Lion, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

In Medieval Christian religion, the lion was sometimes associated with Christ in order to emphasise His power and authority over all His creation.  Christ was seen as the saviour and the ruler.  In revelation 5:5, Christ was called the Lion of Judah[1], firstly because the lion was the symbol of the House of Judah and Jesus a descendent of the House of Judah, secondly because he was supposed to be a king and the lion symbolises the king of all beasts.

Lions were also a symbol of the resurrection of Christ after three days. Christians believed that lions’ cubs were born dead and remained as such for three days until their fathers breathed life into them.

They also symbolised purity and virginity owing to the lion’s habit of sleeping with its eyes open as a sign of vigilance and purity. The Virgin Mary was also perpetually pure and virgin and watched over humanity with care.

The text highlights the lion's merciful tendencies, demonstrating instances of restraint and compassion. Lions spare the fallen, refrain from overfeeding and exhibit a peculiar aversion to previous day's meals. Yet, they are not without vulnerabilities, as evidenced by their fear of certain creatures and susceptibility to venom.

Intriguingly, the narrative also touches upon mythical elements, such as the leontophones, small beasts whose ashes have lethal effects on lions. This juxtaposition of natural history with folklore adds layers of intrigue to the Bestiarium, making it a captivating exploration of the animal kingdom's complexities and mysteries.

_Bestiarum uocabulum proprie
conuenit leonibus. pardis. et ti-
gribus. lupis et uulpibus. canibus
et simiis. ac ceteris que uel
ore uel unguibus seuiunt. Excep-
tis serpentibus; Bestie autem
dicite; a ui; qua seuiunt. Fere
appellate; eo quod naturali utun-
tur libertate. et desiderio suo fe-
rantur. Sunt enim libere eorum uoluntates. et huc atque
illuc uagantur. et quo animus duxerit; eo ferantur.
Grece enim leon vocatur. et est nomen nothum. et ex parte corruptum
Leo enim grece; latine interpretatur rex; eo quod princeps est
omnium bestiarum et iuba crispa; imbelles sunt. longi et coma simpli-
ci. acres animos eorum et cauda indicat. Virtus eorum
in pectore. Firmitas autem; in capite. Rotarum timent
strepitus. sed ignes magis. Leo nature sue in superbis feroci-
tatem sui aliarum ferarum generibus miscere nescit.

The term Bestiarium
applies specifically to lions, leopards,
tigers, wolves, foxes, dogs,
and apes, and all other animals that
rage either with their mouths or with their claws.
Excluding snakes, whereas you call these animals beasts
because of the violence with which they rage, you
call them wild animals, for they enjoy their natural
freedom and are carried away by their
instincts. Namely, their will is free, they wander
hither and tither wherever their instinct leads them.
all beasts.

Grece enim leon vocatur. et est nomen nothum. et ex parte corruptum
Leo enim grece; latine interpretatur rex; eo quod princeps est
omnium bestiarum

The word for lion, leo, is of Greek origins and has been adapted into Latin. In Greek, the word for lion is leon/λέων; therefore, it is a spurious and partly corrupted noun. In Latin, indeed, a lion is interpreted as rex (king), for it is the king of all beasts.

et iuba crispa; imbelles sunt. longi et coma simpli-
ci. acres animos eorum et cauda indicat. Virtus eorum
in pectore. Firmitas autem; in capite. Rotarum timent
strepitus. sed ignes magis. Leo nature sue in superbis feroci-
tatem sui aliarum ferarum generibus miscere nescit.

