The lion was well known all over the ancient world, and was used as a symbol for majesty, strength, courage, pride and kingship. The myth of the Greek hero, Hercules and his battle with the Nemean lion, has been linked to the 14 starred constellation of Leo.

Zodiac Origins

Traditionally Leo is the Zodiacal constellation between Cancer and Virgo and the fifth sign of the Zodiac. It is fitting that at the height of the Northern summer, in the cradle of astrological beginnings, we find the majestic and fiery Leo, represented by The Lion. The symbol of Leo the Lion is associated with the pattern of stars in its constellation, and suggests the Leonine characteristics of strength, courage, and nobility.

The lion was well known all over the ancient world, and was used as a symbol for majesty, strength, courage, pride and kingship. In biblical times it was common in Palestine, and in pre-biblical times, in Egypt. The ancient Hebrews had no fewer than six words to designate its different characteristics, including words for strength, courage, powerful teeth and loud roaring. Although the lion is no longer found in Europe, it is still the national emblem of Britain, standing for characteristics such as strength, courage, nobility and loyalty.

The Greeks took their mythology into the skies by identifying constellations with their gods and heroes. The myth of the Greek hero, Hercules and his battle with the Nemean lion, has been linked to the 14 starred constellation of Leo. Hercules, and Zeus, the chief god of the ancient Greeks, both play a part in the myth of Leo the Lion. The story was old before Apollonious wrote the epic Argonautica around the 3rd Century BC, and even before Homer wrote in The Odyssey around the 9th Century BC. It was undoubtedly an oral tradition and various versions began to be written down centuries after the oral tradition began. One of the 12 famous tasks assigned to Hercules was to slay and skin the dreaded lion of Nemea. This lion was the offspring of Selene, the goddess of the Moon, and so it had extraordinary powers. Selene let the beast loose on the population of Nemea in Argos because they did not pay her due homage. Hercules finally saved the people by choking it to death and, in some versions of the story, wore its pelt and head as armor and helmet, symbolically taking on the attributes of the lion to complete the remaining Herculean tasks.