Editing Lion (section)

===Cultural significance===
{{main|Cultural depictions of lions}}
[[File:Luxor Sekhmet New Kingdom.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Granite statue of the Egyptian goddess [[Sekhmet]] from the [[Luxor Temple]], dated 1403–1365 BC, exhibited in the [[National Museum of Denmark]]]]
The lion is one of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture. It has been extensively depicted in sculptures and paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary films and literature.<ref name=Guggisberg1975/> It is considered to be the 'King of Beasts'<ref>[[#Jackson|Jackson]], p. 7.</ref> and has symbolised power, royalty and protection.<ref name=Symbolism>{{cite book | first=Hope B. | last=Werness |year=2007 |title=The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in World Art |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |pages=254–260|isbn=978-0826419132}}</ref> Several leaders have had "lion" in their name including [[Sundiata Keita]] of the [[Mali Empire]], who was called "Lion of Mali",<ref name=Lynch/> and [[Richard the Lionheart]] of England.<ref>[[#Jackson|Jackson]], p. 133.</ref> The male's mane makes it a particularly recognisable feature and thus has been represented more than the female.<ref>[[#Jackson|Jackson]], p. 100.</ref> Nevertheless, the lioness has also had importance as a guardian.<ref name=Symbolism/>

In sub-Saharan Africa, the lion has been a common character in stories, proverbs and dances, but rarely featured in visual arts.<ref>[[#Jackson|Jackson]], p. 119.</ref>  In the [[Swahili language]], the lion is known as ''simba'' which also means "aggressive", "king" and "strong".<ref name=BCKM1993/> In parts of West and East Africa, the lion is associated with healing and provides the connection between [[Clairvoyance|seers]] and the supernatural. In other East African traditions, the lion represents laziness.<ref name=Hogarth>{{cite book |last1=Hogarth |first1=C. |last2=Butler |first2=N. |year=2004 |title=Shamanism: An Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and Culture |volume=1 |editor=Walter, M. N. |isbn=978-1-57607-645-3 |chapter=Animal Symbolism (Africa) |pages=3–6 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X8waCmzjiD4C&pg=PA3 |url=https://archive.org/details/shamanism00mari/page/3}}</ref> In much of [[African folklore]], the lion is portrayed as having low intelligence and is easily tricked.<ref name=Lynch>{{cite book |last=Lynch |first=P. A. |year=2004 |title=African Mythology A to Z |publisher=Infobase Publishing |page=63 |isbn=978-0-8160-4892-2 |chapter=Lion |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/africanmythology00lync_0/page/63}}</ref> In [[Nubia]], the lion-god [[Apedemak]] was associated with the flooding of the Nile. In [[Ancient Egypt]], lions were linked both with the sun and the waters of the Nile. Several gods were conceived as being part lion, including the war deities [[Sekhmet]] and [[Maahes]], and [[Tefnut]], the goddess of moisture..<ref>[[#Jackson|Jackson]], pp. 107–108, 111.</ref>
[[File:Berlín Ishtar león. 02.JPG|thumb|left|Roaring and striding lion from the Throne Room of [[Nebuchadnezzar&nbsp;II]], 6th century BC, from [[Babylon]], Iraq]]
The lion was a prominent symbol in ancient [[Mesopotamia]] from [[Sumer]] up to [[Assyria]]n and [[Babylonia]]n times, where it was strongly associated with kingship.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cassin |first=Elena |author-link=Elena Cassin |year=1981 |title= Le roi et le lion |journal=Revue de l'Histoire des Religions | trans-title = The King and the Lion | volume=298 |issue=198–4 |pages=355–401 |language=fr|doi=10.3406/rhr.1981.4828}}</ref> The big cat was a symbol and steed of fertility goddess [[Inanna]].<ref name=Symbolism/> Lions decorate the [[Ishtar_Gate#Ishtar_Gate_and_Processional_Way|Processional Way leading to the Ishtar Gate]] in Babylon which was built by [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] in the 6th century BCE. The [[Lion of Babylon]] symbolised the power of the king and protection of the land against enemies, but was also invoked for good luck.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Watanabe|first=C. E.|year=2015|title=The symbolic role of animals in Babylon: a contextual approach to the lion, the bull and the mušḫuššu|journal=Iraq|volume=77|pages=215–224|doi=10.1017/irq.2015.17}}</ref> The constellation [[Leo (constellation)|Leo the lion]] was first recognised by the Sumerians around 4,000 years ago and is the fifth sign of the [[zodiac]]. In ancient Israel, [[Lion of Judah|a lion]] represented the [[tribe of Judah]].<ref>[[#Jackson|Jackson]], pp. 109, 115.</ref> Lions are frequently mentioned in the [[Bible]], notably in the [[Book of Daniel]], in which the [[Daniel (biblical figure)|eponymous hero]] is forced to sleep in [[Daniel in the lions' den|the lions' den]].<ref>{{cite book |editor=Sakenfeld, K. D. |year=2008 |title=New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible |volume=3 |chapter=Lion |author=Borowski, O. |publisher=Abingdon Press|pages=669–670 |isbn=978-0687333653}}</ref>

[[File:Cowardly lion2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Dorothy Gale]] meets the Cowardly Lion in ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]''. Art by [[W. W. Denslow]], 1900.]]
Indo-Persian chroniclers regarded the lion as keeper of order in the realm of animals. The [[Sanskrit]] word ''mrigendra'' signifies a lion as king of animals.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Rangarajan, M. |year=2013 |title=Animals with rich histories: the case of the lions of Gir Forest, Gujarat, India |journal=History and Theory |volume=52 |issue=4 |pages=109–127 |doi=10.1111/hith.10690|doi-access=free }}</ref> In India, the [[Lion Capital of Ashoka]], erected by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century CE, depicts four lions standing back to back. In [[Hindu mythology]], the half-lion [[Narasimha]], an avatar of the deity [[Vishnu]], battles and slays the evil ruler [[Hiranyakashipu]]. In Buddhist art, lions are associated with both ''[[arhat]]s'' and [[bodhisattva]]s and may be ridden by the [[Manjushri]]. Though they were never native to the country, lions have played important roles in [[Chinese culture]]. Statues of the beast have guarded the entrances to the imperial palace and many religious shrines. The [[lion dance]] has been performed for over a thousand years.<ref>[[#Jackson|Jackson]], pp. 113, 119–122, 124.</ref>

In [[ancient Greece]], the lion is featured in several of [[Aesop's fables]], notably [[The Lion and the Mouse]]. In [[Greek mythology]], the [[Nemean lion]] is slain by the hero [[Heracles]] who wears its skin. [[Lancelot]] and [[Gawain]] were also heroes slaying lions in [[Middle Ages|medieval Europe]]. Lions continue to appear in modern literature such as the [[Cowardly Lion]] in [[L. Frank Baum]]'s 1900 ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'', and in [[C. S. Lewis]]'s ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]''. For cinema, the lion was portrayed as the ruler of animals in the 1994 [[Disney animated feature]] film ''[[The Lion King]]''.<ref>[[#Jackson|Jackson]], pp. 7, 96, 99, 103–105, 128, 135, 150, 197.</ref>
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