LION, in heraldry. The lion holds an important place among the animals borne in coat-armor. As early as the 12th c., the king of beasts was assumed as an appropriate emblem by the sovereigns of England, Scotland, Norway, Denmark, the native princes of Wales, the counts of Flanders and Holland, and various other European potentates. Lions occur in different positions. 1. The earliest attitude of the heraldic lion is ram pant, erect on his hind legs, and looking before him, the head being shown in profile, as he appears in the arms of Scotland, and originally did in those of England. This was the normal position of a lion; but as the royal animal came to be used by all who claimed kindred with royalty, and to be granted to favorite followers by way of augmentation, a diversity of attitude was adopted for distinction's sake. 2. _Rampant gardant, erect on the hind legs, and affronte or full-faced. 3. 1?ampant regardant, erect on the hind legs, and looking backwards. 4. Passant, in a walking position, with the head seen in profile. 5. Passant gardant, walking, and with the head affront& 6. Passant regardant, walk ing, and with the head looking behind. 7 . Statant, with all the four legs on the ground. 8. Saliant, in the act of springing forward on his prey. 9. Sejant, rising to prepare for
action. 10. Sejant affronte,as in the crest of Scotland. 11. Couchant, lying down, but with his head erect, and his tail beneath him. 12. Dornwnt, asleep, with his head resting on his fore-paws. 13. Coward or cone, with his tail hanging between his legs. The lion passant gardant is often blazoned as the lion of England; and at a time when terms of blazonry were comparatively few it was confounded with the leopard (q.v.), and hence the lion passant and rampant gardant came to be called respectively the li,on-leoparde and leopard-lionne. Two lions may be depicted rampant combatant—i.e., face to face--or rampant addosse, placed back to back. Among leonine monsters we have two-headed bicorporate and tricorporate lions, lion-dragons, and lion-poissons. There is also the Bohemian lion, with two tails, and the more celebrated winged lion of St. Mark, adopted by the republic of Venice. The island republic bOre, azure, a lion winged or sejant, holding between his fore-paws a book open argent, in which are the words Paz tibi Mame Evangelista meus. Two or more lions borne on one shield are sometimes (though never when on a royal coat) blazoned lioncels.