The Nemean Lion

eTwinning project:

“Draw me a legend of your country”

Bardavio 3o Primary School of Xylokastro, Greece, C2 class The Nemean Lion

Once upon the time o strong baby boy was born in a town called Thiva. His name was Heracles, son of god Zeus and Alcmene, daughter of the king of Mycenae. However, goddes Hera, Zeus’ wife, was jealous of Heracles and was asking for revenge.

When Heracles was only eight months old, Hera sent two snakes to kill him in his crib.

But Heracles, was as strong as a lion, and he managed to strangle the two snakes without being afraid at all!

People admired Heracles because he was full of virtues but he lived a hard life because of Hera’s hate.

Hera made him go mad and he killed his own children and wife. Then he went to Delphic Oracle to look for a way to purify himself. He was sent back to Mycenae by Pythia, the priestess of Delphic Oracle, and was told by her to serve the king Eurystheus for twelve years.

The king Eurystheus compelled him to perform twelve heroic tasks, all of them extremely dangerous!

The first task was to kill the Nemean lion!! It was settled among the hills of Nemea by Hera and it ate up both animals and people.

The lion-beast was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna and its siblings were monsters that killed people. Their names were Kerveros, Sfinx, Lernean Hydra and the Eagle that ate Promitheas liver!

On his way to Nemea he walked through the sacred grove of trees of the town and made an olive wood club to battle the monster- lion.

When he saw the lion he shot many arrows against him but he soon realized that the arrows were useless against the beast-lion because its skin was too hard and impervious to weapons.

So, he picked up the olive wood club, that he had made, and he managed to terrify the lion.

Heracles followed the lion to its cave which had two entrances. He used huge stones to block one of the doorways and then he approached the fierce lion through the other.

Heracles battled bravely!

The Nemean lion’s roar was heard throughout the town of Nemea.

He held it tightly and managed to kill the lion by struggling it with his bare hands.

Then he removed the lion’s skin and he returned to the king Eurystheus carrying the lion skin on his shoulders.

When the king Eurystheus saw Heracles…

Ηe was so afraid that he hid in a large bronze jar.

In memory of his task, Heracles established the Nemean Games in Nemea. The winner was honoured with a wildcelery wreath.

Pupils΄ group work

“Here the ancient Greeks celebrated festivals that where part of the cycle of games at Delphi, Isthmia, and Olympia…”During these festivals, “…wars and hostilities were suspended by a sacred truce, and all GreeksSpartans and Athenians, Corinthians and Argives, Macedonians and Cretans -gatherd in recognition of their common humanity...

Pupils΄ individual and group work

...This impulse toward peace - albeit limited to a few days each year – was the first in the history of mankind on an organized, regular, and inter –national scale. Thus, the ancient festivals at Nemea, Olympia, Delphi, and Isthmia are the direct ancestors of today΄s Olympic Games as well as of the United Nations” (from the booklet of Nemean Games 2016).

Pupils΄ individual work

Nowadays the citizens of Nemea wanted the revival of the Nemean Games and in 1995 founded a legal corporation “The Society for the Revival of the Nemean Games, Nemea”.

A pupil΄s activity “They believe that there is scope and perhaps even need for the average person – regardless of ethnicity, language, religion, gender, or age - to participate in an international athletic festival.” (from the booklet of Nemean Games 2016).

Worksheets

The participants of the New Nemean Games run every four years, on the path called “Heracles’ steps”, following the route that Heracles had taken to chase the lion. “No records are kept and no medals awarded…

Ιndividual work of pupils

…They are rewarded only by feet sore from contact with the same stadium where ancient feet ran more than 2,300 years”.

Pupils΄group work

Furthermore, they gain knowledge that they have been in direct contact with an ancient idea that still lives in the earth of Nemea.

Come to join us!

Teamwork can make a dreamwork!

• • • • • • •

The pupils of C2 class Sotiria Salata, Art teacher Evangelia Aspropotamiti, Drama teacher Konstantina Theodoropoulou, Music teacher Agoritsa Kaloutsa, English teacher Vasilis Gennatos, ICT teacher Sofia Chroni, headteacher of the school and teacher of the class C2 in History lesson.

Pupils’ activity on the computer

We would like to thank students’ parents of C2 class for their support and the corporation “The Society for the Revival of the Nemean Games, Nemea” for providing us with the material.

Thanks a lot to all pupils and teachers of the schools that participated through eTwinning and worked on this project.

We all had the opportunity to share the beauty of our cultural heritage and identify our common values within the European civilization that unites us!