Leo : Myths and Legends
Leo is the 5th sign of the zodiac, represented by the Greeks as a Lion, specifically the terrible Nemean Lion which had a skin no weapon could penetrate and which had depopulated Nemea.
As the first of his labours, Herakles strangled the lion, though losing a finger to it in the struggle, and thereafter used its skin as armour and its head as an helmet. Zeus raised the lion to the heavens in honour of Herakles.
The Mythology: Leo represents the Nemean lion slain by Hercules on the first of his 12 labours. Leo had a skin that could not be punctured by iron, stone or bronze. However, Hercules strangled it to death. Leo features in ancient Egpytian religion. The Egyptians worshipped the celestial lion, and the ancient scribes used it to predict the flooding of the Nile.