There are three types of this species, among which the short and curly-maned ones are tame, whereas the ones with a simple, long mane are naturally violent (ferocious), which is indicated by their tails. Their virtue lies in their chest, whereas their strength lies in their head. They fear the noises of wheels, but fire even more. The lion, by its nature, cannot mix its proud ferocity with other beasts.

habere. Prima natura est quod per cacumina mon-
tium amat ire. Et si contigerit ut queratur a ve-
natoribus; venit ad eum odor venatorium. et cum cau-
da sua tegit post tergum vestigia sua. Tunc vena-
tores eum investigare nequeunt. Sic et salvator
noster scilicet spiritualis leo de tribu iuda. Radix iesse. fi-
lius david cooperuit vestigia sue caritatis in celis.
donec missus a patre descenderet in uterum virginis ma-
rie. et salvaret genus humanum quod perierat. et
hoc ignorans diabolus. scilicet humani generis ini-
micus; quasi purum hominem ausus est temptare. Etiam
hoc ignorantes qui sursum erant angeli; eo ascenden-
te ad patrem dicebant ad eos qui cum eo ascende-
bant. Quis est iste rex glorie;

The first nature of the lion is that it loves to wander about the mountaintops. If it happens to be tracked down by hunters, it is able to scent them and with its tail, it covers its tracks behind its back. Then the hunters cannot trace it. Similarly, one may know that our Saviour, the spiritual lion from the Tribe of Judah, the Root of Jesse, the Son of David, covered the traces of His love in Heaven until He descended into the womb of the Virgin Mary by the will of His Father in order to save the perishing humankind. As you may know, the devil, the enemy of man, dared tempt him as if He were an ordinary man. Even the angels on high, not knowing this, when He ascended to the Father, said to those who were ascending with Him, "Who is this king of glory?"

apertos habere perhibetur. Sic et dominus noster cor-
poraliter obdormiens in cruce; sepultus est. et deitas
eius vigilabat. Sicut dicitur in canticis canticorum
Ego dormio et cor meum vigilat Et in psalmo. Ecce
non dormitabit neque dormiet; qui custodit israhel.

Its second nature is that it is said to keep his eyes open whilst it is sleeping. Similarly, Our Lord was buried, whilst asleep bodily on the cross, but His divine nature remained vigilant. As it is written in The Song of Songs NKJV 5:2-16 “I sleep, but my heart is awake”, and in The Psalm NKJV 121:4: “Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.”

os; generat eos mortuos. et custodit eos tribus
diebus. donec veniens pater eorum insufflat in faciem eorum
et vi vivificat eos. Hic omnipotens pater dominum nostrum
iesum christum tercia die suscitavit a mortuis; dicente
iacob [ ] dormitabit tamquam leo. et sicut catulus leonis

Its third nature is that when a lioness gives birth to her cubs, she begets them dead and keeps them for three days until their father comes and breathes onto their faces and brings them back to life. Similarly, the Almighty Father raised Our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day, as predicted by Jacob “He will not sleep as a lion, nor will he slumber, and just like a lion's cub

suscitabitur. Circa hominem leonum natura est ut non
lesi nequeant irasci. Ad cuius exemplum rationabiles homi-
nes respicere debent. qui non lesi irascuntur. et innocentes
opprimunt. Cum iubeat christiana lex dimittere liberos. Patet
enim leonum misericordia exemplis assiduis. Prostra-
tis enim parcunt. captivos obvios repatriare permittunt. In viros potius quam in feminas seviunt. Infantes non nisi
magna fame perimunt. Pariter omnes parcunt a sagina. Primum quod alternis diebus potum. alternis cibum ca-
piant. Ac frequenter si digestio non est insecuta; solite
cibationi supponunt diem. Tunc quidem carnes iusto
amplius devoratas; conggregrant. et insertis in ora un-
guibus sponte eas pertrahunt. Sane et cum fugiendum
est in sacietate idem faciunt. Senectam leonum defec-
tio probat dentium. Aversi coeunt. Nec hii tantum;
sed et linces et cameli. et elephanti. et rinocerotes. et tigri-
des. et leene. Fetu primo catulos quinque educant. Deinde
per singulos numerum decoqunt. annis insequentibus et
postremo cum ad unum pervenerint; materna fecun-
ditas rescinditur. Sterilescunt in eternum. Leo ci-
bum fastidit hesternum. et ipsas sue esce reliquias
adversatur. Que autem ei se scire fera audeat cuius

