The Lion of Judah

Symbolism is everywhere. Deeply rooted in our daily lives, in our immediate surroundings and cultures. Symbolism is the language of our consciousness, which we encounter visibly and invisibly every day. As in The Lion of Judah.

The same applies to the symbolism of the lion.

The lion is the king of the animal kingdom.

As a powerful animal, it has symbolized strength, power, courage, and bravery for centuries. Although the lion is an earthly animal, it is often associated with the element of fire.

In alchemy, everything begins with fire. Fire is seen as the light that initiates a new consciousness. Fire is therefore the start of transformation. And as the principle of 3/4 states, it also ends and begins again with fire. We also see the lion in ancient cultures, myths, and legends. In ancient Egypt, there were several gods associated with the lion. For example, the lion was linked to the almighty sun. Here, the lion symbolized life and death, struggle and danger. In short, the duality of life. It was associated with the sun and often with the ruling pharaoh.

Did you know that lion mummies have even been found?

The lion also plays an important role in Greek mythology. Hercules had to defeat a lion, which symbolized royal powers. The lion is also inseparably linked to the goddesses of fertility, Rhea (fun fact: Mother's Day originated from her) and Cybele.

The lion in our dreams

A lion is a relatively uncommon dream symbol, but it has a powerful meaning.

It represents the instinctive part of our humanity. The meaning varies greatly depending on the context in which you see a lion. A fighting lion has a different meaning than if you are being chased by it, let alone if you are just watching it or if it is helping you.

Archetypically, the lion is linked to the ego. If you admire the proud lion with respect, it probably means that you are proud of your personality traits or how you have acted. You feel empowered.

If you are being chased by a lion, you probably feel that you are in a situation and/or that there are parts of yourself that are uncontrollable. Fighting a lion indicates that you are struggling with something in your waking life (consciously or unconsciously).

However, it should be noted that it depends on the type of dream you are experiencing.

You can learn more about this in the free dream guide ‘dreams sweet dreams’.

soon available in English

But why is the lion also a symbol of the Netherlands? Of course, there are no lions in the wild in the Netherlands, as there were in ancient Egypt or Africa.

To answer this question, we have to go back thousands of years, to the time of Jacob and his son Judah. In Genesis, Jacob refers to his son as a lion cub.

Revelations [5:5] also mentions the lion of Judah. For this reason, the lion is still the national symbol of the Jewish people and can be found in the coat of arms of Israel.

But how did this lion end up in the Netherlands? There are several stories circulating about this. What can be established as fact is that the Dutch lion is the lion of Judah. This is partly due to a text from the commemoration of Dutch independence in 1872, which states: ‘It was the lion from the tribe of Judah...’. So it is a fact that the Dutch lion is inspired by ‘The Lion of Judah’.

I like the first theory best, but the second theory is the most plausible. As I mentioned earlier in my podcast (dutch spoken) about the origins of Samhain (Halloween), this first theory has to do with the 10 tribes that were banished from ancient Israel. The lion of Judah is said to have ended up in Europe. One of these tribes is said to have settled in the Netherlands, particularly around the border area between the Netherlands and Belgium (province of Brabant).

The other theory has to do with the Crusades that took place in the Middle Ages. Many nobles (including William I and Godfrey of Bouillon) are said to have taken the lion with them and, because of its significance and wishes for the Netherlands, made it the coat of arms of the Netherlands.

The Lion of Judah says something about what the country stands for, and it still does so if you delve deeper into its original meaning.

The lion is a powerful symbol.

I think it's wonderful that symbolism still plays such an important role. And even though it may sometimes seem hidden or invisible, for your unconscious it is the language it has always spoken.