Wordville All Wordville Reading Print

Hercules, the son of Zeus, king of the gods, was known in ancient Greece for his great strength and courage.

In his quest to be forgiven and to test his bravery, Hercules was given a set of twelve very hard tasks called the Twelve Labors. His first labor was to kill a dangerous beast called the Nemean Lion.

The Nemean Lion was no ordinary lion. It was huge and strong. Its golden fur was so tough that no sword, spear, or arrow could hurt it. Many people tried to fight the lion, but no one ever came back alive.

Hercules went to the forest in Nemea where the lion lived. He searched through caves and hills until he found it. Hercules shot arrows at the lion, but the arrows bounced off its thick fur. He tried using his sword, but it didn’t work either.

Hercules realized that he couldn’t defeat the lion with weapons, so he came up with a new plan. He put down his weapons and waited for the lion to attack. When it jumped at him, Hercules grabbed the lion with his bare hands. He used all his strength to wrestle the lion and finally squeezed it so hard that the lion stopped moving.

Hercules used the lion's sharp claws to cut through the fur. Then he made a cloak out of the lion’s skin. He carried the lion’s body back and wore the cloak to show his great victory.

This was only the first of Hercules’ twelve labors, but it proved that he was no ordinary man.

Who was Hercules' father?
Apollo
Nemean
Zeus
Zeus What were the Twelve Labors?
hard tasks given to Hercules
a group of heroes
a list of animals
hard tasks given to Hercules Which one of the Twelve Labors was the defeat of the Nemean Lion?
the first
the second
the last
the first Hercules was the first person to defeat the Nemean Lion.
True
False
The story doesn't say.
True What did Hercules use to cut through the lion's tough fur?
a magic sword
the lion's sharp claws
his teeth
the lion's sharp claws What made the Nemean Lion so hard to defeat?
It could fly.
It could become invisible.
Its fur could not be hurt by weapons.
Its fur could not be hurt by weapons. How did Hercules defeat the lion?
He used a magic sword.
He wrestled it with his bare hands.
He poisoned it.
He wrestled it with his bare hands. What did Hercules do with the lion’s skin?
He made a cloak out of it.
He buried it.
He gave it away.
He made a cloak out of it.

Wordville All Wordville Reading