Not long after his arrival to Tiryns, king Eurystheus call on him and said.

- Hercules, I have heard that you are very strong and defy all dangers. For you to stay here with me, you must complete Ten labors for me. Do you accept?

- Yes, I will do whatever is asked of me. The answer from the hero came without any hesitation.

- In the nearby mountains of Nemea, lives a lion that have tear to pieces animals and people. I want you to kill the beast and bring its skin before me.

- Your will be done, was Hercules answer.

It's been said that this lion was the guardian of the palace of goddess Selini (moon), and one day in her anger she kicked the lion down to earth. Others say that this beast was a child of the horrible Echidna which was half snake half woman.

Hercules was on its way for his first labor with his mighty club as his only weapon for protection and king Eurystheus laughing at his back, for he was sure that the hero will find certain death.

It was already night when Hercules reached the Nemea mountains and seek refuge in a shepherd's hut. Few days ago the shepherd's only child was eaten by the lion and he was the one who pointed out the lion's cave to our hero.

The cave had two entrances, so Hercules blocked off one entrance to the lion's cave to trap the beast inside and crawled into the close confines where it would have to fight face to face with his club as his only weapon. This was no easy feat, for the beast's parentage was supernatural and it was more of a monster than an ordinary lion. Its skin could not be penetrated by spears or arrows.

The lion immediately attacked the hero who managed a blow with his mighty club. The beast went down dizzy giving just enough time to Hercules to grab it from the neck. Man and beast fought for a long time but Hercules hands kept squeezing on the beast's neck until he broke it with his bare hands. He then skinned the lion and wore the lion's skin as a cloak and its gaping jaws as a helmet and marched to Tiryns and into the palace.

Eurystheus got so afraid of his heroic cousin thinking that it's real lion that he went and hid in a large storage jar. When the king realized Hercules joke he got very angry and said to him self.

- I don't know how you escaped from the lion's teeth but the next labor will make Nemea's lion look like child's play to you.

From the safety of this hiding place he issued the order for another Labor. Hercules was to seek out and destroy the monstrous and many-headed Hydra.