Winged lion

The winged lion is found in various forms especially in ancient and medieval civilizations.

There were different mythological adaptions for the winged lion:

• Lamassu or shedu in Mesopotamian mythology was depicted as a winged lion. It was often depicted with a bull's body instead of a lion's body.
• The griffin in classical mythology was depicted as a lion-eagle creature. Griffin-like creatures were depicted in Egyptian and Persian mythology.
• The first beast in the first vision of the biblical prophet Daniel resembled a winged lion.
• The winged lion was the heraldic symbol of Mark the Evangelist.
• The Goetic demon Vapula was depicted as a winged lion.

Lion of St. Mark seen on the Venetian Coat of Arms

The emblems of the winged lions were featured in different countries:

• The emblem of the Republic of Venice as the heraldic symbol of St. Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of the Republic.
  • The Lion of Venice is an ancient bronze sculpture of a winged lion that is located in the Piazzetta di San Marco, Venice
  • The flag of the short-lived Septinsular Republic, derived from the above (Ionian Islands under Venetian rule), has a winged lion on it
  • The logo of the Italian company Assicurazioni Generali which has a winged lion on it was derived from the above
• The emblem of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allied Joint Force Command Naples headquarters, in Italy, is a winged lion holding a sword and scroll on which is written PAX - Latin for 'peace'.[1]

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  Flag of the Septinsular Republic
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  Palacio de Velázquez, Madrid
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  Winged Lion Memorial, Prague, 2014
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  Coat of arms of Giessen
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  Leicester Town Square Fountain
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  12th-century oil lamp from Khorasan
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  Regent's Park, London
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  a page from the Nikolje gospels depicting a winged dragon

Media related to Winged lions at Wikimedia Commons