Lions are one of the most recognized animal symbols in history.

They show up in paintings in the prehistoric caves in France and through out all the cultures in their historical range which included Africa and a broad band of countries that extended from Greece through the Middle East and all the way to India.

Lions in Europe.

The power and reputation of the lion has spread well beyond its original boundaries. They appear all over northern Europe where they existed only in the imagination and in the most ‘lion-hearted’ of men.

The fierce lion statue guarding the Chateau Boleil made sure that that no one was picnicking on the extensive grounds (France).  Two gilded lions rampart holding a shield (containing even more lions) on a building in Edam, Holland.A guardian lion at Kasteel de Haar near Utrecht in Holland. Lion gateposts at Downhill Demesne in Ireland, UK. A stone lion statue guards the entrance way to the Covadonga church and shrine (Spain). 
Carved lion on the arm of a chair in Kidwelly Castle in Wales. Statue of a lion guarding the Napoleonic War Museum in Belgium. 

Lions in the New World.

Lions migrated to the Americas as they were colonized by Europeans.

In Colima, Mexico we met Oswaldo, a retired veterinarian, who took us to meet the son of Kimba. But before we went Oswaldo had to show us his scars from when Kimba made a swipe at him – lions are apparently not the most appreciative patients in the world. This is the ‘Son of Kimba’, who Oswaldo delivered 15 years ago, along with two other cubs.
One of a set of lions guarding the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, Canada.A 100,000 pound bronze lion watches over the MGM building in Las Vegas, and is, in turn, watched over by gods that appear to be made of cheap molded plastic, although are probably bronze-painted plaster.

Lions in Asia.

The ‘Lotus’, the ‘Boat’ Skycraper and the ‘Merlion’ in the Singapore Harbour. The Merlion is a mythical creature: part lion, part fish.Tu Dong Lion at Ananda Temple in Bagan, Myanmar.Carved wood lion at a Bangkok Wat.
Red & gold painting of a mythical creature combining a lion with the hoofs of a deer in a Melaka Temple in Malaysia.Carved marble lion outside a shop in Halong Bay in Vietnam.A lion sculpture at a temple in Cambodia.India was one of the few places in Asia where lions actually existed at one time. I find this depiction of a lion in Jodhpur Fort more realistic and less mythical than most other Asian lions (except for the little matter of his wings).Another charming lion from India, this pone in bas-relief on a brass door in Jodhpur Fort.
More of Jennifer Nichole Wells One Word Photo Challenge: Lion.