he will be brought back to life”. Concerning the nature of lions towards humans, they cannot rage unless they are harmed or wounded. Rational men should follow suit, they should not rage when unharmed and not oppress the innocent, even though the Christian law sets them free. The lion’s mercy shows itself from endless examples. They spare the fallen and allow the captives in battle to return to their homeland. They mainly attack men rather than women. They only kill infants when extremely hungry. They equally abstain from overfeeding. First, they drink and feed on alternate days. If digestion does not often follow, they usually abstain from eating for a day. Then, when they devour an excessive amount of meat, they gather it and pull it out by inserting their claws spontaneously in the mouth. Indeed, when it is necessary to flee due to satiety, they do the same. Missing teeth reveal the lion’s old age. They mate while facing away. Not only lions, but also lynxes, camels, elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, and lionesses. The latter raise five cubs at first. Then they reduce the number each year, and finally, when they reach one, the maternal fertility diminishes. They become sterile forever. Lions despise the previous day’s food and turn away from their own leftovers. However, no wild beast dares to face the lion,

voci tantus naturaliter terror ut multa animati-
um que per celeritatem possunt evadere eius impetum;
rugitus eius sonitu velut quadam attonita atque vic-
ta deficiant. Leo eger simiam querit; ut devoret. quo
possit sanari. Leo; gallum. et maxime album veretur.
Leo quidem est rex ferarum. exiguo scorpionis aculeo exa-
gitatur et veneno serpentis occiditur. Leontopho-
nos vocari accipimus modicas bestias Que capite ex-
uruntur. ut earum cineris aspergine carnes sint
pollute. Iacteque per compita concurrentium semitarum; leo-
nes necent. si quantulumcumque ex illis sumpserint.
Propterea leones naturali eas premunt odio. atque ubi
facultas data est; morsu quidem abstinent. sed dilani-
atas exanimant pedum nisibus

whose voice causes such terror that many creatures that can escape its attack through their speed will tremble and become bewildered by its roar, as if overcome by force. A sick lion seeks out a monkey to devour, so it can be healed. A lion fears the cock, especially the white one. The lion is indeed the king of beasts, but it is irritated by the sting of a small scorpion and is killed by the venom of a snake. We have heard of small beasts called leontophones²: when captured, they are burnt; meat contaminated by a sprinkling of their ashes and thrown down at crossroads kills lions, even if they eat only a small an amount. Therefore, they naturally hate each other, and where the opportunity is given, they abstain from biting them but kill them by the pressure of their paws.

Bibliography

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Lion, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast78.htm

Josh Goldenberg (BA 2012) and Matt Shanahan (BA 2014, Logeion, November 2022, https://logeion.uchicago.edu/

Castiglioni, L. and Mariotti, S. (1996). Vocabolario della Lingua Latina: Latino-Italiano Italiano-Latino. Terza Edizione. Loescher Torino

Matthews, J. and Matthews C., (2010), The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, HarperCollins UK, London

Curley, M. J., Physiologus: A Medieval Book of Nature Lore (University of Chicago edition 2009)

Rackham, H., M.A., Pliny Natural History Volume III, Libri VIII-XI (London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1949)

Collins, A. H., M.A., Symbolism of Animals and Birds (New York: McBride, Nast & Company, 1913)

Henderson, C., The Book of Barely Imagined Beings (London: University of Chicago Press, 2013)

White, T. H., The Bestiary: A Book of Beasts (New York: G.P Putnam’s Sons, 1960)

Barney, S. A., Lewis, W. J., Beach A., Berghof O., The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Footnotes

1 Revelation 5:5: “Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

2 Leontophones are supposedly small animals that could kill a lion if they are eaten. It comes from Greek leonthophonos (lion killer). When their body is burnt, their ashes can be sprinkled on a piece of meat to bait the lion.