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Lions have been associated with imperial power for a long time and everywhere – from the ancient Sumerian texts to the Disney cartoon. However, if you look, it turns out that this is a much more “versatile” beast.

Shot from the Disney movie The Lion King. 2019 year

Cave Paleolithic “humanity”. About 38–32 thousand BC e. The Man-Man, a 31.1 cm tall figurine found in Germany, is considered the oldest zoomorphic sculpture in the world. Her age is estimated to be between 35 and 40 thousand years. Parts of the figurine carved from the mammoth tusk, archaeologists discovered in 1939. More than 30 years later, scientists realized that these were fragments of one sculpture. Years went by in search of other parts of the figure in the same cave, and in 2012-2013 the statue was finally restored. She has the legs and torso of a man, and the head and forelegs of a cave lion. According to German archaeologists involved in the restoration and study of the find, “this figure could represent a deity. Cave lions were the largest and most dangerous predators of the Upper Pleistocene in Europe. Although, perhaps, the figurine depicts a man, most likely a shaman, who wears a lion’s head. Both versions point to the religious significance of humanity. ” The cave where the figurine and several other objects were found was probably a sanctuary.

Solar

In ancient Egypt, in the form of lions or lion-headed depicted many different deities. Academician Mikhail Korostovtsev estimated that all in all, at least 32 lion gods and 33 lion goddesses were revered in the country. The first divine couple in the universe is Shu and Tefnut; the terrible goddess Sekhmet; The bast, which they later began to portray with a cat’s head, and her son Mahes … The image of a royal and dangerous predator with a thick mane was associated with the power of the gods and pharaoh, lion features were among deities – carriers of destructive power and those associated with the sun. In the form of sphinxes with the body of a lion and the head of a man depicted kings. The sun god Ra in Egyptian art often looked like a man with the head of a lion; these two beasts, Yesterday and Tomorrow, guarded him so that the light would rise again every morning. The Egyptians put sculptures of lions as guardians of tombs and sanctuaries.

Enlightened

The Lion Capital. India, III century BC e. 

The “Lion Capital” of King Ashoka, the famous cultural symbol of India, has been an officially approved emblem of the state since 1950. In the III century BC. e. this powerful king, who imposed Buddhism, ordered the construction of commemorative pillars in places associated with the Buddha. The famous sculptural group of four lions is the upper part of such a pillar erected in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, on the site of the first enlightened sermon. The royal lion is a popular symbol in Buddhism. Buddha himself is called the lion (clan) of Shakya, and his teaching is called the “lion roar”. In the Buddhist tradition, lions are defenders of the truth, they are often portrayed as supporting thrones of buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Old Testament

Samson, tearing apart the mouth of a lion, is a popular subject in European art. In fact, in the biblical Book of Judges, which sets out the story of this hero, the torn jaws are not mentioned; it is only said that the strongman tore the aggressive predator he met with his bare hands. The second famous winner of the lions in the Old Testament is David: he promises to defeat the giant Philistine Goliath in the same way as he kills these animals attacking his herd. The analogy between the two heroes and their hunting feats is no coincidence. Samson, as was predicted, began the struggle against the Philistines who oppressed the people of Israel, and David completed it.

Samson Fountain in Peterhof. The first, lead, sculpture was created in 1735, replaced by bronze in 1802. During the Second World War, lost, restored in 1947 

The central figure of the Grand Cascade in Peterhof, “Samson, tearing the mouth of a lion”, is dedicated to the famous victory of Peter I over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava on June 27 (art.) Of 1709. A joyful event happened on the day of St. Sampson the Stranger who lived in the VI century. Even the contemporaries of Peter drew attention to the similarity of the names of the righteous and the Old Testament hero, as well as the fact that the Swedes had a coat of arms with lions, and praised the king as the new Samson.

