There's a history behind this great lion in ancient Greece as well. :) Leo was the great monster that Hercules was supposed to kill as one of his "Twelve Labors". Leo had skin like armor and was pretty fierce. You can read more about the star sign Leo and it's history, along with other signs here: Constellation Leo History
Leo is the Latin name for Lion. It refers to a constellation of the zodiac. It is located between Cancer and Virgo. It is depicted by the" " symbol. This symbol may be an indication of the animal's mane or his tail. It has several bright stars like Regulus, Denebola and γ1 Leonis. An asterism known as the Sickle is made up by Regulus, η Leonis, and γ Leonis as well as some other fainter stars. It is a representation of the head and mane of a lion. It has many bright galaxies and the most well known among them are the twins.
It is known to early Hindu astronomers as the 'Sinha' or 'Asleha' in Sanskrit. Leya or Leyaya was the name for this constellation among Romans and the Greeks. The Persians called it Ser or Shir; the Turks, Artan; the Syrians, Aryo; the Jews, Arye; the Indians, "Sher"; and the Babylonians, Aru. All these words are different terms for lion.
