Zodiac Geocoin - Leo

Leo is the twelfth geocoin in our Zodiac series. The dates for Leo are July 23rd - August 22nd.

Each of these unique coins are trackable at Geocaching.com with a unique icon. They measure approximately 1.75 inches in diameter.

Please note: The tracking code is located on the side of this coin.

Here are some design notes from Chris Mackey:

Leo is the Nemean Lion or Leon, a terrible monster that terrorized the countryside of Nemea in the Peloponnesus, a peninsula in the south of Greece. It was a cunning beast who was fabled to kidnap women and hold them hostage in its cave nearby. It would wait for brave warriors to come challenge it before rushing out to strike them down, devour their flesh and give their bones to Hades. In some tales Leo would even cast an enchantment to appear as a beautiful woman in distress and then attack would-be saviors while their guard was down. As the first of the 12 feats assigned to him, Heracles would eventually face off against the lion. He would first try to strike it down from a distance with a bow and arrow, but the hide of the beast was impervious to this attack. As the lion closed in, Heracles would try to stun him with his club, but this attack as well proved only marginally successful. He would finally have to strangle the lion to death to triumph over Leo. Recognizing the value of the impenetrable hide of the lion, Heracles would attempt to take the skin of the lion, but his blades were not sufficient for the job. Athena had watched the hunt from a distance and finally told Heracles to use the lion's own claws to penetrate the hide. Heracles would then return to the city and present his trophy to the city and its king. Later legends would describe Heracles wearing impenetrable armor made from the magical hide of the Nemean lion.

On the face side we see the Nemean Lion center with his brutal and beautiful features and majestic mane. He's surrounded by the arrows thwarted by his magnificent hide as well as the 9 stars of the constellation. To the lower left we see the symbol of Typhos, the father of Leo and one of the oldest gods in the Pantheon. To the lower right we see the asp as symbol of Leo's mother Echidna, the half woman & half serpent goddess known as the "Mother of Monsters" who would give birth to a slew of the most famous monsters in Greek myth.

On the reverse side, the symbol of Leo resides center with constellation directly below. The Day Ruler Sun is left, the Night Ruler Jupiter is right and the Participating Ruler Saturn rises above. The nine stars of the constellation are represented in the claw shaped edge tabs in the outer border. The gem color of a translucent black Onyx surrounds the entirety of both sides.