BRIAN TALMER Posted 28 November , 2004 Share Posted 28 November , 2004 Does anyone know the reason why one of the lions has bared teeth whilst the other guards the entrance patiently? thanks Lesley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 28 November , 2004 Share Posted 28 November , 2004 Brian, I will tell you if you tell me first why the one with the bare teeth has whiskers, and the other one does not. (Or do patient and non-snarling lions seldom or never have whiskers ?) Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 28 November , 2004 Share Posted 28 November , 2004 And the whiskerless one. Aurel (P.S. Brian, I haven't got the foggiest idea ...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRIAN TALMER Posted 28 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 28 November , 2004 Thanks Aurel I did'nt see that till you pointed it out So could one be female and one male ? The male being the serene one and the Female the aggressive one That's going to put the Cat among the Pigeons Cheers Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 28 November , 2004 Share Posted 28 November , 2004 Aurel I am happier with the passive one. He let us park under his nose for four hours - but we had to pay protection money! (Not my car but one I was navigating around the Salient for a friend ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 28 November , 2004 Share Posted 28 November , 2004 So could one be female and one male ? Brian Brian, I knew it, I just knew it that this would be what you were going to reply. Is this a gentle way to inform us that the pussycat in your avatar is not female ? Terry, Somewhere I must have a photo showing the right lion with my vehicle. Unfortunately my vehicle is my bike, and so I cannot compete with your photo... And now, let's all wait for someone who can give us the answer, saying that a snarling lion stands for X, and a quiet one for Y. And please add why the snarling one is on the right side (facing south) and the quiet one on the left (facing north, and Ypres). Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Thompson Posted 28 November , 2004 Share Posted 28 November , 2004 Two stone lions are said to be excellent guardians. They are prominently used to guard homes and temples. Legend has it that these stone lions will keep the occupants of the home safe from any harm spiritual or otherwise. The lion is regarded in Buddhism as a divine animal of might and nobleness, capable of warding off evil spirits. Under such influence, ancient Chinese consider it as the monarch of all animals, and stone lions were carved outside the buildings of royal family and court officials to represent their dignity and prestige. Traditionally, there are often a pair of lions standing in front of the gates of buildings. On the left is always a male lion with its right paw resting on a ball, while on the right is a female, with its left paw fondling a small cub. The symbolization of these two lions are different: the male playing with a ball indicates the sense of dignity, and the female with a cub symbolizes thriving offspring. The Western-style lions such as these observe the same convention that the one on the left has its mouth shut and the one on the right has its mouth open (or in this case with its teeth bared). The reason why one faces south and one north could be to describe two well-matched forces... ying and yang at work? Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 29 November , 2004 Share Posted 29 November , 2004 Marc, Thanks. Interesting, and confirming what we probably had in mind. The suggestion that one is facing north, the other south, and that this may have some symbolic significance was not meant seriously though. Coincidence I suppose. It's obvious that when one is on the left side and the other on the right, and both facing each other, that they are looking in opposite directions. When I wrote that, somehow I must have had the Menin Gate lion in mind (facing the battlefields). Though both have a mane (I think), the left one (female ?) indeed has gentler looks (ears, temples), and that the sculptor omitted her whiskers must have been a 'poetic license', emphasizing her 'femininity'. (For as far as I know both male and female lions have whiskers, haven't they ?) And talking about the Menin Gate ... Should an Australian (or other) Forumist have a nice pic (close-up) of the two lions at the Australian War Memorial (who originally were at the pre-war Menin Gate in Ypres), I would be interested. Here is a photo of the right one approx. 1936, before leaving for Australia. Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Thompson Posted 29 November , 2004 Share Posted 29 November , 2004 The suggestion that one is facing north, the other south, and that this may have some symbolic significance was not meant seriously though. Too true Aurel. Most likely a case that they were simply sighted like that because they looked right on the plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Mackenzie Posted 30 November , 2004 Share Posted 30 November , 2004 HSBC Bank have a pair of lions outside their main offices in London and Hong Kong. They are the other way around though - i.e. the open mouth lion is on the right hand side of the entrance - and both lions are male. They are a symbol of good fortune but not sure why one has its mouth open and the other closed. Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 30 November , 2004 Share Posted 30 November , 2004 I got a real kick out of the angry kitty and the serene one on my first trip to the area. A fine memorial indeed. Have never seen Last Post Ceremony there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 30 November , 2004 Share Posted 30 November , 2004 HSBC Bank have a pair of lions outside their main offices in London and Hong Kong. They are the other way around though - i.e. the open mouth lion is on the right hand side of the entrance - and both lions are male. They are a symbol of good fortune but not sure why one has its mouth open and the other closed. Neil Neil, At Ploegsteert Memorial the lion with the open mouth is on the right side too (when facing the Memorial). And as to the lions being a symbol of good fortune at the bank... Is that good fortune for the bank owners or the clients ? And an apology to end with ... After studying some other photos of the Ploegsteert Memorial, I have come to the conclusions that ... both lions are facing east. And that makes (more) sense. The side of the 'enemy'. (Though of course, there was no other way for them to face...) Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Mackenzie Posted 1 December , 2004 Share Posted 1 December , 2004 And as to the lions being a symbol of good fortune at the bank... Is that good fortune for the bank owners or the clients ? Aurel Aurel. Both - theoretically. There are apparently various explanations for the lions (as Marc set out in his earlier post) such as the open mouth welcomes good fortune, the closed mouth prevents evil fortune entering. In the far east, the protective one is often female (and the Chinese idea of lions being based solely on traded skins, female lions also have manes), and depicted with a cub at her feet. The male is the snarly one, and may have a ball under his foot or in his mouth as well. In some cases these lions are in fact dogs that sort of look like lions, so the puppy/cub for the female and the ball for the male makes more sense than if the figures were actually meant to be lions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markl Posted 6 December , 2004 Share Posted 6 December , 2004 Photo of memorial taken last week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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