THE NEMEAN LION
The first of the 12 labours assigned to Hercules by King Eurystheus was to slay the Nemean lion. The monster had its den in a cave with two entrances in Nemea, Corinthia, and terrorised the locals. Hercules blocked one entrance of the cave, trapping the lion in its den. As the lion’s hide was impervious to weapons, Hercules wrestled with it barehanded and strangled it. Then he skinned the carcass, and would wear the emblematic lion pelt ever since. The slain lion was turned by Zeus into the constellation Leo.
The obverse depicts Hercules wrestling with the Nemean lion. At top is the wording “THE NEMEAN LION”, to the left a palmette (mintmark of the Greek mint) and at bottom the minting year (“2026”).
The reverse features Hercules on Mount Olympus (“the apotheosis of Hercules”). To the left is the national coat of arms and to the right the denomination (“9 EURO”).
Not sold separately, bus as part of the three-coin set.