Dancing

Lion Dance in Hong Kong

In the New Year and other holidays on the streets of China you can see “lion dances”: it is believed that they attract good luck and prosperity. Each “beast” is represented by two dancers, only their legs are visible from under the colorful embroidered costume. According to one legend, the custom appeared after the commander of the army of the kingdom of Song in the 5th century before the battle with a powerful adversary, in whose army there were fighting elephants, he dressed the soldiers in lions to scare enemy animals, and defeated. There are two main traditions of performing “lion dances”: northern and southern. In the first one there are many elements of acrobatics, since first of all it is important to show the power and dexterity of the beast, and in the costumes “imperial” colors prevail – yellow, red and orange. In the southern tradition, the color can be any; on the head of a “lion”, whose main function is to protect people from evil spirits, – a horn and a mirror. It is believed that evil spirits run away when they see their reflection. The tradition of “lion dancing” has penetrated from China to Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries.

Apocalyptic

“The Lion of St. Mark” at the Venice Carnival

The image of a winged lion with a book symbolizing the evangelist Mark can be found in Venice not only in the main square, but in general anywhere. The beast, in the guise of which appears the patron saint of the city, “hails” from the Bible. In the Old Testament, the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel mentions winged creatures, each of which has several faces: the lion, the bull, the eagle and the human (Ezek. 1: 5–11). In the New Testament, John the Theologian describes four beings he saw near the divine throne: a lion, a calf, an eagle, and a man “full of eyes” (Rev. 4–6). They were later associated with evangelists by Christian theologians. Mark was associated with a predator due to the fact that his gospel begins with a mention of the sermon of John the Baptist, and it was traditionally compared with a lion’s roar in the desert.

According to legend, the evangelist Mark visited the islands on which Venice stands: while sailing by ship, he stopped in these places to wait out the storm. At night in a dream, an angel appeared to the saint and said: “Pax tibi, Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum ” (“ Peace be with you, Mark, my evangelist. Your body will rest here ”). Prophecy, according to medieval chronicles, was fulfilled by local merchants in the 9th century: they stole the relics of an evangelist in Egypt and brought it to Venice. Since then, St. Mark became the main patron of this city, and the winged lion with a book on the page of which says “Pax tibi, Marce”, – the emblem of Venice. Today, in particular, the main prizes of the famous Venice Film Festival are the golden and silver statuettes of the winged lion of St. Mark. The same beast from the square of the same name is a symbol of the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, because the event was first held in 1954 in Venice. Only 30 years later, the festival finally moved to the French resort city of Cannes.

Didactic The habits of lions. Page from the English bestiary. C. 1190The representatives of the book culture of the European Middle Ages with lions had a special relationship. They learned about the habits of these animals mainly from versions of the late-ancient treatise “Physiologist” or bestiaries and encyclopedias that rely on it. In the eyes of the medieval scribe, the whole world was full of signs and clues from above, so the amazing facts in the writings about animals were accompanied by explanations revealing their Christian subtext. Moreover, the same beast could symbolize opposing things. According to semiotics specialist Alexander Makhov, signs are not animals themselves, “but their individual properties, the meaning of which may vary depending on the context.” “A lion, for example,” Professor Umberto Eco commented on information from bestiaries, “can symbolize both Christ and the devil. If he sweeps his footprints in the sand with his tail, trying to deceive the hunters, then he is a symbol of the atonement of sins; if on the third day it revives a still-born lion cub with its breath, it symbolizes resurrection; and if we see Samson and David fighting the lion, tearing his mouth apart, in this case the lion symbolizes the mouth of hell, because it is not for nothing that the 21st psalm says: “Save me from the lion’s mouth”. ”

Heraldic Portrait of Geoffrey Plantagenet with the coat of arms on his tombstone.  Le Mans. France. Mid-12th CenturyHeraldry as a phenomenon arose in the 12th century. Lions in those days in Europe have not been found for many centuries, however, it was the “king of the animals”, as the lion called medieval animal treatises, that became the most popular heraldic mammal. The lion – a symbol of strength, fearlessness and power – appeared on many coats of arms of the nobility, and then countries and cities. It is the lions that are depicted on one of the oldest surviving coats of arms, from the tombstone of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, who died in 1151. The count’s son, Henry II, became the first king of England from the Plantagenet dynasty. Probably through him, the British monarchs inherited from Geoffrey the Anjou lions in the coat of arms.  “British lion” in the company of “Russian bear”, “Gallic rooster” and other animals. 1901 caricatureThe sons of Henry, Richard the Lionheart and John Landless, placed on the royal coat of arms of three walking predators, whose heads were turned into face; such, according to the heraldic rules, are called leopards, but in the British tradition they are “walking lions on guard.” Because of the coat of arms of the ruling dynasty, Britain and in modern times was associated with a lion. The country was portrayed in the form of this predator both in pathos allegories and in political cartoons.

