Nemea
placeNemea was the valley in the Argolid where Heracles slew the Nemean Lion and where the biennial Nemean Games were held in honour of Zeus.
The Myth
The valley hosted one of the four great Panhellenic Games. According to myth, the games honoured the infant Opheltes, killed by a serpent while his nurse showed the Seven Against Thebes the way to water. The ruined Temple of Zeus still stands with its columns. Heracles' first labour — strangling the invulnerable lion — took place here, establishing the hero's most iconic image: a man in a lion skin.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Nemean Games have been revived — since 1996, athletes run barefoot in the ancient stadium wearing tunics, just as in antiquity.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Hera
godQueen of the Olympian gods and goddess of marriage. Known for her jealous rages against Zeus's...
Heracles
heroThe greatest hero of Greek mythology, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Famous for his...
Pan
godThe goat-legged god of wilderness, shepherds, and rustic music. Pan's sudden appearance caused...
Thebes
placeThebes was the great city of Boeotia, founded by Cadmus who sowed dragon teeth, and the setting for...
Zeus
godSupreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and...
Acheron
placeThe Acheron was the River of Woe in the underworld, which the dead had to cross — in some...