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The lion is a general figure in heraldry and the most beloved coat of arms animal. It symbolizes courage and royalty, since it is regarded as king of the jungle.
The lion has been represented figuratively since the Stone Age. Ice age hunters depicted the lion this way in the cultural stage of the Aurignacian more than 30,000 years ago. The characteristic of the lion as the "king of the jungle" goes back to the influence of the Physiologus, an early Christian book about animal symbolism which spread into many cultures and generally had great influence in Western culture. The royal symbolism of the lion was repeatedly taken up in history, in order to claim power, for example by Henry the Lion. The ongoing fascination is apparent today by the diversity of coats of arms on which the lion is shown in various colors and forms (see below).
In antiquity, the lion was common in the entire Mediterranean area. In Greek mythology the lion appears in different functions: the Nemean Lion was represented as a people-eating beast, which to kill was one of the twelve tasks assigned to Heracles. In the story of Androcles, one of Aesop's fables, the hero, an run-away slave, pulls a thorn from a lion's paw; when he is later thrown to the lions as punishment for escaping, the lion recognizes him once again and refuses to kill the man. The lion also plays a role in numerous other antique cultures. In Egypt the pharoes are represented as the sphinx, a lion with a human head. The best known representation of this type is the Great Sphinx of Giza. The Egyptian mythology also recalls Dedun, the Egyptian god of wealth.
Examples of lions in coats of arms
See also
"Lion (heraldry)"