First depictions caves The earliest known
cave paintings of lions (which are of the extinct species
Panthera spelaea) were found in the
Chauvet Cave and in
Lascaux in France's
Ardèche region and represent some of the earliest
paleolithic cave art, dating to between 32,000 and 15,000 years ago. The zoomorphic
Löwenmensch figurine from
Hohlenstein-Stadel and the ivory carving of a lion's head from
Vogelherd Cave in the
Swabian Jura in southwestern Germany were carbon-dated 39,000 years old, dating from the
Aurignacian culture.
Ancient Egypt The earliest tomb paintings in
Ancient Egypt, at
Nekhen, c. 3500
BC, classified as
Naqada, possibly
Gerzeh, culture include images of lions, including an image of a human (or deity) flanked by two lions in an upright posture. Among ancient Egyptians, from prehistoric times through well documented records, the war goddess
Sekhmet, a lioness, was the parallel deity to Sekhmet in the southern region. Her nature gradually changed after the unification of the country and Sekhmet prevailed throughout. At that time Bast changed into the goddess of personal protection with different responsibilities, and often was depicted as a very tame lioness or a cat. She is shown to the left atop an ala
baster jar that contained precious oils and lotions. The name of the stone probably bears her named because materials sacred to her usually were stored in it.. The
sphinx of Ancient Egypt shows the head and shoulders of a human and the body of a lioness. The statues represents Sekhmet, who was the protector of the
pharaohs. Later pharaohs were depicted as sphinxes, being thought as the offspring of the deity.
Iran Lions are depicted on vases dating to about 2600
before present that were excavated near
Lake Urmia. In Iranian mythology, the lion is a symbol of courage and monarchy. It is portrayed standing beside the kings in artifacts and sitting on the graves of knights. Imperial seals were also decorated with carved lions. The lion and sun motif is based largely on astronomical configurations, and the ancient zodiacal sign of the sun in the house of Leo. Lion and sun is a symbol of royalty in Iranian flag and coins. Goddess
Anahita was sometimes shown standing on a lion. Lion is also title of the fourth grade of
mithraism. , which is related to the Achaemenid period. Lions have been extensively used in ancient Persia as sculptures and on the walls of palaces, in fire temples, tombs, on dishes and jewellery; especially during the
Achaemenid Empire. The gates were adorned with lions.
Ancient Mesopotamia In ancient
Mesopotamia, the lion was regarded as a symbol of kingship. Depictions of the
Mesopotamian lion show that it was an important symbol of
Ancient Iraq. It is depicted in Ninevan reliefs. The
lion of Babylon is a statue at the
Ishtar Gate in
Babylon The lion has an important association with the figure
Gilgamesh, as demonstrated in
his epic. The Babylonian goddess
Ishtar was represented driving a chariot drawn by seven lions.. Sculptures and reliefs of the
Neo-Assyrian Empire dating to the 6th and 7th centuries BC were rediscovered and
excavated in the mid 19th century. Several reliefs feature lions, including the
Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal, a famous group of
Assyrian palace reliefs with numerous small narrative scenes, now in the
British Museum. A well-known detail of this group of reliefs is
The Dying Lioness depicting a half-paralyzed lioness pierced with arrows. They were originally in an
Assyrian royal palace in
Nineveh, in modern-day Iraq.
Europe A
bronze statue of a lion from either southern
Italy or southern
Spain, from 1000–1200 years CE was put on display at the
Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Ancient sculptures Lions have been widely used in
sculpture to provide a sense of majesty and awe, especially on public buildings. Lions were bold creatures and many ancient cities would have an abundance of lion sculptures to show strength in numbers as well. This usage dates back to the origin of civilization. There are lions at the entrances of cities and sacred sites from Mesopotamian cultures; notable examples include the
Lion Gate of ancient
Mycenae in
Greece that has two lionesses flanking a column that represents a deity, and the gates in the walls of the
Hittite city of
Bogazköy,
Turkey. Thus the strong emphasis on lions in the earliest figurative Greek art, especially that of
Mycenaean Greece from around 1600–1400 BC, reflected the world in which Greeks lived, rather than being based on stories from further east, as once thought. Lionesses often flanked the Gorgon, a vestige of the earliest Greek protective deity that often was featured atop temples of later eras. The western
pediment from the
Artemis Temple of Corfu is a well preserved example. The most notable lion of Ancient Greek mythology was the
Nemean lion, killed barehanded by
Heracles, who subsequently bore the pelt as an invulnerable magic cloak. This lion is also said to be represented by the
constellation of
Leo, and also the
sign of the
Zodiac. Lions are known in many cultures as the king of animals, which can be traced to the
Babylonian Talmud, and to the classical book
Physiologus. In his
fables, the famed Greek story teller
Aesop used the lion's symbolism of power and strength in
The Lion and the Mouse and
Lion's Share. Since
classical antiquity, a
Gaetulian lion in literature is a lion of fierce reputation. Gaetulia, in ancient geography, was the land of the
Gaetuli, a warlike tribe of
ancient Libya that appears in Virgil's
Aeneid (19 BC). The Gaetulia lion appears in
Odes of Horace (23 BC),
Pliny the Elder's
Natural History (77 AD),
Philostratus's
Life of Apollonius of Tyana ( 215),
Robert Louis Stevenson's
Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes (1879). In
Socrates' model of the
psyche (as described by
Plato), the bestial, selfish nature of humanity is described metaphorically as a lion, the "leontomorphic principle".
