The Babylonian zizsang
One thing the world has no shortage of are mythical creatures based on lions, as I showed in this post. This is likely the reason there are no manticores or chimerae in Narnia; they would have stolen Aslan’s thunder!
There are even more bizarre lion monsters in the world of heraldry, but that’s for another post.
Here’s some randomgenned lion creatures that might be real but aren’t.
Mythical Lions that don’t exist
| Aristanduran: A lion god of the ancient Near East with bird’s plumage instead of a mane, a human body, and protuberant fangs. He holds a thresher in one paw so it’s likely he was an agricultural deity.
Asadlip: A white lion with the head of a crocodile and twelve eyes, the Asadlip was the deity in charge of irrigation for the ancient Egyptian city of Semliph. Camblehav: A many-legged lion common on European coats of arms. The number of legs varies from six to twelve. Gallaslan: A mythical monster said to roam 15th century France. It was the size and shape of a lion but had black, shaggy fur and an extra row of sharp teeth in its mouth. The creature’s rear legs resembled those of a hare, enabling it to jump, and it had small red eyes that burned like coals. The creature was magical in that ordinary weapons could not harm it, only those that had been consecrated by a priest. Jampasangha: A mythical Indonesian spirit with two heads, that of a lion and that of a wild boar, with a slim body like that of a deer. Jampasangha are very shy and live in the forest. Kirleijona: A Finnish lion-like beast who was the embodiment of Winter. It had long, silky white fur, a black nose, eyes, and claws, and the inside of its mouth was pale gray. The Kirleijona dined on walrus and elephant seals, and was even said to eat polar bears. Hunters would leave the beast a small offering after they broke their camps. The pine forest bordering the tundra was its abode. It often made an appearance in Finnish fairy tales. Klaarlowen: A monster from German Medieval Romance stories. It looks like a furless lion with a tortoise’s beak and feet and is very wise. Korshizhi: A small nature spirit from Japan that lived in flowing water and resembled an algae-covered lion living inside a turtle’s shell. The lion’s head had rough horns and human ears. The shell was a purplish black in color with small green spots. These spirits were mischievous bordering on malicious. One of their favorite things to do was tearing off butterfly’s wings. If one went walking by a river or stream and saw a small pile of discarded wings, it was wisest to cross at another spot. Krakasimh: A hybrid of lion and Oriental dragon, covered with golden fur and shining greenish-yellow scales, with the naked legs and taloned feet of a bird of prey. Krakasimh live in a supernatural realm running parallel to the mortal world. When a krakasimh roars the thunder sounds in this world. These beasts do not breathe fire but scalding steam. Lomacasoo: Part lion, part eland (a large African antelope) the lomacasoo hunts husbands who desert their wives. It walks on its hooved hind legs and uses its lion front paws to catch its prey. Instead of roaring, it emits a birdlike mew. Lowenhetch: A creature from Germanic myth. A huge lion with cursed three horns on its head who liked to eat virgin maidens, until it was forcibly baptized by St. Johannes of the Ewer. Afterwards, its horns fell off and it followed the saint like a dog. Its bones are said to be entombed at Augschlussfathenberg Cathedral in the Rhineland. Nagalion: Cross between a naga and a lion. Basically a lion that is a snake from its haunches down. It is covered with golden scales and has a forked tongue. Oeslonne: A legendary lion, perhaps a sub-species, from Dutch-occupied South Africa. The oeslonne had a small horn on its nose and was a solitary hunter. It preferred to eat horses and zebra. Its fur was rough and wiry and so was its mane. No oeslonnes have been sighted since the late 1700s. Psloma: The alchemical embodiment of “Greek Fire.” A lioness with green scales who breathes yellow flames. Simbadoon: A lion with a face that is as ugly as a warthog’s, with tusks and the long ears of an ass. It was often included in Medieval bestiaries. Singhalisk: Cross between a lion and a basilisk. Yevensing: A Lithuanian symbol of rulership, a lion with an owl’s face that is holding two spears in its claws. Zizsang: A Babylonion demigod that resembles a lion with the legs of a horse. In color it is golden brown. It can breathe fire and also use magic. This monster is mentioned in Biblical apocryphal literature where it is linked with Leviathan and Behemoth. |