Nautical Merlion statue on the island of Sentosa. Singapore. 1972 yearThe name “Singapore” comes from the Sanskrit “simhapura”, which means “City of the Lion.” Such animals were not found on its territory, but the founder of Singapore, Prince Sang Nil Utama, did not know about this. According to the Malay annals, he and his close associates, having sailed to the islands, saw in the jungle some large animal “with an orange body, black head and white chest.” The prince’s adviser suggested that a lion appeared to them, Sang Nila Utama considered it a good sign to establish a city and name it after the beast. The “Lion City” is surrounded on all sides by water, and its inhabitants have come up with a mythical animal connected with the sea: half “king of beasts”, half fish. Merlion (as this creature is called in the English manner) is a symbol of a city-state; his statue is 8.6 meters high – one of Singapore’s most recognizable sights.

Car Emblem Peugeot on a car radiator. 1932–1936In the middle of the 19th century, the Peugeot brothers, whose company produced coffee grinders, umbrellas, and band saws, ordered a logo for their manufactory from a familiar engraver. In 1858, the lion proposed by him was officially registered as the Peugeot logo . It is believed that this beast was chosen because the teeth of Peugeot’s steel saws are sharp, like the fangs of a lion, the blade is flexible, like his spine, and at work they are quick, like a predator in a jump. The first Peugeot car , steam and tricycle, was released in 1889, but the lion began to decorate cars of this brand at the beginning of the XX century.

Cinematic

Jackie, one of the lions from the MGM screensaver , at work. 1928 photo

Leo, the most famous lion of Hollywood, from 1957 to this day growls in the headband of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio, but this is not the only beast that starred for her. The first lion, a native of Ireland Slats, appeared on the Goldwyn Pictures company logo in 1917. The king of animals as an emblem and a talisman was proposed by Howard Dietz, executive director of advertising: a graduate of Columbia University was inspired by the anthem of the university’s sports team “Growls, a lion, growls.” It is believed that the motto of the film studio, written on a tape around the beast, Ars gratia artis (“Art for the sake of art”, translated from Latin), is also the idea of ​​Diez. In 1924, Goldwyn Pictures merged with  Metro Pictures to form MGM., which “inherited” the logo with a lion.

CINEMA Prince of Africa The name of Simba, the protagonist of the cartoon The Lion King, is taken from the Swahili African language. It means, in fact, the “lion”. In 1988, the leaders of Disney Studiosan idea came up to make a film on an African theme. Company employees traveled specifically to Kenya. Animators in the studio were brought to the sketches of living lions and lectured on their habits. In an exotic setting, the filmmakers, however, told the audience a universal story about growing up. And the plot about the lion cub Simba, his father and the insidious uncle refers, in particular, to Shakespeare’s tragedy. Irene Mecca from the scriptwriting team recalled that she described the idea of ​​the film as follows: “Hamlet in Africa with the addition of Bambi; “Bamblet, in general.” In 1994, “The Lion King” was released and set a record for fees. It is still considered the highest grossing hand-drawn animated film in the world. On the 25th anniversary of the release of the tape, July 19, 2019, the film adaptation of “The Lion King” begins.

Photo: WDSSPR (X2), DAGMAR HOLLMANN / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS (LIZENZ: CC BY-SA 4.0), AKG / EAST NEWS, WALTERS ART MUSEUM (CC-BY-SA), ISTOCK, DREAMSFOTO (X4) / LEGION-MEDIA, ALAMY (X2) / LEGION-MEDIA, WEB GALLERY OF ART, DIOMEDIA (X3)

The material was published in the magazine “Around the World” No. 8, August 2019