Biblical references and Jewish-Christian tradition , R.A. (1840–1920), 1890 (Manchester City Art Gallery) Several Biblical accounts document the presence of lions, and cultural perception of them in ancient Israel. The best known Biblical account featuring lions comes from the
Book of Daniel (chapter 6), where Daniel is
thrown into a den of lions and miraculously survives. A lesser known Biblical account features
Samson who kills a lion with his bare hands, later sees bees nesting in its carcass, and poses a riddle based on this unusual incident to test the faithfulness of his fiancée (
Judges 14). The prophet
Amos said (Amos, 3, 8): "The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?", i.e., when the gift of prophecy comes upon a person, he has no choice but to speak out. The lion is one of the
living creatures in the
Book of Ezekiel. They were represented in the
tetramorph. In
1 Peter 5:8, the
Devil is compared to a roaring lion "seeking someone to devour." The lion is the biblical emblem of the
tribe of Judah and later the
Kingdom of Judah. It is contained within Jacob's blessing to his fourth son in the penultimate chapter of the
Book of Genesis, "Judah is a lion's whelp; On prey, my son have you grown. He crouches, lies down like a lion, like the king of beasts—who dare rouse him?" (Genesis 49:9). The power and ferocity of the lion is invoked when describing the anger of God (, ) and the menace of Israel's enemies (, ) and Satan (). The book of Isaiah uses the imagery of a lion laying with a calf and child, and eating straw to portray the harmony of creation (). In the
Book of Revelation, a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle are seen on a heavenly throne in
John's vision;(). In
ancient Jewish art, lions often served as symbolic decorative elements. They appear in various media, including sculpture and mosaics, with one typical arrangement placing them symmetrically on either side of a
Torah shrine. In the modern state of
Israel, the lion remains the symbol of the capital city of
Jerusalem, emblazoned on both the flag and
coat of arms of the city. In Christian tradition,
Mark the Evangelist, the author of the
second gospel is symbolized by the
lion of Saint Mark – a figure of courage and monarchy. It also represents Jesus'
Resurrection (because lions were believed to sleep with open eyes, a comparison with Christ in the tomb), and Christ as
king. Some Christian legends refer to Saint Mark as "Saint Mark the Lionhearted". Legends say that he was fed to the lions and the animals refused to attack or eat him. Instead the lions slept at his feet, while he petted them. When the Romans saw this, they released him, spooked by the sight. Christian tradition has associated lions with
Christ's resurrection. In the Christian text
Physiologus, lion cubs are said to be born stillborn and the mothers cares for them until the father returns on the third day to breathe life into them.
Late antiquity mysticism A lion-faced figurine is usually associated with the
Mithraic mysteries. Without any known parallel in classical, Egyptian, or middle-eastern art, what this figure is meant to represent currently is unknown. Some have interpreted it to be a representation of
Ahriman, of the aforementioned gnostic Demiurge, or of some similar malevolent, tyrannical entity, but it has also been interpreted as some sort of time or season deity, or even a more positive symbol of enlightenment and spiritual transcendence. File:Haldi09.jpg|Portrait of
Ḫaldi riding on lion at
Erebuni Fortress File:Sphinx Darius Louvre.jpg|Winged
sphinx with body of lioness, palace of
Darius the Great at
Susa File:Sainttrophimefigures.jpg|
Samson and the lions, Saint Trophime Church Portal, 12th century File:TumboA Alfonso.jpg|A lion at the side of King
Alfonso IX of Leon, from the
Tumbo A cartulary of the
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela File:Gold cup kalardasht.jpg|A
Hyrcanian Achaemenid golden cup depicting lions, excavated at
Kalardasht in
Mazandaran, Iran File:The Silver Age (fresco by Pietro da Cortona).jpg|A lion in
Pietro da Cortona's depiction of the
Golden Age File:Schabrak, detalj - Livrustkammaren - 42217.tif|Embroidered lion on saddle pad of King Charles XI of Sweden, ca. 1670 File:RWS Tarot 08 Strength.jpg|The "Strength" card of the
Rider–Waite tarot deck File:Lion-faced deity.jpg|A Gnostic gem portraying a lion-faced deity File:Baalbek-109929.jpg|The lion head motif is a recurring architectural element in the great temple of
Baalbek Arthurian legend In a key scene of
Yvain, the Knight of the Lion (), a
romance by
Chrétien de Troyes, the hero is depicted as rescuing a lion from a serpent. Subsequently, the lion proves to be a loyal companion and a symbol of knightly virtue, and helps Yvain complete his altruistic ventures. In the happy end, the lion comes to dwell with Yvain and his wife
Laudine at their castle. Germany Hohenzollern Protestant Chapel Lion.jpg|Lion door handle at
Burg Hohenzollern Bronze lion and church spire, Trafalgar Square - geograph.org.uk - 1600280.jpg|One of the four lions in
Trafalgar Square, London, by
Landseer at the base of
Nelson's Column Luzern asv2022-10 Löwendenkmal img2.jpg|The
Lion Monument in
Lucerne,
Switzerland, commemorates the sacrifice of the
Swiss Guards at the
Tuileries in 1792.
