Lion in tarot
The lion has stood for royalty, courage and appetite since antiquity. It is the zodiac sign Leo and the beast of Saint Mark among the four living creatures. The woman in Strength closes a lion's jaws with her bare hands, and in the Golden Dawn scheme Waite followed, the card belongs to Leo. Winged or crowned lions appear in the corners of the Wheel of Fortune and the World, and carved or painted lions decorate the thrones of the Queen and King of Wands. In readings the lion is raw force and passion: not something to kill, but to befriend and direct.
Cards that show lion
-
Strength
Strength: The lion
A large red-orange lion with a thick curling mane lifts its head into her hands, tongue showing. It is the classic image of raw instinct, passion and courage, and here it is neither wounded nor bound in iron.
-
Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune: The four living creatures
An angel, an eagle, a bull and a lion sit on clouds in the corners, each with an open book. They are the creatures of Ezekiel's vision and Revelation, later the emblems of the four Evangelists, and are often linked to the fixed signs of the zodiac. They return on the World.
-
The World
The World: The four living creatures
A man's head (top left), an eagle (top right), a bull (bottom left) and a lion (bottom right) appear in clouds at the corners. They come from Ezekiel and Revelation and later became the symbols of the four Evangelists. The same creatures surround the Wheel of Fortune.
-
Queen of Wands
Queen of Wands: The lion throne
The arms of her throne are carved as lions' heads, and two red lions rear up on the panel behind her. Lions belong to fire and to Leo, and stand for courage and strength held calmly.
-
King of Wands
King of Wands: The throne back
The tall back of the throne is decorated with black lions and with salamanders curled into rings. Waite says the King connects with the symbol of the lion emblazoned there: courage, rule and the fire of Leo.
-
Two of Cups
Two of Cups: The winged lion's head
Above the caduceus floats a fierce red-orange lion's head between broad brown wings. The lion is passion and strength; its wings lift it upward. Waite says only that it is a variant of a sign on a few old cards and leaves its meaning unexplained.