leontocephaline
deity Mithraism single tradition · 1
The leontocephaline is a lion-headed figure often found in Mithraic temples. His body is a naked man's, entwined by a serpent (or two serpents, like a caduceus), with the snake's head often resting on the lion's head. He is usually represented as having four wings, two keys (sometimes a single key), and a sceptre in his hand.
When
- First attested
- 100 CE
- Attested period
- 100 – 300
- Historical notes
- Depictions found in Mithraic temples dating from the Roman Imperial period.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Arimanius
Sources
wikipedia (1)
Source passages
“One of the most characteristic and poorly-understood features of the Mysteries is the naked lion-headed figure often found in Mithraic temples, named by the modern scholars with descriptive terms such as leontocephaline (lion-headed) or leontocephalus (lion-head).”
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