Islamic traditions dated 1429, from Herat, a Persian translation of the Panchatantra'' – depicts the manipulative jackal-vizier, trying to lead his lion-king into war Shia
calligraphic motif, representing
Ali as the
Lion of Allah. The text reads:
"By God! Ali ibn Abi Talib is the Victorious One! May the Almighty God be pleased with him, and may God give him glory!" In both Arab and Persian culture, the lion is regarded as a symbol of courage, bravery, royalty and chivalry. The depiction of lions is derived from earlier
Mesopotamian arts.
Islamic art commonly manifests its aesthetic elements predominantly in
Islamic calligraphy, floral and geometric decorative patterns, since Islamic religious tradition discourages the depictions of humans and living creatures in sculptures. Through
Persian arts miniatures and paintings, however, the depictions of humans and animals survives. In
al-Andalus (Muslim Spain), lion statues as supporters and waterspouts of fountains were built around 10th-century
Cordoba, such as in the palaces of
Madinat al-Zahra and Munyat an-Na'ura, as well as in the
Maristan of Granada and in the
Court of the Lions of the
Alhambra in the 14th century. Animal motifs were also commonly used in stone-carved decoration in
Anatolian Seljuk architecture (12th–13th centuries) and images of lions were favoured in this context. Examples include the lion reliefs on the Döner Kümbet tomb (c. 1275) and the lion-head carvings on the Sahabiye Madrasa (c. 1267), both in
Kayseri, and two reliefs of a lion fighting a bull on the
Great Mosque of Diyarbakir. The epithet
Asadullah ("Lion of Allah") is ascribed to two of the Prophet Muhammad's closest
companions -
Hamza and
Ali, both for their prowess and valour. Because of its association with Ali, the epithet holds particular relevance in Shia Islam. This has been especially the case since the
Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam, after which the
Lion and Sun became not just a symbol of Persia or its monarchy, but also their particular association with Shia Islam. However, with its revival by
Safavids, the
Lion and Sun became a popular motif throughout
Persianate cultures, not just among Shias. For example, the motif was also used by the
Mughal Empire.
Dharmic traditions contemporary or near-contemporary art depiction of
Guru Gobind Singh hunting
Asiatic lion The lion symbolism and its cultural depictions can be found in
Hindu and
Buddhist art of
India and Southeast Asia. The lion symbolism in India was based upon
Asiatic lions that once spread in Indian subcontinent as far as the Middle East.
South Asia Neolithic cave paintings of lions were found in
Bhimbetka rock shelters in central India, which are at least 30,000 years old. has a lion as her
vahanam or divine mount
Narasimha ("man-lion") is described as the fourth incarnation (
avatara) of the Hindu deity
Vishnu in the
Puranic texts of
Hinduism, an
anthropomorphic form assumed to slay a
daitya (demon) named
Hiranyakashipu. A goddess corresponding to the appearance of Narasimha is also featured, called
Narasimhi. Lions are also found in
Buddhist symbolism. Lion pillars erected during the reign of Emperor
Ashoka show lions and the
chakra emblem. The lions depicted in the
Lion Capital of Ashoka inspired artists who designed the
Emblem of India.
Singh is an
ancient Indian name meaning "lion", dating more than 2,000 years ago to
ancient India. It was originally only used by warriors in India. After the birth of the
Khalsa brotherhood in 1699, the
Sikhs also adopted the name "Singh" due to the wishes of
Guru Gobind Singh. Singh is used by various communities today, it is also used by more than 20 million
Sikhs worldwide. The appellation of the name Singh was used by the Rajputs before being adopted by the Sikhs in 1699. Therefore, all "Singh"s in Indian history before 1699 are Hindu and mainly Rajputs. The lion also features as the carrier or the vehicle of
Durga, the Hindu goddess of war, worshipped in and around the
Bengal region. The lion is symbolic for the
Sinhalese,
Sri Lanka's ethnic majority; the term derived from the Indo-Aryan
Sinhala, meaning the "lion people" or "people with lion blood", while a sword-wielding lion is the central figure on the modern national
flag of Sri Lanka. The entrance to
Sigiriya, the Lion-Rock of Sri Lanka, was through the Lion Gate, the mouth of a stone lion. The paws of the lion is one of seven
World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka.
