The lion has many a place in religion, folklore, poetry, and song. The strong, proud, and regal appearance of the lion has inspired many uses in the fables of many lands.
From the Greeks, we get the myth of slaying the lion by Hercules,
(Poor defenseless lion!)
which was one of the many tasks that he was required to perform. Zeus, the high god, immortalized the slain lion by placing the great cat in the heavens. The zodiacal constellation is known as 'LEO". Which leads to astrology.
Astrology states that a person born in the zodiacal sign of Leo (from July 22 to August 22) will be a proud, brave, and strong-willed
(or in my case, just plain hard-headed)
.
In some African tribes, the traditional rite of passage into manhood requires hunting and killing a male lion.
I assume the belief is that only an adult could perform such a task, and therefore, proves the person's manhood.
The lion and its believed characteristics is mentioned in a several places in the Bible. One of the persecution acts to befall onto Christians was to be fed to lions.
Hey, lions gotta eat too!
This includes the story of Daniel's experience of being placed in a pit of lions.
There are many references to lions in both poetry and song. The early rockers, The Tokens, have recorded the song, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". Leo Sayer has performed, "Wondering Where the Lions Are". "Bungle in the Jungle" has been released by Jethro Tull. There is also the theme song from the movie version of "Born Free", the Adamson's lion saga.
