Fanciful Creatures

[eachan]

The Welsh dragon and the victim of St. George's brutality ain't the same beast.

[FredRydr]

A classic: The Jackalope

[Chip]

That would be considered an atypical jackalope, having the antlers of a young mule deer.

Here's an anatomically correct specimen, with horns (rather than antlers) similar to the pronghorn antelope.

[An old bloke]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the scourge of the Outback, the infamous Drop Bear. The bloody thing gnawed off my leg!

[Chip]

Bloody Drop Bears! Only protection is to carry a sheet-steel umbrella.

Then there's the Chupacabra: Bloodsucker of the Borderland.

[Chip]

Lions appear in a great many folk tales and fables, exemplars of savagery and power. One variation on the theme is a tale catalogued in the Aarne-Thompson index as ATU 156.



"The earliest surviving account of the episode is found in Aulus Gellius's 2nd century Attic Nights.[2] The author relates there a story told by Apion in his lost work Aegyptiaca/Αἰγυπτιακά (Wonders of Egypt), the events of which Apion claimed to have personally witnessed in Rome. In this version, Androclus (going by the Latin variation of the name) is a runaway slave of a former Roman consul administering a part of Africa. He takes shelter in a cave, which turns out to be the den of a wounded lion, from whose paw he removes a large thorn. In gratitude, the lion becomes tame towards him and henceforward shares his catch with the slave.

After three years, Androclus craves a return to civilization but is soon imprisoned as a fugitive slave and sent to Rome. There he is condemned to be devoured by wild animals in the Circus Maximus in the presence of an emperor who is named in the account as Gaius Caesar, presumably Caligula.[3] The most imposing of the beasts turns out to be the same lion, which again displays its affection toward Androclus. After questioning him, the emperor pardons the slave in recognition of this testimony to the power of friendship, and he is left in possession of the lion. Apion, who claimed to have been a spectator on this occasion, is then quoted as relating:

Afterwards we used to see Androclus with the lion attached to a slender leash, making the rounds of the tabernae throughout the city; Androclus was given money, the lion was sprinkled with flowers, and everyone who met them anywhere exclaimed, "This is the lion, a man's friend; this is the man, a lion's doctor."[4]

The tale was widely adopted, one variant appearing in Aesop's Fables. Androcles has been characterized as a knight (whom the lion saves from an attacking serpent), a shepherd, a tailor, et many ceterae.



George Bernard Shaw's 1912 play has Androcles as a tailor and presents a skeptical view of the Christian interpretation. A 1938 production featured Dooley Wilson (the piano player from Casablanca) as Androcles.



There have also been several movies based on the tale.

[Chip]

The reason that stuffed jackalopes sold in tourist shops tend to have deer antlers is that deer shed them every spring, while pronghorn antelopes don't. Antelope horns are porous bony cores with cemented coverings. Antelope shed only the outer sheath, which deteriorates quickly or is eaten by rodents or scavengers. Deer antlers are bone, pretty durable.

[FredRydr]

The reason that stuffed jackalopes sold in tourist shops tend to have deer antlers is that deer shed them every spring, while pronghorn antelopes don't. Antelope horns are porous bony cores with cemented coverings. Antelope shed only the outer sheath, which deteriorates qucikly or is eaten by rodents or scavengers. Deer antlers are bone, pretty durable.

WTF? Jackalopes grow them as they age, though they tend to be gender-specific.

[Chip]

Might as well finish up with lions.

The oft-heard saying about the lion and the lamb is a misquote of a passage in the Christian Bible (Isaiah 65:25 says the "wolf and the lamb shall graze together") but the alliteration has planted it in popular memory, and art.



"Una and the Lion" by Briton Rivière exemplifies the vogue among the Royal Academy painters for images based on classical and early Renaissance works.

Lions are often seen in children's books and stories. The Cowardly Lion, from L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) was brought to the screen by Bert Lahr in the 1939 film, one of the best known characters ever portrayed.



More recently, the Disney colossus had a hit film and musical with The Lion King, which I've so far managed to avoid.



To close, here's one of my favorite lion memes:

[An old bloke]

My grandmother had a book with the top picture in it. I remember seeing it as a pre-teen and thinking how beautiful the woman was.

I love the last picture for the caption and the look of satisfaction the lion has.

[Chip]

In 2018, lions in South Africa killed and ate a man who was suspected of poaching, leaving only the head.

A rifle and ammunition were found with the remains.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43035474

[Chip]

I'll give this a rest while I ponder what creature to feature next.

Here's an old map with some real beauties.

[eachan]

Various images of the wyvern from the pen of that name. Wyvern pens were made in Leicester and the wyvern appears on the city's coat of arms. This wyvern doesn't appear especially fearsome but I suppose it might get snappy if backed into a corner.

[Chip]

I'd seen the term wyvern, but didn't have a clear idea of what it might be.



Makes more anatomical sense than a four-legged dragon.

[Robalone]

IMG_5453.jpg

(Acknowledging 9gag)

[Chip]

A coda to the lion posts: I love this photo.

[Chip]

William Wegman is an artist who became a pet photographer, composing witty pictures of his weimaraners over several generations.

[Chip]

He also takes straight photos of the dogs:



The artist and his models:

[Chip]

In the same vein as Wegman, there's work by Dutch artist Tein Lucasson. A difference is that he adds painted costumes to animal portraits rather than dressing the animals.

[Chip]

More by Lucasson: