The zodiacal constellation Leo is generally accepted to represent the Nemean Lion, killed by Hercules during his first labor. According to myth, the Nemean lion had an impenetrable skin. Hercules got around this potentially serious obstacle by wrestling the lion and strangling it to death. He then removed one of its claws, and used it to skin the animal. From then on, Hercules wore the skin of the Nemean Lion as protection.
Leo is easy to locate; following the pointer stars of the Big Dipper south approximates the location of the bright blue-white star Regulus in Leo's chest.
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These pages are the work of Cathy Bell
cmbell (at) comfychair (dot) org
originally for the Princeton University course CLA 212.