wonder…’ hethought to himself, ‘if this skin could be useful,’ and he swung it over his shoulders as acloak. ‘Now we’ll see if Eurystheus still feels like being rude to me!’

46. Heracles, Britannia.com https://www.britannica.com/topic/Heracles

It was Eurystheus who imposed upon Heracles the famous Labours, later arranged in a cycle of 12, usually as follows: (1) the slaying of the Nemean lion, whose skin he thereafter wore;

47. Hercules' Second Labor: the Lernean Hydra, Perseus Digital LIbrary, https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/hydra.html

To make matters worse, the hydra had a friend of its own: a huge crab began biting the trapped foot of Hercules. Quickly disposing of this nuisance, most likely with a swift bash of his club, Hercules called on Iolaus to help him out of this tricky situation.

48. Cancer Mythology, Windows 2 Universe website https://www.windows2universe.org/mythology/cancer.html&dev=

According to an ancient Greek legend, the figure of a gigantic crab was placed in the nighttime sky by the goddess Hera to form the constellation Cancer. Hera swore to kill Heracles, the most famous Greek hero. Hera attempted to kill Heracles in many different ways, but each time his incredible physical strength allowed him to survive. The Romans called him Hercules. Hera cast a spell of madness on Heracles, causing him to commit a great crime. In order to be forgiven, he had to perform twelve difficult tasks. One of these tasks was destroying the terrible nine-headed water-serpent, Hydra.During the battle between Heracles and Hydra, the goddess Hera sent a giant crab to aid the serpent. But Heracles, being so strong, killed the crab by smashing its shell with his foot.