Southeast Asia ,
Champa, 6th–8th century AD Lions were never native animals of Southeast Asia in
recorded history. As the result, the depiction of lion in ancient Southeast Asian art, especially in ancient
Java and
Cambodia, is far from naturalistic style as depicted in Greek or Persian art counterparts, since the artist who carved the lion sculpture never saw the lion before, and all were based on perception and imagination. The cultural depictions and the reverence of lion as the noble and powerful beast in Southeast Asia was influenced by Indian culture. Statues of a pair of lions are often found in temples in Southeast Asia as the gate guardian. In the
Borobudur Buddhist monument
Central Java,
Indonesia andesite stone statues of lions guarding four main entrances of Borobudur. The thrones of
Buddha and
Boddhisattva found in
Kalasan and
Mendut buddhist temples of ancient Java depicted elephant, lion, and
makara. The statue of a winged lion also is found in
Penataran temple
East Java, as well as in
Balinese temples. The Balinese winged lion often served as
the guardian statue or as the pedestal of wooden column. ,
Angkor In
Cambodia statues of lions flanking the temple gate or access roads are commonly found in temples of
Angkor.
Bakong, a stepped pyramid Hindu temple from earlier period also displays lion statues as guardians of each stage on each of the cardinal points. Khmer lion guardian statues are commonly found in
Angkor Wat,
Bayon,
Pre Rup and
Srah Srang. Just like ancient Java, the depiction of lion in ancient Khmer art is not in naturalistic style, more like a symbolic mythical animal derived from Indian Hindu-Buddhist art. The royal emblem of Cambodia depicting a pair of guardian animals;
gajasingha (hybrid of elephant and lion) and
singha (lion). In
Thailand, a pair of lion statues are often placed in front of temple gate as guardian. The style of Thai lion is similar to those of Cambodian, since Thailand derived many of its aesthetics and arts elements from Cambodian Khmer art. In
Myanmar, the statue of lion called
Chinthe guarding the stupas, pagodas, and Buddhist temples in
Bagan, while pair of lions are also featured in the country's
coat-of-arms. The
island nation of
Singapore (
Singapura) derives its name from the
Malay words (lion) and (city), which in turn is from the
Tamil-
Sanskrit சிங்க
singa and புர . According to the
Malay Annals, this name was given by a fourteenth-century
Sumatran Malay prince named
Sang Nila Utama, who, on alighting the island after a thunderstorm, spotted an auspicious beast on shore that his chief minister identified as a lion (Asiatic lion). Recent studies of Singapore indicate that lions have never lived there. In the modern era, the lion or
Merlion became the icon of
Singapore due to the island's
name. The Merlion also figures heavily in the official symbols of the
Philippines as it was once an
overseas possession of Spain; it appears on the coat-of-arms of
Manila, as well as the emblems of the
president,
vice-president, and
its navy.
China and Tibet -era guardian lion pair within the
Forbidden City,
China The common motif of the "majestic and powerful" lion was introduced to China by
Buddhist missionaries from India, somewhere in the first century AD. Lions themselves, however, are not native to China, yet appear in the art of China and the Chinese people believe that lions protect humans from evil spirits, hence the
Chinese New Year lion dance to scare away demons and ghosts.
Chinese guardian lions are frequently used in sculpture in traditional
Chinese architecture. For instance, in the
Forbidden City in
Beijing, two lion statues are seen in almost every door entrance. Lions feature prominently in the Tibetan culture with a pair of
Snow Lions seen on the
Tibetan flag. The Snow Lions are mythical creatures that are seen as protector entities. The Snow Lion symbolizes fearlessness, unconditional cheerfulness, east, and the Earth element. It is one of the
Four Dignities. It ranges over the mountains, and is commonly pictured as being white with a
turquoise mane.
Japan The lion became popular in
Japanese art from the 14th century onwards, under Chinese influence. The Chinese artistic form of the "dog-lion" (
kara-shishi in Japanese) was almost always used, but was generally somewhat fatter, and with a shorter torso, than in China, with a short fan-like tail and a flattened face.
Hokusai had a "special cult of the Chinese lion, whose "spiritual form" he drew each morning". Lions (獅子,
shishi) feature prominently in many
kabuki plays and other forms of Japanese legend and traditional tales. ==In narration==