Hi Chris -
Thanks for an interesting post. A new angle to me. Have just checked with Apollodoros, who seems to have the details in outline (trans. pasted from
Perseus):-
"And having come to
Nemea and tracked the
lion, he first shot an arrow at him, but when he perceived that the beast was invulnerable, he heaved up
his club and made after him. And whln the
lion took refuge in a cave with two mouths,
Hercules built up the one entrance and came in upon the beast through the other, and putting
his arm round its neck held it tight till he
had choked it; so laying it on
his shoulders he carried it to Cleonae."
Theocritos expands on the whole encounter in more graphic detail (! - obviously based on an eye-witness account...);-
"I
had hidden myself in the shade of some bushes on a woodland path, waiting until [the
lion] should come. As he passed, swiftly I loosed an arrow at
his left flank--in vain! The weapon held not its course through the ridged flesh, but rebounded and fell on the green sward. Though astonished, he quickly reared
his bloody
head from the ground, spying all about with searching eyes and snarling showed
his wicked teeth. Vexed that my first
had idle scaped my hand, I sent a second dart from the string; it struck him full in the chest, the very seat of the lungs; even so the pain-dealing arrow failed to pierce below the hide but fell in front of
his paws, equally useless. A dreadful loathing seized me as the third time I prepared to draw and the eyes of the monstrous beast, as they rolled round, sighted me. He lashed
his long tail about
his lions and
his mind
ran upon battle;
his throat swelled all with spleen; with ire bristled
his tawny mane;
his spine bent like a bow as he gathered
his length below
his flanks and midriff . . . so the terrible
lion arched himself and sprang from far upon me, raging to taste my flesh. I held in one hand my darts and the cloak from my shoulders, folded; with the other I swung my seasoned club about my ears and smashed it down on
his head, but split the wild olive, rugged as it was, asunder on the invincible brute's maned skull. Before he could come at me, he fell, dropping down on the ground and stood on trembling feet swaying
his head, for darkness swam about
his eyes swaying
his head, for darkness swam about
his eyes at the stunning shock to the brain's core.
`Seeing him witless with whelming pain, before he could turn and breath again, I was quick to advance and seize him by the scruff of
his iron neck, having thrown my bow to the ground with my broidered quiver. Then I throttled him mightily with my stout
hands, reaching round from behind lest he lacerate my flesh with
his claws. I set solidly my heels on
his hind feet and pressed them down to the ground--my knees took care of
his sides--until I raised
his body up breathless in my arms and stretched it out. Sire Haides received
his life. "
So. although the 'arm down the throat' approach sound perfectly feasible (if risky - one account says he lost a finger in the course of the fight, which might have been due to its being intercepted by the teeth...), it isn't born out by these two sources.
Difficult to tell exactly what's going on with the coins, though I grant that they might bear out your version. Where did your information come from ?
Best regards - Frank
