African  Soapstone Lions

The lion represent the heat of the day, the splendor and power of the noonday sun, the fiery principle, majesty, strength, courage, fortitude, justice, law, military might and the King of all Beasts.

The symbol of the lion and the unicorn represents the contending solar-lunar, male-female forces.

The green lion is the young corn god before maturing into the golden corn. Lions' heads as waterspouts or fountains depict the diurnal sun, the gift of water exhaled over the earth. The lion throne represents the subjugation of the cosmic forces.

Lions eat everything from tortoises to giraffes, but tend to hunt the prey they grew up eating, and food choices differ among prides. Lions are the only truly sociable cats. Prides include from 2 or 3 to 40 lions. Pride members perform a greeting ritual upon meeting; they rub their heads and sides together, with tails looped high, while making friendly moaning sounds. Females are lifelong residents of their mothers' territories, unless food is too scarce and some are forced to leave.